Paging Hilldweller and other light geeks...

[BIGdaddy]

Of course, the REAL question is, which of these lights work best in the daytime...

haha.

The real, real question is how much does BIGdaddy want to spend on light perfection.

I'm all about what works, regardless of cost. Not saying I can afford the best in every regard, but for example, audiophiles would tell me that my BOSE system is crap...It might be...but my family thinks it rocks our socks off.

I know that I could spend thousands on lights. Not doing it. But then again, if I spend a couple hundred smartly and upgrade my current setup, be it with bulbs or new lights, or whatevs, that's the money shot.

Thanks for all the input from everyone! Much appreciated.

 

[kojackJKU]

Again, my **** lights work great for me.

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[Hilldweller]

Again, my **** lights work great for me.

Stop taking it personally. We're not talking about you.
We're talking about lights, objectively and scientifically. Answering a query from Brian. About lights. People who study lights with a fairly devoted and enthusiastic passion. People who solicit the advice and expertise of professionals.

If you like the 500s, mazel tov, bro. Use them in good health. Just want Brian to know that there are much better lights out there.

 

[kojackJKU]

Stop taking it personally. We're not talking about you.
We're talking about lights, objectively and scientifically. Answering a query from Brian. About lights. People who study lights with a fairly devoted and enthusiastic passion. People who solicit the advice and expertise of professionals.

If you like the 500s, mazel tov, bro. Use them in good health. Just want Brian to know that there are much better lights out there.

I'm telling him there are much worse too. He already has the 500 housings and yes with an hid kit installed they put light out that's great for off road and also for highway driving here with the huge moose population we have.

Another note, if you only use the lights that test the best, why would you not use jw instead of the truck lite? What gives? The truck lites are clearly inferior using your test methods yet you say you would use them over the superior jw's?

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[Hilldweller]

I'm telling him there are much worse too. He already has the 500 housings and yes with an hid kit installed they put light out that's great for off road and also for highway driving here with the huge moose population we have.

Another note, if you only use the lights that test the best, why would you not use jw instead of the truck lite? What gives? The truck lites are clearly inferior using your test methods yet you say you would use them over the superior jw's?

Here's how my Jeep was when I traded it in.

JW Speaker #8700 headlights (the originals with glass lens and mini-fan to de-ice same), Trucklite 4" LED floods for trail, Trucklite 7" LED driving lights toggled to work with highbeams, & stock 45 watt foglights that only worked with lowbeams.


I like the Trucklite Phase 7 LED headlights over the JWS for some users ---- users with borderline electrical systems or people that go very far off the grid and might develop a compromised charging system. They use the least power and can take a beating --- for some people that can be a life saver. If you've ever had to do the "battery swap boogie" to get home after losing an alternator on the trail, you know what I mean.
The TL Phase 7 also has a wide spread of foreground light. For most users, that's not desirable. For users that live in a very hilly/twist/foggy area like me, that's okay. I use my foglights often; I used them today. My "moving average" on my gps datalog generally says between 33 and 35 mph.

 

[kojackJKU]

You mentioned somewhere that you would use truck lites vs JW. why is that? Got it. I can tell you, I think truck lites are superior to JW. I have witnessed both. and own the tl. awesome in fog and snow. I have my hellas for clear night time driving....but you have no idea about fog and snow bud. its insane here! pea soup fog and blinding sticky sloppy snow is a regular occurance.

 

[Hilldweller]

I grew up in the snowbelt...

 

[kojackJKU]

yeah. The snowbelt is one thing. the insanity that is weather on the island here is another....its' friggin wicked. I wasn't knockin ya then. just giving some insight to the absolute crap that we have to drive in. Our snow hits you and its like getting hit in the face with a gallon of slurpie. Ha ha.

 

[kojackJKU]

BTW is that the rugged ridge bumper? if so, how did you mount your lights on the front. they show no option for that.

 

[Clutch]

Of course, the REAL question is, which of these lights work best in the daytime...

I laughed out loud!

I find I don't care for driving at night much anymore...I like to look at the scenery too much.

 

[kojackJKU]

I agree Clutch, Driving in the day is much more enjoyable. However, I have to pick up my father in law every 6wks from the airport that's 2.5 hrs away and he flys in and out early mornings. So most times im on the road starting at 2:30 am. in that 2.5 - 3 hr trip across to the airport I see anywhere from 5-20 moose. thanks to my HELLAS...:wings:

 

[Hilldweller]

BTW is that the rugged ridge bumper? if so, how did you mount your lights on the front. they show no option for that.

I used an old pair of motor mounts from another vehicle for the small ones and an A to Z Fab Fairlead Mount for the big ones.

 

[Clutch]

I agree Clutch, Driving in the day is much more enjoyable. However, I have to pick up my father in law every 6wks from the airport that's 2.5 hrs away and he flys in and out early mornings. So most times im on the road starting at 2:30 am. in that 2.5 - 3 hr trip across to the airport I see anywhere from 5-20 moose. thanks to my HELLAS...:wings:

Indeed, seems like I avoid driving at night so I can look at crap.

Though, when you have to drive at night, nice to have quality lights. Have crappy 500's too....rarely use them, however, I may upgrade to 4000's, since it looks like I am going to be traveling a lot this upcoming summer.

I seriously need to upgrade my headlights...I bought cheap chinese replacement lights. Pretty certain that I am going to swap out the grill on my '99 Tacoma to an earlier version, to get the sealed beam type...seems like there are a lot more options.

Hilldweller what 6X7 headlight do you recommend? I have been looking at Hellas...not sure what to get.

Thanks in advance.

 

[kojackJKU]

Truck Lite has a 6x7. worth every penny. even though you will get opposing answers. My hellas work great with said modifications. :shakin:

 

[ducktapeguy]

I agree with you,there is a lot of hot air there but I wouldn't say it's incorrect,just going into a small bit too much detail over super trivial stuff and making it seem like it makes a huge difference,some of it is true,but it is fairly one sided too. It's more a site full of facts that support his opinion and conveniently leave out the rest. Preaches his own opinion and probably doesn't even listen to anyone else,and has a load of armchair experts following him blindly and taking his word as gospel

I agree that you can have something that in theory and simulation seems perfect,gets built and tested,and either produces completely different results to the simulation,or else the same,but put it into use and it is completely unusable/unsuitable. You can put a set of lights into a car and dance around in front of it with a lux meter and take a thousand readings,and it tests perfectly,it it might actually be the wrong light for the person themselves. Imagine a chair,and it is tested by measuring the width of the seat,the length of it,the height of the back,and the angle in relation to the seat. In theory you could have built the perfect chair,everything measures up right,but in reality there is splinters sticking out of it left right and centre,it weeps sap and creaks like a mo-fo. A chair that measures up to all the requirements,but go to use it and it is a terrible experience. Same goes for anything,cakes,amplifiers,lights,photography and just about everything else.

I don't believe that if you spend a fortune on a pair of hella 4000 HID lights that you are necessarily getting 3 - 4 times the performance that you would be getting out of a relatively cheap pair. You aren't going to be driving against anyone with them on anyway.

I agree with almost all of this. I do think D. Stern is really knowledgeable about the topic, but never have I seen an better example where such little information has been overblown to epic proportions. His website has been regurgitated and paraphrased by so many instant internet lighting "experts" that you'd think there are more automotive illumination gurus that there are cars on the road. Unfortunately in real life it takes more effort than reading a website to really come to a informed conclusion.

I'm kinda torn between the fact that as much as I love to have charts, reviews, and figures so I can quantify the amount of improvement that I would like to see, there's no substitute for actual real life experience, and a lot of time that experience doesn't always match up with what "should" be working. I know there are times where I've been underwhelmed by products whose reviews were touting the best thing in illumination technology since the invention of the sun, and been satisfied by other supposedly "inferior" products where people have been constantly trying to convince me that the improvement I see wasn't really an improvement at all, since it didn't fit into their narrow definition of better.