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Minimum height for dip headlights..
snowy2 - 16/4/12 at 06:09 PM

The law:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/4/made

It is interesting to note that only Dip beam lights are so strictly regulated ....main beams are not!

My SVA manual states that it is 500mm to the cut off point for the dip beam on the lens...(effectively the middle of the lens)

The iva just says 500mm but gives no further definition, it does give a drawing of the headlights from the front of the car which suggests that it would be measured to the bottom of the light lens...

There is a huge margin for difference in mounting height depending on your headlight size if the implied measurement in the IVA is used. But there would be none if the SVA manual is used, all lights would be effectively the same minimum height off the road surface. (you could saw the bottom half off the dip beam headlight and have almost no effect on beam pattern or light output on dip beam)

So which is the definitive measurement method?

minitici - 16/4/12 at 08:57 PM

IVA Manual M1 Section 20 - Installation of Lights
"In the case of a Dipped Beam headlamp the minimum height will measured
to the apparent trace of the beam cut-off on the lens. If this point cannot be
determined then you will take the lower edge of the illuminated area. "

snowy2 - 18/4/12 at 09:37 AM

Weird thing is that of the two downloaded versions of the IVA manual i jad on my pc neither had that stated. so i downloaded it again and there it was!

loggyboy - 18/4/12 at 09:51 AM

quote:
Originally posted by snowy2
It is interesting to note that only Dip beam lights are so strictly regulated ....main beams are not!


not that surprising, as main beams should pretty much only be used when you are alone on the road, so not going to affect anyone but own view of the road.