Has LED lighting efficiency reached a limit?

[polygonum_on_google]

Thanks - yes, I had understood what you had described. No - never noticed it.

And WHY? Just why would you want to do that?

[Bob Eager]

I had that on an S-Max a few years ago.

[Tim Streater]

Never noticed it, which indicates how useless it is as a "hint" to other drivers. Whether it helps the driver of the car doing it is another matter.

I've turned off a lot of the useless crap my car has (2016 Auris) such as lane wandering, etc.

[NY]

To see better round the corner *before* the car has started to turn and move the headlights in that direction. Citroen had a mechanical equivalent in the DS and I think the CX, in which the steering rack swivelled the headlight reflectors within the overall housing that was fixed to the body. Sadly it fell foul of the US safety regulations which were applied very stringently on foreign cars - effectively a "not invented here" tax :-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The US had odd regs as regards headlights in those days. For example, only round ones were allowed. My SD1 was fitted with four round types when exported to the US, rather than the rectangular unit with separate dip and main beam bulbs as fitted for the ROTW.

But it's possible to make a unit with a broad even spread of light these days that doesn't require the lamp to follow the steering.

[Steve Walker]

But you don't want too much light to the sides when driving at normal speeds along a road, as it can be annoying for people waiting to pull pull out of a junction, pedestrians or even householders. When you are travelling slowly to turn into a sharp junction or manoeuvring to park, more light to the side is a distinct advantage.

SteveW

[polygonum_on_google]

I agree - I only notice the extra lights when turning at low speed. (Either they don't come on at higher speed or I don't go round sharp enough corners at high speed. Or I don't notice. :-) Am a fairly gentle driver so not of any great interest.)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I don't agree. I've been used to lights which have a spike to the left side which lights up the side of the road a long way further than the middle. Which lets you see things like pedestrians and cyclists much earlier.

[whisky-dave]

Handy for lining up the cross hairs :-)