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Posted: 9/7/2005 9:11:30 PM EDT
no we're not talking boobies here!

How bright are the brights suppose to be?  Last night while driving through a particularly rough area of the Columbia gorge [winding and dark] I had a trucker in front of me flip on this beam of light from the side of his truck that nearly blinded me.  He kept flicking his high beams to insinuate that I had mine on.  I flicked my lights to show him that mine were not on high and he turned off the mack side light.  Just about caused a wreck!

My car is a 1995 Olds Cutlass.  The lights are stock for the car.  I can't imagine they being brighter than standard.

Patty
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:12:37 PM EDT
[#1]
Were you going up or down a grade? How are the alignment of your lights? If your lights are oriented too "flat", they can look excessively bright to someone. Are you running Halogens? Those things piss me off.
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:12:39 PM EDT
[#2]
damn. I thought this was going to have pics for shore

Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:14:17 PM EDT
[#3]

Quoted:
Were you going up or down a grade? How are the alignment of your lights? If your lights are oriented too "flat", they can look excessively bright to someone. Are you running Halogens? Those things piss me off.



I was driving East.  The gorge is a cut through our largest mountain range.  I was on an uphill stretch.  The difficult part of the pass is that is so darn dark and there are some sharp curves.

I have no idea what the alignment is.  They are halogens.  Patty
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:16:09 PM EDT
[#4]

Quoted:
I was driving East.  The gorge is a cut through our largest mountain range.  I was on an uphill stretch.  The difficult part of the pass is that is so darn dark and there are some sharp curves.

I have no idea what the alignment is.  They are halogens.  Patty



Anothing thing to note... if there was no traffic on the road and you two met head on, your eyes are adjusted to darkness pretty well. In those conditions, even normal headlights look too bright. Happens all the freakin time on Route 45 in Alabama/Mississippi.

Halogens tend to be entirely too bright, especially for eyes adjusted to the dark or used to looking at normal lights.

I know your pain. I drive a Chevy Silverado. People think I have my high-beams on all the time. You should see them when I actually do show them the highs, or the fog lights. They learn quick.
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:17:34 PM EDT
[#5]
I don't know but playing with truckers on the Columbia River gorge road is not something I would enjoy.

I have memories of being a kid and coming up the gorge road when it was freezing rain...not a fun time.
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:18:09 PM EDT
[#6]
agreed.  This guy was driving a big truck and he had a very bright side light mounted just behind his cab.  I was about a car legnth behind him when he turned it on me and I had to pass him to get out of the blinding light.

Patty
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:20:17 PM EDT
[#7]

Quoted:
agreed.  This guy was driving a big truck and he had a very bright side light mounted just behind his cab.  I was about a car legnth behind him when he turned it on me and I had to pass him to get out of the blinding light.

Patty




Too bad you couldn't get a tag....thats very dangerous/stupid for a trucker to be doing.
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:21:21 PM EDT
[#8]

Quoted:

Quoted:
agreed.  This guy was driving a big truck and he had a very bright side light mounted just behind his cab.  I was about a car legnth behind him when he turned it on me and I had to pass him to get out of the blinding light.

Patty




Too bad you couldn't get a tag....thats very dangerous/stupid for a trucker to be doing.



What is a tag?  Boy no kidding. I nearly slammed into the side rail.  It was just west of Cascade Locks.  Patty
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:22:57 PM EDT
[#9]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Quoted:
agreed.  This guy was driving a big truck and he had a very bright side light mounted just behind his cab.  I was about a car legnth behind him when he turned it on me and I had to pass him to get out of the blinding light.

Patty




Too bad you couldn't get a tag....thats very dangerous/stupid for a trucker to be doing.



What is a tag?  Boy no kidding. I nearly slammed into the side rail.  It was just west of Cascade Locks.  Patty




License plate number...tag.
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:23:04 PM EDT
[#10]
Does your car sit level? Were you carrying somethng in the trunk of your car that might have lowered the back end?
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:25:23 PM EDT
[#11]
Carrying anything heavy in the back seat or trunk?

BTW, halogen bulbs have been standard equipment on just about every vehicle sold in the U.S. within the last 20 years.

Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:27:25 PM EDT
[#12]
My car is level.  I had it realigned last month and new tires on it.  I don't think things roll around unless I'm going up a hill.  I really wasn't doing anything wrong.  My car's headlights aren't those bright bright lights.  There are some beams that are so fricken bright they blind you.  They're bright but not that bright.

He was just being an asshat.  Patty  yes no way to get liscense plate as his light blinded me.
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:30:56 PM EDT
[#13]
I got something for people that don't dim there HIGHBEAMS
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:32:24 PM EDT
[#14]

Quoted:
Carrying anything heavy in the back seat or trunk?

BTW, halogen bulbs have been standard equipment on just about every vehicle sold in the U.S. within the last 20 years.




Actually I did have 180 pounds of dog food in the trunk.  I didn't think of that.  Patty
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:46:09 PM EDT
[#15]

Quoted:
I got something for people that don't dim there HIGHBEAMS
img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-9/842173/MVC-011F.JPG



An engine that overheats for no apparent reason?
Link Posted: 9/7/2005 9:48:44 PM EDT
[#16]

Quoted:
I got something for people that don't dim there HIGHBEAMS
img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-9/842173/MVC-011F.JPG



what sort of draw does that pull off your battery?
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:11:17 AM EDT
[#17]

Quoted:
damn. I thought this was going to have pics for shore

Nope, no boobies here.
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:17:00 AM EDT
[#18]
I use a blue GE bulb for my low beams. Seems to help , since installing em, I get less people flashing brights at me. I have a 96 1500.
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:27:30 AM EDT
[#19]
I eat there about once a week!

www.highbeamsbarandgrill.com/
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:34:13 AM EDT
[#20]
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:35:46 AM EDT
[#21]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Quoted:
damn. I thought this was going to have pics for shore

Nope, no boobies here.

A thread titled "High Beams" posted by a tall blond woman and it isn't about boobies.
Sad, sad day.



 I'm sorry DoubleFeed.  Life just isn't fair is it?  Patty
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:43:16 AM EDT
[#22]
Could it be possible that he was signaling that it was clear to pass?
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:51:56 AM EDT
[#23]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Carrying anything heavy in the back seat or trunk?

BTW, halogen bulbs have been standard equipment on just about every vehicle sold in the U.S. within the last 20 years.




Actually I did have 180 pounds of dog food in the trunk.  I didn't think of that.  Patty



Off topic.  That is a hell of a lot of dog food.

Only time I used to buy that much was when I was housing 4 english mastiffs.  The poor kid at the local pet supermart thought I was lying when I said that lasted about 3 weeks if I was lucky.

Geoff
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:57:05 AM EDT
[#24]

Quoted:
Could it be possible that he was signaling that it was clear to pass?



No he was being a jerk.  What he did nearly caused an accident which could have been fatal.  Considering the fatality would have been me, I was rather peeved about it to say the least.  

Gander I raise and train hunting dogs.  I have 12 German Shorthaired Pointers at my house right now.  180 pounds is about a month supply.

Patty
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 5:57:13 AM EDT
[#25]

Quoted:
Could it be possible that he was signaling that it was clear to pass?



Rules of the road states it is never legal to flash your brights at an oncoming vehicle.

You can flash them on and off, but even that is illegal to signal "clear to pass", as that
is "directing traffic".

I believe standard headlights are 45 watt low, 55 watt high.
I've seen some standard bulbs go up to 65 watt.

You can buy aftermarket replacement bulbs up to 100 watt,
and for H4, even up to 140 watt.
(really nice if you are driving in the country at night)

Old 4-headlight GM vehicles (like my '69 Chevelle) had metal dishes the
headlights would fit in.  With very little modifications, KC Daylighter bulbs
will fit.  My dad's '65 Impala currently has 12.0V aircraft landing lights.
They are a tad brighter, as they are being overdriven on a 13.8v system.

Link Posted: 9/8/2005 6:28:49 AM EDT
[#26]
This guy didn't flick his high beams.  I was actually behind him about a car legnth and he flicked a spot light that he had mounted to his cab on me.

Patty
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 8:33:15 AM EDT
[#27]

Quoted:
This guy didn't flick his high beams.  I was actually behind him about a car legnth and he flicked a spot light that he had mounted to his cab on me.

Patty



With the weight of the dog food in your trunk, maybe your low beams were blinding him. Headlights are adjustable and if yours are adjusted a little high when empty then they'll blind someone with a load in the trunk. Or maybe he felt you were to close IE tailgating him and he was saying back off. The 2 things that bug me the most when driving my big rig truck are tailgaters and bright lights in my mirrors.

If you want to check the adjustment of your headlights, park facing a flat surface like a wall or garage door 25 feet away with your lights on. Each low beam should be centered side to side and slightly below the height of the mounting point of the light.
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 8:36:51 AM EDT
[#28]

Quoted:
This guy didn't flick his high beams.  I was actually behind him about a car legnth and he flicked a spot light that he had mounted to his cab on me.

Patty



I just reread your post. You said you were a car lenght be hind him. That's way to close. I'll bet he was saying "Get the F*** off my A$$"!

Come On people stop tailgating big trucks.
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 8:41:44 AM EDT
[#29]

Quoted:

Quoted:
This guy didn't flick his high beams.  I was actually behind him about a car legnth and he flicked a spot light that he had mounted to his cab on me.

Patty



I just reread your post. You said you were a car lenght be hind him. That's way to close. I'll bet he was saying "Get the F*** off my A$$"!

Come On people stop tailgating big trucks.



It was an interstate I was in the pass lane, he was in the slow lane.  I've drove my fair share of trucks [not pick ups] I know how to deal with trucks.  However it may be true my lights were shinning into his mirrors weird because of the weight of the food in the trunk.  Regardless considering the terrain and road conditions that man driving that truck took a lot of risk with my life.  I nearly ran into the gaurd rail because of being blinded.  If he would have caused me to wreck and die do you think he would have felt justified?

Patty
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 9:37:35 AM EDT
[#30]
And I've nearly wrecked a truck because of people's lights in my mirrors blinded me enough I was seeing white spots and couldn't see the road in front of me.

I don't turn my load lights on for this, but maybe you just caught that driver at a bad time. We don't know how many other people had already blinded him that night and he was fed up with it.

I'm not picking on you, Patty. But to everyone here that reads this. Don't tailgate big trucks; don't sit next to or just behind big trucks.  If you're going to pass us then do it. I want the area next to my truck clear in case I have to avoid something or someone in the road. Don't take my "out" away from me. If I move left to let you on the freeway then return the courtesy and let me back in the slow lane. If I have my turn signal on, don't dive into that hole as I may not see you and that could ruin both our day. Yes there are a$$hat truck drivers and I don't like them anymore than you do.
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 9:38:36 AM EDT
[#31]
TEASE
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 9:45:54 AM EDT
[#32]
well considering the terrain - it was a stupid thing to do.  I was passing him and was accellerating as quickly as I could.  I was going 70 err...I mean 65 and I'm sure he was abiding by the law and driving 55.  I agree people need to be more cautious and curtious to trucks though.

Patty
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 10:12:03 AM EDT
[#33]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I got something for people that don't dim there HIGHBEAMS
img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-9/842173/MVC-011F.JPG



what sort of draw does that pull off your battery?




Assuming those are each 55 watt halogen bulbs, they'll draw 27.5 amps total, when all on.  

If they're 100w, double that.......

Maybe a little less, if the right size wiring isn't used, due to the added resistance/heat.

Hope he got a big ass alternator and a good safe wiring job with some relays and FUSES on them suckers.

Can you say electrical fire, boys and girls ?

Link Posted: 9/8/2005 11:04:40 AM EDT
[#34]
They are 55w lights each, and are hooked up through 3, 30 amp relays on three seperate
circuits with a 15 amp fuse each,  on 10 gauge wiring. and yes I am running a 105 amp alternator.
and no it does not over heat. And they are great for night fishing, just pull up to the edge of
the water front and flip a switch. But you better have alot of bug spray !
Link Posted: 9/8/2005 2:23:53 PM EDT
[#35]

Quoted:
They are 55w lights each, and are hooked up through 3, 30 amp relays on three seperate
circuits with a 15 amp fuse each,  on 10 gauge wiring. and yes I am running a 105 amp alternator.
and no it does not over heat. And they are great for night fishing, just pull up to the edge of
the water front and flip a switch. But you better have alot of bug spray !



So do you use them for hunting deer, too?
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