Can 10 Series HIDs be re-aimed?
 

Greetings...

I've had my FR-S 10 Series for a little over a month, and I absolutely love it. However, the stock HID lights are quite inadequate. Granted, this is the first car I've had with HIDs, but so far I'm not a fan. Compared to standard lights, the HIDs provide no more than 10 feet of illumination then they cut off, and it's very difficulty to see what's coming beyond that.

Right now, I frequently have to switch over to the high beams in order to see on low light roads, and despite loving how they look, I'm wondering if for safety reasons I shouldn't switch them out with regular non-HID headlights.

Is there anyway the lights can be adjusted so that they provide a better view of what's coming?

Thanks in advance!

...i think u can adjust the HID inside of the car under the fog light button....
I think the level is 0-5 , 0 is highest...5 is lower...dont adjust to 0,,u will blind people....

And this is exactly why I hate HIDs. Bright, bright, bright BAM nothing!
If they are aimed too low you can possibly bring them up a bit but if at the top you can not go further without running the risk of blinding oncoming traffic.

There should be a dial to the left of the steering column which allows you to adjust the vertical aim of the headlights. It is possible that your dial is set such that the lights aim inappropriately downward for your current vehicle load. That said, even with the dial set to aim the lights "highest," there will still be a visible cutoff, particularly noticeable when on inclines. That's due to federal regulations to help prevent blinding oncoming drivers. I don't believe Subaru/Toyota has even provided a way to manually adjust the vertical positioning of the projector housings, as this would be illegal.

sweet! I was having the same issue with my series 10, will try this after work

The knob adjusts them, but there is also a typical headlight aim adjuster on the light housing itself. Mine were too low on the highest setting with the knob in its highest setting. Adjusted and better three years now. HIDs are the best if properly adjusted.

Thanks, that did it! And, I am an idiot...
 

I saw the dial in the manual, and I tried it out. Either because I was only two feet from my garage door or because I didn't wait long enough, I didn't notice a significant change. However, trying this out on the road did the trick. It also confirmed what my wife has been telling me for years: I am a moron.

:bonk:

LOL. There's nothing illegal about adjusting headlights. Most headlights have a way to adjust them on the housings because even HIDs do not all come from the factory perfectly pre-aimed, and modifications to vehicles (raising or lowering, etc.) could make it necessary to re-aim them. There will be adjustment screws somewhere on the housing to position the beams properly.

Not quite sure what you mean..

HID are far superior to traditional headlights; at least when in a proper housing.

Make sure you have the knob to the left of the steering column adjusted all the way up. However I do believe their are adjusters behind the housings as well for aiming adjustments.

I consider the HIDs to be adequate. The don't reach very far, but no car I have ever driven at night provided light for much more than a car length or 2 in front of me. I also go brights when possible. Even then they are just okay.

I keep mine set a 2 where there is oncoming traffic next to me. I go 1 on the highway.

But also the issue is that oncoming traffic (crossovers and trucks) blind me. So even if I had good lights it wouldn't matter. My vision goes blank and takes 5-10 seconds to recover after passing an oncoming car away.

I don't drive a night much anymore.

I am old. I like my lights to just fade off into the distance. The blocker on the HIDs results in a very bright (and nice) area that all of a sudden just stops and turns to pitch black creating a distinctive demarcation line. It freaks me out.




Oh and you guys that like them please don't be the asshats that crank them way up in the air so you can see further but end up blinding every oncoming vehicle. I hate those guys!

Well the car is pretty low from the factory that's why. Happens to me all the time especially with cars behind me i get blinded.

The first time I drove my Series-10 home, the HID adjuster was set at 6, which is straight down. I had the same reaction: these headlights suck! After figuring out what the dial did and why, I set it to zero and all is well.

Seriously, when would I EVER have 6 people in my car?

When would you need headlights with 0 people in it?

Hard parking!:party0030:

Oops, didn't mean to imply that vertically adjusting the headlights was illegal - that's clearly not true. I meant to say that, in stock form, further upward adjustment of the HID projectors would violate (at least) US law.

I don't know what I was thinking re the manual adjusters haha. Of course you need those for initial adjustment post install.