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October 9th, 2015 03:30 AM #1
Many people complain that their headlamps are too weak, and eventually opt for the HID upgrades to get the best lighting output for their car.
True enough, a proper HID retrofit has much, much better output than stock halogen bulbs, with clearer cut-off as well:
On the left is a Mazda 3 with an HID projector retrofit, on the right is an Altis with stock halogen headlamps. The HID output is so strong that it overpowers the halogen output.
Viewed individually:
So, let's all get retrofits and call it a day, yeah? Not so fast.
More than your headlamps, it's your tint that really hampers your car's visibility. In bright, sunny conditions, our eyes are able to adjust such that even dark tint is livable (it's just like you're driving in perpetually gloomy weather). However, at night, are eyes are already at their maximum sensitivity but still cannot compensate very well for dark tints.
Based on the example above you'd think that even with dark tints, you'll still have better visibility as long as you have HIDs since they're so much brighter than halogens. Think again.
Both shots were taken with a dSLR with the same exposure settings (1/10 shutter speed, f4.0 aperture, ISO 3200) at night with a light drizzle.
You might be thinking, "How can that be? The HID retrofit is so much stronger than the halogen headlamp!"
Well, that's your tint wasting your bi-xenon projector's output. Take note, these are Vkool tints, which many claim to already have better visibility from inside compared to 3M and other brands. This is also just medium (20% VLT) tint; just imagine how much less output you get with dark (5% VLT) tint. Lastly, the Mazda already has HID retrofits, which are stronger than most factory OEM HIDs. Yet, the Altis still had better visibility despite its stock setup simply because it had lighter tint.
So what's my point? Basically, if you're thinking of getting super dark tints, think about why you're doing so. Do you really need that much privacy? From my experience, even medium tints are already dark enough that only your silhouette is visible from outside. I won't feel scared to let my hapless little sister drive my car with medium tint because I know that she's anonymous enough from outside. Also from experience, noone has broken into my car with clear tint even if I park in not-so-secure areas - I just make it a point to put valuables in the trunk, where they should be.
If heat rejection is the concern, lighter reflective tints such as Vkool's K-series or 3M's Black Chrome can offer better heat rejection without compromising nighttime visibility. And if aesthetics is your only concern, is it really worth the tradeoffs?
I'm not saying that people should abandon dark tints altogether - I'm sure some have really good reasons why they just had to get the darkest possible tint for their car. However, I'm just saying that it severely limits visibility during poor weather conditions at night, and increases the risk of accidents in such circumstances. Hopefully, people take that into consideration. If dark tints are really a necessity, please consider getting HID retrofits if your car doesn't already have HID to be able to compensate for the decreased visibility.
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