(lighting question) "Watt" is too much?

[mars_man]

My plans are to get a light bar with 4 Baja style lights on it, they are 100 Watts a piece. Lights are about 6" in diameter.

Can my truck even turn these on? According to my calculations, this equals to 400 Watts.

Seems like overkill for a stock charging system? Do I need any other mods if I decide to go with this? (alternator upgrade? add a second alternator?)

I wanna blind people. (hehe).

The only other junk i have is a CB, tach, and a CD player. (total of prolly around 45 watts for these)

ALSO, who sells a nice light bar? Anyone have plans to build your own?

Thanks,

Later.

[Fullload]

Your secret friend would be relays and a really good optima battery or two if you plan on running those without the truck running.
I have two of those lights and I only have one relay for the two lights and i can run two of them plus my headlights for about two hours without the truck running before they start to dim. .Then i shut the lights off and waited ten minutes so the battery could "refresh" a little and started my truck (with yellow top Optima) and drove away. Ask depot and Superzuk and mudpig. cause they were all there when we tried re-seating superzuks tire.

When i do turn the Two lights On i can hear the alt. step in and help with the extra load.

[Mud Lite]

Save your money and buy a locker. If you can't see with your headlights, put the hi-beams on. Been there, done that. How many night runs do you do? How many people want an asshole with 400W behind them on the trail?

A light bar is also a tree magnet!!! Also been there, done that.
If you wabt good use of extra lights, put two tractor lights pointing backwards. Reverse lights suck on all cars.

[Superzuk]

I agree. I agree. I agree. I agree.

1st... like Fulload said, he trail tested his with no running engine two or three times for 2 hrs a piece with his truck.

2nd, who wants and asshole behind them on the trail with that in their eyes.

3rd... they will break if you roll or brush the trees... (trust me)

4th. using them for reverse is awesome...

But....................

I love having 400+ watts of lights to blind a tailgater (reverse lights), or oncomming traffic with their high beams in my eyes... or someone following with high beams... (once they pass you you can beam them off the road..)

I really wouldn't recommend doing any of the above... you could cause an accident... but hey... it's the thought that counts..
:yike

[Dxray]

I gotta agree with them man. I know a trees will catch on them and do some damage. Just get 2 55W lights and put em on your bumper. Save the cash to save up for like real offroad tires or locker. Or maybe get your exaust done.
:D

[mars_man]

Go big or go home, I want 400 Watts of lighting power and that is what I am gonna get. Now that I know the battery can handle it. MUUHAHAHA :upy:

I will install 2 relays so that whenever I switch my high beams on, my light bar will light up. That oughta blind them ppl that leave their high beams on.

Oh yeah, also I do not plan on rolling my truck (I am sure I would have more to worry about than the lights if I rolled it.)
Such as glass and my new hardtop.

Maybe I will install it with one or two pointing backwards, but prolly not.

As for a locker, well I was planning on getting a spool for X-mas from the woman, I will see.

Thanks,

Later.

[Fullload]

Putting the lghts on the same switch as your high beams would be a bad idea. You do alot of highway driving in the north (where high beams are a used alot) and that would blind on comming traffic at a long distance, espically if you forget to switch them off every once in a while. I know i do. But another thing about having the lights up there for road driving is the glare off the hood. I have mine mounted off the windshield mounts and would never do that again. There is so much glare it makes it hard to see.

[mars_man]

Fulload: Would I reduce the glare by having the lights further back on the roof, or closer up to the windshield?

Thanks.

[Depot]

Im not sure what the rule is, but there is a law about how high ur lights can be while driving on road. i know the roof is too high so if u ever get busted on road with those puppies turned on, good luck.

If we ever go night wheeling together, im thinking of a song....

rudolph with ur nose so bright, wont u lead my sleigh tonite :)

D

[mars_man]

Hehe, nice one Depot.

I don't know but I see tractor trailers with HUGE lights on at night, soon as they see me they dim them. Cops don't give them a hard time.

Later.

[Fullload]

I've never seen big rigs with them on the roof either!!!!

[mars_man]

lol well I mean on their bigass pushbars. lol, as high as any roof really.

Later.

PS, are you guys at work? lol, man, slow day?

[Fullload]

PS, are you guys at work? lol, man, slow day?

Nope i started nights last week and today do not start work until 5:30pm. so i get a few hours in the afternoon and then when i come home again at 2:00am.

[TheSarg]

good optima battery


*ahem* for those financially challenged, Exide has now come out with a spiral core battery that meets or exceeds optima. they come in 3 styles as do the optima, but the most expensive are only $179 cdn, on sale rite now for 15% off, available through me :bo:

ps. the Exide Orbital battery has handles hehehhe

[Superzuk]

I like the idea of being able to blind back ignorant people who leave theirs on, or who have failed to adjust theirs properly... but... you might get in trouble if you forget...
But, on the other hand, I say go with 3-5000 Watts of lights, run several batteries, a super high amperage alternator etc... that way, when we go Night wheeling, you can light up the sky and attract all the mosquitos to you so they leave me alone...
:D

plus, it means when I blow a bead, it'll be like working in the daylight..

pluss, shine all that light in one spot, add a magnifying glass, and maybe it'll cut steel, or burn leaves like we used to when we were kids...
:yike

[MuddMachine]

A few things. 100 WATT LIGHTS ARE ILLEGAL FOR ON-HIWAY USE. You MUST have the covers on them. You can get a ticket for not having the covers on LET ALONE FLASHING SOMEONE !!!

They are tree catchers, been there right behind many trucks and broken lights on the roof.

Guaranteed you wont be behind me on the trail behind me with 4 100watt lights on !

Are you baja racing or ralley racing ? No ? Then why do you want them on the roof ? Theyre only good to see 300ft in front of you when roof mounted. You need to see in front of your tires, therefore anything mounted higher than your bumpers isnt gonna do you much good.

Your battery will not handle it unless you have a deep cycle and thats another $200.

Last but not least MarsMan (dont tell anyone I told ya, but...) roof mounted lightbars are gay !!! AARGH.... sorry guys.

[mars_man]

Now what the hell do lights have to do with sexual orientation??

Come to think of it, I got laid this morning... (and no butt-holes or vaseline were involved.)

Maybe if I had the light bar I would not have been soo lucky?

MUUUHAHAHA.

Either way, in a few weeks, if you guys spot a big-ass X-mas tree coming towards ya, it just might be me.

Later.

[MuddMachine]

Originally posted by mars_man
Now what the hell do lights have to do with sexual orientation??

Come to think of it, I got laid this morning... (and no butt-holes or vaseline were involved.)



I was talkin about the lightbar, not you ! Got a guilty conscience ?

[mars_man]

Well I figured you were implying that I was gay because I wanted a light-bar. Guilty consciene? nope. (besides if my light bar was gay it would be a lesbian, we all know lesbians rule!)

If you honestly think that light bars are gay, MAYBE you are mis-using yours. (they go on the roof of a vehicle, they are not used to pleasure yourself in the bedroom on those lonely nights.)

Muuhaha, I had to say it, sorry if I offended you it is all in fun. I am kidding.

Later.

[Twinkie]

If you go to the lightbar, please post a pic or two. No one really makes a light bar for a 'Kick and I'd like to see what you wind up with. There was a rumbling on the 'Kick yahoo list in the spring about light bars, but I'd like to see what you come up with.

Terry

[mars_man]

Yes, I will do that. It would be tons easier making one for a solid roof (tintop). But with a removeable hardtop, it looks a little tricky. Lucy has one listed on her site for ONLY $59.99

That seems really inexpensive to me...

Saw one on driverFX.ca for almost $200.00

Later.

[Zukinator]

I agree with not having them on the roof, in front is much better, lower where you need it and not blinding for teh rest of the group.!!
But if you are going to go on the roof, something that might be easiest instead of fabing some big permanent thing that you might not want some time, get some kind of a roof rack that is solidly mounted on your roof and mount your lights to it, and make plug connectors.. so when you are running in areas where you don't want or need them, you can remove tehm easily.. and when you want tehm they are there.
Tim