Leveling the LI heads

[SpdFreak]

How much off level is ok? My heads are pointed a tad up (facing the sky not the ground).

After all, the leveling should be done with a weighted car.

[Stealth Stalker]

There is really no way to quantify that. But it has been demonstrated repeatedly, at every meet I have attended, that even very minor variations in levelling make a significant difference.

As for weighting the car, I'm not sure that is an issue. The car is designed to settle equally, regardless of weight. And when you are hauling ballz down the highway, your front end is going to rise anyhow. Then there is the nose dip when you slam on the brakes too, which I theorise may contribute to some PT failures.

There has been some limited testing to check the nose-dive theory, and it seems to demonstrate that it is not a significant factor. But every car is different. Every set-up is different. And every laser encounter is different. Because of all those inconsistencies is exactly why it is important to keep your levelling consistent. It keeps your set-up optimised for the greatest number of encounters.

[takeshi]

You're best off testing your setup. You can use some simple math to figure out just how far over your target your heads will be firing at typical laser encounter distances but that won't really tell you if they're effective or not.

[lostdaytomorrow]

Do most people actually use a level to level them or just by eye sight?

[Stealth Stalker]

They come with levels, and that is the only way to do it. You absolutely cannot get it close enough by eyesight. It takes only a few degrees to totally screw it up.

The really hard part is getting them properly aligned. With most grilles being curved, you can't use a straight-edge across the front to do it with. And the curve in the grille creates an optical illusion that makes them look misaligned even when they are not, and vice versa.