off road lights, which kind?
 

i'm gonna get a grill gaurd sometime soon, not a full grill, just a center grill, kinda like the westin ultimate bull guard, and i was wondering which brand of lights u all would suggest....Kc daylighter, pro comp, or hella? also, which watt level? i'm wanting more of a long range light so i can see deer and obstacles in off road situations better. thanks!

KC's Daylighter

That what I got I lik'em :)

It run me like $140 for a set. :eek:

Hella 500's or if you have room Hella 4000's....

I got a question myself, can you use any KC lights (i want some round ones) on the street and still be LEGAL!!!

I've got a set of the KC 'Slimlite' lamps on my truck. I love the look and they perform well enough for my needs. I went for 'driving' lamps which are rated at 55 watts IIRC, the same as the stock headlamps. I keep them pointed out a little and more or less use them off-pavement w/ the high beams only (in fact, I have them wired this way). I also keep them kind of loose so I can reposition them as needed. Used them more than once for portable outdoor lighting when working outside after dark.

As for the law, I'm no expert, but I've been told that you may have a maximum of two sets of lamps on at a time while on public roads. So this could include the headlamps and a set of fogs, or whatever. But I'd expect attention if I were to pass a 'LEO' w/ a set of driving lamps enabled.. In the end you can mount as many lights as you like, just don't be a dick; don't use them when in traffic!

150 watt KC daylighter Jcwhitney's got them around $120. best lights ever, just look at my cardomain

I cant speak for other states but CA will pop ya right away for using any type of "Off-Road" light on ANY public road. Even if you have them uncovered your asking for a fixit ticket... the city I work in writes them all day long, I personaly know of at least half a dozen people that have been hit for light covers here....

It' s a state-by-state thing as far as additional lights. You'll have to look that one up.

In CT, you are allowed two additional road lighting sources besides the headlights and they are not allowed to be high beam additions. They can only be "low beam supplements" and must turn off when you turn the stock high beams on. Now, if you ask if anyone follows or cares here, including the police, the answer is no. As long as your lights don't blind people no one cares

Wow RNG.. My lights didn't even COME w/ covers. I'd be screwed for certian..

i think here u can have up to 4 aux lights not stock with your truck

Iam going with I dont care what the law says i want my light!!! btw cops have never bothered me yet.

yea i dont see what the big deal is as long as the lights arnt waundering into the other lane of into the car infront of u. anyone ever get a ticket because of this? how much would the ticket cost if anything?

go with the 150W KC lights
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Apparently knows people who have! Although if CA is anything like NH (yeah yeah, I'm sure it isn't, but..) I suspect that a 'fixit' ticket is like a DE (Defective Equipment) ticket is here, meaning there is no fine as long as you fix it and show a cop from the dept that wrote the ticket that you've had the issue repaired within a certian timeframe. In this case I would guess that means you show a cop that you've purchased and are using lamp covers..

Of course really I agree w/ you. I'd be shocked if a cop in my area would even bother w/ a ticket. I've been stopped for DE stuff several times (busted lights, etc) and never even been issued a ticket, always just a 'friendly' warning. Then again if they have a hair accross their backside or you give them a hard time, then all bets are off.

My mother was ticketed in NY State for a broken headlamp. It was in the middle of a downpour and the lens was cracked. It was fairly obvious that the bulb had just blown because of the rain, but that wasn't enough explination for the cop, he ticketed her anyhow. She couldn't make it back in time and had to pay the fine. You know they saw the out of state plates and were banking on the fact that she wouldn't meet the deadline! .. Fawking NYS troopers!

I have the KC 130 watt SlimLights Driving Lens as my main secondary light source
Powerful enough and a little more light dispersion than the long rangers
I believe they are a slightly whiter light than the 150 watt lamps
Also I like the way the SlimLight fits over the bumper - better than the HiLites since the case is smaller (hence the name slim lights)
I also do not have a bar, but two sets of light tabs
The second set has a set of Hella fogs lights - only 55 watts and sort of street friendly

The 130 watt SlimLights are too bright for on road use (well maybe on lonely country roads I do use them)
Even with them facing down and centered they blind all on coming traffic

Yea a Fix It ticket is the same a defecive in the fact that all you have to do is show up at the police station and show that it has indeed been fixed in the alloted time. But it costs 10 bucks... not that bad, just what it is. I dont know what the fine is for having them on, but thats what it is for the covers. Like most anywhere else a lot of the cops here wont just knock ya for light covers, but the city of Orange (where I work) along with Huntington Beach and most other South Bay and South O.C. citys with their own police (not county Sherrifs) will gladly pull you over for light covers... yea its chicken shit but what ya gonna do?

There was a guy not to long here in Orange that got a ticket for no light covers, illegal front bumper (prerunner style, it was within speck in the VC though and proved it) no front plate, and no lights on the rear plate. And that was it, no real violation, just that piddly shiat... oh well...

I have the ultimate in cheap: Rally 100watt units with 100 watt H3 bulbs. Not as adjustable as some, but I got them for $20 for the PAIR from Big Lots a while back. Used 'em in Centralia and they were great. Not recommending them as such, just saying you don't have to spend a lot to get what you need if you shop around.

Huh, guess they are not 55 watt.. Although I think mine are the 100 watt flavor. I basically have what Neil has, but in black.

John, I've used innexpensive driving lamps on my previous cars (I'm talking the ~$30-40 ones) and I can honestly say that they totally sucked compared to my new lamps. The extra green for the name brand stuff was worth it in my opinion. The last set I had had very bad seals and blew bulbs from moisture all the time. They also had plastic mounting tabs that never stayed put. 50% of the time I turned my lamps on on a back road I'd have to dig out a wrench and pull over to tighten them up because one or the other lamp was pointing at the ground! Also the plastic casing didn't hold up well at all, especially in cold weather. I had more than one lamp casing break from a stray rock or chunk of road-salt in the winter.

While you're right that you don't have to spend a fortune to get something that works, I still say don't skimp, go for a brand name. Maybe not the top of the line model, but something reputable, and well built. You'll save more in the long run as you won't have to replace bulbs and lamps.. Just my thoughts..

I'm sure you're right. It is true you get what you pay for. I didn't have the bread and needed some lighting so there you go. I had some 50 watt ProComps (still have them) but they just weren't quite enough.

You are dead on about them moving around. I do have to readjust them more that you would expect.

Just wondering if you added up the cost of the 50 W 'ProComps' plus the latest set, how close to the retail of a nice new set of KCs or Hellas you'd be?! <- Kinda my point. I'd rather do it once..

The ProComps were a gift from my sister. I didn't buy them, but your point is well taken. The two combined though, is only $55 dollars for BOTH. The 'Comps were on sale for $35 at the time.

In the front of my truck I currently have a pair of Hella 500 driving beam lights above the bumper and a set of Hella FF75 driving beam lights where the stock foglights would be if I had the valence. That combination along with low-beam headlamps seems to give more light than I think I could ever need when offroading and I tend to go Rally style once it starts getting too late. I've used the KC Daylighters on my previous truck and they're awesome but they wouldn't fit the location above the bumper.

What I don't like about the Hella 500s is that the housings are plastic and break easily when cold. On a camping trip last year in October, someone walking past the front of my truck bumped one of the lights and completely destroyed the housing. Other than that, and the fact that I wanted fog pattern not driving, the 500s are excellent. The Hella FF75s are also plastic and are NOT sealed very well. After one wheeling trip, I had to remove the lights to drain the water out but fortunately didn't have to replace the bulbs. Looking at the housing, there's no good way to seal water out of the lense area. I live in an area where they *sometimes* use salt on the roads in winter. This seemed to be the downfall of having the KC Daylighters mounted on the bumper. They give off immense amounts of light, but if you don't care for the chrome housings properly, they will eventually rust. I had no problems with water and these lights and found that the el-cheap-o lights from Pep Boys that look just like the KCs behave like the KCs if you put the KC bulbs in. Everything else is identical as far as I could tell.

I do not keep covers on any of the lights however, a friend of mine with a pair of Hella 500s on a push bumper failed inspection for not having the covers installed (in NJ). When she took the truck back with the covers installed, the person who did the reinspection told her that she never should have failed for the lights not being covered. Technically, the first inspector was right, but as was said before, nobody really cares.

Hope this helps someone...

This is why I went w/ the KC Slimlites instead. So far I am quite impressed at the build quality.

What is the housing on the Slimlites made of?? The reason I ask is that the Daylighters have a chromed steel housing which tends to rust if you live in the "salt belt".

Mine are metal w/ a black paint/finish. I've yet to do a winter w/ them, but from what I see on trucks around here, they seem to hold up okay. I'm definitely in a high road-salt region.. I shyed away from the chrome myself partly because of this. Also the black was cheaper and seemed to 'go' better w/ my truck..

Edit: It's more of an 'art' photo, but here they are up close and personal..
Edit Part II: Uh, looks like the medium size shot isn't working from pbase today. I'll have to lay the full-sizer on yah..