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WOW even the 2016-17 oem HID/LED headlights are rated poor/marginal

Payton34

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15 Z71 Senior Enthusiast

15 Z71

Posted
Posted

By adjusting the headlight housing. I stole this pic off the interwebz but see the holes thru the upper shroud behind both headlights? If you look down thru them there is a phillips head screw that these give access to. I believe turning counter clockwise raises the beam. Dont go to much though or you will blind drivers going the opposite way. I am going to raise mine just a hair more and make sure I have them level with one another and be done. The low beams are giving me much better down road distance and I have not been flashed a single time for to bright of lights.

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How much did you turn the adjuster screw? I want to do mine but not sure how much to adjust.
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BLUE72CAMARO Enthusiast

BLUE72CAMARO

Posted
Posted

incorrect, unless the LED housing adjusters are different.

the adjusters are between the shroud and airbox (white plastic, facing up and allen head) clearly visible on drivers side from spare battery box

mine work great, slightly adjusted cut-off up

 

You sir are correct! Realized it when I tinkered with mine a little more last weekend but couldnt remember my password to get on and correct it on my ipad....

BLUE72CAMARO Enthusiast

BLUE72CAMARO

Posted
Posted

How much did you turn the adjuster screw? I want to do mine but not sure how much to adjust.

My guess would be a 2-3 turns in all counter clock wise.

powerhaulic Enthusiast

powerhaulic

Posted
Posted

every truck can be different

mine required 1/2 turn more one side to equalize, but only 1/2 turn both sides from there to get cut-off correct

fedmogul89 Enthusiast

fedmogul89

Posted
Posted

Man, i feel like my headlights have done well. Better than my Ram. I think my 2016 Sierra's HID headlights are better than nt Silverado's LED's. Albeit not looking quite as cool.

Thomcat Senior Enthusiast

Thomcat

Posted
Posted

Lights in my '16 Silverado Z seem fine to me.

As are mine, in fact the projector lights work better than the halogens on my former Avalanche. Seems like a half-a$$ed review anyway. Indicates that Sierra/Silverado projectors were "acceptable" but what the heck does that mean when they also indicate that headlights were down rated for excessive glare to oncoming drivers? Too much light causing the glare, or too white, color of test road, ambient lighting, etc.? Nowhere did I see any impartial evidence relative to light output, distance, color temperature, angles of light projected, or methodology to quantify "glare".

 

Critics can chuckle all they like, but I tested my Silverado at night on unlit country roads against my trade-in Avalanche before purchase and the improvement of the Silvy's projectors over the halogens was dramatic on low beams. Silvy's 2 high beams were at least as good but not better considering the Avy had 4 halogens on high.

BlackHawkZ71 Enthusiast

BlackHawkZ71

Posted
Posted

here is my thought on these new headlights for my 16 1500 LT

by far the best i ever owned even driving down county roads, etc, and they are on par with my grandma's 2010 cad dts. mine might be a touch brighter due to age.

 

drove my cuz's brand new 16 ford f150 without the led option. and honestly i felt like i was blind.

 

also i noticed that turning the gauge display down to lowest level will help out greatly. or at least it does for me when driving down dark roads.

Thomcat Senior Enthusiast

Thomcat

Posted
Posted

 

They have a larger opening on the sierra. The thin on on the Silverado causes the beam to be cut down on the edges. The projector still uses the reflective surface in the light lens as well. It's not completely like a projector... The size of the light housing IE the entire assembly not jus the projector is the difference.

..........

Agreed, the Z71's blackout housing surrounding the projector lens cuts down on the side lighting, BUT the vertical housing on the LED fogs is not only larger than the Sierras but its the silvered vertical mounting directs the majority of the lighting towards the side of the vehicle whereas the Sierra's horizontal mount directs the majority of it forward. Bottom line is that when running a Silverado with both the lows and fogs, the composite light pattern is about the same as the Sierras running both. Just played with one in the GMC lot to confirm this.

 

Not that weak highs or shutter cutoff really matters much anyway when you have roof level LED spots mounted on the sports bar......you not only see the deer, you give them a sunburn.

Sean Neilan Enthusiast

Sean Neilan

Posted
Posted

People who drive on the street with LED light bars turned on should be tied to a chair in front of their vehicles and forced to look straight into the light. Those things are like staring into the sun for oncoming traffic.

  • 2 weeks later...
BigBadSierra Senior Enthusiast

BigBadSierra

Posted
Posted

People who drive on the street with LED light bars turned on should be tied to a chair in front of their vehicles and forced to look straight into the light. Those things are like staring into the sun for oncoming traffic.

 

They don't drive far in Canada. The first cop you go by will pull you over and fine you.

Jon A Senior Enthusiast

Jon A

Posted
Posted

People who drive on the street with LED light bars turned on should be tied to a chair in front of their vehicles and forced to look straight into the light. Those things are like staring into the sun for oncoming traffic.

 

That's why it's a good idea to hook them to your brights--it's never an issue for oncoming traffic.

Thomcat Senior Enthusiast

Thomcat

Posted
Posted

 

They don't drive far in Canada. The first cop you go buy will pull you over and fine you.

 

 

 

That's why it's a good idea to hook them to your brights--it's never an issue for oncoming traffic.

No, you want them on an independent switch, or a remote switch, for off road use to assure they are never accidentally on with any other vehicle lighting.

 

And no cop ever bothered me because State law states that they are street legal so long as they are equipped with opaque covers when on public roads.

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BigBadSierra Senior Enthusiast

BigBadSierra

Posted
Posted

 

 

No, you want them on an independent switch, or a remote switch, for off road use to assure they are never accidentally on with any other vehicle lighting.

 

And no cop ever bothered me because State law states that they are street legal so long as they are equipped with opaque covers when on public roads.

 

 

The Ontario provincial police are ruthless. Any accessory light that is turned on except fog lights they will most likely come after your. This includes any LED lights the kids like, undercarriage lighting is a big no no..

 

In fact they pull more cars off the road then mechanic's. You do not see big rust bucket running around or damage vehicles. They pull them over do the same this as they would for lights road side safety inspection and hit you with a compliance fine. You are required to correct the issue they deem unsafe.

zmnypit Enthusiast

zmnypit

Posted
Posted

I personally dont think the the 16 slt LED light output is as bad as you guys are making it out to be. I did the conversion on my 14 Sierra and compared to my wife 16 Grand Cherokee/HID the SLT led lights are way brighter. Here's a night pic:

 

9Bsnb3B.jpg

Thomcat Senior Enthusiast

Thomcat

Posted
Posted

 

 

The Ontario provincial police are ruthless. Any accessory light that is turned on except fog lights they will most likely come after your. This includes any LED lights the kids like, undercarriage lighting is a big no no..

 

In fact they pull more cars off the road then mechanic's. You do not see big rust bucket running around or damage vehicles. They pull them over do the same this as they would for lights road side safety inspection and hit you with a compliance fine. You are required to correct the issue they deem unsafe.

Problem is not having off road lighting, it's failure to cover them when not off road and on public streets.......thankfully over here the police here are bright enough to distinguish the difference.

 

And there are certainly times when they are necessary, I want to make damn sure of what I'm aiming at!

 

No problem for me, I don't live or plan to travel in Canada.

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