While LED headlight bulbs offer a lot of benefits, they can also appear blinding to oncoming traffic and make it hard for other drivers to see. Why does this happen, and how can you fix it? Continue reading as we examine how to adjust LED headlights properly and get the best use out of them.
Scientific Approach to Adjusting Headlights
There are two main reasons your headlights can seem blinding to oncoming traffic:
- They're aimed incorrectly
- They contain the wrong bulb
It's a common misconception that all LED light output and beam patterns produce the same glare. That's simply not the case. Our team has tested hundreds of LED headlight bulbs and developed this simple method for efficiently adjusting headlights.
1. Get Set Up
With your car on a flat surface, pull it up to a wall and get it as close as possible. Then, locate the center of your headlight housing. The center is typically signified by a dimple, divot or bump. Once you've spotted it, make a mark on the wall that correlates to the center of your headlight as close to the wall as possible. If you'd like, you can even use tools like a ruler to make sure your mark is level and straight along the space between your car and the wall.
Using a tape measure, measure 25 feet away from the wall to the front of your headlight lens. We recommend sticking to 25 feet and not doing any more or any less.
Additionally, make sure you have plenty of air in your tires. Avoid having a big load in your vehicle like groceries, rocks or construction materials that might alter the way it sits.
2. Examine Headlights
Now it's time to turn on your headlights. They should be pointing at the marks you made on the wall but 25 feet away. Some vehicles have specific regulations like 12 or 15 feet, but, when in doubt, we recommend 25 feet.
When you look at your lights hitting the wall, you want to see the central hotspot at or below the lines you made. If you do this correctly, the brightest spot of your headlights won't be high enough to hurt the eyes of others on the road.
Your headlights should be completely level from left to right. If, on the other hand, you find one light hits a higher part of the wall than the other, you've got a problem.
3. Proceed to Adjusting Headlights
Find the opening on your LED headlights that looks like a socket attachment. Insert a Phillips screwdriver into that spot so that it engages with the teeth of the gear. We recommend doing this gently and not using a drill or anything forceful. If you're not careful, you could break or damage the LED headlights.
Work the screwdriver until the gear starts moving. When you twist your screwdriver one way, it will adjust your headlight upward. Twisting it the opposite direction will adjust your headlight in a downward motion.
Continue doing this until the main concentration of your beam pattern is at or below the lines you marked on the wall when you were close. A good rule of thumb is to have the brightness of the beam barely bouncing off the bottom of street signs.
Bonus Tip to Avoid Blinding Drivers
Shining your LED headlights into another driver's eyes is unsafe and can easily be avoided. It helps to consider where most people sit in a vehicle. Take note of how your headlights react to a vehicle as you're behind it. If your headlights are illuminating the back window of the car in front of you, your headlights are probably too high, and you need to adjust them again.
Get the Right Headlights for Your Vehicle at Dynamic Appearance
At Dynamic Appearance, we understand the importance of a task like adjusting headlights. Learning how to aim LED headlights helps you create the safest possible driving conditions for you and others on the road. Having the right headlights will give you even more peace of mind while you drive. We're proud to offer a variety of premium-quality LED headlight bulbs that are built to last and provide exceptional visibility. Shop our selection today for headlight bulbs you can rely on!