Drive by Laser. No Really… LASERS

Not being dramatic. These laser headlights literally exist.

See – sticker proof.

It’s an all-new technology from Audi, making them 1st automaker to offer laser lights in production cars.

It will debut on the 2017 Audi R8.

How it Works:

There are 2 lasers installed into the headlight for use when the high-beams are engaged.

These 2 lasers replace the 37 LEDs found in the 2015 models.

The lasers emit a blue colour which is converted into a pure, white light that mimics daylight. And because a laser light is both brighter and more concentrated, it reduces driver fatigue and makes it easier to recognize contrast.

Best of all though, a laser high‑beam achieves twice the lighting range of an LED one.

It can be fine-tuned better than an LED. So the 2017 R8’s camera‑based sensor system will detect an oncoming vehicle, then actively adjust the light pattern to exclude it from the high-beam’s glare.

In the photo below, top is the light at the end of a track day, in the bright sun with my iPhone. Below is the press photo. Pretty eh.

Important – ONLY Canadian models
will offer this tech

The headlights on the 2017 American model will be the same LCDs as the outgoing one.

So US buyers – the cost of importing our model might be worth it, if only so you can say, “hi hi, my car has lasers.”

 

 

Headlights Dim about 10% per Year

SYLVANIA asked me to review their headlight replacement bulbs.

Used their search engine to find the bulb number -1999 Jetta = #9004 – and they arrived in the mail.

Installing the new one required no tools, pop in and out.

Headlights dim by about 10% per year,
so 3 years in, and 1/3 of the brightness is gone

Built a test lab in my yard.

The car is 7 feet away, CL is the centre of the headlight, and I’m trying to measure the spread sideways, since something that darts usually comes from the side, not the front.

But the results are not translating in the photo, at all.

Plus I forgot to clean the headlights (despite blogging a cheap & fast solution on Monday.)

Through the grime though, the new lights are noticeably brighter, and woah, I’m driving in dim conditions for no reason.

Friendly reminder to replace your lights, because there’s dark times ahead guys.

The reason to choose SYLVANIA over another brand can be explained in 5 words: You’re probably already using them. Because SYLVANIA supplies most of the auto manufactures.  See my old bulb in the top photo? There’s a good chance that’s the factory original.

SYLVANIA SilverStar ULTRA Headlights
$60-ish

Don’t cheap out on a most essential part of driving – seeing.

Available at Canadian Tire

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This post has been brought to you by SYLVANIA Headlights.