Headlights not so bright?

[FastLap]

Anybody else feel like the headlights aren’t that bright? I’ve got two other newish cars with OEM LED headlights and they seem way more useful at night. On the BRZ I feel like I’ve got cheap aftermarket bulbs or something and the light doesn’t seem nearly as bright or far reaching as the other cars.

[Desertnate]

Overall I'm pretty happy with them. I was driving in a heavy rain last night and could see the road better than other cars I've owned, even those with OEM HID's. In fact I was able to spot some deer on the side of the road I'm not sure I would have seen on many other vehicles.

I think the light output is good, but the could be aimed a bit low. However, it seem most OEMs tend to aim HID and LED lights lower to reduce glare for oncoming vehicles.

[MyHybridBurnsGasAndTires]

OP, i think they're fine on the BRZ but i gotta ask, are you absolutely sure you've got the lights on and you're not driving with the DRLs on?

modern cars dont do a good job of letting the driver know if the DRLs or headlights are on. 15 years ago most cars didnt have a digital dash so if you started driving without your lights on you couldnt see your gauges, and serves as a reminder to the driver...but modern digital dashes are bright and they dont notice if they're using DRLs or no lights at all.

Originally Posted by Desertnate

Overall I'm pretty happy with them. I was driving in a heavy rain last night and could see the road better than other cars I've owned, even those with OEM HID's. In fact I was able to spot some deer on the side of the road I'm not sure I would have seen on many other vehicles.

I think the light output is good, but the could be aimed a bit low. However, it seem most OEMs tend to aim HID and LED lights lower to reduce glare for oncoming vehicles.

most companies just do a terrible job aligning headlights

from the IIHS:

The Institute released its first headlight ratings in 2016. Out of more than 80 headlight systems available on the 31 model year 2016 midsize cars that were evaluated, only one system received a good rating.
About 1 in 3 headlight systems tested on model year 2022 vehicles earn a good rating. About 40 percent of the systems tested are rated marginal or poor because of inadequate visibility, excessive glare from low beams for oncoming drivers, or both.

i regularly run outside at night and the number of vehicles blinding me is too many to count. i'm 6'4" so my eyes are higher than the headlights on all these fucking SUVs but they're aimed so poorly (or the morons driving them have their brights on but that's a separate issue)

[RToyo86]

I'd start by checking if they're adjusted correctly.
I'd be willing to bet they're a bit low.

[AK2112]

the headlights are real good

[FastLap]

Originally Posted by MyHybridBurnsGasAndTires

OP, i think they're fine on the BRZ but i gotta ask, are you absolutely sure you've got the lights on and you're not driving with the DRLs on?

Yeah, they're definitely on. They do the alignment pattern at startup since I have the Limited model and the green headlight indicator is on on the dash.

It could be that they are lower than other cars but not sure. The also have PPF on them but as far as I know that shouldn't be reducing the output any.

[Desertnate]

Originally Posted by MyHybridBurnsGasAndTires

i regularly run outside at night and the number of vehicles blinding me is too many to count. i'm 6'4" so my eyes are higher than the headlights on all these fucking SUVs but they're aimed so poorly (or the morons driving them have their brights on but that's a separate issue)

Not only is it an aim issue, but also a lamp design problem. Around here people use super duty pickups as cars for normal transportation. The Fords in particular simply blast out light all over the place. The lenses don't actually focus light anywhere but simply take the flood light approach. Who cares if you blind everyone else on the road.

Automatic high beam systems aren't much help either. They are horribly slow to adjust in many cases.

[Squirrely]

I think they're great, but I find them to be a bit low. I have the limited, so I wonder if that is affecting it.

[FastLap]

Originally Posted by Squirrely

I think they're great, but I find them to be a bit low. I have the limited, so I wonder if that is affecting it.

Maybe… maybe the auto leveling keeps them a tad low?

[RToyo86]

Do the gen2s use the same adjuster that attaches to the driverside LCA?

My 2017 lowered on its own after swapping out for SPC LCA. I never measured the difference but it was enough that I actually usey high beams on backroad where I never felt the need for them before.

[otter]

The output is fine but they're aimed too low from the factory, been meaning to adjust mine. Each headlight housing has two vertical adjustment knobs that you can get at with a long flathead screwdriver from under the hood.

[humfrz]

Welp, maybe this is your situation.

As I get older, I notice that my headlights get dimmer. They are practically useless on rainy nights. However, the headlights on oncoming traffic are blinding, almost like I've been hit with a laser -

[g e]

Is there a manual headlight leveling dial on the Gen 2 cars?

My 2013 has that and let’s one dial in where the beams light the road. Up and down only.

My Limited has fantastic headlights. Far better than my wife’s Lexus Nt

[otter]

Originally Posted by g e

Is there a manual headlight leveling dial on the Gen 2 cars?

My 2013 has that and let’s one dial in where the beams light the road. Up and down only.

My Limited has fantastic headlights. Far better than my wife’s Lexus Nt

Yes, two per headlight that you have to adjust equally. There's a blurb in the manual about it as well as markings/sticker on the housings themselves.