Spotlights

[snakesoup]

looks like a good bit if gear there!

[GLRkenny]

The stedi warehouse is just behind where I work, I've spoken with the boss eddy and he seems to take some pride in what he sells and knows what he's talking about. I've also heard only good things regarding performance, reliability and after sales service and warranty.

[motoz]

Hi Guys

Ive already got a set of 35 HID driving lights... just wondering if this led bar would be good? I was one for going bush/ hunting and fishing... when the HID's are no good to me?

http://www.stedi.com.au/20-inch-240-wat ... d-bar.html

Cheers

Glen from 4WD Supplies (forum sponsor) is an agent for Stedi LED lights.

[Battle_Scar]

I have a stedi light at and the after sale customer service is excellent.

[Mayhem2015]

Looking at the 7 inch 75W Xenon driving spot and adding a 14inch cree LED 72W light bar all from Stedi. They look like really good value. I will also add a slimline 18W worklight for the back.

As a general rule I choose not to drive at night but with work I am sometime out driving dirt tracks late at night and before sun up. I also have other staff drive my car.

I am trying to add vision for night driving through the bush in fisherman tracks etc. Not really interested in seeing 1km down the road. I need spread more than distance. Worklight will help with setting up camp and potentially cooking etc and I will attach it to the reverse light so we can see when reversing at night.

I will be in at around $250 for those items so happy with value for money as long as they will serve the purpose. I am interested in the biggest and the best, mostly as I can't afford it but in this stage of life I am not on wild adventure into the unknown.

Thoughts and advice? Will make the purchase with my tax return hopefully.

[NowForThe5th]

For that kind of use, they'll do the job.

[jbmcqade]

xray vision 220 90watt hid the best ligth i have had

[Mayhem2015]

Thanks guys. After looking at the ute and continuing research on the www I have changed my preference to light bar only and bit stronger ST3400 17'' 108W double row.

I was considering chucking a light bar on the roof racks and spots on the bull bar but would rather keep it simple. Considering I rarely drive at night and require more spread than spot it seems the way to go. Hopefully less maintenance too.

If you have better ideas please let me know.

[NowForThe5th]

Ideas? Well maybe just a few things to highlight for consideration when setting up a lighting system...

First thing is don't overload the foreground with light. Light bars produce vast quantities of light but they can't throw it very far so nearly all of that light is in the first hundred metres which is absolutely flooded.

Good in one sense but causes problems with definition of texture. So it is much harder to see that pothole or rock because it doesn't cast a distinct shadow. Also the colour and volume of light is such that it makes it more difficult to see small variations which might otherwise alert you to something in or on the road in front of you.

Give some thought to colour. CRI (Colour Rendering Index) is a measure of how natural a light source renders the colour of an object



Note that tungsten halogen is close to the theoretical maximum of 100 while most automotive LEDs are around 80, as is the best of HID. Being able to see the subtle differences in colour of that kangaroo standing by the side of the road, against the background, may mean the difference between hitting or avoiding it.

Interesting fact: The very top guys in the Baja night desert races in the US don't use HID or LED. They use maximum 100 watt halogen bulbs. They say they can see better and in that kind of racing, seeing the rock makes the difference between winning and losing.

The second thing is just the same as the use of fog lights. Too much light close in makes you blind to the distance.

Probably not such an issue with a 17" bar but definitely a big problem with a 42" bar, or two of them. Unless you set it well back, a lightbar on the roof will just light up your bonnet and you won't see much past your bullbar. Lightbars across the top of the windscreen would be even worse.

[DCDAD]

The second thing is just the same as the use of fog lights. Too much light close in makes you blind to the distance.

Can definitely relate and agree with this statement , as when driving Freight Trains , we will definitely see further up the track with distance , than we would with " Ditch Lights " ( these are the ones you see flashing when the horn is sounded )

[v8slrtorana]

I still see that over 95% of trucks still use either Hella Rallye 4000, or Lightforce 240.
Over 80% of these truck lights are HID converted.
Maybe the non HID's lights im seeing are Fyrlyt's.
Its rare to see a truck with a lightbar. I guess 5%
Is it just were i live ?
I figure, the truckers drive for a living, so see what they run must be a point in the right direction.
Personally, i would like to see a set of Fyrlyt's in action, but i personally can't stand in my opinion their negative advertising.
I have found that using quality HID ballasts instead of cheap evilbay crap to be massively different.
Noise, start up time, light output and colour spectrum varies massively.

[psaunders]

Wow 5th! That info is invaluable! I have been looking around as to what I can replace my light bar with since it was stolen and now I'm rethinking everything I thought I knew about lights!

[Cowboy Dave]

The fyrlyts are awesome. I think people unfairly call their advertising negative. To me they're trying to break through stereotypical thinking. A bit like trying to explain to hilux owners that there are other capable trucks on the market. They'd see red if you told them your triton was better offroad and probably accuse you of being negative, but you'd still drive past them on the tracks.

[hvac guy]

I have and rate the fyrlyts. While i was in darwin recently i was driving my sister's triton with a light bar and the difference is chalk and cheese the washout from the bar was crap even the missus noticed

[Mayhem2015]

I have and rate the fyrlyts. While i was in darwin recently i was driving my sister's triton with a light bar and the difference is chalk and cheese the washout from the bar was crap even the missus noticed

fytlyts are quite highly rated but I am not in a position to part with that sort of cash unfortunately. I have found some really cheap and nasty light bars around the place. Are you familiar with the brand of your sisters? Surely there are differences in quality. Not sure what your sister has but hopefully the Stedi light bars are half decent.

I would love to trial 3 or 4 different set ups and have them on my rig for a couple of months each. That would help make decisions easier.

[Mayhem2015]

I

Give some thought to colour. CRI (Colour Rendering Index) is a measure of how natural a light source renders the colour of an object



The second thing is just the same as the use of fog lights. Too much light close in makes you blind to the distance.

Probably not such an issue with a 17" bar but definitely a big problem with a 42" bar, or two of them. Unless you set it well back, a lightbar on the roof will just light up your bonnet and you won't see much past your bullbar. Lightbars across the top of the windscreen would be even worse.

Thanks for all that. Trying to find information on CRI. does not seem to be standard information. Anyway. I have measured up my bullbar and it will take a 22in bar without me having to drill new holes or have it look retarded and large. Looking at the ST4000 120W double row from Stedi. Anyone using it or familiar with the CRI?

[Cowboy Dave]

For low speed offroad and dirt tracks the lightbar should be fine. Fyrlyts are better for highway/country driving.

[snakesoup]

nft5, mate what voltage should I have at the light connector "with 100w halogen spotlight connected" and turned on with engine running ?? I tested before and it was reading 12.3 volts...is this right ? or am I suffering voltage loss?

[v8slrtorana]

Dave, I know what your saying.
Maybe i just see it from a different angle.

[Cowboy Dave]

Yeah I know and you're not alone in that view and I can't say it isn't valid. It would be a shame though if you denied yourself a good product just because you didn't like their advertising strategy.

[NowForThe5th]

Mayhem: Assume a CRI around 80 for most automotive LEDs. Wikipeia has an extensive, albeit technical article on CRI here. Google "colour rendering index" for more (or simpler) explanations.

I have the 250w Fyrlyts which are mixed with 4300K HID high beams. I find that the combination is very comfortable, especially in the mid range (250-500m). Not quite as yellow as the halogens by themselves nor quite as white as the HIDs. At the moment I have a set of headlights that I'm building that will use Lightforce 170 reflectors with HID in the high beams. That should extend the reach of the HID light to about the same as the Fyrlyts and whiten up the long range, which, at the moment is a touch yellow. I may drop a few points in the CRI but I'll still be in the 90s, so pretty good.

Snakesoup: Depends on your battery. With the engine running and lights on you need to take two readings. One at the battery and one at the lights. A battery in good condition will show anywhere from 12.8 to 13.2v which indicates that you're dropping 0.5 to 1.0v. That's a bit much when the normally acceptable drop is 3-4%. An extra half a volt will make a very noticeable difference to the output of a 100 bulb, so it's worth trying to track it down.

[snakesoup]

thankyou for that I shall look into it a little more..

[v8slrtorana]

Yeah I know and you're not alone in that view and I can't say it isn't valid. It would be a shame though if you denied yourself a good product just because you didn't like their advertising strategy.

Am keen to see a set in the flesh.

[snakesoup]

anyone converted there narva 225's to hid and if so was it worth it?? am considering doing to mine but don't know which kit to go for? are they much improved if converted with the right kit?

[Cowboy Dave]

Tony converted his and hasn't been too happy with them. I couldn't tell you what kit he used.