Headlight Aiming - Measurements

[T4R_Finally]

I have searched here and on the web and not really finding exactly what I need. I have found plenty of info on how to adjust the headlights but nothing to reference where to aim them. For example "low beams should be at X height from Y distance". I once changed a headlight on my Harley and was told to adjust it to a certain height from a distance of 10 feet or something similar to that. Does such a reference exist for a 4Runner? Since leveling mine (stock size tires with Bilsteins in the front set to 1.75"), I get flashed at night quite a bit.

Perhaps I am over-complicating this. Is it as simple as backing off a wall 20 - 25 feet and lowering the beams 1.75" from where they currently land on the wall?

 

[BettysNephew]

Here is a site that has instructions for aiming your headlights properly.

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

 

[1engineer]

I have searched here and on the web and not really finding exactly what I need. I have found plenty of info on how to adjust the headlights but nothing to reference where to aim them. For example "low beams should be at X height from Y distance". I once changed a headlight on my Harley and was told to adjust it to a certain height from a distance of 10 feet or something similar to that. Does such a reference exist for a 4Runner? Since leveling mine (stock size tires with Bilsteins in the front set to 1.75"), I get flashed at night quite a bit.

Perhaps I am over-complicating this. Is it as simple as backing off a wall 20 - 25 feet and lowering the beams 1.75" from where they currently land on the wall?

That gets you close. Remember this thread? http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/165330-2014-aim-adjust-headlights-after-level-lift.html

 

[3wbdriver]

Yes, at least for a ballpark setting. There is a thread in here that I used. I think the setting was 2.5" low at 25'. Mine seem just a little low at that setting, but not dangerously so. Once I get my Toltec rear springs in I'm just going to have the dealer reset mine to spec at the next service.

There is an adjustment PDF in reply #26 of this thread.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/63007-headlight-aiming-2.html

 

[T4R_Finally]

That gets you close. Remember this thread? http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/165330-2014-aim-adjust-headlights-after-level-lift.html

Dude, there's a reason my father used to tell me I'd "forget my head if it wasn't attached to my body". I do remember seeing threads before and I also did do a search, but I'm still looking for the "park your rig on level ground X number of feet from a wall and adjust until your beams are at Y height on the wall" thread.

 

[mdogg]

Here is a site that has instructions for aiming your headlights properly.

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

My 2013 headlight is marked as VOR, so I assume all 2010-2013 are as well. Therefore, for the 4Runner at 25', the drop should be 2" if the axis is 39" or less from the ground OR 3" if the axis is 39.5" or greater from the ground. My Daystar spacer lift puts the axis at approximately 41" IIRC.

 

[3wbdriver]

Dude, there's a reason my father used to tell me I'd "forget my head if it wasn't attached to my body". I do remember seeing threads before and I also did do a search, but I'm still looking for the "park your rig on level ground X number of feet from a wall and adjust until your beams are at Y height on the wall" thread.

Those X's and Y's are in the PDF in the thread I linked above.

 

[crackiswack]

Measure to distance to the center of the headlight reflector/projector. Park car 25ft from a wall. The headlight cutoff should be adjusted to 3" below your measured headlight height

 

[harper7]

Well here's the official way out of the Toyota 2010 4Runner repair manual that is online in the stickies to download,or at least it was . Excuse the fast Windows "Paint" copy and paste job as there are 5 pages.:yuck: Now we need the engineers to figure it out. :der:

This is of course for stock height and , I would think lifting/bigger diameter tires changes some things a little so I'd aim a little lower for a reference. I mostly use common sense for a lifted vehicle adjusting on the side of caution/courtesy and a lower pattern. Lowest pattern that you can still see the road. Lights reflecting off the back of a drivers head sitting in front of you at a red light is not good as I try to keep them at their trunk level as a courtesy. No idea what they are talking about with horizontal adjusting as mine doesn't have that?.............................

 

[T4R_Finally]

Measure to distance to the center of the headlight reflector/projector. Park car 25ft from a wall. The headlight cutoff should be adjusted to 3" below your measured headlight height

This was all I was after. Appears to be fairly accurate based on all of the mumbo jumbo in the Toyota PDF. Height should be all I need to adjust as the only thing I changed was the front level and nothing about the lights themselves.

It's strange, when I first leveled it, I'd get an occasional flash now and then when driving at night. Now it seems to be almost every car and then I also see people in front of me adjusting their rear view. I know it's annoying and even dangerous, so I don't want to be that guy.