Need help from automotive guru...

[cskiles]

check your truck to see if its level or raked
your LEDs might be too bright and pissing people off
if your truck is level you need to adjust
thats the best i can tell ya

I know that it is leveled, my original question was; how high should the headlights be shining above the ground at what distance...e.g, they should be approximately 30" to the top of the beam at 25'. The 1 ton rams already set higher than a lot of trucks, with a 4" lift and 35" tires, I am certain that the headlights need to be reaimed, just didn't know the specs on it..

 

[8675309]

I know that it is leveled, my original question was; how high should the headlights be shining above the ground at what distance...e.g, they should be approximately 30" to the top of the beam at 25'. The 1 ton rams already set higher than a lot of trucks, with a 4" lift and 35" tires, I am certain that the headlights need to be reaimed, just didn't know the specs on it..

in original post you didnt say your truck was leveled my bad
im old you used to have to buy a leveling kit with a lift

25 feet back top beam waist high and you're kosher

 

[hjblwme]

My kit, like a lot of them, lifts and levels at the same time, e.g., 4" in the rear and 5.5/6" in the front...

Ok now we are in business. Since you have put a leveling kit on which raises the front more then the rear we now know that YES your lights are aimed up slightly.

There is no hard and fast rule about how high they should be aiming. The only way to do this for YOUR truck is simple. The reason I say YOUR truck is because you have modified it to a configuration outside of factory specs and there are very few exactly like it.

Step 1: Put approximately the same load that you have in your truck at any given time into your truck. (Tools, people, whatever). Close enough will do, no need to be exact. Two hundred pounds will not be that detrimental. This includes at least a half tank of fuel.

Step 2: Park on a flat surface. It doesn't matter if its level, just flat and bigger then your truck. Think open parking lot, garage, hanger, or something of that nature.

Step 3: Measure the height of your headlights. Measure vertically from the ground to the center of the reflector. Use a tape measure or a stick that you can mark.

Step 4: Measure straight out from your headlights 4ft9in. (Math works out to be a hair more but this will be close enough). Turn your lights on and find the hot spot of your lights and ensure it is the same height as previously measured.

For every inch difference that your lights are it equates to one degree of tilt. You want your lights to be either level or a slight downward tilt. Meaning that at this distance you should have no more then 1/2 inch difference.

All of this is for a restricted confined area. If you have a large area you can do the same but at 25 feet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cskiles]

Ok now we are in business. Since you have put a leveling kit on which raises the front more then the rear we now know that YES your lights are aimed up slightly.

There is no hard and fast rule about how high they should be aiming. The only way to do this for YOUR truck is simple. The reason I say YOUR truck is because you have modified it to a configuration outside of factory specs and there are very few exactly like it.

Step 1: Put approximately the same load that you have in your truck at any given time into your truck. (Tools, people, whatever). Close enough will do, no need to be exact. Two hundred pounds will not be that detrimental. This includes at least a half tank of fuel.

Step 2: Park on a flat surface. It doesn't matter if its level, just flat and bigger then your truck. Think open parking lot, garage, hanger, or something of that nature.

Step 3: Measure the height of your headlights. Measure vertically from the ground to the center of the reflector. Use a tape measure or a stick that you can mark.

Step 4: Measure straight out from your headlights 4ft9in. (Math works out to be a hair more but this will be close enough). Turn your lights on and find the hot spot of your lights and ensure it is the same height as previously measured.

For every inch difference that your lights are it equates to one degree of tilt. You want your lights to be either level or a slight downward tilt. Meaning that at this distance you should have no more then 1/2 inch difference.

All of this is for a restricted confined area. If you have a large area you can do the same but at 25 feet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very cool...exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!!!

 

[rockyfatcat]

I have been doing similar research on my 98 ram 1500, mostly due to poorly adjusted, old yellowed, stock lighting.

If you buy gazzilion watt LED lights and stuff them in stock reflector housings, the light scatters all over the place. Including the eyes of oncoming drivers. The stock headlight assembly holds a halogen bulb that has a reflective metal bit in the front of the bulb to reflect the light to the back of the assembly to be reflected forward. The position of the filament is precise enough that when the low beam goes off and the high beam comes on the angle changes enough to throw light further down the road.

One filament is located at the focal point of the reflector. The other filament is shifted axially and radially away from the focal point. In most 2-filament sealed beams and in 2-filament replaceable bulbs of type 9004, 9007, and H13, the high-beam filament is at the focal point and the low-beam filament is off focus.

When you stuff gazzilion watt LED lights into stock reflector housings everybody can see how much brighter they are than stock. The LED chip is on one side of a flat surface without concern for focal points or any such woo ha. This is demonstrated by turning the high beam on. The second LED chip dumps more light into the housing, but without the attention to focal points there is more light, but is not thrown farther down the road.

Sure there is more light than stock with LED's but it is in the eyes of oncoming drivers and the high beam isn't in the right spot to illuminate further down the road. The real deal is apparently to buy a HID kit instead. I haven't figured out yet what the correct housing for the HID bulb.

 

[MRM]

Thanks for being the one person on the road who gives a ****.
I used to drive all the time at night and I have seen every manner of jacked up lights.

First thing I did on my new work truck was pull up to a wall and crank them down a bit.

 

[cskiles]

I have been doing similar research on my 98 ram 1500, mostly due to poorly adjusted, old yellowed, stock lighting.

If you buy gazzilion watt LED lights and stuff them in stock reflector housings, the light scatters all over the place. Including the eyes of oncoming drivers. The stock headlight assembly holds a halogen bulb that has a reflective metal bit in the front of the bulb to reflect the light to the back of the assembly to be reflected forward. The position of the filament is precise enough that when the low beam goes off and the high beam comes on the angle changes enough to throw light further down the road.

One filament is located at the focal point of the reflector. The other filament is shifted axially and radially away from the focal point. In most 2-filament sealed beams and in 2-filament replaceable bulbs of type 9004, 9007, and H13, the high-beam filament is at the focal point and the low-beam filament is off focus.

When you stuff gazzilion watt LED lights into stock reflector housings everybody can see how much brighter they are than stock. The LED chip is on one side of a flat surface without concern for focal points or any such woo ha. This is demonstrated by turning the high beam on. The second LED chip dumps more light into the housing, but without the attention to focal points there is more light, but is not thrown farther down the road.

Sure there is more light than stock with LED's but it is in the eyes of oncoming drivers and the high beam isn't in the right spot to illuminate further down the road. The real deal is apparently to buy a HID kit instead. I haven't figured out yet what the correct housing for the HID bulb.

I did quite a bit of research myself (prior to getting them retrofitted), the 25$ LED bulbs you purchase on AMAZON don't buy you anything but a LED bulb that will fit in the existing halogen base. The actual retrofit LED bulbs are designed with the reflector/led filament in the correct place to achieve that same directional output from the bulb/housing. The wattage on the LED is significantly less than the halogen with an equal or slightly higher output of lumens. My reasoning for going with the LED vs. HID's is that the LED is rated for approximately 50,000 hrs of use, no moving parts, and very little heat output (which yellows the lens on the headlight housing). The HID's are brighter but they have a filament that is pretty sensitive to movement and they are only rated for about 5,000 hours.

My main drive behind the light conversion was the color and distance of the light field in front of the vehicle. My truck is a 2016 with factory projector headlamps and the light field was pretty limited at highway speeds. Two weeks ago I was driving through south Fflorida, running about 70/75 miles an hour at a little after dusk. I saw a car on the right hand shoulder so I began to change lanes to the left lane. About 50 yards before I got to the car I saw a figure by the back bumper of the car...it was a little boy about four years old. The mother was occupied with a baby in the back seat and the little guy had wandered to the back of the car...he was standing beside the car 'in' the lane (she pulled off right on the line). Long story short, it completely freaked me out, had I not changed lanes further back I might of hit the little guy, I couldn't even see him until I was right on top of the car.

Light bars are illegal to drive with so headlight retrofits were my best option..

 

[Mr. Goodbar]

I did quite a bit of research myself (prior to getting them retrofitted), the 25$ LED bulbs you purchase on AMAZON don't buy you anything but a LED bulb that will fit in the existing halogen base. The actual retrofit LED bulbs are designed with the reflector/led filament in the correct place to achieve that same directional output from the bulb/housing. The wattage on the LED is significantly less than the halogen with an equal or slightly higher output of lumens. My reasoning for going with the LED vs. HID's is that the LED is rated for approximately 50,000 hrs of use, no moving parts, and very little heat output (which yellows the lens on the headlight housing). The HID's are brighter but they have a filament that is pretty sensitive to movement and they are only rated for about 5,000 hours.

My main drive behind the light conversion was the color and distance of the light field in front of the vehicle. My truck is a 2016 with factory projector headlamps and the light field was pretty limited at highway speeds. Two weeks ago I was driving through south Fflorida, running about 70/75 miles an hour at a little after dusk. I saw a car on the right hand shoulder so I began to change lanes to the left lane. About 50 yards before I got to the car I saw a figure by the back bumper of the car...it was a little boy about four years old. The mother was occupied with a baby in the back seat and the little guy had wandered to the back of the car...he was standing beside the car 'in' the lane (she pulled off right on the line). Long story short, it completely freaked me out, had I not changed lanes further back I might of hit the little guy, I couldn't even see him until I was right on top of the car.

Light bars are illegal to drive with so headlight retrofits were my best option..

Nice, I'm thinking about switching over to LED lights

 

[cskiles]

Nice, I'm thinking about switching over to LED lights

The color makes them appear bright AF! Much less eye fatigue at night.. I recommend it!

 

[rockyfatcat]

I did quite a bit of research myself (prior to getting them retrofitted), the 25$ LED bulbs you purchase on AMAZON don't buy you anything but a LED bulb that will fit in the existing halogen base. The actual retrofit LED bulbs are designed with the reflector/led filament in the correct place to achieve that same directional output from the bulb/housing. The wattage on the LED is significantly less than the halogen with an equal or slightly higher output of lumens. My reasoning for going with the LED vs. HID's is that the LED is rated for approximately 50,000 hrs of use, no moving parts, and very little heat output (which yellows the lens on the headlight housing). The HID's are brighter but they have a filament that is pretty sensitive to movement and they are only rated for about 5,000 hours.

My main drive behind the light conversion was the color and distance of the light field in front of the vehicle. My truck is a 2016 with factory projector headlamps and the light field was pretty limited at highway speeds. Two weeks ago I was driving through south Fflorida, running about 70/75 miles an hour at a little after dusk. I saw a car on the right hand shoulder so I began to change lanes to the left lane. About 50 yards before I got to the car I saw a figure by the back bumper of the car...it was a little boy about four years old. The mother was occupied with a baby in the back seat and the little guy had wandered to the back of the car...he was standing beside the car 'in' the lane (she pulled off right on the line). Long story short, it completely freaked me out, had I not changed lanes further back I might of hit the little guy, I couldn't even see him until I was right on top of the car.

Light bars are illegal to drive with so headlight retrofits were my best option..

I have a 98 ram 1500. I am looking for better light for similar reasons. I have yet to come up with a LED/HID & headlight assembly combination that is properly paired.

Your story reminds me of a time years ago. I was running down the fwy at 60+ mph and there was a car on the side of the road. I had been visiting a girlfriend and had a few under my belt and wasn't stopping for anything. The idiot was standing out in the 4th lane of traffic (at 3:00 in the morning) in the jumping jack position, trying to get someone to stop. I changed lanes (too close to him) at 65mph. I missed him by 10 feet, but I still think about that. If I hadn't changed lanes, I'd a killed him instantly and gone to jail.