View Poll Results: How well do your headlights work and does that affect your driving?
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I have great headlights now so making them better won't change my driving times.
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60 |
32.09% |
I drive few miles at night but would more if the headlights were much better illumination.
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37 |
19.79% |
I don't drive many miles no matter the time as the RV stays where it is.
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5 |
2.67% |
I drive 0 - 10% miles at night because my headlights are really bad.
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49 |
26.20% |
I drive 11-25% miles at night.
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40 |
21.39% |
I drive 26 - 50% miles at night.
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15 |
8.02% |
Most of my driving is at night.
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3 |
1.60% |
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08-07-2020, 08:59 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Metamora, MI
Posts: 5,518
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Poll: How much do you drive at night?
There have been lots of "how I improved my headlight threads". The general agreement is that most RV headlights are terrible at night. So, the question is why don't the RV manufacturers improved headlights like the auto industry has over the last 10 years?
Some thoughts: Because they steal parts out of the auto parts bin and pick from years ago stock because that's what they know about, or that's what they can buy cheap. Because the majority of customers don't drive at night - so why put new technology / more expensive systems in if most don't use / need it?
So we can poll our forum friends to determine how much nighttime driving we do.
Please post: If your headlights were better illumination, would you drive more nighttime hours? We can make more than one one poll choice. Choose all that apply.
Also let us know if your RV has great headlights already.
I posted that I have great headlights and drive 11 - 25% at night. But that's now....took me $2K and a week of time to improve the headlights to be able to say that They were atrocious when I first got the very used RV. Unsafe at any speed.
Tell us about your headlight related stories. Did you improve them? Link to your Build Thread. Have a close one? Significant other does the night driving because they have better night vision?
If you "improved" your headlights...do you now get flashed by oncoming traffic more? Ever get a ticket for bad or too bright headlights?
Have you had to polish your older lenses to bring them back to clear again?
How often are you using High Beams vs. Low Beams? For me, Low beams is 90% of my night time driving. I only wish I could use the High Beams more but there is always oncoming traffic.
__________________
2002 Newmar Mountain Aire Limited 4370 w/ Spartan K2 and Cummins 500hp
ASE Master Certified (a long.....time ago...)
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08-07-2020, 09:16 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Lansing MI
Posts: 2,811
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I guess it depends on what you call improvement. Personally I don't consider the very, very white lights they are installing on a lot of newer vehicles to be an improvement. They may have more lumens but I don't think the color is what the human eye processes well. I much prefer the older style yellowish lights (2700 to 3000 deg) to the newer whiter light (5,000 to 6,000 deg). Just my opinion, I'm sure others will disagree.
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08-07-2020, 09:18 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Metamora, MI
Posts: 5,518
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arcaguy
I guess it depends on what you call improvement. Personally I don't consider the very, very white lights they are installing on a lot of newer vehicles to be an improvement. They may have more lumens but I don't think the color is what the human eye processes well. I much prefer the older style yellowish lights (2700 to 3000 deg) to the newer whiter light (5,000 to 6,000 deg). Just my opinion, I'm sure others will disagree.
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For this thread - whatever works better for your night vision is an improvement.
For my eyes, I do like the whiter (5000-5500 Kelvin) bulbs compared to the colder 3500 (amber) ones. Lumens is another measurement. Focus another. Sharp cutoff yet another. Peripheral lighting another. Lots of ways to define "improvement".
__________________
2002 Newmar Mountain Aire Limited 4370 w/ Spartan K2 and Cummins 500hp
ASE Master Certified (a long.....time ago...)
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08-07-2020, 10:31 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Country Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,736
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I can't vote here because I don't drive at night. Only in an emergency would I drive at night
__________________
Don
2002 Country Coach Intrigue
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08-07-2020, 10:49 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Kitts Hill, OH
Posts: 2,252
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my base vehicle on my RV is a 94 F-700 so it HAD the same headlights as a 79 Bronco/Pickup truck. The Large glass square headlights. I have put some of these in my RV https://www.ebay.com/itm/H6052-6054-....c100005.m1851 They are quite the improvment. I do NOT use those off color bulbs in them either.
I enjoy driving later at night as there much less other traffic.
__________________
(RVM#26) THE U-RV 94 F-700/24 foot U-haul box home built RV
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08-07-2020, 10:54 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,052
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I generally drive during the day but headlights aren't really the reason. Is this some ad for headlights? The poll doesn't have an answer that fits me.
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08-07-2020, 11:07 PM
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#7
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Registered User
Newmar Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner Freightliner Owners Club Retired Fire Service RVer's
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Rosemary Farm, Northern Ca
Posts: 5,444
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I often drive late into the night when on a long haul. The Bay Star’s headlights were so limited I had to curtail this practice after a couple scary experiences in weird, poorly marked, night time construction zones.
I don’t know about the Ventana because I haven’t driven it at night yet. But if the headlights aren’t a lot better than the Bay Star, I’ll be looking for a way to improve them. Part of this is my aging vision i’m sure. I used to do just fine at night, but I wasn’t driving class A coaches then either.
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08-07-2020, 11:10 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 15,749
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Very seldom drive the motorhome at night. In 15+ years likely only a couple three times.
__________________
Vince and Susan
2011 Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH (Cummins ISC/Freightliner)
Flat towing a modified 2005 Jeep (Rubicon Wrangler)
Previously a 2002 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37A and a 1995 Safari Trek 2830.
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08-07-2020, 11:20 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 7,494
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I have driven my coach a couple of times at night and it is fine. My issues is reversing it in to our narrow drive at night and setting up camp in the dark.
__________________
2008 Phoenix Cruiser 3100
2012 Jeep Wrangler Sahara JKU.
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08-07-2020, 11:22 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Texas Boomers Club Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: What? Like right now? ;-)
Posts: 1,302
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__________________
2003 Scepter 40PDBB - Roadmaster RR8S - Cummins ISC350 - purch aug16
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08-07-2020, 11:42 PM
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#11
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Member
Tiffin Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Ottumwa, Iowa
Posts: 39
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I think the lights on my 2017 Tiffin 34PA are decent. I have driven at night and the lights do a good job. Want scares me from driving at night more is the chance of hitting a deer. RVs are built like an egg shell and hitting a deer going 60 mph would do a lot of damage. I guess from living in Alaska for 40 years and watching for moose on the road and seeing the damage done when people hit them has made me a little more timid.
__________________
2017 Tiffin, Aleggro, Open Road, 34PA
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08-08-2020, 12:02 AM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Long Beach CA
Posts: 91
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The poll assumes that I wouldn't drive at night because of poor lighting. I don't drive at night regardless. Honestly I don't know how the lights on my coach perform. I want to be at my daily destination by 2PM-4PM. I head out depending on the distance I am driving. We typically keep it 200-300 miles. Maybe 350 if necessary.
__________________
Jim & Caren
2020 Open Road 34PA
2019 Nissan Frontier Toad
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08-08-2020, 12:05 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Today? Clayton, North Carolina
Posts: 5,093
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Poll: How much do you drive at night?
Poll response: almost never. Our last night time arrival was summer of 2013.
I actually enjoy night highway driving, but our travel plan has us stopping NLT 1600, about 225-250 per day.
__________________
John and Diane (RIP Lincoln, 21 FEB 22) RVM103 NHSO
Fulltimers since June, 2012
2002 Dutch Star 40, Freightliner, Cat 3126, 2004 Element
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08-08-2020, 01:25 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: SW Louisiana
Posts: 8,824
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I installed LED headlights on my coach about 4 years ago and while it made it much easier to see things at night, it really did not effect how much I drive after dark, as I generally try to stopped and set up for the night before the sun goes down.
__________________
2002 Safari Trek 2830 on P32 Chassis with 8.1L w/ 400 watts solar 420Ah LiFePo4
2017 Jeep Cherokee Overland & 2007 Toyota Yaris TOADs with Even Brake,
Demco Commander tow bar and Blue Ox / Roadmaster base plates
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