Auto high beam

[Bill Dawes]

I see that this topic has been discussed before but was a few years ago so wonder if situation has changed.

My question regarding auto high beam is can the speed at which they activate be altered, mine appears to be around 40 mph which is far too fast for the roads you really do need it on, as I do,  twisty rural pitch black country lanes (I thought I had read somewhere that it was more like 25mph which is a bit more realistic)

Yes I know you can do it manually but if you have an auto anything at least it should be actually functional. I've had auto high beam on other cars but as far as I can remember it worked at any speed, why does it need a minimum speed anyway?

Nothing obvious in the manual.

I love my new UX, my first Lexus but I do find some of the systems inexplicably fussy, the 'see you home' headlight delay (or whatever each manufacturer calls it) is a case in point it drove me mad for ages until I searched through the manual and found that despite having set the time delay you still have to set it each time with the left hand stalk  to operate it, again my other cars just worked every time I switched off having once gone into settings to activate the function and time delay.

Bill D.

[Bill Dawes]

PS on the lights subject I do love my triple LED adaptive lights, awesome.

Bill D.

[NemesisUK]

I asked my dealer about this just last week. Tech docs do show (at least for my RX) that there are lower speed modes available, from as low as 9mph, there's urban mode with extra wide beam pattern and pedestrian anti-dazzle pattern, etc... Unfortunately none of these are available for cars programmed for the EU/UK. Techstream does not list them, the dealer tech did check when he disabled the easy entry mode on my car.

[Ed the Ted]

Bill reading my user manual there appears to be 2 types of high beam systems. 

1) Adaptive High-beam System….page 233

2) Automatic High-beam System….page 237

The adaptive system (fitted to your car) shaded high beams will turn on and the distance that the low beams are projected will be adjusted automatically. The vehicle speed is approximately 38 mph or more. 

The high beams or shaded high beams will be changed to the low beams automatically when the vehicle speed is below approximately 38 mph. 

The automatic system (fitted to my car 2019) turns the high beams on/off automatically when the vehicle speed is approximately 25 mph or more and off when the vehicle speed is below approximately 19 mph.

I can only assume that with the adaptive system the low beams are more efficient with triple lights than my twin lights therefore that’s possibly why the high beams are actuated at a higher speed.

Does not look like you can change the parameters.  

[Las Palmas]

Below 40 mph (around 60 km/h).

At such speed the LED lamps in our CT are very sufficient to light up where we are driving.

Do not think the CT has any automatic or adaptive high beam and what good it would do I co not know. Want high beam on - turn it on. Think the high beam bulbs in our car have been used less than a couple of hours. Do not like the yellow light and think about changing to low light output LED for high beam, but as almost never use high beam have not done it yet. One reason is that it may not be legal. In 2005 it was legal to have HID and LED in all lamps if there was automatic levelling of lamps in car, but things may have changed.

[Roger Bill]

 This video provides a good explanation of the Lexus headlight systems.

[Moleman]

2 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Below 40 mph (around 60 km/h).

 

At such speed the LED lamps in our CT are very sufficient to light up where we are driving.

 

Do not think the CT has any automatic or adaptive high beam and what good it would do I co not know. Want high beam on - turn it on. Think the high beam bulbs in our car have been used less than a couple of hours. Do not like the yellow light and think about changing to low light output LED for high beam, but as almost never use high beam have not done it yet. One reason is that it may not be legal. In 2005 it was legal to have HID and LED in all lamps if there was automatic levelling of lamps in car, but things may have changed.

John, the newer LED headlights on the post 2018 cars have adaptive high beams. They are very good.

[Rabbers]

3 hours ago, Ed the Ted said:

…. The automatic system (fitted to my car 2019) turns the high beams on/off automatically when the vehicle speed is approximately 25 mph or more and off when the vehicle speed is below approximately 19 mph. … …Does not look like you can change the parameters.  

That’s correct.  The settings are fixed in km, the high beam in automatic mode turning on at 40kmh and off below 30kmh.  This applies to my 2019 RC and it also did to the 2016 model it replaced.  The settings cannot be changed, and personally I have no problem with them.  My only complaint about the system is that the high beam does not come on simultaneously with the detection of oncoming lights, which can be problematic on tight winding roads.  But then again, I wonder if the time-lag of approx. 1 sec. declared by Lexus might not in any case be better than my own reaction time were I to leave the system off.

[Bill Dawes]

Thanks for reply guys, what i feared really, still can't think of any logical reason for there being a minimum speed for it to actuate and as I said 40mph (not km/hr) is too fast on a dark twisty road on dip beam, so I do it manually in such circumstances, not a life changer but annoying non the less, not had this problem with other cars. Another weird Lexus thing like the lights off delay, despite setting it up on menu you still have to pull up the light stalk to actuate it every time, again never had to do this with previous cars.

Ah well, all cars have their quirks, still seeeking the perfect car even after 60 years of driving.

Reckon I have covered close to a million miles in that time, spent a good few years doing 35 - 40k annually. Shuudder to think how much I have spent in that time although about 20 years of that was with company cars, still not free of course as anyone who has had a company car will know.

Sometimes wish I could just drive around in an old banger until it falls apart but I just love new cars and all their wonderful automated??? electronic systems.🤣

Bill D.

[Nelsthebass]

Find mine will work at 30mph but tbh the system is ******* as it often doesn’t pick oncoming cars until dazzling them so tend to just press the button on the end if the stalk to turn auto on and off….