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Replied.
It's tough to say, the higher the unit that is emitting light the less "3D" the surface will become, it will however help broadcast light further. There is a trade off and can be severe depending on terrain. A low mounted light is going to create shadows on rough terrain and make the terrain easier to read at a faster pace. A unit mounted (say on the bumper) is going to suffer mildly from not being mounted high, and will have more obstructions (obstacles) in the way, and the majority of the light will be lower, as the light hits obstacles (bumps, rocks, road conditions) it is eliminated from the beam pattern. If you are flying through a smooth road that you are familiar with or know there are no unforeseen obstacles a roof mounted light is best, you don't need the "3D" portion of sight as much. Unfamiliar, bumpy and a road that requires a bit more "3D" (seeing bumps, dips, rocks, etc) vision is best mounted lower at a slight sacrifice of long distance vision. That is why I have a roof mounted light bar, and a bumper mounted light bar
As far as a roof mounted light causing excessive foreground light, that is a common issue. The very sharp 8* beam pattern is going to place the hotspot far in front of the vehicle. A lot of the sub-par LED Light Bars you find on eBay have a 30* Spot and a 120* Flood. Both of those beam patterns will put 50-75% of the net lumens right in front of the bumper and on the hood. This will constrict the pupils with 10,000 lumens of light in front of you and reduce your long distance sight and completely wash out any "3D" aspect of driving. This is a perfect example of what I am referring to. People can argue you can adjust to it or get used to it, it's not something you can compensate for, or adjust too. It's the nature of the product, the optics, and the driving situation. Aiming the beam upwards will reduce the wash out, but it also wastes the lumens and the additional power draw on the vehicles system is unnecessary. The human eye is a crazy thing, gotta pay attention to how it reacts with lighting.
Credit of Photos goes to jdeitch, Rigid Industries 40" mounted on his roof. Note the loss of "3D".
Low beams only showing bumps, and other irregularities.
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