Lots of light (LED) for roof rack on my truck..?

guiri · Oct 1, 2010

Guys, I like a lot of light on my truck when I drive at night and now, I have a light bar in front with 4, 100w lights that are hooked up with an override switch which has to be on and the high beams have to be on for them to work.

The two outside ones are angled slightly outwards and to the sides to give me a little more light to the sides to catch deer and to help me see better in curves.

I AM planning on getting a roof rack with more lights and I wanted to put two rectangular lights in the back for when backing up.
I DID put two underneath the truck on each side of the hitch but they're really too low to give good light, especially with tinted rear windows and self dimming rear view mirrors.

So, I was going to put some on top.

Also, I wanted to put something much more powerful with a "wider" light on the roof rack for when I ride in the country and I want a lot of light that does NOT need to reach as far as a driving light for instance.

What are the cheapest and most powerful options for getting massive amounts of light/lumens that I can point to the sides and use for backing up.

I would appreciate links please and, input from people that have built this or would build something at a reasonable cost.

I cannot afford to pay 3-500 bucks a pop.

THanks

George

jankj · Oct 1, 2010

guiri said:
What are the cheapest and most powerful options for getting massive amounts of light/lumens that I can point to the sides and use for backing up.

Incandescent lights. I.e. what you already have, but perhaps different beam characteristics. Incandescent is low tech, cheap at a reasonable good quality.

I see two perfectly valid reasons for customizing your truck with powerful LED lights:

1) Power consumption. For most cars and most applications, a not too crazy setup with not that many 100w lights will not be a problem as long as your motor is running.

2) Because it's fun. Go for it

Unfortunately, low cost is not a very good reason to choose the setup you want. The end result is either a more fragile system at a higher price than incandescent, a ridiculous expensive system, or a system that will work but won't really be that powerful.

A 60 w incandescent put out, what - about 1000 lumens? Or at least somewhere in the ballpark 700-1300 lumens, I've seen different figures but I've never bothered to check it out.

Sure, you have lots of cheap LED lights that claim 700 lumens. All lies. Real 700 lumens OTF LED lights are NOT cheap.

Sure, you can make the reasonable assumption that the el-cheapo LED lights will in fact output about 350 OTF lumens. Two, three or four of them (depending on what batteries they can eat) could easily be hooked in series to your 12 volt car battery. Cheap? Not really. A pair of 2*60w incandescent extra lights are dirt cheap, and you need at least 4 and most likely at least 6 LED lights to match the output. I doubt that will be cost effective, even with el cheapo budget lights. Then consider the added complexity: You have to figure out the wiring and the mounting. Done properly this costs time or money (time=money). And if you use el-cheapo lights those are not really that robust either. Quality comes at a price.

And we haven't even started on how to get the beam profile you want....

Kestrel · Oct 1, 2010

Moving to /Transportation/Automotive/ ...

deadrx7conv · Oct 1, 2010

alpg88 · Oct 1, 2010

actually cheapest and most powerful options would be HID. but as a back up light start up time of hid might be a pita,.

BigMHoff · Oct 1, 2010

http://www.rigidindustries.com/http://www.rigidindustries.com/

Hamilton Felix · Oct 1, 2010

In the small budget department: The only use I've ever had for cheap foglights has been as auxiliary backup lights or work lights.

Lots of guys just put a pair of PAR36 tractor floods under the rear bumper on their pickups.

At one time, I got a pair of "combination driving and fog" lights for next to nothing. (These are a poor idea, because there's no way to aim the driving light independently of the fog light.) I used them as backup lights on my Suburban. Naturally, I already had a heavy rear power lead (for my trailer) and I used a relay controlled by the stock backup circuit. I had four 55 watt H3 lamps to the rear, two narrow beam and two wide beam. Up until one them got broken it was a great backup light setup.

Since backup lights are only used briefly, I'm not ready to spend the money for HID or LED in that application. So what if they draw some power? Use adequate wiring. They'll only be on for a short time.

If you use manually switched rear floods for both backup lights and night work lights, that might be a different story.

Cheap fog lights are never any good in fog. The yellow ones make pretty good auxiliary flashers. The clear ones make pretty good auxiliary backup lights, on truck or trailer.

Before you rule out the PAR36 tractor flood idea, remember there are LOTS of different PAR36 bulbs you can use, all the way from 25 watt floods to 250 watt halogen aircraft landing or taxiing lights, if you want to search them out and spend the $$ on the bulbs. I ran a pair of 75 watt sealed beam "fog" lamps from the Per Lux Fogcutters as backup lights on a truck for years.

I grabbed a pair of really cheap MR16 lamps at Wally World, for aux backups where space was tight. I believe they were the QH-7CC Driving shown here: http://optronicsinc.com/driving-new.html They're lousy driving lights, as you'd expect, but they'd do OK for conspicuity lights on a motorcycle, or auxiliary backup lights: I'm going to try mounting them on the hitch receiver of my Corolla.

Again, backups are for occasional use, so the brute force approach works. Save the big money for headlights and driving lights.

guiri · Oct 2, 2010

Well, let's see if I can respond to everything in one post. First, I don't know why I don't get notified of replies but it sucks as I think there's nothing and don't come to check

Second, thanks for the great info and the input and I DO think that everyone in here has a valid point. Yes, the LED's were for the output and yes, the point that the light to be used is only temporary is good too.

My main use was for the front, for the sides to get some huge light out of it but not sure if the cheaper options listed here are going to be enough. However, I might try at least one or two of them but I'll have to wait till I get the roof rack first. HOWEVER, that strip option could be interested if mounted in the rear window as it seems very thin but if I can figure out a way it won't reflect from the glass back inside. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280542670896

Also, I'm not sure what the use for these is. Accent lights or just plain ol' lotsa light out the front? Do they bend?

I've done the wide beam tractor type lights too before and yes, it has worked, I just wanted something different and FEWER lights to achieve it.

The bottom lights I have done give me much effect. Mounting is too low. Roof rack would give me many mounting options.

deadrx7conv Shame on you for giving me the link to that high dollar stuff. Now I'll be thinking about them for weeks

Damn. those 180w bars would be nice and if I were rich, I would have my excursion so pimped out it wouldn't be funny. (Great list though so thanks a lot!)

Chances are I'll just go with 3-4 H3's in 100 or 130 watts for the back but I would like something super powerful for the front/sides. I have someone who's trying to sell me on the idea to get HID instead of say H4, 165w bulbs but I have never seen an HID. I DO however have experience with the big H4 and it's very nice light AND cheap.

Since I already have four in front, I could do another four on top of the rack where I direct them all to the nice and concentrate the bottom four straight ahead which IS enough light.

Oh, I just saw the HID and the start up time so they're out. I don't have these on for very long because of where I drive. It's constantly on and off so I need instant light.

THanks

George

Hamilton Felix · Oct 2, 2010

Just looking at the pictures on eBay, I'd guess those are "accent lights," if by that you mean something you put on the car because you think it looks cools. Regardless of what they call them, I would not call them driving lights. "Decorations," perhaps. If you you had some inside a pickup bed, they might work for loading lights.

guiri · Oct 2, 2010

That's what I thought too. Too bad, I would have liked some of those

deadrx7conv · Oct 3, 2010

Most of the ebay links that I posted weren't accent lights. Some of the lights might be a bit floody. Those 18w-27w LED "Audi" strips would make good reverse and side lighting.

The 'work' lights would make good 'forward' lighting and why I grouped them together. But, the heat sinks might be a little small and best if used while moving. Stationary usage might cook those higher wattage work lights.

Most use 3w LEDs which is what many of the fancy light bars use. Put enough of them 3w LEDs together, and you'll have plenty of light.

In order not to be biased, I always try to provide links to competitors in various price ranges. Truly, you get what you pay for. But, if you don't mind tinkering, and learning some electronic repair, you could get some pretty good lights pretty cheap. Anytime an LED burns out, replace it with a better one.

If you look closely at the Visionx/Magnalight, you can see the same on ebay by the seller jagtradingonline or shorelineimports at a reasonable price. You could even import several hundred from alibaba.com and put your name on the box.

guiri · Oct 4, 2010

Since yall know this better than I do. WHat would the output be per watt (in lumen) so I can figure out what those strips will put out?

Thanks

George

kingofwylietx · Oct 4, 2010

30-40 watts per lumen is fairly typical for the mid-priced stuff. The really cheap (junk) stuff isn't worth the <$50 price.

I put led auxiliary lights on the front of my truck and also for reverse lights. They work great, but run about $100 per reverse light and $150-ish per front light.

The reverse lights are great, but the front ones are a bit floody, and they call them spot lights. That seems to be the biggest problem with led lights for the front, many put out too much light too close to the vehicle. That's great for slow speeds (under 50mph), but not nearly as useful at highway speeds (70mph+).

Hamilton Felix · Oct 5, 2010

Uhh.... that was lumens per watt, right?

Another good idea on backup lights: My 1978 Saab had backup lights on the front corners, near the cornering lights. They shown outward and back, illuminating whatever was alongside the car. They were great for parallel parking at night.

Taking a cue from another department, when I had the opportunity to specify rescue vehicles, I put in more of the Whelen dual bulb halogen Scenelights (these were 1991 and 1995 rigs), than did most, and I had them wired so all Scenelights, sides and rear (one of the rigs even had two on the forward corners of the module) would light up when the vehicle was shifted to Reverse. At a noisy, confusing rescue scene, the instant flood of light all around the vehicle was an even bigger attention getter than the audible backup alarm. And the driver could see everything around him.

kingofwylietx · Oct 5, 2010

Hamilton Felix said:
Uhh.... that was lumens per watt, right?

Hamilton....good catch. I was in a hurry.

You mention putting lights near the front that will face outward and back. I have considered doing that and was wondering how well it would work. I don't have any experience with ever being in a vehicle that had it, but it sounds like a great idea. I might get a couple more of the reverse lights to try this. My biggest issue is that I will need to mount them low, probably under the vehicle, near the front tire (since they will face backwards, the lens should be fine). Perhaps I should push this up a little higher on the priority list.

Hamilton Felix · Oct 5, 2010

It's really going to depend on the shape and layout of your vehicle. If I knew how to upload images and put 'em into my post here, I'd include a picture of the front corner of the type of car I had.

The Saab's lights were purpose-built, designed as part of the park/running light, turn signal, cornering light cluster. One hates to graft on some ugly "wart" that messes up the lines of the vehicle. But that doesn't make front backup lights impossible. My Suburban and F250 have aluminum running boards. I just realized a small light, like those cheap MR16 "driving lights" one sees at Wally World, could be mounted on the aluminum mud guard at the front of the running board, and it would cover the appropriate area. A pickup with rollbar/lightbar might mount a pair of downward angled side floods and wire so they could be either automatic with backup lights or function as manually switched work lights.

Heck, one might mount a row of white LED's at the bottom of the rocker panel, and wire it to the backup light circuit.

Good Luck. :thumbsup:

guiri · Oct 5, 2010

Remember that lights mounted low are going to give you less light (as I learned) than if mounted higher but then, you can't always do that. This is the reason I'm looking for a roof rack to mount them on and the fact that I DO want one of course

iroc409 · Oct 6, 2010

I have some cheap 55w "fog" lights mounted on the rear of my truck because the factory reversing lights put out less light than the brake lights. I have two mounted under the bumper pointing backwards. They work OK. I also have two mounted to the frame up under the bed behind the rear tires that are pointed down and out to the side. I have a strange driveway with a retaining wall, and I wanted some light to be able to see it because I back in the garage (only way my truck will go in).

It helps but I like the idea of mounting something further forward. I am going to have to do some experimenting, as I think that would be a big help and far more useful. The side lights I have really only light up immediately behind the wheels.

guiri · Oct 6, 2010

Alright, well, let's see pics guys and anyone who don't know how to post them, e mail me through here and I"ll post'em for ya

George

kingofwylietx · Oct 7, 2010

Guiri, these are the lights I mounted under the [bumped & bruised] bumper. I may install another set nearer the front, as discussed above. These are slightly angled outward and much brighter than my factory lights. I wired them directly to the reverse light circuit, but wouldn't mind adding a separate switch for when we go camping.

Lots of light (LED) for roof rack on my truck..?

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