headlight/spotties advice

**Ozsko** · 24-11-2016, 09:30 PM

I have never used LED's on a car so don't know but photos show limited penetration down the road compared to a set of IPf, Cibie or Hella. 4000k is a good colour and around the temp of a halogen with good voltage to the globe. Go any higher and you start to lose definition and the light output might but the apparent light starts to disappear and you see less. I am buying a new Tiguan with LED headlights and if they are no good I will bolt a set of Super Oscars with Xenons onto the front. The only issue I find with bright lights is the reflection from signs can get to be a problem.

**sambb** · 25-11-2016, 03:13 AM

so what do you reckon then, a pencil beam + spread beam combo or a pair of spread beams.

here's the course filmed at night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqD_hXE0ViY

**Stuwey** · 25-11-2016, 06:06 AM

Originally Posted by sambb

Stuwey which particular series IPF's did you run? The ones listed in the ARB catalogue are 100W and up, or did you change down to 65W globes in a series that normally comes at higher wattage?
https://www.arb.com.au/products/vehi...-lights-range/ any of these

Early ones were 65W, then they got updated to 100W a couple of years ago. 2012 I think from memory. The extra wattage didn't make much difference!

Your alternator will be fine for those loads.

LED is a completely different ballgame. The good stuff is really good, but the cheap stuff is just a waste of natural resources

After watching the video, dual spread would be my pick.

**sambb** · 25-11-2016, 12:28 PM

If I was to go LED light bar (and probably only will if I can't find cibies or IPF for a decent price in time) then I was looking at these:

iron man do these curved light bars that give a better spread (there's also a 722mm one- 19.5" Curved LED Bar - Ironman 4x4

big red do these single and double row combination beam ones where the central LEDs reflectors give penetration and the side ones give the spread - http://www.bigredled.com.au/LED_light-bars.html

are these along the lines of what you'd think fit into the "good stuff" when it comes to LED driving lights or are they likely to still be the turd variety?

**Ozsko** · 25-11-2016, 01:26 PM

Take what I am going to say her with a big grain of salt, from what I have seen in photos and for that specific purpose on that circuit I would think a good LED bar would be better than two conventional lights, what a good one is I have no idea though. If the lights were going to stay on the car and be used on main roads then I would suffer the shadows and dark spots and general uneven light conventional lights give at very close range because the money would be wasted on an LED light bar. This the what worries me about LED headlights, I don't think they are going to have the penetration my Xenons have in the Skoda.

**sambb** · 25-11-2016, 02:05 PM

Ok good to know your reasoning re LEDs on the road versus LEDs on a tight circuit. I see where you are coming from now. No any lights that I run will only be for comps like this and i'll remove them for the road. There's only a couple of sections where you are braking hard after a long straight and only one of them is completely dark so depth penetration isn't the big priority. The main thing I'm looking for is a really good lateral spread so that I can see into/around the corners as much as possible. The other advantage of LEDs lighting bars is that they are light and low so hopefully I won't even need a nudge bar and will be able to mount them where the grill normally fits into the resin front apron/frame thingy.
Surely even just running a single centrally mounted spread beam IPF 900 or super Oscar (no pencil beam) would work really well though wouldn't it?

**Ozsko** · 25-11-2016, 02:49 PM

I would buy multiple cheaper end light bars, stack them together and see what happens. They consume so little power you could afford to run four. Being off road I would put them on the roof, the higher the better, get a roof rack and start adding lights would be my way and rip it off after the event at the track to avoid Trevor Plod handing out defects. No grills to worry about and no drilling the car etc.

**rgvlee** · 25-11-2016, 05:46 PM

See guys using curved LED bars on a roof rack for night time sprints
Apparently awesome - light and location.

**sambb** · 26-11-2016, 10:22 PM

well a mate has lent me 3 pretty old looking Hella rectangular 181's with 100W halogens. I can only run them once cos he'll need them himself at a later event. I figure though that I'd be mad not to try them because at least then i'll have a baseline to compare other lights to down the track. I also figured that step one was stripping back and polishing my yellow faded headlights. Got one done today - came up alright but what a freak'n hateful task that is. Next time round I think I'd nearly rather just buy a new set.

I've got a setup question for the spotties. If I want to see into corners a bit do you angle each of them outward slightly or do you cross the beams ie. right side lamp looks left and left side lamp looks right?