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LED Light Bar or Conventional Aux Lights?? Advice please

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by fuballs, Jan 20, 2014.

  1. Jan 20, 2014 at 9:51 AM
    #1
    fuballs

    fuballs [OP] Well-Known Member

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    BC, Canada
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    Leer Canopy, Thule Roof Rack, Aux Fog Lights, okledlightbars.com 30" double row, AUX fuse Box, Tepui Kukenam
    I need some extra light for night driving. I do a ton of winter night driving and want extra light just so I can see better, don't have to clean off my headlights every 10 mins.

    I've read a ton on LED light bars and conventional lights but still can't decide which way to go.

    I want to do one of these 2 types of set ups, my thoughts on each set up are there.

    Bouncy light?
    Smashing it when I park
    Doesn't look as clean
    Space to upgrade slowly/not spend a ton all at once
    I can pick the combination of light spread flood/mid/pencil
    Easy to get replacement bulbs and install

    [​IMG]

    or

    Looks great/clean
    pain in the ass to replace an led?
    a bit less cash
    solid mount location/no bounce
    harder to steal

    IMG_2619_zps0c35ce16_069027274168379f0cbd32f0c9ab10b53195cb18.jpg

    Please let me know if I am out of my tree on any of my concerns or have legit concerns about each kind of set up and let me know which way I should go!

    Thanks TW!
     
  2. Jan 20, 2014 at 10:04 AM
    #2
    acdronin

    acdronin Well-Known Member

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    I do a lot of night driving and the LEDs IMO are good for intermediate fill really. Some will probably debate this with me but my course was to install 2 hella 500s and 2 hella 700s in the grill with a BAMF lightbar. My mods are extensive with the billet grille, lightbar and I rewired all the lights with 130 watt bulbs. They are all pencil beams arrayed in a horizontal pattern across the road in front of me. I can light to road for a mile ahead of me and put the light only where I need it. One of the problems with these bright lights on roads is glare from road signs. Hence the pencil beams aimed straight down the road, there is enough splash side to side to reflect animal eyes and such but not light up the road signs too terribly. They are all controlled on one toggle switch installed on the front side of the center vault right where my right hand fingers fall if I rest my forearm on the vault. I can switch them on or off at the same time as my normal brights hitting both at once, brights with my left, big lights with my right.
     
  3. Jan 20, 2014 at 10:18 AM
    #3
    Germ

    Germ Master Navigator/Zipper Operator

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    Agreed. I'd say do both. Leds are great for short to medium range. My 20" bar reaches out about as far as my brights but with a much nicer color temp. I plan to install a set of hellas in addition to reach out further for high speed driving.
     
  4. Jan 20, 2014 at 10:20 AM
    #4
    Justus

    Justus fucks not given

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    Adjustable light forces?
     
  5. Jan 20, 2014 at 10:23 AM
    #5
    acdronin

    acdronin Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I actually want to install an LED in the lower grill as well to fill out between the brights and the Hellas, the brights splash everywhere but they do not go that far, there is a gap from the brights to the hellas of about a 150-200ft feet or so. Is your 20 inch floods or spots?
     
  6. Jan 20, 2014 at 10:23 AM
    #6
    acdronin

    acdronin Well-Known Member

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    Sure if I had the money:p
     
  7. Jan 20, 2014 at 11:10 AM
    #7
    evanmb31

    evanmb31 Well-Known Member

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    This

    Leds for looks, good halogens for price and effectiveness, dont forget HIDs only downside is warm up time and it is not good for them to constantly be turned on and off. I had a 36" bar in the bumper and it was nice but not great for distance. I ditched that and now i have two light force 170s and a 21" single row LED bar. Best of both worlds IMO is the best. Plus i might add two led flood pods. Hopefully ganna wire it all up today :D ill report back with my opinion on my 36" led vs. my lightforces.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2014
  8. Jan 20, 2014 at 12:22 PM
    #8
    skidooman

    skidooman I'm your huckleberry

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    I was super disappointed in my LED bar I bought for my rhino. Its a rigid 10". Granted its only a 10" but I thought it would be better than it was. LED has come a long ways, but for reaching out there, they dont get it done. On my old Toyota I ran 2 6" KC 100 watt lights, 2 8" procomp 130 watt lights, and 2 5"x7" procomp 55 watt fogs. Want to talk about turning night to day. My Lightforce 240s should be here tomorrow, I like light.
     
  9. Jan 20, 2014 at 12:23 PM
    #9
    Justus

    Justus fucks not given

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  10. Jan 20, 2014 at 12:25 PM
    #10
    Justus

    Justus fucks not given

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    i know the 210 genesis were very bright and would shine quite a ways.... u could feel the heat a good 4 feet away iirc
     
  11. Jan 20, 2014 at 12:29 PM
    #11
    Houston-76

    Houston-76 Well-Known Member

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  12. Jan 20, 2014 at 12:40 PM
    #12
    Germ

    Germ Master Navigator/Zipper Operator

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    Combo so I get a nice spread. 4 leds on the right and left are flood, the rest in the center are spot.
     
  13. Jan 20, 2014 at 2:18 PM
    #13
    fuballs

    fuballs [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Leer Canopy, Thule Roof Rack, Aux Fog Lights, okledlightbars.com 30" double row, AUX fuse Box, Tepui Kukenam
    Thanks for the input everyone. Sounds like a dual set up is the way to go. I'm thinking I put a big LED light bar combo beam in the lower valance now and replace the 2 fog lights in the bumper with some powerful (possibly HID) pencil beam lights in the future. Will look super clean and stock.

    Thoughts? Fog lights too small to fit effective size pencil beam lights possibly?
     
  14. Jan 20, 2014 at 2:36 PM
    #14
    acdronin

    acdronin Well-Known Member

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    Well, I think the openings are too small for good lights and it would only be two. Your original idea you posted with four lights is IMO the way to go. BUT, that's because the two pencil beams, no matter how bright (130 watt halogen or HIDs), is still just two beams shooting straight down the center and to me were not enough area of the road covered at that intensity. The other things are converting the openings to accept bigger lights, i have to think there is going to be some fabrication involved. You will need to be able to adjust and aim those lights which is easier to do on some kind of lightbar. Plus you will still have to run all new wiring most likely (even with HIDs i think), the stock wiring is not meant to handle that kind of amp draw plus the way the stock fogs are electrically configured would make them unsuitable to use they way you want to use them. What you need is a dedicated circuit not hooked into anything else. The other thing that may not suit you is how low those lights would be, to me, bumper height or above is the way to go. If you don't want to do an interior lightbar like mine then I would think and exterior bar like the pics in your post would probably work best. It's a gamble though, one deer or moose and they would be toast, but then again so would your fogs and a whole lot of other stuff on the front of your truck as well.:p
     
  15. Jan 20, 2014 at 3:16 PM
    #15
    evanmb31

    evanmb31 Well-Known Member

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    If one of your main concerns is you want it to look clean and stealth i only see two options (IMO). Light bar in the bumper or lights behind the grill, which means you have to modify your grill or buy a new one. I say go with LEDs for now unless you really want some distance lighting. Then go behind the grill, convert some hellas like acdronin did. By the way, chris where are the night shots?

    Oh ya, concerns...some cheap LED bars have problems with condensation. Be careful who you buy from.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2014
  16. Jan 20, 2014 at 3:53 PM
    #16
    acdronin

    acdronin Well-Known Member

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    Don't think I have any shooting down a road but this is high beams and big lights
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    This is just the big lights

    [​IMG]
     
  17. Jan 20, 2014 at 3:56 PM
    #17
    Mxpatriot

    Mxpatriot Well-Known Member

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    LED's all the way.

    [​IMG]

    I am full long travel and I cannot outrun the light offroad at night. 60 MPH is no issue safety wise.

    This is what it looks like from inside the truck:

    F9FB05BF-BECE-4BF5-88BF-B380A13F94A9-349_032a8cf53923c9abc3a34b52f1236d02363d707c.jpg

    This is stock headlights for comparison:

    8E72307D-73EE-43B9-B015-3F261F1FF452-349_f086fa464fb21327be80733f00115b949e30d74b.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2014
  18. Jan 20, 2014 at 4:19 PM
    #18
    fuballs

    fuballs [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the info and input TW. I'm going to go with a LED light bar in the lower for now and think about 2 pencil beams behind the grill down the road...now what brand to go with? I've heard good things about okled..any other good bang for your buck LED companies out there?
     
  19. Jan 20, 2014 at 4:31 PM
    #19
    Mxpatriot

    Mxpatriot Well-Known Member

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    Just remember the lower the light bar is mounted, the more it will cast shadows that hide holes.
     
  20. Jan 20, 2014 at 4:33 PM
    #20
    zopperman

    zopperman LED & HID positive

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    LED & HID

    F8CB4559-8DC4-4EED-BAB8-B0742CFE5406_5a2e948d6d86198e0fdb5d95b82e48c3227821d4.jpg
     

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