How to correctly position the low and high beam in the car?

Many factors determine safety while driving and on the road from the perspective of the driver, passenger, pedestrians and other road users. Some of them are beyond our control, such as weather conditions. But we can control the majority by forcing it driving a car will be safe for yourself and other fellow travelers on the road. Such a factor correct car lighting setup, low beam and high beam.

Properly positioned car headlights do not blind other drivers and pedestrians and provide safe and adequate visibility on the road. Poorly adjusted low and high beam can lead to an accident in the worst case. Checking the settings of the headlights of a car is one of the points of a technical inspection of a car. However, when we are not sure if the headlights are adjusted correctly, and when other drivers are flashing our headlights on the road, and we ourselves have limited visibility or light up the headrest of the car in front of us, we can check the setting of our car lights.

Environment preparation

To independently check the correctness of the lighting settings in the car, select flat, level ground with a flat vertical planefor example, the wall of a building that will reflect the light of our car. There is even a good driveway to the garage. We take measurements in the evening so that the light beam and the border of light and shadow are clearly visible.

Car preparation

At times checking the alignment of the lights the vehicle must be unladen on a level surface. Therefore, all luggage must be removed from the car. Only the driver should be in the front seat. Ideally, the fuel tank should be full, the tire pressures should be adjusted properly, and the headlight range control should be set to zero. Setting up the car perpendicular to the vertical plane... Optimal distance distance 10 metersthen the border of light and shadow is the clearest.

Self-check of lighting settings

First of all, mark the points on the wall corresponding to the centers of the headlights with crosses. In this case, you can drive as close to the wall as possible. Then, using a spirit level 5 cm below both points, draw a horizontal line and, after marking it, move the car back 10 meters. The shadow line from the lights should line up with the line drawn on the wall. Recall that our low beam headlamp in the European system unbalanced, has a clear border of light and shadow, it illuminates the more right side of the road. If the asymmetry is maintained and the triangle of incidence of light is clearly visible, it can generally be assumed that the light is positioned correctly. However, we recommend that you visit a specialized vehicle inspection station from time to time to professionally adjust your lighting. Such stations have not only the appropriate adjustment devices, but also level, properly leveled surfaces to ensure that such adjustment is read correctly.

Manual light adjustment

On cars that are not equipped with headlights with automatic lighting control, there are special ones. handle to set the light on the left side of the dashboard. Most often we deal with 3-4 levels of regulation. Level "0" applies to a vehicle not loaded with any other weight than the weight of the driver and possibly the front seat passenger. Position "1" is set when there are 3-4 other people in the car besides the driver, and the luggage compartment is empty. Level "2" is a fully loaded car, both for passengers and luggage. Position "3" means that there are no passengers, but the trunk is full. It is known that in such a situation the front of the car rises significantly and the lighting requires a lot of adjustment.

Systematic check

Check the setting of car headlights every time after driving several thousand kilometers, mandatory before the autumn-winter periodwhen it gets dark quickly outside. Often in winter, on uneven surfaces, the lighting is automatically turned off. Other causes of poorly regulated automotive lighting are: damaged headlights or Incorrectly inserted bulbs... Remember to adjust the light after every lamp and headlight change or even after a minor blow. An important point is also cleanliness of lampshades... It should be looked after mainly in winter, and it is better to use de-icers rather than scrapers to remove ice from lampshades. Weak bulbs let's do a swap. There is no point in straining your eyes. Good bulbs, for example from companies Osram or Philipssuch as H7 Night Breaker, Philips H7 or Tungsram H7 can greatly improve the quality of road lighting in front of our car. Don't forget to choose the right low beam bulbs for your headlights! Check out the guide. The most common types are H7, H4 i H1.

Do you check the car headlight settings yourself? Do you prefer to entrust this task to vehicle inspection stations?

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