Headlights - Active high beam vs Adaptive Shadow Technology

[PhilS]

Originally Posted by Lexman8

@PhilS: As you have Winter Plus I'm fairly sure you'll have both bending and Adaptive (not be be confused with the less functional Active) headlamps. As others said above, check that bending is enabled in Sensus. For Adaptive operation the light switch has to be turned beyond Auto whereupon a small letter 'A' will appear superimposed on the headlamp symbol in the driver's display.

Note that the degree to which the lights follow the road depends upon the amount of curvature and your speed. However, regardless of those 2 points, if there is a car in front the Adaptive system will always ensure that it remains in shadow.

@Leman8 - many thanks. I’m pretty sure I have the adaptive lights. I guess my experience has been that when I flip the light switch to enable adaptive operation, active bending works while the lights are dipped but when main beam automatically engages, the lights work adaptively but always in the straight-ahead.

I must remember to use the adaptive lights more - when I first got the car I remember thinking that they jumped around a lot so I guess I never really got into the habit of switching them on.

Regards, Phil.

[Bicax]

Hi guys,

I have just done a couple of long trips at night, and the active bending lights didn't activate.

I am 100% sure I have the option, they are activated in Sensus, I turned the marker until it showed the "A", I have also seen them "dance" a couple of times before. So maybe I'm just expecting too much from the system.

Do you have to go below a certain speed for them to activate? Would they activate if you have a car in front of you, and another car in the opposite lane coming your way?

All that it did was to turn on and off the high beam.

All of the driving was done at night on a non-illuminated highway at highway speeds. Even if there was only one car in front of me, the high beam would automatically go off entirely.

Maybe it's due to the reflection of the lights on the road signs?

[Jcbrown]

Originally Posted by Bicax

Hi guys,

I have just done a couple of long trips at night, and the active bending lights didn't activate.

I am 100% sure I have the option, they are activated in Sensus, I turned the marker until it showed the "A", I have also seen them "dance" a couple of times before. So maybe I'm just expecting too much from the system.

Do you have to go below a certain speed for them to activate? Would they activate if you have a car in front of you, and another car in the opposite lane coming your way?

All that it did was to turn on and off the high beam.

All of the driving was done at night on a non-illuminated highway at highway speeds. Even if there was only one car in front of me, the high beam would automatically go off entirely.

Maybe it's due to the reflection of the lights on the road signs?

You can see a video of the Adaptive/Active/Bending/Shadow lights here. I do want to capture another video, as it does not show a good example of the "shadow" capability (there are a couple, but not the best example).

I definitely see them shadowing at any speeds, including motorway speeds (and you can see it in the video when I am on the dual carriageways).

Though I tend not to active them much on motorways. In the motorway driving I do there is usually too much traffic and the lights are usually on dipped beam pretty much all the time. Plus, I have found certain styles of central barriers in the UK can confuse the system and mask the oncoming lights, sometimes leaving full beam on without any shadowing, and blinding vehicles in the opposite carriageway. However, when I have activate them on motorways, I have seen them perform their "dance" and "shadow" magic.

If your lights are the full Adaptive/Active/Bending/Shadow lights as you say, you should easily be able to see the "shadowing" feature when in Auto mode, provided the conditions are correct: not too much light around, not too many cars, ...

But as others have said, and is in the title of the thread, Adaptive and Active are not the same,

[Bicax]

Yep, I have had them working a couple of times, so definitely sure I have them (and they are on my cars invoice, for what it's worth).

On the highways over here there are a lot of signs and therefore reflections. Could it be that they trick the system into not functioning properly?

The couple of times I saw them working, the road was pitch black and very little traffic.

[NewV90Owner]

I use mine all the time and in all situations. They do tend to dip quite readily and as soon as there are streetlights - and that is a good thing.

I did notice them moving at first but I think I have now got used to it and I don't notice it (although when I look they are doing it). When I am in a car without them I really notice not having them.

I was on a dual carriageway the other day and the verges were very dark and hard to see. I could see the lights bending out and up to illuminate the verges really well on both sides even though I was right behind another car

I think they are one of the best things on the whole car.

[Jcbrown]

Originally Posted by Bicax

Yep, I have had them working a couple of times, so definitely sure I have them (and they are on my cars invoice, for what it's worth).

On the highways over here there are a lot of signs and therefore reflections. Could it be that they trick the system into not functioning properly?

The couple of times I saw them working, the road was pitch black and very little traffic.

I guess the reflections could be confusing things, though mine have been fine with UK signage on motorways. Did a 2AM run taking a couple of friends to the airport the other month: much less traffic on motorway, dark moonless night and they worked fine, other than a couple of issues where I got flashed by lorries coming the other way. I think this was due to the central crash barriers hiding the oncoming lights and confusing the system at times. It is very good (IMHO), but not perfect

Friend in the front asked "What the f*** is going on with your lights?" after a few miles on unlit motorway with the lights cutting out in one-part then another as it reacted to overtaking slower vehicles and oncoming vehicles

Looking at your location: I am finally getting a chance to visit Lisbon in Jan - a works conference, so no chance to see things other than their arranged schedule.

[ukden]

I had an interesting experience last night.

Travelling on a straight road (B6318, Military Road) with no other traffic in sight, a car appears about 1 mile away travelling toward me with full beam headlights on. When it was about 1/2 mile away the headlights appeared to go out to be replaced by two dimly flickering lights of some sort. I was on High Beam Assist full beam. I could not make out what was going on, had the driver switched his headlights off altogether? had he stopped and parked?.

None of the above, the car was still travelling toward me, and I was still on HBA full beam. However, my HBA system does not recognise what appears to be two dimly flickering candles as an oncoming vehicle, and stays on full beam. It was only when the other vehicle got as close as approx 50 yards did my HBA switch to dipped beam.

As the car passed me I realised what was going on, it was fitted with adaptive headlights. The system had been so effective at not shining light directly at my car that it was invisible to my HBA sensor.

I do not know what the other car was, although from the shape of it's DRL/sidelights I am sure it was not a Volvo.

This is the first occasion in 3500 miles since new, that the HBA has failed to dip promptly for an oncoming vehicle.

I was wondering what happens when two cars with adaptive headlights approach each other?

[Adam1274]

Am i right in thinking the Adaptive Shadow lights are not available with the T8?

[DavidC R]

T8 can have adaptive shadow lights

[Adam1274]

Originally Posted by DavidC R

T8 can have adaptive shadow lights

With a bit of luck mine will come with them then! I obviously misread the description online..