Your Neighborhood Full Service Repair Facility
2 Years / 24,000 Miles Parts & Labor Warranty
ASE Certified Technicians
Tuffy Sells Tires
Honest & Fair Pricing
September 10, 2023
It's happened to all of us. We're driving down a highway at night and over a crest appears a car with its high beams blazing. You are momentarily blinded, hoping the other driver will switch them to their low beam setting and restore your vision.
Not only do we not appreciate being blinded, face it; we don’t want to be that other driver, either. You know, the one who forgets to turn down their high beams.
Why do we want high beams in the first place? They can improve safety when used correctly, giving drivers more reaction time since they can see farther down the road. But research has found many drivers either don't use them or, when they do, they frequently forget to switch to low beams. Enter the automatic high-beam dimmer.
The quest for the perfect one began back in the 1950s, General Motors invented something it called the "Autronic Eye." It was a phototube which sat on the dashboard and turned down your beams when it saw other headlights. While touted as being the biggest advance in night driving safety in 30 years, it didn't work all that well. But as technology got more advanced, systems improved.
Today's automatic high beam dimmers usually have a camera in the rear view mirror (pointing forward). When the camera sees lights, software in the system's computer attempts to determine the source of the light, whether it is an oncoming vehicle, taillights, ambient city lights, street lights or the reflection off of a street sign. It then adjusts the headlights to operate high beams if appropriate or a less-blinding mode if they’re not.
Some automakers are striving to make their headlight systems smarter and safer by developing lamps that can avoid blinding oncoming drivers by means other than simply dimming them. One idea? Splitting the beams so they will block just the portion that shines into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
It's a long way from the Autronic Eye.
Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Millard
4870 S 137th Street
Omaha, NE 68137
402-895-4274
http://www.tuffymillardave.com
November 26, 2023
When the weather turns cold, it's nice to crank up the furnace and enjoy the heat. But if your home's furnace doesn't work, it's not too comfortable. Same goes with your vehicle. When the heater's not working, things can get miserable. It could also signal some major problems, which we'll discuss... More
November 19, 2023
The cooling system keeps NE vehicle's engines from overheating while they are driving around Omaha. Its job is to move heat away from the engine. Let's talk about the various components of the system and how they make this happen.The radiator is the part most Omaha drivers associate with the cool... More
November 12, 2023
A while back, the Cash for Clunkers program was all over the NE news. Omaha people could trade in their old vehicle for a new one that got better gas mileage and receive a government rebate. A lot of Omaha motorists had so-called clunkers that they wanted to keep. They're good commuters, grocery... More
