Aiming Headlights

[Roadking]

Hi,
My wife was trying to aim the headlights on my '97 Explorer the other night! (Just Kidding, Honey!)
I seem to have put things out of alignment, by the way other drivers are so kindly telling me.
FLASH-FLASH-FLASH!

Is there a method or a standard way to measure where the center of the light should be at a given distance? Like shining them on a garage door 15' feet away?

I thought I read it somewhere but I can't search out the post.

Any ideas or help?

Thanks,
Roadking

 

[jssong]

i was fooling around with it too, i was thinkin my xenon bulbs would work better if i aimed it higher, which would aim the beam of light further up the road. rather, it just blinded people, and lit up the road signs extremely well, but not the road.. hehe, so i just parked in front of my driveway, aimed both a little lower, drove around, and kept testing for hte best angle. takes a few mins.. but it works. good luck

 

[dbarale]

If you have a Haynes manual they explain how to do it on page 12-12.
The way I did it was: put the key in the ignition, start the engine and drive it to Pep Boys
It's one of those things that should be left to a shop w/ the equipment.
Don't forget to empty the trunk before and check the tire pressure....

 

[Roadking]

I did the same thing with the manual.
Shot the light from 25 feet at a garage door? I didn't get zeroed in on the two inch right and two inch down.
It's alot tougher then you think.
I guess I'll just let the guy's at the dealer do it.
It would take me a week of trial and error.

Thanks for all the tips!

Roadking

 

[Blue Steel]

as long as you're not making anyone :fire: at you with your lights aimed high, there shouldn't be a problem. just do what you think looks good. the heck with a tape measure and 25 feet, unless you want to be super perfect. that's just asking for trouble, and i'm sure that the shops won't measure precisely the exact measurement to get your lights at optimum light angles. just aim them by sight, and crouch between the lights and look at where they're hitting. if they're lower than your head then you're in good shape. just don't hail any airplanes with them. also, cover one up and see where the other light is going. you want them to be semi straight, and not going in weird directions like a chameleons eyes. hope that makes sense.

 

[edlmann]

Try this:

http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/how_to/aim/

 

[Roadking]

Thanks for the tips! I've gotten things lined up.
It's great to see more then 50 ft. ahead.

Is there a better brand of brite halogen
replacement bulbs, do they really work?

Any brands stand out?

Roadking

 

[Sport (no trac)]

This AM I installed PIAA SuperWhite 9007 and 9005 bulbs in the headlights and factory fogs of my 2001 X Sport. I wasn't as pleased with the improvement of the PIAA headlights over the stock ones, but the 9005 bulbs are much better in the fog light position than the 9045s that were in there.

IMHO, save your money on the headlights and go for the foglight bulbs.