Installation & Alignment

Not sure how to align your headlamps? It's important; read this FAQ as soon as you can! Not sure how to install a Wise Detailz component? Find that information in this FAQ too.

How do I align my Wise Detailz retrofit?

To adjust height, please refer to your manual on where the stock adjustments knobs are located on the rear end of the headlight. All retrofits done by Wise Detailz utilize stock aiming adjustment knobs making its very easy to make adjustments when needed. Once you find the knob, the first thing you want to do is find a wall at which you can park 25' feet away and still remain on level ground. 

You will always want to use the left side of the beam that your projector produces as the measuring guide. The left side of the beam should be 2" lower (at 25') then the height of the center of the projector from the ground. Meaning if the center of the projector is 30" from the ground, your left side of the beam should be 28" off the ground if you are parked 25 away. Once you setup the drivers side projector, the passenger is easy since all you need to do is line it up at the same height as the driver. 

This image below is an example of a properly adjusted S2000 retrofit. 


 

Also notice that once you begin moving further away from the wall, there will only appear to be one step. The drivers side will always overlap the passenger side if adjust properly. 

S2000 Retrofit Beam Pattern at 5' away... 

 

S2000 Retrofit Beam Pattern at 25' away... 

 

Here we can see that the right side of the beam is clearly doing its job of illuminating the right hand side of the garages, however it doesn't come up off the ground on the left hand side. This means you will not be blinding people! 

 

Now we can move on to the fun part; road test! To get the most out of your newly acquired projector setup, proper aiming is absolutely mandatory. You have the general settings now that you did the technical adjustment, however there are many variables that could have made your lights too high or too low. To make sure you are not blinding anyone, you eventually want your lights to hit the ground at a distance (the left side of the beam). The right side will be raised due to the DOT step in the shield, and this is good because the road signs and right hand side of the road will be well illuminated while the left side is not blinding oncoming traffic. When you are driving behind someone on the highway its generally OK to have the lights bouncing around the car's license plate area however if the lights reach to the side mirrors or even the rear view mirror they are adjusted too high. You do not want to blind people from the rear or make it look like you are flashing them, this could be dangerous! 

If you are driving behind a car and notice one light seems to be brighter then the other, your lights will need to be readjusted. This could take a few times, its just trial and error, but the end result is worth it. Once the lights are properly aimed, the color flicker from a distance will also be on point, meaning both projectors should emit the same colors at a distance. 

As far as left/right adjustments, its important to have your steps at the right position. The driver's side is more important since oncoming traffic needs to deal with it. Ideally you want it at about 95 degrees; this way the right side of the beam will not interfere with oncoming traffic, or make it look like one headlight is brighter then the other. Space the passenger side beam out 2-3 feet away at 25'. Again, the drivers side is more important, adjusting the passenger side is more about preference. Personally I like to have them nice and close together so color flicker is basically 100% perfect, however having them too close will make your output a bit narrower. More spacing will give you a bit of width if that's what you're looking for. 

How do I install your angel eyes?

We install angel eyes using the wire method. Small holes are drilled into the reflector, shroud, housing, etc., as anchor points. The wire is wrapped around the angel eye rings and fastened down through the hole. Epoxy is used on the other side to ensure a nice tight bond that will hold the ring down tightly forever. Others have used clear silicon to hold the rings in place. Either method works, so feel free to experiment with whatever you feel is comfortable with. 

How do you attach the projector shrouds, do they clip on?

None of the shrouds we use actually clip on to the headlight besides the new H1 Bixenon projectors. All projector shrouds are permanently mounted with JB Weld Epoxy to prevent them from coming loose. 

Can I lengthen the wiring between the ballast and the bulb?

You should not attempt to lengthen the wiring yourself. We do have 60cm extension wiring available for anyone looking for some extra length. 60cm is really the farthest you can go before there are operational problems with the extensions. The extra length creates a resistance the ballasts have to fight against to ignite the bulbs. If it gets too long, ignition attempts will fail and just cause damage to the bulbs long term.