Has anyone ACTUALLY driven their car without the headlight leveling sensor? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Var · 11-01-2017, 09:56 PM

I'm just curious what happens. Curious about either
1-electrical harness disconnected or
2-harness connected but sensor not bolted to control arm

Do the headlights point all the way up?
All the way down?
Somewhere in between?
Does the computer freak out?

Tcoat · 11-01-2017, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Var

I'm just curious what happens. Curious about either
1-electrical harness disconnected or
2-harness connected but sensor not bolted to control arm

Do the headlights point all the way up?
All the way down?
Somewhere in between?
Does the computer freak out?

Every single FRS owner as driven without headlight levelers. About 98% of the car driver on the road have driven without them. Set them in the center and pull the plug if you don't want them.

Poodles · 11-01-2017, 10:42 PM

Wait, if you're in California we don't have auto levelers in the states.

NRXRaptor · 11-02-2017, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poodles

Wait, if you're in California we don't have auto levelers in the states.

My BRZ's headlights and yours have a leveling motor. I don't have the lights anymore but they were there. I don't understand leveling motors: they add cost and complication that can go wrong. Same with HIDs and integrated leds and projectors. I know they look nice in photographs but now I'm blinded by everyone and their mom who did an HID conversion at night in this low car. Thank god the twins don't have "collision detection," front and side facing cameras, night vision cameras that only work when the headlights are on (hi mercedes) or any other crap like that

Var · 11-02-2017, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Every single FRS owner as driven without headlight levelers. About 98% of the car driver on the road have driven without them. Set them in the center and pull the plug if you don't want them.

You can't set anything on 2017 and newer. They don't have any manual adjustment anymore. So I'm wondering what would happen without it

Tcoat · 11-02-2017, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Var

You can't set anything on 2017 and newer. They don't have any manual adjustment anymore. So I'm wondering what would happen without it

If you unplug it in a flat neutral place it will be centered. Once unhooked from the sensor it will not move.

Poodles · 11-02-2017, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NRXRaptor

My BRZ's headlights and yours have a leveling motor. I don't have the lights anymore but they were there. I don't understand leveling motors: they add cost and complication that can go wrong. Same with HIDs and integrated leds and projectors. I know they look nice in photographs but now I'm blinded by everyone and their mom who did an HID conversion at night in this low car. Thank god the twins don't have "collision detection," front and side facing cameras, night vision cameras that only work when the headlights are on (hi mercedes) or any other crap like that

Yes, and they're manually adjusted in my car.

OEM HID's =/= HID kit garbage

One is legal and non blinding, the other isn't. Retrofits are a gray area. If done right they're as good as OEM if not better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Var

You can't set anything on 2017 and newer. They don't have any manual adjustment anymore. So I'm wondering what would happen without it

Why remove it? If you lower the car there are adjustable linkages for that. Not like it's really hurting anything...

TheLowlyThird · 11-06-2017, 05:56 PM

When I installed aftermarket LCA's (on a 2017) there wasn't a spot for the headlight sensor so I just kinda left it hanging. My headlights were pointed so far up I couldn't see to drive home and had to zip tie the sensor to my LCA on the side of the road. Hope that helps.

HachiRolle · 11-06-2017, 06:19 PM

I’ve been running without the sensor connected to the LCA since February or so. I disconnected the arm off of the headlight sensor, and turned the positioning knob on the sensor itself until they leveled to where I wanted them. Haven’t had an issue since.

mjanmohammad · 11-06-2017, 07:15 PM

my LCA had the slot for the leveling sensor but the lights were pointed way too high after the car was lowered. I used the 8mm nut on the back of the headlight to adjust them down. Took 15 minutes.

Surok · 12-27-2017, 10:03 PM

i was under the impression if you lowered your car, and left the headlight level arm connected to the LCA, it would angle the headlights down constantly because it thinks the back is heavily loaded and so the ass of the car is sagging down.

nico_rsx · 12-27-2017, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surok

i was under the impression if you lowered your car, and left the headlight level arm connected to the LCA, it would angle the headlights down constantly because it thinks the back is heavily loaded and so the ass of the car is sagging down.

That's also what I thought and I had trouble getting an answer, but someone told me that yes, that's what happen, but there is a manual adjustment in the back on each headlight, that you can use to bring them back level again.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...34#post3011221

11-01-2017, 09:56 PM	#1
Var Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Drives: 2017 Subaru BRZ PP Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 157 Thanks: 45 Thanked 48 Times in 14 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Has anyone ACTUALLY driven their car without the headlight leveling sensor? I'm just curious what happens. Curious about either 1-electrical harness disconnected or 2-harness connected but sensor not bolted to control arm Do the headlights point all the way up? All the way down? Somewhere in between? Does the computer freak out?

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11-01-2017, 10:42 PM	#3
Poodles Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Drives: 2015 Series.Blue Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 1,781 Thanks: 88 Thanked 781 Times in 481 Posts Mentioned: 16 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Wait, if you're in California we don't have auto levelers in the states.

11-06-2017, 05:56 PM	#8
TheLowlyThird Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Drives: '17 Toyota 86 Location: Hawaii Posts: 18 Thanks: 0 Thanked 18 Times in 6 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	When I installed aftermarket LCA's (on a 2017) there wasn't a spot for the headlight sensor so I just kinda left it hanging. My headlights were pointed so far up I couldn't see to drive home and had to zip tie the sensor to my LCA on the side of the road. Hope that helps.

11-06-2017, 06:19 PM	#9
HachiRolle Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Drives: 2017 Toyota 86 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 60 Thanks: 19 Thanked 58 Times in 30 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I’ve been running without the sensor connected to the LCA since February or so. I disconnected the arm off of the headlight sensor, and turned the positioning knob on the sensor itself until they leveled to where I wanted them. Haven’t had an issue since.

12-27-2017, 10:03 PM	#11
Surok Wise old man Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: 86 GTS Location: Sydney Posts: 1,003 Thanks: 999 Thanked 240 Times in 161 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	i was under the impression if you lowered your car, and left the headlight level arm connected to the LCA, it would angle the headlights down constantly because it thinks the back is heavily loaded and so the ass of the car is sagging down.

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