C6 headlight adjust
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Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Grayson Georgia
C6 headlight adjust
Low beams on the C6 have a very flat top. Mine came from the factory with the driver side beam lower than the passenger side to the extent that it bothers me. I would like to raise the driver beam a little to level them up. Nothing in the manual about adjustment. I noticed three holes under the hood on each side near the lights. One hole on each side has what appears to be a torx screw adjustment. Anyone out there with any knowledge? Thanks.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 175
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The xenon lights have built in masks to protect the eyes of cars coming at you. The mask creates the sharp break line between bright light and darkness. I found it unnerving when I first experience them because beyond that sharp cutoff line it is pitch black which leaves you feeling insecure about what is ahead. It is really bad when making left hand turns. They intentionally have the left side masked lower to help reduce the impact to oncoming drivers. The masks are absolutely necessary to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. If you notice, when a car with these blue xenons is coming at you and it goes over a high roll in the road, such as a railroad track crossing, you will feel the intense brightness of the unmasked light when that car crests the high point. I am not convinced these ultra bright lights are the best thing, safety wise. What good does it do to have this nuclear-blast light intensity if you need a mask that cuts off all light beyond some relatively short distance? I am not convinced this is progress.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,488
Likes: 27
From: Long Island NY
Originally Posted by rkk
The xenon lights have built in masks to protect the eyes of cars coming at you. The mask creates the sharp break line between bright light and darkness...
I have also noticed this "break line" and wish it was a bit higher. I've been using my high beams a lot to compensate, but it does get annoying to constantly have to turn the high beams off and on each time an oncoming car approaches.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,709
Likes: 1
From: Pacific Northwest
St. Jude Donor '06
Originally Posted by rkk
The xenon lights have built in masks to protect the eyes of cars coming at you. The mask creates the sharp break line between bright light and darkness. I found it unnerving when I first experience them because beyond that sharp cutoff line it is pitch black which leaves you feeling insecure about what is ahead. It is really bad when making left hand turns. They intentionally have the left side masked lower to help reduce the impact to oncoming drivers. The masks are absolutely necessary to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. If you notice, when a car with these blue xenons is coming at you and it goes over a high roll in the road, such as a railroad track crossing, you will feel the intense brightness of the unmasked light when that car crests the high point. I am not convinced these ultra bright lights are the best thing, safety wise. What good does it do to have this nuclear-blast light intensity if you need a mask that cuts off all light beyond some relatively short distance? I am not convinced this is progress.
I've had these on other vehicles also and none have been all that good IMO. I have self leveling lights on my other car (an SUV) which help the oncoming drivers but not me, unfortunately. Since the SUV sits higher, it is even worse with the cutoff because the lights are projected at a greater angle onto the pavement.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,044
Likes: 74
From: Never take a girl out for a cup of coffee, the last thing you want her to be is alert and focused. Tampa, FL
St. Jude Donor '05
I have self leveling HID lights on the Lexus IS300, you can see the lights move down and up at start up. I for one cannot live without HID lights. I feel like i'm driving without any headlights on in any other cars without HID.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,089
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Originally Posted by z51dcs
Low beams on the C6 have a very flat top. Mine came from the factory with the driver side beam lower than the passenger side to the extent that it bothers me. I would like to raise the driver beam a little to level them up. Nothing in the manual about adjustment. I noticed three holes under the hood on each side near the lights. One hole on each side has what appears to be a torx screw adjustment. Anyone out there with any knowledge? Thanks.
Go big or don't go...
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,569
Likes: 1
From: Georgetown TX
Originally Posted by shopdog
That's the vertical adjustment (there is no horizontal adjustment). On a flat level surface, set the car exactly 25 feet from a wall. Mark a horizontal line on the wall the same height as the HID capsule. Turn on the lights and adjust the screw until the very top of the bright zone touches the line you just made.
I agree with this - I found the backside of HomeDepot to work quite well. Walmart is always busy on all sides. Wakes good use of a rather large wall! It also gave me a good idea of how WIDE the band ran.
Be careful not to set these tooooo high or all drivers are very unforgiving!
JK
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Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: When all is said and done... there is a hell of a lot more said than done. Riverside,Texas
St. Jude Donor '05 thru '26
Originally Posted by shopdog
That's the vertical adjustment (there is no horizontal adjustment). On a flat level surface, set the car exactly 25 feet from a wall. Mark a horizontal line on the wall the same height as the HID capsule. Turn on the lights and adjust the screw until the very top of the bright zone touches the line you just made.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 8,691
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From: Stoneham MA
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Originally Posted by double eagle
Would like to see GM adopt the self-adjusting design currently offered as an option on BMWs - also follows curves.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,166
Likes: 14
From: Orlando Fl
Originally Posted by 888usa
I have a C6 euro spec in England & they all come with self adjusting HID lights with headlamp washers build in the front as standard spec.
Mind you we do pay twice the price for a vette in the UK
Mind you we do pay twice the price for a vette in the UK
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,009
Likes: 2
From: Arkansas
I've had HIDs on 2 other cars and they both came with a dashboard **** to set the low beam elevation. It ran an electric adjustment motor. Some other cars have self leveling lights. I thought one method or the other was mandatory with HIDs due to federal regulations. Maybe since Corvettes don't have back seats or trunks its not possible to load them down enough to inadvertently raise the beams. Anybody know the real deal?
Go big or don't go...
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,569
Likes: 1
From: Georgetown TX
Originally Posted by TommyV
My left high beam is too high. Can you adjust that also?
yes, approach the vette from the side of the fender with the hood up; lean over and look into the inside of the fender (engine compartment). There should be a deep hole with an adjustment (silver). You'll need an allen wrench; metric but I can't remember the size at this time.
One on the passenger side as well!
JK
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,709
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From: Pacific Northwest
St. Jude Donor '06
The self-leveling lights (not on Vette) are just what the name implies. If you're going uphill they adjust downward and if you're going downhill they adjust upward. This feature is meant to keep the lights out of the eyes of oncoming drivers (when the vehicle is going uphill) and give you better visibility when you're going downhill. It really helps the oncoming drivers and keeps them from flashing you all the time. I believe self-leveling headlights are mandatory in most European countries and in Canada.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,009
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From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
I thought that self-leveling headlights compensate for changes in vehicle loading that raise or lower the front of the car, thus raise or lower the headlight beam. Wasn't aware that they can compensate for terrain. Can anyone else give the definitive word on this?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,375
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From: Northern CA
Originally Posted by Gearhead Jim
I thought that self-leveling headlights compensate for changes in vehicle loading that raise or lower the front of the car, thus raise or lower the headlight beam. Wasn't aware that they can compensate for terrain. Can anyone else give the definitive word on this?
If it were how they worked, low beams wouldn't even tough the road surface going down a steep grade and would cut off less than 30 feet from the car going up a steep grade. On a few hills in San Frran cisco, they would cut off at about 10 feet
going up hill.