Ok LED lightbar tech. (1 Viewer)

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Yes there is a big difference between rigid and cheap lightbars even with cree leds.

Theres also a big difference between vision x and rigid. Vision x are much brighter.

Is it worth the cost? Depends on what you're wanting.

See it to beleive it.
 
Put a 42" ebay lightbar on the roof. Cost me $128 AU almost two years ago and I couldn't be happier. No bonnet glare to really complain about and gives off plenty of light.
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Just recently there's been a heap of single row bars on ebay too so ditched the 27w square led from the back and swapped it out with a 26" 120w bar for night time activities. $78 AU can't go wrong.
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The cost of a rigid is stupid. You can buy 5 or more same size cheap led bars for the same price. I get that the light output of the rigid bar is superior but I never felt that my cheap led bar hasnt given me enough light.. If you have money to burn then sure get the rigid but for the rest of us laymen the cheap ones are great.
 
The further back you set the light bar on the roof will reduce the amount of light on the hood. If you pull a straight edge up to the light bar, as long as the roof interferes with the line, then you won't get as much reflectivity off the hood. It may be back far enough to interfere with the sunroof.
 
Don't forget folks, there's a reason rally cars have these lights mounted on the front of the hood.

If you look at rally cars that are setup for night driving, they never put lights anywhere but the front of the hood. Why? Because when particles get involved (dust / fog / snow), you're going to be blinded if you put them on the roof.

Just sayin'. Not all of us need a rally setup, but if you do drive in these conditions and need the light, think about it before you mount it.
 
Because when particles get involved (dust / fog / snow), you're going to be blinded if you put them on the roof.
My point exactly. I see it first hand every day @ work.
 
My led bar is used primarily when I'm traveling 5-10 mph on a 4x4 trail. Dust and snow at that point aren't a major concern. But I see your point.
 
Don't forget folks, there's a reason rally cars have these lights mounted on the front of the hood.

If you look at rally cars that are setup for night driving, they never put lights anywhere but the front of the hood. Why? Because when particles get involved (dust / fog / snow), you're going to be blinded if you put them on the roof.

Just sayin'. Not all of us need a rally setup, but if you do drive in these conditions and need the light, think about it before you mount it.

And trophy trucks? and ultra 4?

I'm neither but I'm also not a rally car. I think on average, 80s tackle a lot of different terrain. Plenty of times a bar up higher would be nice for me.

I'm not going to limit where I put lights because of rally cars though...
 
I love the idea of the bar on the rack. How do you run wires to the switch while keeping the wires hid? That's my only concern.
 
Down side of snorkel for some, drill hole in roof with gland fittings for others.
 
Well I think I might go with this one:

https://www.lifetimeledlights.com/led_lights/40_40_single_row_led_bar

It is kind of a compromise between ultra cheap and expensive. It isn't 10w LED's but it isn't the 3w LED's like some of the cheap bars use. It says they use 5w CREE's.

One of the things that I wanted to avoid was a lot of amp draw. Since the 80 only has an 80-90 amp alternator I didn't want to add so much electrical load that it would be maxed out.

My current out of the ordinary loads are:
85w/6-7amp water pump for a/w intercooler
85w/6amp fan
200w/13.5amp water pump for meth injection <--- only triggered in certain conditions
700w/49amp stereo amp <--- very unlikely to pull this load
105w/7.3amp (2) 10" Rigids
32w/2.2amp (2) Rigid Dually

This light bar should be around 14-17amps when on.

I might just go ahead and bite the bullet and do the LED headlights as well to drop the draw on them since I am adding additional load. The stock 9005/9006 headlight combo is 130W + 110W so 240W or around 17amps. Where a full LED headlight setup would be around 8.5amps.
 

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