Double row LEDs

[SolidusJ]

So in the near up coming few months I'll have a roof rack on the T and already planed to install a 40" RI LED light bar up front. Now with the Knights roof rack there looks like more then enough room for 2 light bars. My question is 2 lights bars with the same light out put, wouldn't it be pointless to have them 2 of them to do same job? I seen baja tucrks with them but never really got the point of doing it. If there a point and it work then I will install 2 on the front rack, if it's for look then hell no not at $900 a pop.

 

[Pappibri]

I think one would be more than sufficient. I think two would be overkill, and like you say at 900 a pop, I could figure out another mod to spend that on...:huh:

 

[Portager]

One light bar will be more than bright enough for normal off road speed. If your racing the Baja and getting up to 90 mph across dry lake beds you need to see obstacles at longer distances to provide adequate reaction time. So to maintain the same reaction time at slowed speed your required light output is the square root of the speed ratio. For example if you drive at 45 mph (1/2 their speed) you'll need 1/4th as much light (lumens). I usually drive at less than 22.5 mph off road which would require 1/8th of the Lumens. So one light bar is probably overkill.

The only other advantage I can think of is two light bars could be aimed differently, one pointing high and one pointing low for very hilly terrain. In my case, I plan to use use my HID fog lights for the low coverage and (someday) a light bar for higher and long range.

 

[alrock]

:yeahthat

 

[06 H3]

One is enough IMO. I've seen JR3Ts 40in light bar and my brothers. They are insane. Most lights, flood or spot, get a small specific area the 40 gets everything. Mid range side range long and close range

 

[cbetts]

Personally, I like two separate lights so you can tip them outward and see around corners easier. Then again, a couple of Duallies will do the same job with the larger single light up the middle.

 

[Steve #1]

Unless you are going FAST, often times (not always) more light is a bad thing. You'll wash out where the light is and see nothing where it isn't. If you need a spotter, they'll be blinded. If they aren't in front of the windshield, you'll get glare. I haven't done a lot of serious off roading at night but as long as there is a little ambient light, I find it works best at slow speeds just running parking lamps. A few well placed rock light work well to, but again, you want a nice even flood pattern. I know..... big lights look cool.

 

[Chook]

I agree........You can have too much light.........Flashback from the road signs is painful........ also if you don't upgrade your low beam light you will be blind when you come down of high beam because of the relative difference in light.

 

[cbetts]

I never thought about this too much until my last night run. I had Serge behind me with his Rigid LED tanning system. It actually made it tough on me with the shadow my truck was casting from his lights. I am running Pep Boys driving lights on top mounted to my roof rack and was able to see well, especially around corners on sharp switchbacks. Having the lights mounted behind the sunroof worked well when the outside lights are turned outward a bit.

 

[Portager]

If they aren't in front of the windshield, you'll get glare.

:whaa: I thought the ideal location for roof lights was just behind the windshield so the shadow of the roof covers the hood to prevents glare off the hood. :huh:

 

[3Hummers]

I would agree, mounting the lights back of the windshield or on top of a light bar reduces glare off of the hood.

 

[Steve #1]

:whaa: I thought the ideal location for roof lights was just behind the windshield so the shadow of the roof covers the hood to prevents glare off the hood. :huh:

Woops, that didn't come out right. Mounted on the roof you will get glare on the windshield and the hood (moving them back from the windshild will help some). By "in front of the windshild" I was thinking the front grill area.

 

[Portager]

Woops, that didn't come out right. Mounted on the roof you will get glare on the windshield and the hood (moving them back from the windshild will help some). By "in front of the windshild" I was thinking the front grill area.

Now I understand your point.

I found on 2N17X when we finished in the dark that only having lights that were lower than my sight line made the pot holes look very deep due to the shadows. Having lights above the drivers line of sight (i.e. on the roof) should illuminate inside the holes and make driving in the dark much easier. I eventually want to get lights on my roof for this purpose. Since I don't have a roof rack and I don't want to add the weight and drag of a rack just to have a place to mount lights, I'm thinking of a 40" LED light bar with a Dually II on each end for cornering. I think the 40" light bar will be overkill (even the RI SR) most of the time, but I am told they will have an external dimmer available around the end of the year.

I think driving in a group with roof lights on is rude to the person ahead of you, unless you are a long distance behind them (thanks Zach!). In Bishop I thought my HID fog lights were almost perfect. They provided plenty of light to drive but didn't blind the driver in front of me and I didn't get glare from the dust since they are so low to the ground.