Undecided on Auxiliary Lighting

ChrisInVT

Adventurer
I read somewhere on Pirate that they were Gen 1 ballasts from China and they didn't like being cycled....

I guess you can't believe everything you read on the 'net :D
 

ChrisInVT

Adventurer
Well, I purchased and finally received and hooked up my IPF 968's. For a driving light, they're pretty good; but their spot light leaves much to be desired. It's definitely an improvement over my high beams on back country roads, where it throws a bunch of light to the side; but as a spotlight on a long, wide straightaway, it's not so good.

I had to make some custom brackets to mount these things, and I went down the road to snap some pictures. I brought my truck to the same spot to compare my Daylighters with these 968's - and the Daylighters defiantely came out on top.

Here's the brackets I made to hold the lights. They're welded directly to the bumper and stick out of the grille.


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ChrisInVT

Adventurer
Here's the lights mounted. I actually wish they were a bit smaller, as I can see them from inside the cabin.


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Comparison Pics:


Fogs Only:
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Low Beam:
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High Beam:
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High Beam w/ IPF's:
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High Beam On Truck w/ Daylighters:
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madizell

Explorer
It isn't always the wattage of the bulb that makes a light effective. It also has to have a quality reflector and lens, and the diameter of the light has a large effect on amount of light output. Smaller lights with less than really good reflectors won't put out good light regardless of the wattage of the bulb. Not saying that IPF's fall into this category, only a general observation.
 

ChrisInVT

Adventurer
I took all the pictures at the same shutter speed, ISO, etc... Those pictures reflect EXACTLY what it looked like IRL - I made sure of it so the results were accurate.
 

LexusAllTerrain

Expedition Leader
ChrisInVT said:
I took all the pictures at the same shutter speed, ISO, etc... Those pictures reflect EXACTLY what it looked like IRL - I made sure of it so the results were accurate.


Interesting!
 

FlyingWen

Explorer
I swear by the LightForce brand!

We just had a customer call up and tell us that he collided with an Elk head on and the lights survived the impact and still, to this day, are as bright as they were on Day 1.

Check out the Video of someone trying to destroy the LF lights by gunfire
 

madizell

Explorer
Well, we clipped a tree at about 45mph during the 2003 OBC and hit one of my 5" KC HID floods straight on. It smashed the glass lens, but the light itself still worked, and in fact, is still working. I replaced the lens for $35 and it was good to go. The HID bulb, the metal housing, and mount were not damaged. So Lightforce isn't the only brand that can take a hit. If the 5" KC's came with Lexan lenses, there would have been no effect from the impact.

But then we don't really buy lights because of their ability to suffer frontal assault. We buy them for the light they produce.
 

ChrisInVT

Adventurer
Well to update this a bit, I jumped on the Hella 500 bandwagon since the price was right. I originally purchased the 500's for my truck, but with a fried motor - I decided to stick 'em on my car. All it took was a little bit of modification and I had the Hella 500's on the front of my car complimenting the IPF 968's.


This is the bracket I made to mount the 500's and 968's:
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The 500's and 968's Mounted:
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ChrisInVT

Adventurer

Lights mounted on the car:
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These things are bright!
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Beam pattern is good:
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Only problem is the glare on the hood:
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The glare over the hood from the full lens light is annoying. It was bad with the IPF's, but now that I can see all four lights from the cabin, it's much worse. I've gotten use to the 968's, but now I need to get use to the 500's on there also. I'm thinking about making a custom "Rally Pod" to improve the aerodynamics and reduce the glare.
 
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