Low beam HID shine distance

headshokfatty · 02-13-2008, 04:01 PM

Anybody else noticed that their low beam shine distance is way too short for typical highway speeds?
I know this is common for the HIDs to shine low, but its pretty obnoxious and I dont think I could get used to it.
Anybody know how I can adjust the beam height on the 08 hids? Is it the same as the 07s?
I would like to have what is zero now (on the light height adjustment), be like 4 or 5. I think this would give me a better swing, the lowest setting now doesnt even shine 10 ft in front of the car, so that is totally useless.

Thanks!

USNSTI · 02-13-2008, 04:33 PM

Aren't the lower settings supposed to be used when there is weight in the back of the car? Is it still too low with it in the highest setting? I don't think it was designed to ever be turned down to the lowest setting under normal conditions.

ssm04 · 02-13-2008, 04:52 PM

Mine came absurdly lower than it is supposed to be aimed. It was IMPOSSIBLE to drive at night without following someone.

I highly suggest you try and get the dealer to properly aim them. Whether they do actually properly aim HID's is another question.

#2 phillips screwdriver and a level parking surface against a wall.

you should see a bolt with teeth on the edges near the headlight motor. DO NOT adjust the one with the cap on it.

The screwdriver's edges will turn the teeth.

turn the screwdriver clockwise to raise or counter-clockwise to lower (I think)

Your beam pattern should be dead even on both lights. Not staggered like halogen reflectors. Raise them the same amount together until optimum safe height is desired. These lights are extremely bright and WILL blind other traffic if not done properly.

headshokfatty · 02-13-2008, 05:52 PM

USNSTI:
Yeah they were way too low at the highest setting (zero)

ssm04:
Thanks for the info I was able to adjust them easily (Clockwise raises)
Before (from the factory) there was a sharp cutoff from the right side to the left (left side lower, presumably to not shine in oncoming traffic). I tried to even them out best I could, butnow I have a small W shaped wobble in the middle of the beam.
I lowered the left side a touch and it went back to a sharp cutoff. So unless there is some other adjustment I dont think these lights can be a smooth straight line from left to right.

I have to pick up my sirius box from the dealer tomorrow or friday so I'll ask them to properly aim them, but at least for now I can drive on the highway at night without the brights on

Thanks!

Mediumturbo · 02-13-2008, 10:19 PM

I just tryed to do this on my 08, and the head lights didn't move at all. How many times do you have to turn it? I only turned the teeth. Im i doing something wrong?

Arfrce · 02-13-2008, 11:36 PM

I know on the 06/07 it is a white nut on the back side of the headlight assembly. But just so you know. From the factory the usdm drivers side light is lower and aimed to the passenger side a little bit. This is cause they are bright and don't wanna blind on coming traffic.

I leveled mine out to where they are even. But it still aims to the passenger side a little bit which is fine with me.

JWA · 02-14-2008, 08:32 AM

My last STI and Evo were both the same, though the '08 seems to be even lower than usual. The instructions above about using the toothed gears with a phillips screwdriver are correct. There's always a bunch of confusion about which screws to use. It's the gears, not and mounting bolt/screw.

CFar · 02-14-2008, 09:12 AM

I too had the same issue and corrected the problem on the second day. Turn clockwise to go up. You have to take off the intake ram for the pass side headlight though.

I overshot on purpose so I could use the 1 position for normal use, and 0 for back mountain/low/no traffic roads (with high beams).

These are probably the highest quality beam I've ever had in the vehicles Ive owned with HID. Good output and consistent.

headshokfatty · 02-14-2008, 09:20 AM

Yeah they are money now that the beam goes farther... Very bright and consistent light
Mine must still aim towards the passenger side a bit, and thats what creates that little wobble in the beam.

Mediumturbo:
I had to turn mine quite a bit, I just went slow and watched the line creep up on my garage wall until I was satisfied. I would say the whole gear rotated twice on the drivers side and 1.5 times on the passenger, so that made for lots of turns on the screw driver.
Not sure if there is a limit, but it turns easy so if it gets stiff I'd stop and back it off a bit.

Mediumturbo · 02-14-2008, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by headshokfatty

Yeah they are money now that the beam goes farther... Very bright and consistent light
Mine must still aim towards the passenger side a bit, and thats what creates that little wobble in the beam.

Mediumturbo:
I had to turn mine quite a bit, I just went slow and watched the line creep up on my garage wall until I was satisfied. I would say the whole gear rotated twice on the drivers side and 1.5 times on the passenger, so that made for lots of turns on the screw driver.
Not sure if there is a limit, but it turns easy so if it gets stiff I'd stop and back it off a bit.

Thanks for the info, ill give it another shot tonight. Im pretty sure i just didn't turn it enough.

Mediumturbo · 02-15-2008, 12:40 AM

I gave it another go tonight and this time i turned it alot and it worked just fine.

MacAlert · 02-15-2008, 03:10 AM

Can someone post pics of the beam pattern?

SNGPerformance · 02-15-2008, 05:24 AM

Yeah. Before and after pics would be good, and with whatever level setting you're in. I'd really like to see this "W pattern." The "W" goes away if you lower the left a little, correct?

headshokfatty · 02-15-2008, 09:58 AM

Just tried to take a picture over lunch in the garage but it didnt turn out well as I couldnt get far enough away, so I'll try to take one tonight and post it up.

It gets better if the drivers side is lower than the passenger. But with both beams higher than factory its not nearly as crisp of a cut off (from right to left).
I moved it back down to stock and its a very sharp
spacer__________
_____/

With both equally higher it kinda does this but not as wide as the ascii impression

spacere ________
_____/\/

And when I try to level them it is much more pronounced

_______ sfd________
spaacer \/\/

Hard to explain, Its like if the beam is higher on the passenger side something casts as shadow in the center of the beam.

I'll post the pictures later tonight

***ELD4AU6*** · 02-17-2008, 07:10 AM

bump for cutoff pics

02-13-2008, 04:01 PM	#1
headshokfatty Amateur STI Driver Car: 08 DGM STi BBS, Navi Location: MN Posts: 45 Join Date: Feb 2008 Trader Rating: (0)	Low beam HID shine distance Anybody else noticed that their low beam shine distance is way too short for typical highway speeds? I know this is common for the HIDs to shine low, but its pretty obnoxious and I dont think I could get used to it. Anybody know how I can adjust the beam height on the 08 hids? Is it the same as the 07s? I would like to have what is zero now (on the light height adjustment), be like 4 or 5. I think this would give me a better swing, the lowest setting now doesnt even shine 10 ft in front of the car, so that is totally useless. Thanks! This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

02-13-2008, 04:52 PM	#3
ssm04 Amateur STI Driver Car: SSM 08 STi Location: Central VA Posts: 35 Join Date: Jun 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance Mine came absurdly lower than it is supposed to be aimed. It was IMPOSSIBLE to drive at night without following someone. I highly suggest you try and get the dealer to properly aim them. Whether they do actually properly aim HID's is another question. #2 phillips screwdriver and a level parking surface against a wall. you should see a bolt with teeth on the edges near the headlight motor. DO NOT adjust the one with the cap on it. The screwdriver's edges will turn the teeth. turn the screwdriver clockwise to raise or counter-clockwise to lower (I think) Your beam pattern should be dead even on both lights. Not staggered like halogen reflectors. Raise them the same amount together until optimum safe height is desired. These lights are extremely bright and WILL blind other traffic if not done properly.

02-13-2008, 05:52 PM	#4
headshokfatty Amateur STI Driver Car: 08 DGM STi BBS, Navi Location: MN Posts: 45 Join Date: Feb 2008 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance USNSTI: Yeah they were way too low at the highest setting (zero) ssm04: Thanks for the info I was able to adjust them easily (Clockwise raises) Before (from the factory) there was a sharp cutoff from the right side to the left (left side lower, presumably to not shine in oncoming traffic). I tried to even them out best I could, butnow I have a small W shaped wobble in the middle of the beam. I lowered the left side a touch and it went back to a sharp cutoff. So unless there is some other adjustment I dont think these lights can be a smooth straight line from left to right. I have to pick up my sirius box from the dealer tomorrow or friday so I'll ask them to properly aim them, but at least for now I can drive on the highway at night without the brights on Thanks!

02-13-2008, 10:19 PM	#5
Mediumturbo STI Driver Car: Black on Gold 08 STi Fav Mod: ... Location: Southern California Posts: 211 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance I just tryed to do this on my 08, and the head lights didn't move at all. How many times do you have to turn it? I only turned the teeth. Im i doing something wrong? Last edited by Mediumturbo : 02-13-2008 at 10:33 PM.

02-13-2008, 11:36 PM	#6
Arfrce STI Driver Car: 06 STi WR Blue Fav Mod: K-Sport Coilovers & Radar Detector Location: NorthWestern Arkansas Posts: 226 Join Date: Sep 2006 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance I know on the 06/07 it is a white nut on the back side of the headlight assembly. But just so you know. From the factory the usdm drivers side light is lower and aimed to the passenger side a little bit. This is cause they are bright and don't wanna blind on coming traffic. I leveled mine out to where they are even. But it still aims to the passenger side a little bit which is fine with me.

02-13-2008, 04:33 PM	#2
USNSTI Silver Member Car: OBP 07 STI Fav Mod: Boost gauge Location: San Diego Posts: 1,430 Join Date: Dec 2006 Trader Rating: (6)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance Aren't the lower settings supposed to be used when there is weight in the back of the car? Is it still too low with it in the highest setting? I don't think it was designed to ever be turned down to the lowest setting under normal conditions.

02-14-2008, 08:32 AM	#7
JWA Senior STI Driver Posts: 301 Join Date: Mar 2007 Trader Rating: (3)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance My last STI and Evo were both the same, though the '08 seems to be even lower than usual. The instructions above about using the toothed gears with a phillips screwdriver are correct. There's always a bunch of confusion about which screws to use. It's the gears, not and mounting bolt/screw.

02-14-2008, 09:12 AM	#8
CFar Grassroots STI Racer Location: NOVA Posts: 570 Join Date: Jun 2006 Trader Rating: (1)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance I too had the same issue and corrected the problem on the second day. Turn clockwise to go up. You have to take off the intake ram for the pass side headlight though. I overshot on purpose so I could use the 1 position for normal use, and 0 for back mountain/low/no traffic roads (with high beams). These are probably the highest quality beam I've ever had in the vehicles Ive owned with HID. Good output and consistent.

02-14-2008, 09:20 AM	#9
headshokfatty Amateur STI Driver Car: 08 DGM STi BBS, Navi Location: MN Posts: 45 Join Date: Feb 2008 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance Yeah they are money now that the beam goes farther... Very bright and consistent light Mine must still aim towards the passenger side a bit, and thats what creates that little wobble in the beam. Mediumturbo: I had to turn mine quite a bit, I just went slow and watched the line creep up on my garage wall until I was satisfied. I would say the whole gear rotated twice on the drivers side and 1.5 times on the passenger, so that made for lots of turns on the screw driver. Not sure if there is a limit, but it turns easy so if it gets stiff I'd stop and back it off a bit.

02-15-2008, 12:40 AM	#11
Mediumturbo STI Driver Car: Black on Gold 08 STi Fav Mod: ... Location: Southern California Posts: 211 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance I gave it another go tonight and this time i turned it alot and it worked just fine.

02-15-2008, 03:10 AM	#12
MacAlert Junior STI Driver Car: 03 Nissan Maxima SE Location: Queens, NY Posts: 133 Join Date: Aug 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance Can someone post pics of the beam pattern?

02-15-2008, 05:24 AM	#13
SNGPerformance Amateur STI Driver Car: Silver, 2004, 2.5RS Fav Mod: Automotive Technician Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Posts: 35 Join Date: Jan 2005 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance Yeah. Before and after pics would be good, and with whatever level setting you're in. I'd really like to see this "W pattern." The "W" goes away if you lower the left a little, correct?

02-15-2008, 09:58 AM	#14
headshokfatty Amateur STI Driver Car: 08 DGM STi BBS, Navi Location: MN Posts: 45 Join Date: Feb 2008 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance Just tried to take a picture over lunch in the garage but it didnt turn out well as I couldnt get far enough away, so I'll try to take one tonight and post it up. It gets better if the drivers side is lower than the passenger. But with both beams higher than factory its not nearly as crisp of a cut off (from right to left). I moved it back down to stock and its a very sharp spacer__________ _____/ With both equally higher it kinda does this but not as wide as the ascii impression spacere ________ _____/\/ And when I try to level them it is much more pronounced _______ sfd________ spaacer \/\/ Hard to explain, Its like if the beam is higher on the passenger side something casts as shadow in the center of the beam. I'll post the pictures later tonight Last edited by headshokfatty : 02-15-2008 at 09:59 AM. Reason: spacing was messed up

02-17-2008, 07:10 AM	#15
*ELD4AU6* Platinum Member Car: 05 WRX STi CGM Fav Mod: RCE Location: Anniston, AL Posts: 1,907 Join Date: Nov 2005 Trader Rating: (1)	Re: Low beam HID shine distance bump for cutoff pics This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.