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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions G20 US spec headlights compared - LED (base), Adaptive LED (ZCV) and Laser

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      01-10-2019, 12:24 PM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by praxis218 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nomana View Post
Looks like a lazy design
They probably designed the high end versions first then just fished this one from the trash bin.
Agree
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      01-10-2019, 01:35 PM   #46
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I'm guessing like on other new redesigned BMWs that only the top trim Icon Adaptive ones will net an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating? FWIW, I had a G01 X3 loaner with regular LED Adaptive lights and there was a discernible difference at night compared to the LED Icon Adaptive lights on our X3.
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      01-10-2019, 01:50 PM   #47
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Good no more halogen headlights which was always a joke on a "luxury car"
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      01-10-2019, 04:50 PM   #48
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just imagine 5 years from release of these fancy headlights
cost of replacement
you get in accident broken headlight sorry sir your car is totaled
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      01-10-2019, 04:58 PM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EL Jeffe 5 View Post
just imagine 5 years from release of these fancy headlights
cost of replacement
you get in accident broken headlight sorry sir your car is totaled
5 years?

I thought these cars had explosives for built-in self destruct when I turn in the lease.
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      01-10-2019, 05:50 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M-Furby View Post
laser can do a ton of things, its used in thousands of applications. the real question, is what did BMW do to make laser better than Led?

categories
what did they do
improvement from led
what is lost for not having laser
lifespan
reliability
cost

if its just " cause you can say you have laser", and no actual benefits, than meh.

again, people are looking for what is actually being sold, not what could be sold if bmw made that
In the EU versions up to now, the Laser portion only illuminates over roughly 70 KPH/45MPH.

LED is used under that.
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      01-10-2019, 06:27 PM   #51
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Can you weaponize that laser by coding?
yes u can
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      01-10-2019, 06:37 PM   #52
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Looking forward to this technology; I just hope the cost trickle down and it's not a $8,000 option, as it currently is on the US spec i8.

The US and Canada just approved "Selective Beam" for road testing on 10/2018. So we should have the same exact hardware/technology as the rest of the world by the time this hits the market - as oppose to currently..

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cne...ed-headlights/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/insidee...n-germany/amp/

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      01-10-2019, 06:37 PM   #53
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NO HALO / Angel Eyes

NO HALO / Angel Eyes
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      01-10-2019, 07:28 PM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stvding View Post
You can code it after
Perhaps.

You cannot code it for example on M3/4 with late 2018 build dates, there is some sort fo hardware change that prevents it.

Time will tell.
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      01-10-2019, 07:31 PM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adc View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by stvding View Post
You can code it after
Perhaps.

You cannot code it for example on M3/4 with late 2018 build dates, there is some sort fo hardware change that prevents it.

Time will tell.
US DOT Law still ban adaptive light??
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      01-10-2019, 07:34 PM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stvding View Post
US DOT Law still ban adaptive light??
We can have adaptive but not selective beam.
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      01-10-2019, 07:35 PM   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by praxis218 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by stvding View Post
US DOT Law still ban adaptive light??
We can have adaptive but not selective beam.
So stupid
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      01-10-2019, 11:25 PM   #58
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I thought the "selective beam" feature was available with the adaptive led lights but just coded off in the US.
Also something I read on another post but didn't think about was these new lights in the snow. The old lights produced a lot of heat which tended to keep the lens clear in a snow storm but LEDs don't. No light washers in US so has BMW addresses this. Maybe with headed lens like mirrors.
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      01-11-2019, 01:34 AM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LemonOne View Post
Can you weaponize that laser by coding?
Already coded in US version with the 2nd amendment.

In Europe there will only be a "Pew pew" sound.
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      01-11-2019, 05:06 AM   #60
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ADRQ0811 View Post
Good no more halogen headlights which was always a joke on a "luxury car"
How about when halogen was all that was available?
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      01-11-2019, 07:37 AM   #61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Poochie View Post
Looking forward to this technology; I just hope the cost trickle down and it's not a $8,000 option, as it currently is on the US spec i8.

The US and Canada just approved "Selective Beam" for road testing on 10/2018. So we should have the same exact hardware/technology as the rest of the world by the time this hits the market - as oppose to currently..

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cne...ed-headlights/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/insidee...n-germany/amp/

It won't be $8000 stand-alone option--it's part of the $2100 Executive package (which requires the $2800 Premium package), if that makes you feel better.
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      01-11-2019, 08:34 AM   #62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IK6SPEED View Post
In the EU versions up to now, the Laser portion only illuminates over roughly 70 KPH/45MPH.

LED is used under that.
This is the case with all US-spec cars, including the i8. High beams will be LEDs only under 44mph, and Laserlights and LEDs above 44mph. Also, headlights and high beams have to be set to auto, there is no manual control for the Laserlights.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Poochie View Post
Looking forward to this technology; I just hope the cost trickle down and it's not a $8,000 option, as it currently is on the US spec i8.

The US and Canada just approved "Selective Beam" for road testing on 10/2018. So we should have the same exact hardware/technology as the rest of the world by the time this hits the market - as oppose to currently..

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cne...ed-headlights/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/insidee...n-germany/amp/

On the i8, it's a $6,300 option, not $8k...not that that makes it affordable.

As was mentioned, on the G20, the Laserlights are part of the $2,100 Executive Package. On the G05 X5, it's a stand-alone option for $1,000 or part of the $2,050 Executive Package. On the G07 X7, the Laserlights are only available on the 50i (not available on the 40i) in the $2,100 Executive Package. On the G15 8 Series it's standard.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Influence View Post
There is one small wrinkle to this. For the 2017+ 3-series, BMW removed the active shutters from the headlight modules that is required to ensure the anti-glare portion of this functionality works properly. If you have a 2016 or earlier 3 series with the Adaptive LEDs you can code the european highbeam stuff to work (and avoid glaring other drivers). 2017+, no dice. Yeah, the swiveling and such will work right, but you'll blind anyone in front of you or oncoming.

Also, until the headlights are actually tested, we don't know if the laser lights really offer any benefit (other than looking cool). I'll assume that they will offer better overall visibility, but we need to wait and see.

Here's the link to the IIHS headlight testing on the 2018 3-series sedan. The LEDs are noticeably superior to the lousy base (which I think are LEDS on 2017/2018 models too):

https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/ve...s-4-door-sedan
Click the "Headlights" section on the left of the screen to see.

However, LEDS aren't always noticeably superior to even the older Xenon (or HID) lights we had. Check the testing results for the X5.

https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/ve.../x5-4-door-suv

Again, click the "Headlights" link.

This is why I didn't spec the LEDs on my 2016 X5. The LED low beams are slightly better than the Xenon on the driver's side but noticeably poorer on the passenger side. Plus the Xenon high beams are noticeably better in all directions. Given that I live in primo deer country, high beam power/distance is very important to me.

I know everyone digs the look of the new lights but I'd make sure they actual perform better before spending more money on them.
Good pointing all this out!

If my experience with the i8 Laserlights is of any indication, they absolutely do make a difference, even in US-spec. I got myself on an unlit road with lights on automatic and cruised at ~30mph with the high beams on. As I accelerated over 44mph, there was a notable difference in visible light output straight ahead. The Laserlights seemed to further fill in what the LED high beams illuminated. Now, the headlight enclosures on the G05, G07, G15, and G20 with Laserlights are pretty differently designed, but I wouldn't hesitate for a second to upgrade to them.
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      01-11-2019, 10:17 AM   #63
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As a supplement to the LED low/high beams, the laserlight's primary purpose is to extend visible range, so that far objects are illuminated sooner. The light output or brightness at short and intermediate distances is not affected. In fact, overly bright lights directed at short distance objects probably cause more glare/reflection and adversely affect visibility by forcing the pupils to constrict. Unless one drives on UNLIT AND LIGHTLY TRAVELED roads at highway speeds, the laserlights won't come on very often at all, especially for urban drivers.
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      01-11-2019, 05:47 PM   #64
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stvding View Post
US DOT Law still ban adaptive light??
Quote:
Originally Posted by praxis218 View Post
We can have adaptive but not selective beam.

Hopefully the law is changed, if it hasn't been already.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKCN1ML2UW


Adaptive = Adjusts up/down/left/right

Selective Beam = I use the term VLD (Variable Light Distribution), is what does the magic with high/low beams and diverting light / creating light tunnels for vehicles you're following or vehicles that are approaching you. The gov. also refers to them as matrix lighting [specific to certain headlights/manufacturers it seems] or Adaptive Driving Beams (ADB).

RE: Hardware, it depends on the equipment the vehicle has. In the G30 for example, the base is Adaptive LED and the upgrade is Iconic [Adaptive] LED with high beam assist. Since it's the same hardware + camera used where the feature is permitted, it is simply disabled via coding for the US. It can be manually enabled.

Hopefully what the revised law means is a) going forward, we get to enjoy these features, and b) hopefully a simple update from BMW will enable it for models where it was turned off via software.
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      01-11-2019, 07:43 PM   #65
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Quote:
Originally Posted by timmahh View Post
Hopefully the law is changed, if it hasn't been already.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKCN1ML2UW


Adaptive = Adjusts up/down/left/right

Selective Beam = I use the term VLD (Variable Light Distribution), is what does the magic with high/low beams and diverting light / creating light tunnels for vehicles you're following or vehicles that are approaching you. The gov. also refers to them as matrix lighting [specific to certain headlights/manufacturers it seems] or Adaptive Driving Beams (ADB).

RE: Hardware, it depends on the equipment the vehicle has. In the G30 for example, the base is Adaptive LED and the upgrade is Iconic [Adaptive] LED with high beam assist. Since it's the same hardware + camera used where the feature is permitted, it is simply disabled via coding for the US. It can be manually enabled.

Hopefully what the revised law means is a) going forward, we get to enjoy these features, and b) hopefully a simple update from BMW will enable it for models where it was turned off via software.
That announcement or news is a bit "deceptive," especially for those of us pining for adaptive/matrix-type headlights. It merely stated that DOT was "moving to approve" the new headlights, meaning DOT was receptive to "approving" them. The next phase would be 12-18 months of soliciting public feedback/opinion on such lights (not sure how that's possible when no such lights exist in the U.S.), after which the agency makes the final decision.
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      01-11-2019, 08:55 PM   #66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OBMWBrian View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by mose121 View Post
Do we know for sure that the laser lights will be available in the U.S.? I was under the impression that they weren't DOT approved yet.

Regarding the two LED options, I wouldn't count on coding to turn non adaptive lights into adaptive lights. They've done this in the past, and they were two distinctive parts, one of which did not have all the components necessary for the adaptive functions. So if it's the same here, and by the looks of the different lights it probably is, coding isn't going to do much if anything. Non adaptive housings are much cheaper to produce, and they've not going to waste money putting parts in them that won't ever be used.
They are definitely available in the US market. There were recent developments in DOT regulations allowing further implementation of laser headlights. The G05 X5 and G15 8 Series also have them in the US market, but the lasers are just powered down a little compared to the European market.

On coding, what people are talking about is enabling the selective beam operation, also known as light tunnel. We can have automatic high beams in the US, but the function where the headlights angle themselves side to side to allow the high beams to remain on but pointing around oncoming cars is turned off. For this to be coded in, the headlights have to be adaptive and have auto high beam functionality from the factory.
My 2016 340i. LED adaptive. Anti dazzle was coded. Amazing.
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