How's your Aim??

So how's your aim? You've got yourself a new 4x4 and have decked it out with the latest body protection, lift kit, off road tyres and some sparkly new lights. 
Sure it all looks good, but did you stop and think where your new lights are aimed? 

Sometimes you see the best rigs all decked out, then grab a glance at the lighting setup only to find the lights aren't really aimed anywhere but to the stars for E.T to come home! 

When installing lights, either through a dealer or DIY, the important aspect of any lighting set up is to head out on the road at night and see where your lights are aiming - are they left or right and to the top of the trees? Or are there bright spots of light several meters in front of the vehicle? Do you feel confident your lights are where you really need them?

Auxiliary lights should give you maximum light down the road, however aimed slightly left and right enough to cover the edge of the road as far as the lights allow, whilst light bars are less forgiving and only offer you a wall of light in front, they too can be adjusted within reason. 

Then there is the ability of purchasing lights which offer specific beam patterns to assist in your aiming and driving preferences. Spots, spreads and wide beams offered by KC are designed specifically for their intended light out put on the road.

Spot Beams such as the KC Carbon PODS, Daylighters in spots and Pro Sports offer a solid beam of light, a small amount of spread, but predominantly long distance. Their ability to aim directly down range allows the road user to see a vast distance for hazards up and coming. 

Spread Beams offer a shorter distance, yet give visibility to the side of the road which suits both windy roads and closed in tracks. Lights such as the Daylighters in spread and wide beam, the G46 and G34 lights and the new Slimlites in LED, offer great visibility down the road and in a spread beam for safe driving. 

Wide Beams such as that found on the G46 and Daylighters allow maximum width (as close as 400m) but still enough light forward to see hazards. These are also great for windy roads, closed in tracks or a great addition to a set of KC carbon pods where close visibility and long distance (such as off-road racing) require the ability to see up close hazards such as ruts, drop offs and rough terrain. The wide beam allows the raised hazards to be identified quickly due to light and dark shadings at night. 

So next time your out at night, check where your lights are aiming, have they been knocked out of place? Or has the mounts worn and dropped the beam of light down. 

One great design feature of many of KC's lights are the mounting designs which offer one touch adjustments via single bolt mounts (Daylighters and Slimlites), or adjustable lenses (such as the Pro 6 and KC Carbon Pods). They use a single tool to alter the lenses or light body, thereby directing light where you need it the most, whilst being user friendly without struggling to tighten the light back up. 

So hopefully you've learnt a thing or two about aiming your lights!

​4x4 Hub


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