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Very limited visibility on dark roads

The Kia dealership adjusted them as high as they could and said they are aware of the issue but can not do anything till corporate comes up with a fix. PS All bulbs are working and as far as the stalk goes its a push like most cars are to turn high beams on and the height of the line does not change. Try it on yours and post the pic, I'd love to see how it looks.
 
Try it on yours and post the pic, I'd love to see how it looks.
Ok finally got around to doing taking some photos. I was able to replicate the issue you are describing @Dave Fingers when parked really close to a wall. Even though high beam doesn’t show above the low beam 5 feet from the wall it isn’t a concern because there would never be a scenario while driving where you would have a large object 5 feet in front of your car you would need to light up high.

TLDR: Nothing abnormal about SX high beams.

You can see in these two photos below taken 5ft from the all that low beam and high looks similar, but with high beam on it looks brighter in the center.
10A61706-5942-46E8-9863-504825665B0C.webp
DAA542DB-D046-4C3C-B786-2309AF604F45.webp

Does it make a huge difference? Not really. But high beams aren’t meant to light up objects that close anyway.

Next the two photos were taken about 25 feet from the wall. Again you see that it is much brighter in the center and can start to see the half circle above the low beam pattern cutoff. Now imagine a real world driving scenario where you are trying to light up roads and signs 100 feet or more in front of you (ie highway and backroads where it is intended to be used). That half circle high beam pattern would extend even higher and wider.

5C35D9C5-4A70-4E6D-AE16-40CC7755C80E.webp
863D1AD3-16CF-419A-94C7-545C382D77CB.webp

And these photos were all taken in a brightly lit parking lot. Imagine how much more area it would cover in a pitch black environment. These photos don’t show the full lighting potential.

If you still are skeptical about the beam pattern for the high beams, head over to this site below for more examples of low and high beam patterns for other cars. You will see the SX’s pattern is on par with majority of other car model projector headlights.


 
Ok finally got around to doing taking some photos. I was able to replicate the issue you are describing @Dave Fingers when parked really close to a wall. Even though high beam doesn’t show above the low beam 5 feet from the wall it isn’t a concern because there would never be a scenario while driving where you would have a large object 5 feet in front of your car you would need to light up high.

TLDR: Nothing abnormal about SX high beams.

You can see in these two photos below taken 5ft from the all that low beam and high looks similar, but with high beam on it looks brighter in the center.
View attachment 12806
View attachment 12807

Does it make a huge difference? Not really. But high beams aren’t meant to light up objects that close anyway.

Next the two photos were taken about 25 feet from the wall. Again you see that it is much brighter in the center and can start to see the half circle above the low beam pattern cutoff. Now imagine a real world driving scenario where you are trying to light up roads and signs 100 feet or more in front of you (ie highway and backroads where it is intended to be used). That half circle high beam pattern would extend even higher and wider.

View attachment 12808
View attachment 12809

And these photos were all taken in a brightly lit parking lot. Imagine how much more area it would cover in a pitch black environment. These photos don’t show the full lighting potential.

If you still are skeptical about the beam pattern for the high beams, head over to this site below for more examples of low and high beam patterns for other cars. You will see the SX’s pattern is on par with majority of other car model projector headlights.


Thanks, that confirms the patern is the same as mine. Its not an issue in Florida where I live its an issue when driving mountain back roads. I will post pics of the mountain back roads once I get back there so you'll see what I mean. BTW if it's pitch black you will not see anything above that line or to the left (car) or right beyond the wall pilar in your pic. I'll post them next month so you will see what I'm talking about. P.S. My other cars have been fine up there.
 
Maybe you need to invest in a light bar on your roof to provide enough light for the types of roads to take.

Smittybilt.Light.Cage.4__94732.1552110718.jpg


In terms of the stock headlamps, they work as designed.
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This is an old thread with some notes.

I did not have to remove the desiccant. Everything fit perfectly once I got the bulbs in and I could put the cap back on the back of the housing.
Installed this weekend and everything went well. The video and the tips from these threads definitely helped-- thank you! Huge improvement in visibility and looks (that yellow halogen with the white DRLs looked ridiculous).

FWIW, I spoke with the Twelvolt folks and they recommend taking the desiccant out of the cap and putting it in the headlamp housing with the bulb, etc. for two reasons: 1. If the packet breaks, all the little particles will get sucked into the fan assembly and mess the whole thing up. 2. Leaving it in the headlamp area allows it to still absorb moisture like it's intended to do.

They also noted that LED bulbs follow a similar life arc as lithium ion batteries-- they're working fine, then all of a sudden have a big drop off (vs. getting gradually worse). Something to be aware of, and they also said to expect about two years life out of the bulbs. I'm keeping the factory halogens in the glove box so I'm not stuck somewhere when they decide to go!
 
Installed this weekend and everything went well. The video and the tips from these threads definitely helped-- thank you! Huge improvement in visibility and looks (that yellow halogen with the white DRLs looked ridiculous).

FWIW, I spoke with the Twelvolt folks and they recommend taking the desiccant out of the cap and putting it in the headlamp housing with the bulb, etc. for two reasons: 1. If the packet breaks, all the little particles will get sucked into the fan assembly and mess the whole thing up. 2. Leaving it in the headlamp area allows it to still absorb moisture like it's intended to do.

They also noted that LED bulbs follow a similar life arc as lithium ion batteries-- they're working fine, then all of a sudden have a big drop off (vs. getting gradually worse). Something to be aware of, and they also said to expect about two years life out of the bulbs. I'm keeping the factory halogens in the glove box so I'm not stuck somewhere when they decide to go!
Disappointing to hear 2 years, but I'm sure more options will be available in 2 years and if not I'll go back to Halogen.
 
Glad I bought an SX
 
Do you think an upgrade to SX headlights would help? The visibility is really bad in true darkness and with hills and curves. The black shields on the top and bottom of the headlamp bulbs is the issue.
I have the SX, Yes, they are freaking Bright! Too Bright and I need to find a way to dim them down. On some backroads, I drove about an hour and a half in the dark, had over 45 vehicles flash me and my headlights were on Low. When I got frustrated, I started flashing back and man was that not a good idea, if people couldn't see when I had low beams on, high beam flashes are dangerous :(
But you can see for a very long distance with low beams.
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I have the SX, Yes, they are freaking Bright! Too Bright and I need to find a way to dim them down. On some backroads, I drove about an hour and a half in the dark, had over 45 vehicles flash me and my headlights were on Low. When I got frustrated, I started flashing back and man was that not a good idea, if people couldn't see when I had low beams on, high beam flashes are dangerous :(
But you can see for a very long distance with low beams.
We've owned our SX for about a month and I've been flashed about a dozen times with my headlights on low.
 
Just thought I'd repost this. It might help a few members (SX or EX-P) who haven't read through the earlier posts in this thread. Bottom line is that dealer should check headlight alignment according to page 4 of the TSB and adjust accordingly.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
SERVICE ACTION: TELLURIDE (ON)
HEADLAMP INSPECTION (SA380)
 
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I have not regretted my Twelvolt purchase. They are just bright enough to help without too much glare for me or the other drivers. I understand that some people might say the wedge design is gimmicky, but for my money in the Telluride projector housing it provides coverage with no dark spots that I can find and minimal glare making them far superior to the stock halogens. The Twelvolts also didn't require any modifications or electrical wiring. So if I want to switch back to halogen, I can do it within a few minutes. Still cheaper to me than going to HIDs or an EX-P or SX. Plus I prefer the white driving LED lights over the amber. The LX, S and standard EX also have a single bulb projector, while the EX-P and SX LED housing uses two projector housings. I like the look of the single more.
Totally agree! I tried the new Silvanias and they looked awful. Called the guy at Twelvolt before ordering. Mom and pop business, but called me back personally and explained how and why they were engineered the way they are. Bought them, installed, and couldn’t be happier. I never take the time to write reviews, so take my word for it the ones from Twelvolt are the best, hands down!
 
See my 10:18am post above. Cost me $86 and installation is a relatively easy process.
Hi there. Can you tell me what bulbs you ordered?
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Just thought I'd repost this. It might help a few members (SX or EX-P) who haven't read through the earlier posts in this thread. Bottom line is that dealer should check headlight alignment according to page 4 of the TSB and adjust accordingly.
Thanks for this @Pappy. What do you think of your Smartliner floor mats? I am considering purchasing a set for my SX P/T/N when she shows up in Sep. (or so I'm told . . .).
 
Hi there. Can you tell me what bulbs you ordered?
If you go the to post that you replied to and read it, then look at their earlier post and the answer that you are looking for is there. When you click on the link, go to post #1
 




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