Making Auxiliary Lights

[C2U5H]

Being my first post, allow me to thank the members and moderators of this forum for spending the time to help fellow hobbyists out. It's appreciated, and I will pass it forward.

I'm looking to make a pair of auxiliary lights for my Jeep usings H1 high beam headlamps, buckets, and some 130W Hella bulbs. A member of a Jeep forum made a nice pair of H4 aux. lights that I thought was a great cost-effective idea — I don't need the low beam function, though. Would using the following components do what I want them to do, or will I be underwhelmed with the effectiveness:

5.75" Hella H1 high beam lamps
130W Hella H1 bulbs

I was previously going to install a pair of cheap HID lights, like those found here, but they are aged and I hate how I have to wait for them to warm up when I need them. I believe, after lurking here, that I can exceed the HID's effectiveness with something that I build out of quality components. Now, obviously, I'm throwing myself at the mercy of those less ignorant. I'm using Cibié H4 headlamps with 70/65W Osram +50 bulbs running off a relay harness for primary lighting, TechFlex wire sleeving, and Deutsch connectors throughout my build: I'm aiming for quality here. The auxiliary lamps will be triggered by the primary light high beam relay.

How can I build the best pair of lights from components (I'm still looking for a source of quality buckets), if they differ from the list above? Or am I completely off-base and would best be served going with a pair of of the shelf lighting like Hella?

If application matters, I'm looking to extend my reach in length and width: my commute to and from work is in the dark along 45-60 mph highways lined with trees in deer country.

Thanks in advance for any help!
~J

 

[AnAppleSnail]

DIY headlamps are not certified for on-road use.

Actually, any not-put-on-by-manufacturer primary or safety lighting is not certified for use. For legal and safety reasons, it is not a good idea. Even if you get the design right, non-certified lighting can put you at fault in collisions. We also can't advise on illegal things here on CPF. HOWEVER there are auto lighting experts who can suggest improvements to your existing lighting that are legal, effective, and affordable. Cheap bolt-on crap won't make you happy.

 

[-Virgil-]

Hold off, AppleSnail; the original poster isn't talking about homemade headlamps. He's talking about assembling properly-made components (lens/reflector unit, housing, etc.) rather than buying them already assembled as a pair of "driving" (auxiliary high beam) lamps.

C2U5H: Skip the 130w bulbs. Not only is their quality poor and their lifespan ridiculously short, but their very large filament coil has low luminance and does bad things to beam focus. Use 100w bulbs max, and make sure they're from a reputable manufacturer. Hella doesn't manufacture bulbs, they buy them private-label branded and quality is not consistently good.

Lens/reflectors: the Hella units will work OK for the purpose; the Cibie items are better focused but more expensive.

Housings:

Truck-Lite 652H (grey), 653H (chrome), 657H (black); Grote 64021 or
Grote 64011 (same photo shown for both despite one being grey and one being chrome; I like these housings for a purpose build like you have in mind)

 

[C2U5H]

Sorry about the confusion, AppleSnail — Schein's correct: I'm making a pair of auxiliary driving lights to supplement my Cibie H4 high beams.

Schein: I wish I could go with the Cibie H1 high beam lamps, but at ~$75 a pop, it's a little above what I want to spend (spent it all on the Cibie H4s)! I'l have to stick with the Hella ones unless there's an in between choice ... I'm not stuck on H1 or the 5-¾" round size, either. I've read here that Hella doesn't make their own swag, but didn't realize the longevity of the 130W units were so short. I'll go with the 100W Narva (48350), then. Thank you for the Truck-Lite and Grote references.

I'll be sure to post up when everything's done.

 

[C2U5H]

I've never really taken a good look at Daniel's entire offering: I notice he sells the Oscar and Oscar+ units. Both of these are barely within my price range, but would they compare to the aforementioned Hella H1 / Narva 100W set up if I stuffed the same bulb in the Oscar/+? I can't really find much information online about the differences between the two other than the Plus is a bit slimmer depth-wise. Is the LUX output affected? Any information would be appreciated as I've dealt with Daniel a couple times before and have no reservations ordering through him again.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

Yikes, I didn't mean to assume so wrongly about your plans. I want to apologize for my mistake and wish you luck in your upgrade. I wonder if Daniel Stern will answer emails comparing these two systems?

 

[-Virgil-]

Schein: I wish I could go with the Cibie H1 high beam lamps, but at ~$75 a pop, it's a little above what I want to spend (spent it all on the Cibie H4s)!

Wait, I'm confused...you would be OK spending for the pricey Oscar or Oscar+ lamps, but not for the considerably less expensive 5.75" units...?

It's not that the Hella lamps are bad or anything, it's just that their beam pattern is more floodlike. I like the distance punch/reach better from the Cibie.

I'm not stuck on H1 or the 5-¾" round size, either.

Those are fine choices for what you're trying to do.

Do show us the results!

 

[C2U5H]

Questioning my financial logic will only result in more confusion! The extra price for the Oscar/+ was only in consideration because they're assembled units as opposed to components. I'm going with the Hella H1s and Narva bulbs anyway — I'll be sure to update when everything's complete. Won't be until at least mid-Feb as I still have to source some TechFlex sleeving for the harness, bring it in to work to get the Deutsch pins crimped on, and assemble my switch pod from McMaster-Carr parts: everything's going in one swoop. That's after a ski trip to Salt Lake and a business trip to Toronto, ugh! Busy, busy.

Thank you very much for the help.