DIM DRIVING LIGHTS

[bobsiding]

have a new 17 hd 2500 gas. havnt driven it much 1200 miles especially at night. but it was raining last night and I couldn't believe how dim the low beams are. is there a recal or any way to fix that? also why are the dim lights on top and the brights on the bottom? that seams backward to me but I'm not an engineer. anybody else notice this or an I the only one? thanks guys

[SouthpawHD]

My 16 lights are rather decent. During inclement weather I find that the windshield fogs easily giving the appearance of dim lights.

[Mike Hamm]

At least the GMC Sierra headlights have earned "acceptable" status in this study.

Seems like most of the bigger trucks and even smaller ones have dim lights.

IIHS testing article -

 

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2016/10/25/pickup-trucks-score-poorly-in-headlight-tests.html

[4x4Pete]

I noticed that during rainy dark nights the headlights seem dimmer that clear nights. Not enough to really cause a problem though. If they make the lighting really good from the factory,the aftermarket blinding led light setups will not sell!☺ Drive an older sealed beam based vehicle (not halogen)- then you have something to complain about. Or drive around here in Southern Ontario during a wet winter night and the salty spray practically masks your headlights to the point of they may as well be turned off!

[redwngr]

I find that dimming the dash lights also helps.

[Peterd]

Have been dissatisfied with the lights on the last few trucks. The 17 has smart driver and so far I have 0 late night driving miles. Guess being old as dirt has something to do with it. Surprise was being 93% better than the rest.

Had 13 hard stops and 109 fast starts with 14 miles over 80 in 2700 miles. Must be a bunch of horrible drivers out there

[Nhcampbells]

My 17 2500 also is terrible with low beams at night. replacing them with Sylvania ZXE today (hopefully). Starting here first then maybe upgrade to HID or the LED's

will post again once the verdict is in. 

[4wdriver]

On 4/28/2017 at 3:03 PM, redwngr said:

I find that dimming the dash lights also helps.

This helps a lot. Surprised it hasn’t been pointed out more. 

[Dnt]

The 17's with the LED headlights are very very good headlights. My old 2014 was dangerous to drive at night when raining or in slight fog. I like this new auto headlight dimming feature also, it works perfectly under 99% of the road conditions.  If you have the option to do so, upgrade to the factory LED headlamps not sure if the factory LED 1500 headlight assembly will fit a 2500 or not?  Somewhere I saw that the hoods were interchangeable which makes me think that they may share several other parts on the front end??  

[AKNick]

On 4/28/2017 at 11:03 AM, redwngr said:

I find that dimming the dash lights also helps.

Agreed. This makes a huge difference. If I'm driving around the city with the street lights, I don't need to dim it. But get on darker roads and turning the dash lights down all the way really helps. 

 

Personally, that's my theory as to why even though headlights are better than ever before, you still will find countless people complaining about 'poor headlight design' regardless of the vehicle make/model... We have so many more screens and LED's in the cars now and I don't think the majority of people turn them down. In my last truck, I could dim the gauge cluster with a dial, but had to try to get into a menu while driving to dim the infotainment screen. Really like how the Chevy gives you a dial for all the dash lights. 

 

If you don't regularly dim your dash lights while driving at night, give it a try sometime! 

 

I've read that for long distance night vision, light in the foreground tends to be detrimental. I know if you have super bright fogs, it'll make your low beams seem really weak... Could be something similar going on with the dash lighting. 

[Nhcampbells]

10 hours ago, Nhcampbells said:

My 17 2500 also is terrible with low beams at night. replacing them with Sylvania ZXE today (hopefully). Starting here first then maybe upgrade to HID or the LED's

will post again once the verdict is in. 

Well Just got in from a night drive after replacing bulbs today. 

They are an improvement over the OEM. Much whiter than the OEM’s. Will research my other options and maybe go for conversion later. 

And there is an improvement with lowering the dash lights. Never thought of that. Thanks. 

 

[redwngr]

16 hours ago, AKNick said:

Agreed. This makes a huge difference. If I'm driving around the city with the street lights, I don't need to dim it. But get on darker roads and turning the dash lights down all the way really helps. 

 

Personally, that's my theory as to why even though headlights are better than ever before, you still will find countless people complaining about 'poor headlight design' regardless of the vehicle make/model... We have so many more screens and LED's in the cars now and I don't think the majority of people turn them down. In my last truck, I could dim the gauge cluster with a dial, but had to try to get into a menu while driving to dim the infotainment screen. Really like how the Chevy gives you a dial for all the dash lights. 

 

If you don't regularly dim your dash lights while driving at night, give it a try sometime! 

 

I've read that for long distance night vision, light in the foreground tends to be detrimental. I know if you have super bright fogs, it'll make your low beams seem really weak... Could be something similar going on with the dash lighting. 

The other thing I find is that it's better with the fog lights off -- for the same reason.  When it's bright up close, it's more difficult to get the eyes to adjust to slightly darker further out.  

 

One comparative example is standing in a lit garage at night looking out to a poorly lit yard or driveway.  Shut off the garage lights and it's much easier to see things outside.