High beaming from other cars

andy'smart · 11-10-2008, 08:02 PM

when i am on a dark road, every few days people will highbeam me (i guess yelling at me for having my highs on). if i can do it in time, i turn mine on to show them what my highs really look like. have you guys had anything like this? do you get high beamed?

-or are drivers in northern virginia TOO ready for a fight?

SunDiego · 11-10-2008, 08:06 PM

This was a problem with some smarts.

This should help, Headlight adjustment...EASY

HGB · 11-10-2008, 08:06 PM

Welcome to the club.
There are many drivers that had the same issue.
The factory set them to high. Period.
I believe there is a thread about adjusting them and it's pretty easy.

andy'smart · 11-10-2008, 08:08 PM

ok cool. thanks!!

Jordon · 11-11-2008, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andy'smart

when i am on a dark road, every few days people will highbeam me (i guess yelling at me for having my highs on). if i can do it in time, i turn mine on to show them what my highs really look like. have you guys had anything like this? do you get high beamed?

-or are drivers in northern virginia TOO ready for a fight?

Happened to me 3 times last night. I usually do what you do, but one guy decided to highbeam me as he got right on me. It can't be any worse than a full size or lifted truck.

John_H · 11-11-2008, 08:06 AM

A full size or lifted truck should STILL have their headlights pointed down so the bright portion of the normal beam is not in the eyes of oncoming traffic.

Most smarts need their beams lowered. If you see the brightness of your lights bouncing on distant overhead signs as you shift, you need the headlights adjusted! It's just a shame the Smart factory didn't take care of us in the first place.

saronian · 11-11-2008, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John_H

Most smarts need their beams lowered. If you see the brightness of your lights bouncing on distant overhead signs as you shift, you need the headlights adjusted! It's just a shame the Smart factory didn't take care of us in the first place.

I noticed this when I first started driving the smart, and re-aimed the headlamps slightly lower. But after doing some research on the SAE requirements for headlight aiming I found that the original factory setting was correct. Because the fortwo uses a sharp cutoff pattern in the projection lens, and has an optical center below 36"

Because of a short wheelbase along with soft springs, there's more fore-aft bobbing than other cars and drivers think they're being flashed. I understand the desire to be polite and lower the headlights a bit, but you will be giving up some important nighttime visibility. The standard headlamp setup in the smart has much better visibility than most of the previous cars I've owned and I hate to compromise that effectiveness.

Smartfor2guy · 11-11-2008, 04:34 PM

Thats what they make highbeams for, 1 turn clockwise will resolve the problem.

nprsmart · 11-11-2008, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saronian

I noticed this when I first started driving the smart, and re-aimed the headlamps slightly lower. But after doing some research on the SAE requirements for headlight aiming I found that the original factory setting was correct. Because the fortwo uses a sharp cutoff pattern in the projection lens, and has an optical center below 36"

Because of a short wheelbase along with soft springs, there's more fore-aft bobbing than other cars and drivers think they're being flashed. I understand the desire to be polite and lower the headlights a bit, but you will be giving up some important nighttime visibility. The standard headlamp setup in the smart has much better visibility than most of the previous cars I've owned and I hate to compromise that effectiveness.

I'm pretty sure I shouldn't have been lighting up rooftops with my low beams, a problem that got worse after I installed a trailer hitch & bike rack. I used the general layout you showed in your post, adjusting where my low beams hit the back of the garage and everybody seems a lot happier now. The key is that the beams should pointed level or very slightly down rather than skyward.

forestacademy · 11-11-2008, 05:54 PM

Some cars like the smart have a sharp cutoff on the headlights. When you hit a bump the cutoff line goes a little higher making the other drivers think you have flashed your highs at them, so they flash their highs at you and you flash your highs at them thinking they are telling you your highs are on. It is just a big circle of confusion.

The best thing to do when they flash their brights at you is... Nothing.

Now, the actual problem is the fact that the car has a stiff ride and the headlights bounce a lot, so the fix is to get a smoother suspension or ride on smoother roads.

This is also why I will not "upgrade" my headlights,

it will just make the problem worse.