by Scott Ammerman
Torque Senior Correspondent
Every modification to your Jeep matters, somehow.
Whether that means better off-road performance from a ground clearance enhancing suspension lift, aggressive new tires and better steering componentry. Or highly protective bumpers and side armor. Even shielding seat covers and floor liners.
They all matter.
And one of the best modifications you can make these days is to yank out those dim halogen headlights for some brilliant LED versions.
When you do — when those things are plugged in and ready to go, the next step is making sure they are properly adjusted so other motorists do not have issues.
Proper adjustment and aiming of your LED lighting can make a tremendous difference while driving down the road or trail at night — especially as we move into the fall and winter months with longer nights. Lights that are not properly aimed can easily blind oncoming traffic, which can cause a vehicle accident or worse. Additionally, improperly placed auxiliary LED lighting can throw light off into oblivion causing those lights to be wasted or underutilized.
To correctly aim your LED headlights you first have to verify if you have LED projectors or LED reflectors. LED projectors use a projector-style lens to magnify the light and create a nice, sharp cutoff. LED reflectors may look like your factory headlights, but instead of a halogen bulb, they utilize much brighter and longer-lasting LED chips with proper LED optics. Note: NEVER use a drop-in LED cluster in a halogen headlight housing. Not only is this illegal on road, but it can seriously blind oncoming traffic.
- Masking tape (or similar)
- Torx bit or torx screwdriver for your headlight adjusters
- Tape measure
Tools required:
After you have identified your headlight type, find your horizontal and vertical headlight adjusters, if applicable (some vehicles, such as the JK, only offer vertical headlight adjustment unless you originally had horizontal adjusters). Then, grab some masking tape and find a garage or wall (white or similar light colors are preferred) where you can park and aim your headlights from about 20- to 30- feet away.
It is important this area is flat. Parking on a hill will cause incorrect alignment of your headlights. You also need to make sure the vehicle has approximately a half tank of fuel, proper tire inflation, a driver and the gear you normally have in the back.
Once everything is in place, pull close to the garage door or wall (within two to three feet), then take one piece of tape for each side and mark the horizontal center of your low beams with a horizontal piece of tape. Take another piece of tape and place it vertically in the center of each beam. Your garage or wall should now have two plus (+) signs.
Measure the distance from the ground to the center of the plus signs. At this point, you can also place a vertical piece of tape in front of your Jeep — in the center of the garage or wall. This piece will help you confirm horizontal adjustment.
Now, back up from the garage or wall to around 25 feet (check your owner's manual for specific distances as sometimes they can be as much as 35 feet). I recommend adjusting one headlight at a time, and you can take a piece of paper or otherwise cover the headlight you are not currently adjusting.
The top of the brightest part of your headlight beam should be right at the center of your plus marking, or just below. If that is not the case, grab your torx screwdriver, locate your vertical adjustment screw, and adjust either clockwise or counter-clockwise, depending on the direction you need the beam to move.
Once you’ve finished this adjustment, move on to your horizontal adjustment. The screw should look the same, but it will be in a different location. Adjust clockwise or counter-clockwise accordingly. When you have your first headlight perfectly adjusted, just repeat this process for your other light.
Proper LED headlight adjustment helps to prevent blinding of oncoming traffic while also placing a lot of light correctly on the ground in front of you. Proper auxiliary LED adjustment helps by placing light in usable location(s) and prevents wasted light.
Make sure when aiming auxiliary LED lighting, you consider what you need/want out of the light and research what type of beam pattern is best for your specific application. Installing a very wide flood pattern lamp when you actually need a long-distance, tight spot pattern will be a waste and may actually reduce usable light — especially in dusty or foggy conditions.
Even after you have properly adjusted your headlights, you will need to re-adjust them if you decide to install a lift or add larger tires. In some cases, installing an aftermarket bumper (front or rear), winch, or other heavy gear can cause your headlights to go out of alignment as well.
When properly aimed, new LED headlights provide a dramatic visibility increase, promote safer driving and reduce eye strain. Additionally, swapping to LED headlights actually saves you money in the long run because they last longer and draw less power than standard halogen versions. LED lights are a worthy investment that can potentially outlast your Jeep.
Torque Senior Correspondent Scott Ammerman contributed to this article
