[lucidmedia]

does the 08 not have a knob for adjusting the HID beam height? I know on my 06 I adjusted the lights up to a "bit too high" and then could use the knob to back them off again...

I was under the impression that by law all HID equipped cars needed to have some sort of light leveling device. The STI was my first "manual" HID leveler, all of my other cars were automatic.

[Mi_Black_Pearl]

where is this manual HID leveler knob in the 07's?? is there a write-up of this as i'm noticing this issue as well which could stir somewhat of a problem for me being as it is my dd

[Bownse]

Update:

Web site page added with photos:

2008 Subaru WRX STi - Adjusting the HID Beam Height

[mgsm666]

where are the cutoff shots?! Bump for nice cutoff shots...before AND after.


J

[GilMikalian]

Originally Posted by Bownse

Update:

Web site page added with photos:

2008 Subaru WRX STi - Adjusting the HID Beam Height

Thanks. You are a true asset to IWSTI.com!

[Bownse]

We've had some odd weather the past couple of days. I'll try to pull the rivets, drive to a place with the right distance and a blank wall, and verify my adjustment. THEN shoot a photo of the HID cut offs. When I do, I'll add them to the page and shoot a note about the update.

[Bownse]

An update is now post to the page at:

2008 Subaru WRX STi - HID Headlight Adjustment

with a desciption of this:



Before would have been (at least) 2 or 3 rows of bricks lower than this shot.

Since there are 5 settings available on the c0ckpit controls, I made this baseline adjustment (at the typical 25" height @ 25' distance) 2 clicks down from max (zero). That means I can crank them 2 higher and 3 lower as needed for traffic, etc. Set at this height (-2) on the way home, no traffic flashed me for having them adjusted too high. Since I'd already adjusted them up some when first reporting the steps, I wouldn't be surprised if the OEM setting was closer to the drain to the right than to the blue tape.

As you can see the cut off is for US (right hand) driving to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. If you've ever approached someone with their HIDs adjusted wrong, they can dazzle you and cause momentary night blindness. This is also a good example of an excellent color temperature as they cast a usable, white light instead of a bluish light like the higher temps do. Bluish tint can mask road debris like gravel and sand and doesn't "reach" as far down the road for the same distances as white light does for the same output and lens design.

[talsnic]

dude... OEM HID produce between 4100k to 4300k. The HID blue color comes out above 6000k.

3000K is pure yellow.
3500K is near basic halogen bulb color.

[Bownse]

thanks. do you have a cite to the color temp of the OEMs? i'd like to add that to the write up.

[toogood]

there was a thread about this awhile back...good to know the adjustments are the same as the previous models...the companies have it lowered on purpose because they despise racing (especially at night) hence the lower setting...they figured...limited visibility...less likely to race....

[talsnic]

Quick seach using google.

HID lighting

[Bownse]

The possible range for HIDs is from about 3500k to about 8000k with it getting bluer the higher you go. a 3rd party reference as part of a pitch for a kit they sell doesn't lend a lot of confidence, imo. I have this one I refer people to a lot Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply but I don't know how accurately it reflects Subaru's choice of HID product.

Does anyone have a Subaru specific cite so we can nail this down more closely?

Just did some serious digging back into some archives and found that the kit I used for converting my off road driving lights (PIAA 910) was 4300k not 3500k. I stand corrected... as does my write up on the web page. Thanks for sticking to your guns.

[Photothug]

Great post. I was wondering this myself. The cutoff was terrible, 20 feet in front of your car would be total darkness and very dangerous. I am going to change this for sure.

[Digitalfiend]

I used Bownse's instructions before heading up to Ottawa on a business trip at 10pm. These lights have to be the most awesome lights I've ever used. I was a tad worried because some people claim HIDs aren't as a good as a strong normal light, but these lights are killer. I could see everything about 20-30ft off the sides of the road and the light cast really well down the road. Normally, in my '05, turning on the high beams made a massive difference. In the '08, you could almost get away without them (after making the HID adjustments). I'm going to look into replacing the highbeam bulb with something brighter.

I think I adjusted slightly too far up though but I only got flashed once by a trucker.

[S'poreSTI]

Originally Posted by Bownse

Update:

Web site page added with photos:

2008 Subaru WRX STi - Adjusting the HID Beam Height

So, i finally got around to trying this, after a few night drives convinced me the settings were way too low. The link above is a great how to, but i ran into difficulties.
on my lights, somehow i just can't turn the white screw clockwise! i'm stumped, i applied quite a bit of twist, to the point where the screwdriver slightly deformed the slot in the white plastic, but it just wouldnt budge.
Am i missing something here (others reported it turned clockwise real easily)
or is something wrong with my adjuster? Any advice appreciated, before i take it in to the dealer for this & a few other things.