New light bar claims its legal, legit?

[Bitter]

Alaric's got a good point. There are legitimate beam diagrams, and then there are so-called "beam diagrams" that are really just so much marketing BS. There have already been discussions, like this one (see post #3 in that thread), about the bogus claims made by one otherwise generally reputable vendor to hawk H4 headlamps.

Bwahahaha that's a pretty funny isolux diagram.

I just found the new Hella LED light bars though, a little pricier but I might be able to get away with a single bar instead of two. Looks interesting, why such an output hit on the pencil and driving beams though? I'm sure these are 100% illegal for on road use the USA though...
http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php?cID=491

 

[NovA ProspekT]

While it's difficult to judge from a single photo, the "driving" and pencil beam patterns appear to be well "controlled", there doesn't seem to be a significant amount of foreground light. For this application, I'd buy those before pretty much any other light-bar out there.

Assuming they'd fit, I'd take a serious look at these as well. I have a pair of the larger, 7" round TS-4000's on my truck and they're absolutely fantastic! They're very well built and the beam pattern is just about perfect for a "driving" light, in my opinion.

There are some things you can "cheap-out" on and get away with it, automotive lightning does not fit into that category.

As far as legality goes, that would depend on the laws of your particular state.

 

[Bitter]

I'm sure those JW's are fantastic but that size would be difficult to fit. I'm working with a 'mouth' in the front bumper as the only mounting area.

There's really no where else unless I'm building a rally pod off the front of the car and I am not building a rally pod off the front of the car. Minimal blockage of the cooling air at the front is desired which is why I'm lusting after low profile stuff. I've already got a 15" air horn hidden up into the driver side of the bumper exiting just to the right of the driver side fog light above the bumper opening so I don't have any room to tuck stuff up, it'll have to hang down a little.

 

[-Virgil-]

I asked and he said they're working on getting the isolux diagram

What is that, "working on"? They've already got them ready to print or post if they actually photometered the beams.

I'll keep an open mind but closed wallet for the time being.

Smart policy.

Where's your car registered? That would allow us to talk about what is/isn't allowed.

Those Hella bars are easily going to be a better product than the DD items.

 

[Bitter]

Something a software issue and the person working on it being out sick with the flu, I don't want to copy/paste what may be assumed a private conversation publicly. Says they should be up next week sometime.

 

[-Virgil-]

Moreover, this conversation amounts to peeing into a stiff wind. That low mounting location will render any "driving" (aux high beam) lamp useless-to-negative in terms of your distance seeing...whether it's a light bar or some other form factor.

 

[Bitter]

Even the Hella pencil beam or a pair of Rigid Hyperspot? I thought their beams may be vertically tight enough to hit the road out near or past the low beam cutoff and augment the high beams. I guess I need some isolux charts to see where light starts falling and know the mounting height used and then with some math figure where light will be falling onto the road with my mounting height to determine if I would see any benefit or not. I don't want to **** into the wind with this, which is why I'm not just blindly screaming "shut up and take my money".

I'd just stick a pencil beam in the hood scoop opening and let the hood/body act like a foreground limiter but on this car it's a functional heat vent/air scoop for cooling so not only would it cook any light bar but it would also block air needed to cool the exhaust.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

Even the Hella pencil beam or a pair of Rigid Hyperspot? I thought their beams may be vertically tight enough to hit the road out near or past the low beam cutoff and augment the high beams.

That low, and road undulations mean that beam hitting closer to the vehicle than would be useful, and enhancing the "black hole effect".

On the Salt Flats, no biggie. On any normal road, it'll be obvious they're too low.

FMVSS 108 requires headlamps (including high beams) be mounted "not less than 22 inches (55.9 cm) nor more than 54 inches (137.2 cm)"; much lower than that and their effectiveness goes down.

That Celica's complete tire/wheel package has a radius of about 12.1", putting that grill opening in the vicinity of that height. That's pretty low to be mounting a set of high beam lamps.

 

[Bitter]

I agree, I'll check some charts and diagrams and what not. Might just have to try pissing into the wind to see how bad it blows back in my face.

I can't get any more light out of my high beams, 9011 and a relay harness with minimal voltage drop.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I agree, I'll check some charts and diagrams and what not.

It's going to be harder than you think, with that mounting location. That's just awfully low. Maybe the 2ZZ-GE and the night time weren't meant to be...

You might be able to use a Carr Light Wing and 4.75" LED high beams, such as the JW Speaker Model 6130 (0549871). According to their product description, the finished good weighs 1.5lbs (based on the 'shipping weight'), so the actual lamp itself should weigh at least slightly less, minimizing stress on the Light Wing and the bumper assembly.

I can't get any more light out of my high beams, 9011 and a relay harness with minimal voltage drop.

I know you WANT more light (we all do) but is it that extreme a need? That setup sounds like that should solve quite a few night-driving issues, so long as you realize the limitations of headlamps, even the best ones, and that crepuscular and nocturnal animals are out there, lurking.

 

[Bill Idaho]

Wow, I just discovered what I have on the front of my Dodge 2500---one of those Carr light wings!!! I never knew what it was. I found it at a thrift store and it fit my rig perfectly. That is what I have my TS4000's mounted to. I'll be darned.

 

[Bitter]

It's going to be harder than you think, with that mounting location. That's just awfully low. Maybe the 2ZZ-GE and the night time weren't meant to be...

You might be able to use a Carr Light Wing and 4.75" LED high beams, such as the JW Speaker Model 6130 (0549871). According to their product description, the finished good weighs 1.5lbs (based on the 'shipping weight'), so the actual lamp itself should weigh at least slightly less, minimizing stress on the Light Wing and the bumper assembly.


I know you WANT more light (we all do) but is it that extreme a need? That setup sounds like that should solve quite a few night-driving issues, so long as you realize the limitations of headlamps, even the best ones, and that crepuscular and nocturnal animals are out there, lurking.

Well the 2nd thing I noticed after swapping to the OEM HID housings was that the high beam didn't have the same apparent intensity down the road. Looking at the lights side by side the high beam bowl was diminished in size above the bulb to make room for the bigger low beam projector unit. I'm looking to regain what I had lost.