Commatoze

So I have these nice mounting tabs on the new bumper that are crying to be filled with a set of lights. I'm leaning towards "driving" lights instead of "fogs" because of the mounting height (grill level), the wide beam pattern of fogs, and being concerned that I'd blind oncoming drivers. I want to stay in the 55 watt each range. I like the PIAA 520SMR, but do you guys have other suggestions, brands, etc? Forget price at this stage.

AlpineRAM

I just mounted a set of PIAA 530s. Really nice driving light, very good price (got it for deducting 50€ from a bill to a customer). I think that the wiring harness made by PIAA is really easy to install and looks like a nice product.
Now I'm a-looking for fogs because the difference is so big.

AlpineRAM

Festus

Gentlemen,

Don't get me wrong for not voting for PIAA or some other set of high falutin' lights that the rice burners or yuppies have on their SUV's. There are some really nice lighting products out there. In a perfect world, you'd never get flying debris from other vehicles either, and these would be great.

IMHO, I have found going with a slightly less expensive light with a higher wattage bulb. Hella, ProComp, and Jetta are some examples. You'll get nearly the same amount of light output as the more expensive brands costing up to four times as much. Relays and heavier guage wire are a no brainer. I live in North Central Canda and I have found that when one has to replace a lense from rock chips, corrosion, etc., it is far cheaper in the long run. Also, look at the amount of use you'll be able to get out of them. We have less traffic up here and I have found that one can only use driving lights for a very limited amount of time unless you're on the highway in wee hours or in the bush. Take a look and see what the highway tractor trailer units are using - there's the answer.

This is just one man's opinion of course.

Commatoze

[quote author=Festus link=board=7;threadid=19505;start=0#msg183621 date=1063304635]
Gentlemen,

Don't get me wrong for not voting for PIAA ...........[/quote]

No, that's good. I'm looking for opinions, other brands, etc. My reason to stay at 55 watts each is twofold. One, I don't want to blind oncoming vehicles. Two, I'm using the wiring to the erstwhile OEM fogs. I'll check these others out and see what they look like. I know Hella, but not the other two. I guess Marchal and Cibie are gone?

AlpineRAM

I'll concede with Festus on the part of road debris. But I think it's a little bit of a game to decide what is more important. Good lighting or cheap replacement. The part about the cheap ones I had was that the lighting sucked, even with higher wattage bulbs, but you did blind yourself and others. Also the color of light plays some role for night vision.
I had some Hella's and was also very satisfied. (Over here they are in the upper region price-wise)
Something I found was that on the better lights the stock rockguards actually worked, even though they looked flimsy.

AlpineRAM

Festus

I forgot to mention, that I found the higher priced lights use good bulbs. So, with less expensive lights, put some silverstar bulbs in there. This will get you to near the same light output. The reflectors are nearly built the same, so that's not the downfall. Heavier guage wire to reduce electrical resistance, and good bulbs will get you to where you want be. You'll still save some money to put toward performance upgrades. 8)

There are some of the less expensive lights to stay away from. I used to drive truck. The company used everything under the sun until we found a combination that worked. I took that experience and transposed to my pickup. When I'm in the bush at 0200 and it's black as Toby's backside, it's like daylight when I flip a couple switches for my driving lights. My foglights with 100W bulbs, I can run with oncoming traffic and never have been flashed, but I took great care in setting them properly.

I run Hella 550 fogs lights in white and amber - cheap 250,000 candle power clear sealed beams and Jetco dual bulb lights for my driving lights. Hella makes an identical dual bulb light also, but the Jetcos are cheaper. I can see animals in the ditches up to a mile away - I have no regrets, changes to make, and will do the same on my new truck. It took a bunch of trial and error for the right combination however.

E-mail me at elk10@telusplanet.net, and I'll send a picture of the set up on the front end of my truck if you wish. It's overkill for most, but I spend a lot of time in the backcountry.