Auxiliary driving lights

[cptqueeg]

I had a new bumper w 4 ports for extra lighting put on my truck. I choose spot lights for 2 of the openings, I'm not certain if I should add another pair of spots or go w floods. My purpose for adding lights is to reduce the chances of running into big game. Some animals run from 90 degrees and cross the road so perhaps the floods would lighten areas the spots wound not. My truck does not have fog lamps. Do you guys have any thoughts on this? Thanks.

[Grit_dog]

So, did a little test last night.
The brodozer, aside from the lift, also has annoyingly bright HID low beams. And the light bar will fry your retinas! Lol
When we bought the truck, the PO had never adjusted the lights down due to the lift and being leveled. He said he’d just installed them and warned me I may want to swap them back for the OE lights because he was getting flashed all the time by oncoming drivers.
That was a very true statement!
I adjusted them down considerably. While still maintaining more than adequate sight distance. 99% stopped the oncoming driver flashes.
Last night driving home, noticed it seemed like the low beams projected further than the hi beams. And the hi beams are still OE stock conventional bulbs.
Hi beams made it brighter in the near ground than the low beams but again, didnt project as far.
Drive about 10 miles home, dark, 2 lane roads, good amount of oncoming traffic. ZERO hi beam flashes!

Point is, to the “new fangled” light haterz, it’s less about the lights and more about how you use them.

[Grit_dog]

PA12DRVR wrote:


Second the above.

The relevant wildlife where I'm at is moose...and I'm not sure any lights will dissuade a moose from crossing a nice hard-surface highway vs. snow...

I'm sure peoples perspectives are different in regions that don't have large critters, like, say the southern US for the most part.
And in my experience, lights don't dissuade any species of critter from jumping out in front of you.

But coon/possum/beaver = smashes the spoiler on your sports car.
Coyote = takes out a headlight or grille on your sports car.
Deer= likely a certain trip to the body shop. If you're in your sports car, might = a windshield replacement too. Talking little deer here, not big muleys.
Bear = hitting a brick with a low center of gravity
Elk = in your lap in anything shorter than a 4x4 pickup in a head on strike and like the bear, might total your whip.
Moose = may as well run into a tree or another truck, and unless you're sporting a 6" lift and at least 35s, Bullwinkle might also end up stuffed in the cab along with you.

I like my odds much better though when I can SEE them ahead of time!

[pitch]

If you have even half a second advance warning of a critter, you are that far ahead. Go with the floods and have them aimed slightly towards the shoulders.

[LanceRKeys]

I would run spot and flood. I have my passenger side bulbs point slightly more to the shoulder to light up the ditch better and the driver’s side aiming straight ahead. When I installed mine I took my tools to a long flat stretch of two lane that is rarely used and set them that way.

Mine are wired so that they only come on when I have the dash switch on and when I have my high beams on, that way when someone comes over a hill or around a corner, I just turn my brights off, and my auxiliary lights turn off as well.

[PA12DRVR]

Grit dog wrote:
I'd go with floods for the other 2 for sure.
Pencil beams straight ahead, floods aimed out a bit.
The lightbar I have is spots in the center section and floods in outside lights. It lights up ditch to ditch quite well for a significant distance. Even with the truck having a great set of HID low beams (they're arguably brighter than the OE high beams both near and far), the spot flood LED lightbar combo is orders of magnitude brighter.


Also if everyone could leave the "You'll blind oncoming traffic and the law states you can only have 4 lights on" cr ap Karen arguments out of this thread, that'd be great, mmmmkay?
You don't know how I or anyone else drive or when an where we use our bright lights. Thanks!

Second the above.

The relevant wildlife where I'm at is moose...and I'm not sure any lights will dissuade a moose from crossing a nice hard-surface highway vs. snow...but floods on the outside of the vehicle/end of light bar/ etc seem to help a bit.

Having one's auxiliary lights on an auxiliary switch is a good thing.

[cptqueeg]

monkey44 wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Monkey44: you may want to check and get your lights adjusted.
OP: I installed a pair of LED driving lights wire through a switch in the control circuit to a relay to act as daylight running lights. The switch is to turn them off when parking so as to not blind other campers. relay is wired to a good 12 volt hot location and the control is wired from a hot in run fuse location.
I aimed the lights slightly to the right so as to not blind on coming traffic. They are mounted lower then center line of headlights.

My lights are fine - it's the oncoming drivers that hit eyes high and bright. Manufacturers continue to brighten lights for safety, but eventually will brighten themselves right out of safe driving at night.

BMW has some pretty good tech to really take advantage of high powered headlights. Unfortunately, they ship them to the US w the systems inactive because it's not legal here.

[enblethen]

I went back to delete the comment about your lights, but it didn't take deletion. You are correct about on coming lights!

[monkey44]

enblethen wrote:
Monkey44: you may want to check and get your lights adjusted.
OP: I installed a pair of LED driving lights wire through a switch in the control circuit to a relay to act as daylight running lights. The switch is to turn them off when parking so as to not blind other campers. relay is wired to a good 12 volt hot location and the control is wired from a hot in run fuse location.
I aimed the lights slightly to the right so as to not blind on coming traffic. They are mounted lower then center line of headlights.

My lights are fine - it's the oncoming drivers that hit eyes high and bright. Manufacturers continue to brighten lights for safety, but eventually will brighten themselves right out of safe driving at night.

[cptqueeg]

enblethen wrote:
I installed a pair of LED driving lights wire through a switch in the control circuit to a relay to act as daylight running lights. The switch is to turn them off when parking so as to not blind other campers. relay is wired to a good 12 volt hot location and the control is wired from a hot in run fuse location.
I aimed the lights slightly to the right so as to not blind on coming traffic. They are mounted lower then center line of headlights.

I will make sure I adjust them as per Idaho law. My marker lights turn on w the motor and most always run my stock headlights for safety.

[enblethen]

I installed a pair of LED driving lights wire through a switch in the control circuit to a relay to act as daylight running lights. The switch is to turn them off when parking so as to not blind other campers. relay is wired to a good 12 volt hot location and the control is wired from a hot in run fuse location.
I aimed the lights slightly to the right so as to not blind on coming traffic. They are mounted lower then center line of headlights.

[enblethen]

Monkey44: you may want to check and get your lights adjusted.
OP: I installed a pair of LED driving lights wire through a switch in the control circuit to a relay to act as daylight running lights. The switch is to turn them off when parking so as to not blind other campers. relay is wired to a good 12 volt hot location and the control is wired from a hot in run fuse location.
I aimed the lights slightly to the right so as to not blind on coming traffic. They are mounted lower then center line of headlights.

[monkey44]

Some factory lights are so bright now, I click the brights thinking the oncoming traffic is 'brights', then get a click back with something even brighter!

Road vehicles get any brighter it will blind anyone on the road.

I agree with protecting the crossing wildlife - and our fenders - but have no clue how to protect that wildlife or prevent that damage. We usually just slow down if we suspect it might happen in rural areas.

[Grit_dog]

I'd go with floods for the other 2 for sure.
Pencil beams straight ahead, floods aimed out a bit.
The lightbar I have is spots in the center section and floods in outside lights. It lights up ditch to ditch quite well for a significant distance. Even with the truck having a great set of HID low beams (they're arguably brighter than the OE high beams both near and far), the spot flood LED lightbar combo is orders of magnitude brighter.


Also if everyone could leave the "You'll blind oncoming traffic and the law states you can only have 4 lights on" cr ap Karen arguments out of this thread, that'd be great, mmmmkay?
You don't know how I or anyone else drive or when an where we use our bright lights. Thanks!

[cptqueeg]

mkirsch wrote:

I live out in the sticks and there is so much traffic that even just using the factory brights is pointless. You can not see a car for miles but the moment you click on the brights, BAM, here comes a car.

We are getting there wrt to traffic. I wish all the #vanlifers, and work from homers, would leave us in peace. (Fat chance that's gonna happen though.)