Progress or stupidity? You decide...

[Sledsel]

I got really tired of a**holes coming at me with their xenon high beams, flash mine and they would ignore me. Whelp...... a pair of 125 watt lights from a combine wired into my '71 Mercury and if someone is running their high beams to long, I let them know. They do not ignore me anymore.

 

[peteski]

I have been always thinking of doing something like that.  Bet me to it.

[Russell C]

23 hours ago, Sledsel said:

... their xenon high beams ...

At least they were high beams. Wintertime snowbird resident here two winters back had his Harley trike trucked in from Nebraska ... and I'd swear his regular beams main headlight and two smaller lights were the moral equivalent of aircraft landing lights. Glad he didn't come back last winter. Shoulda took a photo of what the street looked like at night when he turned into the far end of it, like a solid strip of white.

[Sledsel]

On 9/20/2025 at 12:10 AM, Russell C said:

At least they were high beams. Wintertime snowbird resident here two winters back had his Harley trike trucked in from Nebraska ... and I'd swear his regular beams main headlight and two smaller lights were the moral equivalent of aircraft landing lights. Glad he didn't come back last winter. Shoulda took a photo of what the street looked like at night when he turned into the far end of it, like a solid strip of white.

So true, Those light look like high beams a lot, especially when they go over a hill or dip in the road. Even on low you get blinded. 

[Rob Hall]

My Cadillac has the LED projector bulb lights and LED light strips that function as turn signals and cornering lamps.  They have auto on and auto high beam on/off settings which work pretty well. They are definitely brighter and throw further than the older Halogen bulbs on my Jeep.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 9/19/2025 at 12:16 AM, Sledsel said:

I got really tired of a**holes coming at me with their xenon high beams, flash mine and they would ignore me. Whelp...... a pair of 125 watt lights from a combine wired into my '71 Mercury and if someone is running their high beams to long, I let them know. They do not ignore me anymore.

 

Couple hundred years ago, a friendamine had a pair of 24V aircraft landing lights on the front of his Bugeye Sprite, with a pair of 12V Varley Red Tops in the trunk to drive 'em.

Can you say "bright" boys and girls?

 

[espo]

On 9/18/2025 at 11:16 PM, Sledsel said:

I got really tired of a**holes coming at me with their xenon high beams, flash mine and they would ignore me. Whelp...... a pair of 125 watt lights from a combine wired into my '71 Mercury and if someone is running their high beams to long, I let them know. They do not ignore me anymore.

 

In the late '60's I worked with a couple of guys who were also in the Air Force at a base near San Bernardino Ca. We were talking on night about the headlights on our cars and my '67 El Camino, while having 4-headlights, left a lot to be desired for nighttime driving when out in the countryside. The next night this one guy said he had something for me, and he had this big smile on his face and said try these. He handed me two landing lights that they used on the wings of some light aircraft. The only problem, besides the CHP taking a rather dim view of my activity, was the reflectors on the back side of the mile markers on the side of the road when the lights hit them the reflection would make you want to look away. Heaven help the guy that didn't dim his headlights in an oncoming car though.  

[Sledsel]

42 minutes ago, espo said:

In the late '60's I worked with a couple of guys who were also in the Air Force at a base near San Bernardino Ca. We were talking on night about the headlights on our cars and my '67 El Camino, while having 4-headlights, left a lot to be desired for nighttime driving when out in the countryside. The next night this one guy said he had something for me, and he had this big smile on his face and said try these. He handed me two landing lights that they used on the wings of some light aircraft. The only problem, besides the CHP taking a rather dim view of my activity, was the reflectors on the back side of the mile markers on the side of the road when the lights hit them the reflection would make you want to look away. Heaven help the guy that didn't dim his headlights in an oncoming car though.  

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! I have the issue with street signs at night!!! I get it!