dancal

This isn’t really a technical issue and maybe it’s not as topical as most of the posts here, but as a Territory owner I thought it worth sharing an unsavoury experience I had tonight.

I live in a short cul-de-sac, as I slowed and indicated a right turn into the home stretch I stopped and waited for a car coming the other way. He flashed his lights at me and as he approached he slowed down and yelled obscenities out of his open passenger window about my headlights. Puzzling, since I was on low beam.

I made the short trip to the end of my street and my carport, which is wide open to the street when this brain dead moron followed me (obviously having u-turned). He made sure he was pointing back up the street before yelling at me about my ‘fffing headlights’.

I walked towards his car letting him know in no uncertain terms that my headlights were on low beam, his response was to yell they are too fffing bright. I told him he should take it up with Ford Australia to which his deeply intellectual response was a string of anatomically impossible suggestions concerning Fords in general and then he shot away before I could get any closer to discuss the matter further.

If it wasn’t for the fact it was a left hooker I would have said he was driving an early sixties Holden in pretty tidy condition, albeit with candles for headlights, myopic little yellow blobs that fell out of the headlight glass and on to the road a foot ahead of the car.

Now I don’t know if this bloke was suffering from headlight envy or was just looking for agro to go to the trouble of turning around and hassling me, but in my five months of Territory driving I have never had another driver flash his headlights at me as I have approached on low beam. My lights seem pretty well adjusted, I recall a Wheels article saying the headlights were too bright to point directly at the camera for a dusk shot - has anyone experienced similar abuse or oncoming vehicles flashing their lights when you are already on low beam?

My Territory is now tucked up for the night behind the front fence on the lawn, the dobermann gets to sleep in the front yard tonight!

new2ford

To a sedan driver, SUV headlights often seem too bright because they're higher off the road and perhaps more in the eyes for them. Never had any trouble along these lines, just a couple of crazies getting in front of the car trying to slow the long-legged level-road cruiser down. (Why don't they just wait for the first hill, they wouldn't have to bother?) Is Territory envy on the rise?

grahill

I can't remember where I read it, but a couple of years ago the Ford AU gained the honor of having the brightest headlights. A little while later the Toyota Corolla took the top spot, maybe the Territory has regained leadership, who knows.



I personally haven’t had one complaint with my headlights. Love the Doberman idea though.



Regards Grahill

RAPTOR

Well I'm quite pleased with my Terri lights from my perspective behind the wheel. I do share an agro for dickheads that do drive towards me with highbeams on but I make sure they are highbeams before I give them a flash of mine and maybe the finger.

It does make a comment in the WHEELS COTY issues that the Terri is slightly compromised (I think it has the 2nd best lights) by using modified Falcon units now located higher than they were designed for. This may have something to do with it.

Have you all noticed how the angle of the internal inner corner of your light housing (to suit Falcon grill angles) doesn't match the external clear cover angle which is designed for the Terri grill angles? One of those compromises to keep costs down I suppose.

__________________

Territory

You didnt have your foglights on by any chance did you? They can be annoying for others on any car if used for normal driving.

Territory headlights obviously meet all the required Australian Design Rules on brightness, beam angles etc etc. I believe Aussie fords have fairly normal driving beams and generally a stronger high beam than most imports. This is driven by customer demand / feedback.

If you really want to be dazzled, have a look at the glare off some HID headlights.

I have found at traffic lights, that you need to leave more space between you and the car in front at night as the elevated headlights can intimidate/annoy drivers in very low cars if you pull up too close.

Rhubarb

I used to get flashed regularly by drivers coming the other way (with their headlights I mean ...) when I first got my BA XR6. I got them checked at the first service and haven't been flashed at since (headlights or otherwise ...).

Perhaps yours too are just a little out of alignment.