So....what's so wrong with halogens?

[Stitebunny]

Find a good used set of hella 3000 or 4000 driving or euro beam pattern. Can find them pretty cheap. Super bright and robust.
My .02

 

[robert]

I had Hella 4000 compacts on the front of my Tacoma until swapping them for a 20" LED bar; I'll be swapping back whenever I get back to the States. The LED bar is good for fill but doesn't have the reach and the light creates some weird shadows that flatten things if that makes any sense. Maybe I'm just getting older.

A couple of other points, the first one being to make sure that your headlights are in good condition. Whoever thought plastic lenses were a good idea should be beat severely, then beat again. Mine both need to be replaced as they're fogging and have some pitting from sand and road debris. Install quality bulbs without that stupid bluish tint. Make sure you're getting full voltage to your bulbs

 

[kojackJKU]

Agreed Robert, The LED bars have no where near the penetration that halogen or HID has. HID if kept to the 4300K range are just like halogen in terms of color seen, not blue at all and work really well. There is a little more reflected light back, but I actually like that as it picks up animals eyes much better. Great if you live in BIG animal areas like Here, or ALASKA, places where seeing these big effers is life of death. I ran 4 hella 500s with 130w bulbs for a few years and worked great. Then I switched over to 55w 4300K HID into them and they were brighter, Lasts much longer, and can see much better. Best part is that they only draw 55w instead of 130. Halogen are still much much better than LED. My buddy has 4 KCs that he took off, and installed an LED bar beacause all his friends said they were better. He then added a second bar, still no good. He is going back to the KCs now and taking the LED BAR crap off his rig.

 

[comptiger5000]

Nothing wrong with a good halogen setup. I run ECE spec halogen headlights with 100/55 bulbs and then the high beams are supplemented by a pair of 130w pencil beams and a pair of 100w driving beams. It draws a lot of power, but it's got a good light spread, great color rendering (animals and such stand out from the trees pretty far away) and doesn't have the bro-truck look. There's also a pair of 85w halogen yellow fogs that can run with either the low beams or parking lights.

The setup works well, doesn't leave me wishing for more light and isn't fatiguing on the eyes, so I'm happy with it.

 

[kojackJKU]

Sounds like an awesome setup! and yeah on that bro dozer look. Look at me with my 20 LED bars! I never ever bought into them. Some of the LED round lights yeah, My truck lites work really good. But they are really focused not like the puke a **** load of light LED bars. My Hella HIDs are killer too. They work GREAT.....and with the "color" they are they are not annoying and have not hot ro cold spots anywhere. I just found 2 sets of lights for my ford. I have a set of bosch driving lights, and a set of cheap motomaster driving light (pilot), and I'm going to see how they work with HID in them. Cheap and effective I think! ha ha. will see how it goes.

 

[rayra]

Most places, four are allowed, as long as they are DOT rated, aimed properly (ie, as low beams) and use the specified bulbs. Otherwise fog lamps would not be factory installed on most cars, though they might as well not be since most factory fogs are more decorative than useful.

This is correct, four headlamps, and IIRC they have to be within 48" of the ground.

 

[thethePete]

^ That's basically the minimum allowed. Everything else is jurisdictional. Some places allow aftermarket lights, some don't. Some have to have them covered, some don't. Some places don't allow DTRLs, some require them. Some places are super strict, some places aren't.

2 headlights and 2 fog lights, DOT approved and aimed reasonably are not going to get you in trouble basically anywhere.

In answer to the OP's question, there's nothing wrong with halogen. They just draw more juice than other options. For many scenarios as already outlined, they're superior.

 

[comptiger5000]

FWIW, CT and NY (where my Jeep spends most of its time) only allow headlights + 2 aux lights, but don't require anything covered on the road. I've never been bothered for having 4 aux lights on. They dim with the high beams, so they're never really on when another car can see them. That seems to be enough to make it a non-issue even though it's technically not legal. Then again, if a cop wanted to really give me crap, they could. None of the aux lights or the fogs are DOT approved, and neither are the ECE headlights.

 

[thethePete]

My experience is similar in rural areas of Canada too. Ontario it was the norm for anyone who drove the highway regularly to have aux lighting. Even mom-n-pop passenger sedans.

Northern BC is the same as my experiences in Northern Ontario, whereas down here in the suburban areas around Vancouver, they can and will nail you for having uncovered lights. Realistically though, you don't need anything more than stock lighting driving in the lower mainland, whereas on a back-woods highway in the fall or winter you need all the light you can get.

 

[kojackJKU]

No issues anywhere here on the island. unless your a ************** leaving them on all the time. Even the police here use them because of the extreme population of moose. Its a way of life here really.

 

[Buddha.]

I have been thinking about putting some lights on my truck because I do a ton of driving at night and I want something to go beyond my high beams. I will be using them on the road as well as off road. I want them while on the road for all of the stupid motorcycle riders that I pass at night who ride with no lights on or reflective anything. You cannot see them until you are right up on them and then when they see you they slow down. Also, I need them for what my wife and I call the night vaca. These are the cows that are either standing, walking or sleeping in the middle of the road at night and you do not see them sometimes until you are right on top of them.

My question is would halogens do the job? I am looking to be able to see further than my high beams allow me to see right now. I know that LED's and HID's are better but they are also much more expensive. My headlights are halogens and they do an adequate job of lighting up the area that they reach, this is why I pose this question.

What are your thoughts?

On our trucks the stock 9005 and 9006 can be upgraded to 9011 and 9012 bulbs when yours burn out, or if you just want more light now.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?84812-HIR-automotive-bulbs

Also if you go crazy with auxiliary lights and have concerns about amp output of the your alternator, our trucks can run an alt form a full size truck. Just need a serpentine belt that's 1" longer. It's the same amp output but at a lower rpm.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

stock 9005 and 9006 can be upgraded to 9011 and 9012 bulbs

9011s are far superior to drop-in HID conversions, and may even be better than HID-projector retrofits. Lots cheaper, too.

 

[Inyo_man]

Do the sizes of the lights make much difference?

A nice 6 or 6.5 inch lamp should work well for your needs.
Have a nice winter in South America.

 

[kojackJKU]

9011s are far superior to drop-in HID conversions, and may even be better than HID-projector retrofits. Lots cheaper, too.

Too bad they could not figure out that technology for all halogen bulbs.....Would be great. Only a small number of rigs use these bulbs.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I want them while on the road for all of the stupid motorcycle riders that I pass at night who ride with no lights on or reflective anything. You cannot see them until you are right up on them and then when they see you they slow down. Also, I need them for what my wife and I call the night vaca. These are the cows that are either standing, walking or sleeping in the middle of the road at night and you do not see them sometimes until you are right on top of them.

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I know it's off topic but am I the only one who thinks 'Vacas de Noche" would be an awesome name for a rock band? :sombrero: