Headlight performance

In order to bring this to Honda's attention, I suggest anyone with a high-beam related issue log a complaint here:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2018/HONDA/CLARITY%252520PLUG-IN%252520HYBRID

I really really like the car, and I've owned 6 other Hondas (10 if I include motorcycles), so I trust that they will fix this.

 

Thanks for the link. I used it and opened a complaint. Like you said if we will all take 5 min to do this, maybe we can get some traction on this issue.

 

Thanks for the pics PHEVer. I'm thinking of adding some LEDs also but having them trigger with the high beams to avoid adding a switch and wiring to the inside. I'm curious if you have any recommendations about accessing the area you mounted your lights and if you had any pics of yours mounted close up?

Thanks

 

I would like to adjust my headlights up a bit but I can’t find any Phillips head screws that would appear to be the adjustment point. Can anyone provide a photo or a more detailed description of where to look.

 

Do you think that the 2 x 6 inchers might block too much of the airflow? They look like they might obstruct most of the upper grill, and the light bars themselves might get pretty hot as well. There are a lot of things that use the cooling system, including the battery pack, motor, engine, and inverter. I wish there was a way to be certain that blocking off some portion of the grill would not adversely affect anything. Assuming Honda designed it so you can drive it in Phoenix traffic in the summer when it's 110 degrees, maybe you can block off some of the grille and be OK. Or do you think the air would make its way around the lights anyway (if you can set them back from the grille enough) so this might not matter?

 

Thanks for the pictures and info. I've wired leds like this before and just used the high beam to run a rely that is bringing power from the battery to the lights. How hard was it to take off the bumper.

Thanks again for the pics.

 

The 2019 Honda Insight's headlights (and the 2019 Pilot's headlights) received the top rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, as reported by CNET's Roadshow. How much better are they than the Clarity's headlights I wonder? We already have a gen 1, a gen 2 Insight, and a Clarity PHEV in our family of just 2, so I can't justify buying a 3rd Insight right now to test its headlights.

> The 2019 Honda Insight and 2019 Honda Pilot have both
> earned the IIHS' Top Safety Pick+ designation. This is
> offered to vehicles that earn top marks in a variety of crash
> tests, in addition to evaluations covering headlights and
> crash-prevention systems.
>
> The 2019 Insight didn't just do well, it passed the IIHS' tests
> with a perfect score. It earned a Good rating in every single
> one of the crash tests, including the new-for-2018 small overlap
> passenger-side test. The Insight received the top Superior
> rating for its crash-prevention tech, which is standard on every
> trim. Its LED headlights also earned a Good rating, never
> exceeding glare limits and providing adequate illumination in
> every direction.

I wish the IIHS would test the Clarity PHEV, but being such a low-volume model, I'm not surprised they haven't.

 

Personally, I find the headlights to perform just like any other car I've had. Other than the different LED glow, distance and spread of the light pattern is just fine. High beams add noticeable distance as well.

 

Last night was the first time I've driven a long distance at night. It seems fine to me. In fact, everything reflects much better with these lights than I'm used to. Signs, car reflectors, and even ... police cars. Marked police cars often have reflective tape of some sort on them. I've spied a few hiding in the dark way down the road now, even when Waze hadn't had any reports (I'm thinking because other cars aren't seeing the officer-in-wait).

 

I went to look at fog lights and wanted to see if anyone who has done this had any recommendations on where to put them. The dealer recommended square lights with four leds mounted behind the lower grill. Any thoughts on if this would be better than behind the upper grill? I was thinking that they would be less visible the lower they were on the car. There didn’t seem to be enough room behind the lower grill for horizontal leds.

 

Low-mounted sounds great for fog lamps. I've been interested in getting them, too. I don't have a strong opinion (yet) on the Clarity high beams. I have owned several Hondas and several German cars over the decades, and foggy conditions were when I really cursed the Honda lights vs. the others.

 

Having also a new 18 Ody, I do like the headlights better on the Clarity. But prefer the high beams of the Ody. And auto high beam...

 

I wish we had rear fog lights. My Ford Transit Connect van (made in Turkey) has them and it's great when the rain reduces visibility to dangerous levels, or dense fog. Problem is, some people with European cars (that usually have them equipped) in the US drive around with them on all the time so it looks like they are riding their brakes.

But I find it preferable to driving with hazards on when you can barely see in front of your car.

 

I just completed a 7 hour road trip in the dark on a rural mountainous route and was impressed with the lights. Unlike other posters, when I forgot to turn down the brights, I was flashed immediately.

 

The lights are also bright enough for me both normal and on high beam. People did notice my high beam.

 

I went to look at some Rigid 6-across horizontal fog lights today. The place I went to is recommending that I install them on the outside of the lower grill on either side of the front license plates. Did you look to do that and if so what made you decide to mount them behind the grill? I can’t see ever taking them off. Like what you did they are going to put them on a separate wire so they will operate at my choice. The upside is that they will stay on even with the high beams on.

 

I ended up installing the rigid fog lights on the inside of the top grill. They make a huge difference and now my wife wants them on her CR-V. I decided I didn’t like the look on the outside of the car (and didn’t want to drill through the bumper). Putting them on the bottom would have required cutting through the plastic grill. The lights run hot and I didn’t want to chance them melting the plastic grill.