44k lumens light bar+ hood wrap questions (1 Viewer)

[burnttoastburgos]

I have read here and heard there that too many lumens on a roof light bar will reflect light pollution on hood back at drivers view. So, is it the total lumens or the angle of the hood?

I am a serious light whore and this is my first 80 build. My choice manufacturer is Rigid and have a 50" double row spot/flood beam pattern.

Does a hood wrap help? If so, ballpark % of reflection reduction.

Where I live, wildlife strikes happen, every day and every mile on hwy 50 in Colorado, so killer lighting is a must.

Unfortunately do not know what color this is but its better than white for reflection

 

[Greenbriar]

Mount it far enough back that the roof puts the hood in it's shadow.

 

[burnttoastburgos]

Im pretty dedicated to how far it sits back as we mounted a Prinsu rack.

 

[rolliges]

Are there not powerful enough lights that can be mounted below the driver's line of sight (to eliminate glare)?

You gotta see the animals you hit; not blind yourself first.

If you have wildlife problems you'll want a bullbar; mount some driving lights there.

 

[sxp]

Are you saying that you plan to drive down a highway with a double row light bar on your roof lit up?

 

[zapatius]

Are you saying that you plan to drive down a highway with a double row light bar on your roof lit up?

I see this all the time and I live in a city. Especially Jeeps.

It would technically be illegal to drive like that. I believe Colorado's law is no more than 300 candlepower (3771 lumens) and no more than 4 forward-facing lamps illuminated at once.

 

[burnttoastburgos]

Are there not powerful enough lights that can be mounted below the driver's line of sight (to eliminate glare)?

You gotta see the animals you hit; not blind yourself first.

If you have wildlife problems you'll want a bullbar; mount some driving lights there.

I have the Yodateq ditch light brackets with small Rigids, and a few different choices for the front bumper.


This is my work truck set up, bumper with 9" Lightforce lights. Never had a cross with wildlife and would hate to, more than enough protection and lighting.

 

[burnttoastburgos]

Are you saying that you plan to drive down a highway with a double row light bar on your roof lit up?

never implied that. I WILL say I have enough respect for forward driving and oncoming vehicles to know when to have lit and not. There is a time and place for everything and I am certainly mature enough to know when to have them lit and when not.

 

[burnttoastburgos]

You gotta see the animals you hit; not blind yourself first.

you mean gotta see them "before" you hit.....

 

[burnttoastburgos]

Mount it far enough back that the roof puts the hood in it's shadow.

thats the plan, but have heard or read otherwise. well, a little trial/error cant hurt

 

[gummycarbs]

If you're running stock headlights and are concerned about nighttime vision, a light bar should be the last of your concerns. Depo + halogen, Depo + HIR, and Depo with retrofitted HID projectors should be the focus of your efforts.

That said, I've never understood why the light bar crowd doesn't simply make their own cutoff with a sheet of aluminum or whatever attached to the underside of the light bar.

 

[Dave 2000]

The only alternative I have seen to mounting the bar rearwards is to Matt black the bonnet or hood, or leave the paint until the lacquer peels off like mine!

Regards

Dave

 

[LINUS]

The only alternative I have seen to mounting the bar rearwards is to Matt black the bonnet or hood, or leave the paint until the lacquer peels off like mine!

Regards

Dave

Even the matte black hood film is only a ‘help’ when dry - if it’s raining & water film on it, it may as well be a gloss finish & once again - screwed by the glare.

Ran into this exact issue in a prior 80 owner’s moonglow 80 who did a center section of matte black film & either in the woods or on the highway, once water film spread over the center it was a wet gloss finish & all glare.

I only run a full width light bar on my boat / tower for Lowrance electronics/poles/net - and even then just in morning run to be out on spot at sunrise.

I have Depo/HID hi/lo projectors in the 80 & LED lows / Silverstone Ultra Hi’s -bulbs in the Tundra - keep me legal and a set of 3.5” LED Vision X w/ Euro-pattern in the Tundra bumper.

I live in deer country & these keep me well informed of deer in the ditches, waiting to do dumb stuff.

 

[hatzlibutzli]

The only reason for roof mounted lighting: driving highly uneven terrain like dunes @ night ... you will get a better impression of the 3D structure (since you´ll get "half-shadow" where your headlights do not reach and the rooftop light reach) of the terrain ahead ...
If it is only about animals on the road mount it as low as possible ... else make sure, that you can switch them off as quick as possible, since the high beams tend to freeze the animals instead of scaring them away ...

 

[Azca]

Add to this, dust, rain, and snow will only render them useless. There is a reason driving lights are mounted very low. They illuminate less of the inclement weather and put more light on the road. No matter the color of the hood, you will still get glare off it. That will effectively reduce the output of your lights. I like light, but the wrong light in the wrong locations is just throwing money away. So bumper, grill, valence etc. May not look good but, will be effective.

 

[burnttoastburgos]

If you're running stock headlights and are concerned about nighttime vision, a light bar should be the last of your concerns. Depo + halogen, Depo + HIR, and Depo with retrofitted HID projectors should be the focus of your efforts.

That said, I've never understood why the light bar crowd doesn't simply make their own cutoff with a sheet of aluminum or whatever attached to the underside of the light bar.

LED headlights, adjusted correctly.......

Once the truck comes back to me, THAT is the plan. remove, modify and reinstall. ....no to adding a lip under side of light as this will inherit possible whistle ....notch just far back enough so light line will start at bumper/front of hood.

 

[burnttoastburgos]

thanks for the replies.

 

[Dave 2000]

Even the matte black hood film is only a ‘help’ when dry - if it’s raining & water film on it, it may as well be a gloss finish & once again - screwed by the glare.

Ran into this exact issue in a prior 80 owner’s moonglow 80 who did a center section of matte black film & either in the woods or on the highway, once water film spread over the center it was a wet gloss finish & all glare.

I only run a full width light bar on my boat / tower for Lowrance electronics/poles/net - and even then just in morning run to be out on spot at sunrise.

I have Depo/HID hi/lo projectors in the 80 & LED lows / Silverstone Ultra Hi’s -bulbs in the Tundra - keep me legal and a set of 3.5” LED Vision X w/ Euro-pattern in the Tundra bumper.

I live in deer country & these keep me well informed of deer in the ditches, waiting to do dumb stuff.

Agree but then I would not use it on the highway and driving around Spain's mountain tracks at night or in the rain is considered by all 4x4.ers as one of the most dangerous things you can do with 2000 + metre drop offs, no woods around here, up north there are plenty though. I/we tend to park up and get the campsite set up, for that the lights are great....well as long as you don't look at them that is.

Regards

Dave

 

[LINUS]

LED headlights, adjusted correctly.......

Once the truck comes back to me, THAT is the plan. remove, modify and reinstall.

Only bytch I’ve experienced was someone warned me the headlights ice over / lack or incandescent heat on lense.

Sure enough, happened I needed to figure out a quick band-aid - I had a clean rag so I dunked my washer fluid / Rain-X orange de-ice fluid & wiped lenses.

I’d been on a long-haul down I-5 & mist from tires & fog iced the lense, but the washer fluid made the rest of trip a non-issue / only wiped them the 1 time.

 

[smritte]

Adding a bar to my Prinsu rack is on my short list. It appears the lights will be far enough back to shadow the hood. I will be mounting mine so the bottom edge of the bar is even with the top of the air deflector. That should keep wind noise to a minimum and shadow somewhat.