How Do I Aim Auxiliary Driving Lights?

Proper auxiliary light aiming is the most important part of an installation. If the lights are not properly aimed they will not achieve optimum performance and they can be very dangerous. The danger comes from the beam pattern being aimed right into oncoming traffic thus blinding the oncoming driver.

Auxiliary Fog Lights

Typically, fog lights are mounted under the front bumper about 10 to 24 inches from the ground. There are two important issues to address when installing fog lights, the first is to minimize the amount of glare that returns to the driver's eyes, and the other is to minimize glare into oncoming drivers' eyes. Both must be accomplished while putting as much light as possible on the road.

These fog light aiming instructions are suggestions taken from common practice and the Society of Automotive Engineers (S.A.E.) standard J583. Some modifications to these instructions may be necessary to minimize glare.

Park the vehicle 25 feet from a wall on a level surface. Measure the distance between the center of the auxiliary light and the ground. Place a horizontal mark on the wall at that height.

Visual aim is made with the top of the fog light beam 4 inches below the lamp center at 25 feet with the lamp facing straight forward.

Auxiliary Driving Lights

Typically, driving lights are mounted above the front bumper about 14 to 30 inches from the ground to provide extra high-beam illumination. Driving lights can be mounted below the bumper, although they will not be as effective because the light will hit the ground sooner and reduce the range of the light.

Park the vehicle 25 feet from a wall on a level surface. Measure the distance between the center of the auxiliary light and the ground. Place a horizontal mark on the wall at that height.

Visual aim is made with the center of the driving beam hot spot 1.5 inches below the lamp center at 25 feet with the lamp facing straight forward.