led lights in cars

[Sam Plusnet]

Lax discipline. Tell your passengers to stop breathing so much, or get out.

[Roger Mills]

That is true, but the current regs came in in August 1998 - getting on for 25 years ago. I was assuming that we talking about newer cars than that.

[SteveW]

Yes and in those days, I took care to buy from a reputable and known manufacturer, such as Witter.

Nowadays, I still do, but it is probably less important, as all manufacturers have standards to keep to.

[Colin Bignell]

My knowledge of after market tow bars dates from way back, when I bought second hand. I have always had a trailer that needed towing. Once I started buying new, I specified a tow hook, if one wasn't standard, although on the last three cars, it folds away out of sight when not needed.

[jim.gm4dhj]

I fit tow bars as a defence mechanism I don't even fit the electrics.....

[Paul]

This is an example of a BEV towing test. The F150 has two motors, with slightly different reduction ratio gear boxes on each.

"The tightly clustered results reveal that aerodynamics have a bigger impact on towing range than weight. Using the width and height of the trailers to calculate a crude approximation of frontal area, the larger two trailers more than double the area plowing through the air compared to an unladen F-150. If you're towing something smaller and sleeker, such as a boat, an open car hauler, or a utility trailer, you'll likely be able to push farther than we did on a single charge. "

"With 775 lb-ft of torque on tap, the electric F-150 shoves off from a stop smoothly and confidently, but that authority wanes as speeds climb. Equipped with single-speed transmissions at the front and rear motors, the Lightning can't just downshift into the meat of the torque curve like a gas truck does, so passing maneuvers at highway speeds require patience and planning with a heavy trailer."

And apparently they use the friction brakes more when towing. Which implies regen can't "eat" the whole load. So if you're heading back from the mountains, towards Denver, that's the smell of brakes you're smelling, rather than hot motors :-)

The best thing you can haul with a BEV truck, is a low profile battery pack :-)

Paul

[Andrew]

Some pillock with a tow bar reversed into the front of my Astra while it was parked outside my house. I have my suspicion who it was; lady living 3 doors down has a Honda CRV with a tow bar and her sister lives next to me. I noticed that CRV being reversed in front of my car a few days ago while they were playing musical chairs with the car parking arrangements and the damage to my front number plae and the air grill below it is the same height as that sodding CRV towing ball.

[Andrew]

Even with the later model Ford Anglia (105E notchback) the heater was an optional extra. £12 10s if I recollect.

[jim.gm4dhj]

saved me a few times from wummin drivers

[SteveW]

Mostly, I jut want to tow a 5' x 3' trailer to the tip, to take rubbish for disposal or to pick something up from one of the DIY stores (both journeys less than 7 miles. I am not bothered about decreased range or using the friction brakes more. Just taking waste that I've collected into the trailer, without dirtying the interior of the car.

[NY]

Gosh, optional heaters were as late as that? How about vacuum windscreen wipers - when was the last car with those?

When was the last car made that was not factory-fitted with seat belts? Some time before the wearing became mandatory in the early 1990s. The only car that my parents owned which did not have seat belts was my mum's 1960-model Morris Minor (*). Dad's C-reg Austin Cambridge had them in the front, as did his E-reg Ford Corsair and all his Hillman Hunters and all newer cars.

When was the last two-door car made which could not have conventional seat belts mounted on the B pillar, and which instead had those absurd 10-foot seat belts which mounted near the rear wheel arch and so were a trip hazard for anyone getting in/out of the back seats.

(*) When mum bought the car second-hand in 1966, she was told that seat belts could not be fitted because neither the B pillars on the two-door model nor the body near the rear wheel arch were strong enough for the mountings. Not sure how true that was - I'm sure people with Moggies of that age nowadays have managed to fit inertia reel belts.

[charles]

I think it was the Ford Popular. Late 50s / early 60s.

My '65 Anglia Estate did not have them.

The reels were fitted to the floor - back seat passenger foot space.

[Chris B]

Sorry, late to the party and don't have time to read all the messages so this may have already been covered but Big Clive was sent a £1200 Tesla headlamp module that had failed, for him to take apart. (yes technically it wasn't actually the LED that has failed but it was its control circuitry that wouldn't be needed with non LED system)

[Paul]

"Jesus wept"

Think of the stereo system I could have for £1200.

A piddly little bit of plastic with some cheesium LEDs in it.

And they design a gasketed housing for the constant current source... and it leaks ? Where is Jesus when you need Him.

Why, £1200 would buy you one wheel and one rim for the Tesla. Collect the whole set.

If they put the constant current source inside the same housing as the motor controllers (the housing that connects to the active cooling system), they could just send a few conductors to carry constant current to the headlamp assembly. There's no need to bolt a poorly cooled module to the back of that plastic crapshoot of a headlamp. But I suppose if you did that, the replacement headlamp assembly would be £1180.

£1200 for a plastic headlight is "military hammer pricing".

Paul

[John J]

On the subject of trailers. I recently ordered what I thought was two 24 watt LED lights to fit to my Ifor Williams old style 505 horse trailer. Turned out to be one light with two lamps. When I reverse it now there's no difficulty in seeing what's behind as the 48Watts of cool white LED turns night into day.