LED lights vs night vision

[Ahmed]

Night vision system vs LED lights
Can we trade them out? We would like to hear your suggestions and comments on this subject, cost, preference and other things and thank you .

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[WaltA]

I think I encountered the Jeep on the right, coming toward me, on Rt309.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

Never a 'vs' scenario, always has to be an augmented/complimentary systems.
Considering road objects appear as the same colour in the system because FLIR doesn't detect colour, just heat gradients, you need light to see object detail (signs can appear a solid blank objects).

With the 2D screen you lose a lot of delth of field / 3D information which is bad as you speed towards objects, curves, etc.

To which I also prefer the old heads'-up display versus having it in the instrument cluster because it is less likely to have you take your eyes off the road to look at the screen. But it can be equally distracting, I just find that you're still looking forward instead of down though so more likely to 'snap out of it' should something distinct come into the field of view.

Also if the effective distance of the night vision is just "up to 100 yards / 50-300 feet" as mentioned in Cadillac's & Audi's videos, I think newer HID and LED headlights, plus good long-throw low angle driving lights can outdistance that effective range.

Still I like the idea of both great headlights and good night vision tech.

Audi, Cadillac, Mercedes tech (the BMW section is actually about Austrian billboards );




And if you want to see Car and Driver test (poorly because plastic animals weren't heated) driving with just the FLIR from Audi, BMW & Merc watch this;

 

[Ahmed]

Never a 'vs' scenario, always has to be an augmented/complimentary systems.
Considering road objects appear as the same colour in the system because FLIR doesn't detect colour, just heat gradients, you need light to see object detail (signs can appear a solid blank objects).

With the 2D screen you lose a lot of delth of field / 3D information which is bad as you speed towards objects, curves, etc.

To which I also prefer the old heads'-up display versus having it in the instrument cluster because it is less likely to have you take your eyes off the road to look at the screen. But it can be equally distracting, I just find that you're still looking forward instead of down though so more likely to 'snap out of it' should something distinct come into the field of view.

Also if the effective distance of the night vision is just "up to 100 yards / 50-300 feet" as mentioned in Cadillac's & Audi's videos, I think newer HID and LED headlights, plus good long-throw low angle driving lights can outdistance that effective range.

Still I like the idea of both great headlights and good night vision tech.

Audi, Cadillac, Mercedes tech (the BMW section is actually about Austrian billboards );

-


And if you want to see Car and Driver test (poorly because plastic animals weren't heated) driving with just the FLIR from Audi, BMW & Merc watch this;

-

I prefer to put the night vision system in a JL, it is better in fog and heavy rain and heat resistant up to 80 Fahrenheit and has a heater working in cold bikes and it works at night and day. The JL now has a Multi-Information where your eyes will stay on the road and also have a Uconnect 8.4 which is great and close.



It is important that this system helps you to overcome the deadly danger when you have strong lights or sun rays in front of you so you do not see the way

In my view it is the best in the cost of LED lights and those many annoying wires, the night vision system costs about $ 3000.


There are Russian and Chinese products with good quality and lower cost.

Those videos were on Flair "PathfindIR" before his improvement of almost two years, here is a beautiful video of JK and his night vision system

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

Yeah that Wrangler is a unit that was salvaged from an old Cadillac, and the usage is for observing/spying on folks (I think the guy is a security guard or something based on his vids). His add-on also doesn't have any recognition or alarm system that the current systems have, so you have to actively monitor / concentrate on it not passively use it as supplementary tool the way the others are designed.

Even with the bigger Uconnect or the displays in the instrument clusters your eyes are off the road vs a heads-up display.

I know the value of the systems, I have had 3 significant animal stikes with 1 vehicle written off in the past decade by a deer strike where ia FLIR system definitely would've helped;
Mountain pass near Frank Slide, rainy (was snowy 10km earlier), had to turn off high beams because of on-coming traffic just oassed and another vehicle approaching, Buchk crosses highway, swerve to miss his backside, and tag the Doe right in the head with the front driver side and she spun around and crumpled the entire driver side doors (front & sliding). Write-off Dodge Caravan with cracked radiator in the middle of nowhere at about midnight. Had to limp into the tiny town (with engine light on iand temps in the red course) and wait at the TimHorton's coffee shop 'til morning. Woohoo Fun!

So yeah, I would like the systems to be universal, as someone who drives in the animal rich National parks (Jasper, Yoho, Banff) I see a lot of animals out there (even in daylight). However even the Audi and Mercedes info points out that fog, rain, snow, can affect performance (but should still be better than the reflection of headlights in fog etc), and unfortunately road slush, mud, and even dust can affect performance, and on a Wrangler those are very common things, so the system would need to properly account for that too, perhaos with higher placement or with a washer fluid sprayer unit to clean it after leaving the trailhead.

I like the systems, it's just not an either/or, but an additional measure, and it needs to be properly designed for a Jeep's usage.

 

[Ahmed]

Are resistant to dust and water "PathfindIR 2" modern
I think FLIR is the one who supplied Audi and others with this system (of course without the screen) according to the specifications of each company.

I have benefited from your participation and from many points, especially mud, where the lights will not survive mud either. But your talk alerted me to the risk of small flying stones that might scratch and crash many things including the camera which you will need to put a strong transparent plastic in the front of the camera to maintain.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

Just FYI, when I mention FLIR above, I mean it in the generic context (Forward Looking InfraRed), not the brand.

 

[Ahmed]

Important information thank you The Great Grape Ape.

 

[Ahmed]

For me the dream has become a 7.0 inch reality you will find on the modern cars and modern and sophisticated

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