Driving lamps Hella Comet 450 / FF 450 / FF 550 - beam pattern comparison

Hello!

My car (Suzuki Jimny 3, not available in USA) currently has a pair of old Hella Comet 450 spread beam driving lamps installed on the front bumper. They are fine. I use them as additional high beam lamps in both on-road and off-road driving.


However I got an idea to replace them with better ones.


I was looking at Hella Comet FF 450 and Comet FF 550.

However, as a layman, I can not discern the practical differences between their beam patterns (dispersion, strength, reach) when comparing them in official Hella catalogues.


Here are the specifications:
(Look up in the "Light output" tab in the lower section of each page)

Hella Comet 450:
https://www.hella.co.nz/en/products...lamps/comet-450-spread-beam-driving-lamp.html

Hella Comet FF 450:
https://www.hella.co.nz/en/products...ps/comet-ff-450-spread-beam-driving-lamp.html

Hella Comet FF 550:
https://www.hella.co.nz/en/products...ps/comet-ff-550-spread-beam-driving-lamp.html




I would like to be told the actual differences by someone who knows how to read those light distribution diagrams.
How much and which benefits would I enjoy when upgrading from 450 to FF 450?
Would it be worthwhile to go for FF 550 instead of FF 450? They use the exact same bulb.

Welcome to the board!

Get the FF550, is the simple answer. It will give you a usably wider beam within the first 150 meters, and a noticeably longer beam than your old non-FF 450s.

H3 bulb selection will influence performance strongly enough to be worth being picky; they aren't all the same. See if you can get a hold of one of the Osram Night Breakers (Night Breaker, Night Breaker Unlimited, Night Breaker Laser). And of course, make sure both the new driving lamps and your headlamps are aimed correctly.

Thank you for a straight forward answer, and for the welcome.
I appreciate the professionalism here.


So there is a practical benefit to the FF technology.

I did some measuring, and FF 550 is noticeably larger than 450. This is a very small car and FF 550 would be a tight fit on the bumper.


If I upgrade from plain 450 just to FF 450 (almost the same size), would I still see some practical difference?

Also, what about FF 500? It is round but not too thick for my bumper. Does a completely round shape of the lamp have any benefits compared to the almost rectangular shape of FF 450 and FF 550?


P.S: Thank you for suggesting high performance H3 bulbs. I have read several stories elsewhere about short life spans of Osram's Night Breaker bulbs, so I have used Osram's Silverstar 2 bulbs instead. They are a middle ground between stock and Night Breaker performance, but I have found them to be long lasting.