[ZedsRedBaby]

Originally Posted by JNW1

I will see what my car does the next time I have it out in the dark but haven't felt inclined to take it out specifically to check!

Me neither, but I'm itching to know now. How bad is that? Gonna be driving around just to watch the speedo and see what the headlights do

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by ukbeemerboy

The standard adaptive lights do not do the beam forming regardless of having HBA enabled. You need the laser light "Visability Package" for those which is exactly why it's a £1500 option. The adaptive element of the standard issue lights are cornering lights at slow speeds when turning.

BMW are very crafty with the word "adaptive" in their lighting options.

Wow wasn't aware of that. So what's adaptive about the standard LEDs is to just left and right lens turning?

[xenon]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Wow wasn't aware of that. So what's adaptive about the standard LEDs is to just left and right lens turning?

Yes.

[MontyB1]

So the BMW Adaptive LED lights on a G20/ 3series don’t move and sweep with the wheel and avoid the car coming the other way and selectively switch on and off?

The certainly do on a G01 X3 and they are fantastic, view is the opposite of this forum that many don’t bother with the Laser lights as they only work at HB and it’s pointless on dipped they are just LED.

Interestingly on the LCI things change again, lights don’t move with the wheel anymore but BMW has moved to updated HELLA lights that more accurately turn on and off areas of the lights for even better avoidance of other cars etc.

Example below of the updates likely to appear on the LCI.

[xenon]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

So the BMW Adaptive LED lights on a G20/ 3series don’t move and sweep with the wheel and avoid the car coming the other way and selectively switch on and off?

Blimey, how many times.... NO they do not have selective beam-forming!!

The visibility pack includes Laser Lights, HBA and the lights will beam-form - that is the only way to get "proper" adaptive lights on the G2x, at least pre-LCI.

The basic "adaptive" LED lights just move with the steering, even HBA is an optional extra, although the button is in on the stalk even without it...

If they eventually fit matrix lights on the LCI model then BMW have caught up with what Audi were doing in 2016.

[Charlie (Wessex)]

Personal view, which may not be very popular.....

Laser Lights and their ilk should be banned. The brightness of car lights these days is getting ridiculous. I know beam forming blocks out oncoming cars, but the glare from lights is still a lot brighter, and it is hard sometimes not to have your eyes drawn to them. As has been discussed (and have talked to people who have these systems) on coming cars flash a fair bit which goes to show that they are "too" bright.

By this post, you'd be right in thinking I don't have Laser Lights

[marksandygill]

My car can't always work out the correct speed limit, not sure I'd trust it to not blind some poor person by accident!!

[paulockenden]

Opposite view: You're very unlikely to have an accident due to the brightness of the headlights of oncoming vehicles, but for the driver of that vehicle their bright and wide lights can illuminate obstacles in/near the road which could cause an accident with dimmer lights. And the beam forming (almost) completely mitigates the nuisance caused to other road users.

By this post, you'd be right in thinking I *do* have Laser Lights

[MontyB1]

Originally Posted by xenon

Blimey, how many times.... NO they do not have selective beam-forming!!

The visibility pack includes Laser Lights, HBA and the lights will beam-form - that is the only way to get "proper" adaptive lights on the G2x, at least pre-LCI.

The basic "adaptive" LED lights just move with the steering, even HBA is an optional extra, although the button is in on the stalk even without it...

If they eventually fit matrix lights on the LCI model then BMW have caught up with what Audi were doing in 2016.

Not arguing, its a shame they aren't fitted on the G2X but they are on the G01/2 X3/4 and to be honest they are great, they are that good it makes a cross country blast home far easier and more enjoyable at night than without, I was sceptical but converted but these are the LED only, the Laser bit isn't worth it if you get it with LED. However if the only way to get the functionality on the G2X is with laser lights then I'd seriously look at it, no idea what BMW varies the functionality though, thats a shame.

The new systems doesn't moved the lights with the wheel anymore, but are able to track more cars etc. as the video shows. Will have to see what they add to the LCI on the 3/4 series.

[Talisman77]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

So the BMW Adaptive LED lights on a G20/ 3series don’t move and sweep with the wheel and avoid the car coming the other way and selectively switch on and off?

The certainly do on a G01 X3 and they are fantastic, view is the opposite of this forum that many don’t bother with the Laser lights as they only work at HB and it’s pointless on dipped they are just LED.

Interestingly on the LCI things change again, lights don’t move with the wheel anymore but BMW has moved to updated HELLA lights that more accurately turn on and off areas of the lights for even better avoidance of other cars etc.

Example below of the updates likely to appear on the LCI.

From the video the mechanism of action is generally on par with BMW's Laserlight implementation (i.e. HBA/beam forming). As someone out in the sticks I very much benefit from the lights moving with the wheel, which help to illuminate some of the backroads at better angles than purely straight ahead.

I concur with Paul in that I think the safety from added visibility of obstacles and adjacent junctions more than make up for the occasional time a vehicle feels they're too bright for their taste. I don't think people flash because the lights themselves are too bright either though, likely just they see the throw of the beam is much longer than "typical" and assume it's main beam.

[SilverGrey]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Wow wasn't aware of that. So what's adaptive about the standard LEDs is to just left and right lens turning?

I think it’s a bit more sophisticated than just being linked to the steering input. I read in the handbook that it uses the satnav data to work out how it should swing the beam.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by SilverGrey

I think it’s a bit more sophisticated than just being linked to the steering input. I read in the handbook that it uses the satnav data to work out how it should swing the beam.

Fair enough but when people are questioning whether a car has "full" adaptive headlights I think they're asking whether they have the selective beam function (so they can look around a car in front, etc); on the G2x you only get that by opting for the Visibility Pack (which also includes laser lights).

[bmnut]

Originally Posted by JNW1

Fair enough but when people are questioning whether a car has "full" adaptive headlights I think they're asking whether they have the selective beam function (so they can look around a car in front, etc); on the G2x you only get that by opting for the Visibility Pack (which also includes laser lights).

That's my interpretation of it too!

[philmots]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

So the BMW Adaptive LED lights on a G20/ 3series don’t move and sweep with the wheel and avoid the car coming the other way and selectively switch on and off?

The certainly do on a G01 X3 and they are fantastic, view is the opposite of this forum that many don’t bother with the Laser lights as they only work at HB and it’s pointless on dipped they are just LED.

Interestingly on the LCI things change again, lights don’t move with the wheel anymore but BMW has moved to updated HELLA lights that more accurately turn on and off areas of the lights for even better avoidance of other cars etc.

Example below of the updates likely to appear on the LCI.

My A class Merc (new shape) I had before my G20 had this sort of system and the functionality of it was way way better than the laser lights on the G20.

When there was no traffic on the road they weren’t as bright as the lasers but in a more normal situation with traffic the response of them was instant. The G20 can take a second or so to go back to full beam after a car passes which is far too long.

[paulockenden]

Originally Posted by philmots

The G20 can take a second or so to go back to full beam after a car passes which is far too long.

How old is your car? Mine (build date Jan 2021) doesn't take that long - probably 1/3 of a second max.

[philmots]

Mine is a July 21 build.

I haven’t actually timed it to be honest so a second may well be too long, my point is more it’s not instant that it is/was on the Merc.

It’s just a way better/modern system, hopefully BMW will catch on and implement it.

[avi66]

Does this BMW model not use the Hella LED matrix tech for Adaptive LED ?

I understand the X3 LCI LED Adaptive Headlight with HBA have selective beam using the new Hella Matrix LED first announced at the start of 2021. This appears to replace the old elect-mechanical swivel tech used on earlier versions.


https://www.hella.com/hella-com/en/p...021-19305.html

[ZedsRedBaby]

Originally Posted by JNW1

...what I think is now also being suggested is that, if you're using HBA, the main beam will drop to dip beam as soon as the road speed goes below 20mph

Finally got round to some thorough testing and this is correct. Main beam turns off below 20mph and comes back on again over 25mph. As that mostly happens on very tight bends I haven't found it to be a problem, as otherwise you'd just be shining very bright light at a hedge/tree/field/wall or whatever.

[Bugsyt1959]

Originally Posted by xenon

I wish rear fog lights wouldn't turn on at all. C*nts that turn them on in city centres should be dragged from their cars and shot.

Shot live on TV in my opinion.

[siwatkins]

Found this - for a techie like me, was fascinating - laser light teardown.

[bmnut]

Originally Posted by siwatkins

Found this - for a techie like me, was fascinating - laser light teardown.

Certainly helps to explain the cost of them!