[CanadianGatorBacon]

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Admin Update: directly below is BMWUSA's official response to the IIHS report:

The BMW Group has been an industry leader for headlight technology innovation for more than four decades. BMW was the first to introduce ellipsoid projector headlights, electronic adaptive headlight technology, xenon headlights and most recently BMW Laserlights. BMW has also pioneered Night Vision systems that can detect animals and pedestrians far beyond the range of the best headlight systems. While we are disappointed with the results of the IIHS headlight test of a BMW 3 Series equipped with basic halogen headlights, we remain confident that we offer our customers very effective headlight systems at a variety of price points.

Original post:

"Many of the poorest-scoring vehicles were luxury cars. Case in point: The headlights on the BMW 3-Series [with halogen lights] received the lowest marks of any car tested. Researchers said a driver with a BMW equipped with those headlines would have to be going 35 miles per hour or slower to stop in time to avoid an obstacle in the travel lane."

"A better-performing headlight system available on the 3-Series [i.e., LED lights], for example, earned a "marginal" score."

"Cars earning a "marginal" rating include: the Acura TLX, Ford Fusion, Audi A4, Lincoln MKZ, BMW 2-series, BMW 3-Series, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry and Chrysler 200."

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/03/30/h...afety-car-led/

"Headlights are evaluated on the track after dark at the IIHS Vehicle Research Center. A special device measures the light from both low beams and high beams as the vehicle is driven on five different approaches: traveling straight, a sharp left curve, a sharp right curve, a gradual left curve and a gradual right curve.

Glare for oncoming vehicles also is measured from low beams in each scenario to make sure it isn't excessive.

Headlights are tested as received from the dealer. Although the vertical aim of headlights can be adjusted on most vehicles, IIHS doesn't change headlight aim because few vehicle owners ever do and some manufacturers advise consumers not to.

After a vehicle is tested on the track, IIHS engineers compare its visibility and glare measurements to those of a hypothetical ideal headlight system and use a scheme of demerits to determine the rating. Results for low beams are weighted more heavily than high beams because they are used more often. The readings on the straightaway are weighted more heavily than those on the curves because more crashes occur on straight sections of road.

Vehicles equipped with high-beam assist, which automatically switches between high beams and low beams depending on the presence of other vehicles, may earn back some points taken off for less-than-ideal low beam visibility. This credit is given only for approaches on which the glare threshold isn't exceeded and on which the high beams provide additional visibility compared with the low beams.

A vehicle with excessive glare on any of the approaches can't earn a rating above marginal."

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/news/deskto...ed-improvement

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/rat...ght-evaluation


Prius V LED vs BMW 3er halogen:





Add the 2016 X1 to the list:

[AIRPOWER]

I don't know about all this stuff....but I do know that my LEDs are bright and white as hell and people flash me all the time. I see better with these headlights than with any other car I have owned.

My wife's car is a XC60 with bi-xenon and when I drive her car now, I say why are these headlights so dim and yellow.

[08njSTEP]

I think the key statement is "a vehicle with excessive glare....can't earn a rating above marginal". So super bright is marginal. BMW has been a leader in lighting technology, but I guess their lights have too much glare. Personally I would rather glare oncoming and see than not.

[TBN54]

I drive around with my high beams all day and night.

[CanadianGatorBacon]

I didn't have time to post the more detailed results for each BMW test, but you can click through from the IIHS site to see why they came to the conclusions they did for each test. From a TV news story I heard this morning, a lot of the cars didn't project light nearly far enough at higher speeds.

Seems like the IIHS considers optimal low beam distance to be about 200 ft left and 320 ft right, and optimal high beam distance to be about 500 ft left and right. For both 2s and 3s xenon and LED did better than halogen, and adaptive headlights did better than non-adaptive. All adaptive headlights did good on right turns, but not on left turns (which I think BMW does on purpose to avoid blinding oncoming traffic). All headlights were short on the straightaway.

Adjusting the aim of the low beams may help alleviate the issue, although I don't know what aiming low beams does to high beam aim on bi-xenon and LED headlights. And would that make the beam pattern too high on right turns?

I would be interested to see what the results would be with a car having the not DOT approved VDL coded in.

[cjmcdonald86]

Are we sure they're not talking about the Hallogen lights? Because, they're sooo horrible!!!

[F87LUV]

And the Toyota Prius scored the best. I heard this on the news yesterday. I guess we're driving the wrong cars.

[DeeKay]

I have a F30 3-series with original halogen headlights... They suck - BMW really should offer some sort of "Upgrade kit" for them to make them easier Xenon ready... And for God's sake - make Xenon/LED standard equipment in a car this expensive man!

(Despite many on here hate it, I really didn't see any way out of mounting xenon-kit in my halogen lights - I adjust them a bit down compared to normal and have never been flashed once, but my GOD the look on the road is clear now... But would upgrade them to full LED in a heartbeat if BMW had the option)

[F87LUV]

Originally Posted by cjmcdonald86

Are we sure they're not talking about the Hallogen lights? Because, they're sooo horrible!!!

You can't see sh*t with those! I refuse to drive a car that has those.

[taibanl]

Originally Posted by TBN54

I drive around with my high beams all day and night.

A-hole

[tibookM3]

Originally Posted by DeeKay

I have a F30 3-series with original halogen headlights... They suck - BMW really should offer some sort of "Upgrade kit" for them to make them easier Xenon ready... And for God's sake - make Xenon/LED standard equipment in a car this expensive man!

(Despite many on here hate it, I really didn't see any way out of mounting xenon-kit in my halogen lights - I adjust them a bit down compared to normal and have never been flashed once, but my GOD the look on the road is clear now... But would upgrade them to full LED in a heartbeat if BMW had the option)

Yes they do. We have a basic F30 for work and those headlights suck.

I did Euro coding for my LEDs and those headlights must be the standard by which all others are measured because they light up everything.

[Delta0311]

WTF are they talking about my freaking low beams look like search lights.

[gp_solo2]

I am not surprise with those results. I have a M235 with non adaptive headlight and I always found that the low beam are pointing way too low. It is my first car that I regret not having adaptive headlight and where I find it an issue driving at night.

It also caused me to hit a racoon at about 100km/h. I had to switch to lower beam because of incoming trafics and at the time I saw the racoon there is no way I would have time to avoid it. You need to be drivng at a much lower speed to be able to do so because of the way the headlight are configured and this is not acceptable in my opinion for a company such as BMW.

[spuntyb]

Their halogens are garbage. No need to mince words. My e90 needed hi beams on to drive around at night most places, just to give a half-way decent cast. The halogens either need to be improved or done away with all together.

[nelsdvn]

This "test" is of marginal use. Of course the federal headlight standards are woefully inadequate. Until NHTSA and the DOT allow manufacturers to offer their best technology the US market will suffer from poor headlight options.

What I find comical in particular is the 2 series detailed results. The upgraded lighting package only rates "poor" unless it is paired with the drivers assist. Only then does it rise to "marginal". Having my hi beams controlled by the car upgrades the rating? Is this a test of lighting effectiveness or an assertion that one needs the car to manage systems rather than a participating, attentive driver.

What a joke and indicative of the pathetic state of US drivers apathy and complete disengagement from driving. I have owned BMWs with adaptive lighting for nearly ten years and they blow away standard halogens. Period. I'll take my marginal to poor BMW any day and I only hope that this IIHS test brings change to the archaic federal headlight regulations.

[taibanl]

Originally Posted by 08njSTEP

I think the key statement is "a vehicle with excessive glare....can't earn a rating above marginal". So super bright is marginal. BMW has been a leader in lighting technology, but I guess their lights have too much glare. Personally I would rather glare oncoming and see than not.

Thats the problem, if no one cares if anyone else can see the. Whats the point. Someone you are blinding can hit you just as easily

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by gp_solo2

I am not surprise with those results. I have a M235 with non adaptive headlight and I always found that the low beam are pointing way too low. It is my first car that I regret not having adaptive headlight and where I find it an issue driving at night.

It also caused me to hit a racoon at about 100km/h. I had to switch to lower beam because of incoming trafics and at the time I saw the racoon there is no way I would have time to avoid it. You need to be drivng at a much lower speed to be able to do so because of the way the headlight are configured and this is not acceptable in my opinion for a company such as BMW.

You can adjust the height of your beams. There is a screw on on each headlight that you can turn to adjust the height.

[gp_solo2]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

You can adjust the height of your beams. There is a screw on on each headlight that you can turn to adjust the height.

I was not aware. I thought it had to be done via coding. I asked the dealer and they did not want to mess with them and said it could not be adjusted. Anyway my point is that they should come better configured straight from the factory.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by CanadianGatorBacon

I didn't have time to post the more detailed results for each BMW test, but you can click through from the IIHS site to see why they came to the conclusions they did for each test. From a TV news story I heard this morning, a lot of the cars didn't project light nearly far enough at higher speeds.

Seems like the IIHS considers optimal low beam distance to be about 200 ft left and 320 ft right, and optimal high beam distance to be about 500 ft left and right. For both 2s and 3s xenon and LED did better than halogen, and adaptive headlights did better than non-adaptive. All adaptive headlights did good on right turns, but not on left turns (which I think BMW does on purpose to avoid blinding oncoming traffic). All headlights were short on the straightaway.

Adjusting the aim of the low beams may help alleviate the issue, although I don't know what aiming low beams does to high beam aim on bi-xenon and LED headlights. And would that make the beam pattern too high on right turns?

I would be interested to see what the results would be with a car having the not DOT approved VDL coded in.

I think that's basically the gist of the BMW response.


" We got some cool shit that would work better but your crappy laws don't let us use our cool tech so we have to dumb the stuff down and yeah... well... It's dumb alright.... But maybe you'll come around... "

And honestly.. It doesn't really make sense for BMW to spend a ton of time engineering headlights of yesteryear for the US.

[absoluteis350]

Originally Posted by AIRPOWER

I don't know about all this stuff....but I do know that my LEDs are bright and white as hell and people flash me all the time. I see better with these headlights than with any other car I have owned.

My wife's car is a XC60 with bi-xenon and when I drive her car now, I say why are these headlights so dim and yellow.

They arent talking about LEDs, they are talking about the base 3 series headlights. Which may indeed suck compared to other vehicles.

"we remain confident that we offer our customers very effective headlight systems at a variety of price points."

In other words, we (BMW) choose to equip our base cars with shitty headlights because it maximizes our profits/allows us to lower our price point. No one cares if they are a pioneer in anything, if those innovations are not adopted across the product line.

[Killramos]

THis clearly has something top do wiht the fact that the intelligent functions of our headlights are disabled as per DOT guidelines. No shit equipment designed for one purpose, then crippled to meet cookie cutter DOT regulations, don't perform optimally.

Just code your car to re enable anti-dazzle lights and ignore the IIHS sheep.

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by gp_solo2

I was not aware. I thought it had to be done via coding. I asked the dealer and they did not want to mess with them and said it could not be adjusted. Anyway my point is that they should come better configured straight from the factory.

It's a large black looking screw, usually located towards the top, rear of the headlight. There is the possibility that they got knocked out of balance during transport.