Off-road lighting project - opinions wanted

[TJJP77]

This spring I plan on adding some offroad lighting to my '06 Wrangler. I'm looking at a couple of different set-ups and wanted some opinions.

First off, my Jeep already has Cibie H4 lamps with Narva Rangepower +30 bulbs and an upgrade harness. Nice setup that I'm very pleased with.

Now for the off-road light setups I'm considering:

Option #1: a pair of Hella 4000 euro beams mounted on my light hoop (centered in front of the grille area) and a pair of Hella 4000 cornering beam lamps (mounted outboard on the bumper itself) to get a nice blend of side fill and forward throw.

Option #2: a pair of Cibie Oscar SC drive beams mounted on my light hoop augmented by a pair of Cibie Oscar SC cornering beams mounted on the outboard bumper positions to get some nice side-spill.

The upside to option #1 is that it is cheaper by several hundred dollars and the Rallye 4000 lamps seem to be well thought of around here.

The upside to option #2 is that Cibies are of very high quality and I already have Cibie lamps on my vehicle that I'm pleased with so I would expect to have a similar experience with their auxiliary lamps. Major downside is the price of this setup, which will easily run over $850.

I'm also open to other suggestions that will accomplish the same goal of providing all-around good lighting both in front of the vehicle and to the sides of the vehicle for any off-road excursions that extend past sundown.

I'm more of a function over form guy, so I don't care how "cool" my lamps look. In some ways the Cibie lamps are more subtle in overall apearance and are smaller, not that I care about the size. I just want products that are of high quality that perform well made by a company that knows what they are doing.

Finally, a semi related question: Are the Hella Rallye 4000 lamps made in Germany or have they been outsourced to some low-cost country?

Thanks!

 

[-Virgil-]

The decision gets easier quickly: the Cibie Oscar SC is no longer manufactured!

The Rallye 4000s are very good lamps. Lately Hella has been expanding their product line with lots of variants on existing lamp ranges, some of which are cheaply made to try to take some market share away from other marketers of cheap lamps. I don't know if any of the "4000" line lamps are made in China, but if you see any 4000-variants that look "too cheap to be real"...they probably are!

 

[TJJP77]

Thanks for the reply. I was talking to a fellow at Aardvark international out of Whittier CA earlier today, and he claims to have the Oscar SCs in both the dive and cornering beam in stock - assuming that's true, would you still go with the Hellas or would you go for the Cibies?

Also, I can't find out much about Aardvark International on the net, but the guy I spoke to seemed helpful and knowledgeable...if anyone on here is familiar with them and there's a there's a reason to avoid them, obviously I'd want to know.

 

[mcbrat]

I go with cheapies on my rig as I've been know to have then knocked right off... the night wheeling I've done is all been with groups, so the forward ones only got used when I was leading the group, but the side ones are nice to have...

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Good observations. And it is a completely different problem than driving down a highway. I find that crawling around on old logging roads, bulling through brush, trying to see when turning around at night, or even maneuvering a trailer to the cabin of someone who lives waaaaay back in the sticks, I sometimes want to flood the area in front of me, often want to flood the sides, to "see around the corner" on a tight switchback, and sometimes to light up the area behind me.

The pairs of high and low level lights on the back of my old International are more akin to the floods on heavy equipment than to any onroad vehicle's lights.

Limbs and brush are enough of a problem that I've never really considered a rollbar light bar. Even the spots mounted at the tops of my A-pillars take a beating (only one survives at the moment). I've seriously considered putting large clear fogs on the short running boards of the stepside bed, so the touch of a switch could illuminate either side without messing with spotlights or anything.

 

[-Virgil-]

It's always wise to solicit experience-based opinions about vendors. Beware of vendors who talk nice on the phone, making sweet promises and assurances that might not be fully based on facts. Overall I tend to like Cibie, but they don't have an exclusive lock on quality lights. The problem with buying discontinued lamps comes later on down the line if you break or lose one.

 

[Hilldweller]

I'd use the 4000s for driving lights and get a pair of cheap-n-stinky Optilux 4" HIDs for offroad use. They have covers for when you're on the road.
They're stupid bright and cheap; you won't cry if you smash one...

 

[hawkk]

I would also recommend the Hella Rallye 4000. It is a better bang for the buck than a lot of the over advertised stuff.

 

[SR.GRINGO]

This spring I plan on adding some offroad lighting to my '06 Wrangler. I'm looking at a couple of different set-ups and wanted some opinions.

First off, my Jeep already has Cibie H4 lamps with Narva Rangepower +30 bulbs and an upgrade harness. Nice setup that I'm very pleased with.

Now for the off-road light setups I'm considering:

Option #1: a pair of Hella 4000 euro beams mounted on my light hoop (centered in front of the grille area) and a pair of Hella 4000 cornering beam lamps (mounted outboard on the bumper itself) to get a nice blend of side fill and forward throw.

Option #2: a pair of Cibie Oscar SC drive beams mounted on my light hoop augmented by a pair of Cibie Oscar SC cornering beams mounted on the outboard bumper positions to get some nice side-spill.

The upside to option #1 is that it is cheaper by several hundred dollars and the Rallye 4000 lamps seem to be well thought of around here.

The upside to option #2 is that Cibies are of very high quality and I already have Cibie lamps on my vehicle that I'm pleased with so I would expect to have a similar experience with their auxiliary lamps. Major downside is the price of this setup, which will easily run over $850.

I'm also open to other suggestions that will accomplish the same goal of providing all-around good lighting both in front of the vehicle and to the sides of the vehicle for any off-road excursions that extend past sundown.

I'm more of a function over form guy, so I don't care how "cool" my lamps look. In some ways the Cibie lamps are more subtle in overall apearance and are smaller, not that I care about the size. I just want products that are of high quality that perform well made by a company that knows what they are doing.

Finally, a semi related question: Are the Hella Rallye 4000 lamps made in Germany or have they been outsourced to some low-cost country?

Thanks!

I have been looking into this as well...I like option 1 price wise.

I was thinking of using 1 Cornering, and 1 EURO beam, along with two BOSCH 100 series for low range 4x4 work(Daniel Stern carries the BOSCH)

H12560051 HELLA Cornering beam $115 delivered
H12560021 HELLA EURO beam $110 delivered

H12560031 HELLA EURO beam with position lamp....not so sure I want the "position lamp" $101 delivered
007560361 HELLA DRIVING beam with free form...not too sure about this either $119 delivered

Please keep us updated with what you end up with, and some beam shots would be Excellent!

 

[TJJP77]

I have been looking into this as well...I like option 1 price wise.

I was thinking of using 1 Cornering, and 1 EURO beam, along with two BOSCH 100 series for low range 4x4 work(Daniel Stern carries the BOSCH)

H12560051 HELLA Cornering beam $115 delivered
H12560021 HELLA EURO beam $110 delivered

H12560031 HELLA EURO beam with position lamp....not so sure I want the "position lamp" $101 delivered
007560361 HELLA DRIVING beam with free form...not too sure about this either $119 delivered

Please keep us updated with what you end up with, and some beam shots would be Excellent!

As much as I'm pre-disposed to like the Cibie lamps (I have their headlights on my Jeep) I decided to go with the Hella 4000 lamps as well. I already ordered and received the Euro beams (without cornering lamp) and am waiting to order the Cornering beams when Amazon puts them back on sale...they had them at $92 each for a few days, but I missed the window. I'm sure they'll do it again and since this project isn't happening until spring sets in, I can wait it out and order later.