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I just purchased the front lic plate driving mount for my UR S6 with a good amount of space for some bright driving lights. I primarily drive in the West in rural dark canyon type roads. In need of advice of a good beam (Long distance) and considering Hella 500 which is entry price point. Any suggestions? Will I have to modify any wiring harnesses?
From my experience with off-road driving, 55 watts will not throw a long enough beam for high speed driving. I used six lamps across the front, one set wide 55 watt, one set 100 watt pencil beam and then a 55 watt yellow mounted relatively low for rain and fog. This was New England with constantly changing weather. In addition, I never used them all at once as they would over power even the upgraded the alternator.
100 watt pencil beams are the trick for canyon driving. You will want to wire them using the relays as you want only low voltage going through the switch. I used my high beams to trigger the relay and powered the lamps directly off of the battery. Now, with HID headlamps. you will likely need to have a real switch in the cabin and power the relay from another source.
I would actually seek the advice of an off-road outfitter in your area such as 4X4 Parts as they are the real experts in accessory lighting.
Be cautious as the 100 watt pencil beams are not likely DOT approved in your state, but they will illuminate the road. Remember to dip them at least 1/2 mile from any cars.
Thanks for the response. Okay on the 100 suggestion. I just came across a 4X4 center that really lights a company called "Rigid Lighting" that specializes in LED technology. They have some round lights that illuminate out over 400 meters. Do you know anything about Rigid? I suspect quality is good and the LEDS take less amps I believe? Would like to throw those into the mix if possible?
… automotive use. We use LED's in our lab for illumination experiments with plants, etc., but I have not employes them in aftermarket auxiliary lighting. Their advantage is generally lower amounts of heat. If the seller stands behind them then they sound like a good try… With respect to the distance, there needs to be some kind of standardized metric as the 100 Watt Hellas are reaching out nearly 1/4 mile.
Forgive me as I haven't done much research, but if you could convert your existing lights to HIDs I think you'd be floored by the difference. There are high/low kits which claim to have the same light-producing (arc/filament) location as the stock bulbs, and use a motorized (solenoid) shutter to change from high to low beam.
When I drive my Passat with its newly-polished crystal-clear lenses and $100+ worth of new, top-of-the-line H7 and 9003 (IIRC) Silverstar Ultras, it's okay. When I drive my A8L with its old HIDs it's like night & day (pardon the pun, if literal comparison can even be a pun). I should have spent the money for the four Passat bulbs on a good set of (two) HIDs but the DRL feature of the Passat made it a PITA; plus I thought they'd be comparable to the A8's HIDs once I renewed the lenses. No such luck.
08-26-2015, 07:30 PM
Aftermarket Driving light advice needed? Hella?
