Aux. Lights (fog and driving)

[mws]

I want to get a couple sets of lights and would appreciate leads on the well made, well focused high quality stuff I should be looking for. I am NOT looking for blinged out purple/blue/ultra white blue beam crap - which seems to be 90% of what I can find these days. I want pure lighting function, and lots of it! I have not shopped for lights for a decade or so, so I do not know who is making the good stuff anymore. And I would prefer non-Chinese made for moral issues.

 

I see Greg just got some new PIAA's. Hella used to make some nice stuff. KC's were wildly popular for a while, but I never knew how well they actually worked...

 

So, for those of you in the know, what brands and models would you recommend?

 

1) Off road lights for the Pathy to be mounted on roof rack. Good, efficient lights for lighting up the trail ahead when off-roading at night at a "slow to conservative to maybe moderate" pace. I DON'T need or want racer style ultra focused pencil beams to light up 2 miles ahead when bombing at 85 mph, just something to really light up the trail for a couple/few hundred yards - something to reriously supplement the stock headlights from up high. I will be adding a Quest alternator, so I believe I can get away with 100 watt bulbs. I already have fog lights that I re-aim out and down to light up the edge of the trail and ruts. I wish I could afford HID, but I can't. Prefer under $150 for a set if possible.

 

2) Fog lights for our tow van. Something that really lights up a broad swath for about 10-50 feet out. We get some serious tule fog here! I've tried a couple brands of lights (not cheap ones, either), but the focus flat sucked. Not enough focus up and down, and too much side to side. I need something that emits a "slot" of light for the soupy 20' visibility stuff - very tight vertical focus so there is no glare. One set I tried turned out to be a "bluish" light, which I've learned is especially horrid in the fog. Prob 55 watt, but I have a 170 amp alternator so more is OK.

 

TIA!

[jj big shoe]

I don't have anything to compare them to, but the Pro Comp lights I'm using seem to be pretty good. I have two 55w floods on the front and four 100w spots on the light bar. They're a good light for the money, I think. Check them out at Summitracing.com.

For super cool, indestructo-type lighting, check out Lightforce lights. Tough as nails with lotsa cool features, but you'll pay out the nose for 'em.

[88pathoffroad]

PIAA, LightForce, Hella, KC, and Pro Comp all make great lights. I've run 700+ watts of lighting at once with my Quest alternator and it's still working great.

 

2 x 130W PIAA fogs

2 x 100W PIAA drivings

3 x 55W cheap-ass HF lights underneath

2 x 55W PIAA roof lights

 

All the PIAA lights I've ever owned have worked flawlessly and brightly. I hear lots of good things about the LightForce lights, too. They have changeable unbreakable colored lenses, come with clear rock guards and are focusable from flood to spot. Now there's a bonus for you, Martin!

[GrimGreg]

A good cheap alternative are Blazer brand, they are pretty much just plain jane.

 

I have thesePro Comp 4x6 Driving lights on my 88s bumper, very good for the price.

[statikuz]

my lights up top are the PIAA 520 smr variety (55w) , spendy but they work really well, just make sure they're mounted far enough forward that the light doesn't flood down your windshield, it kinda does for me, and the lights are more like long distance kind. the ones on my prerunner bar are pro comp 100w, much cheaper and i like them actually better... they really brighten up the area in front of the truck, the stuff that you're more worried about than the stuff 200 ft. away.

[Mr. Pickles]

I've got 2 55 watt (I think) PIAA driving lights on the roof that are great, about $60 on eBay. Had some older Hella fogs on the bumper that were great till I killed them on the trail due to a poor mount. But from what you're describing, you're not after fogs up there anyways, but actually driving lights since you mentioned that you don't want the wide fog light pattern. I've also had decent enough results with Pilot's for really cheap lights.

[mws]

Thanks for all the input!

 

So I take it what I'd be looking for are "driving lights", right? And a "spot light" would have very limited appeal to me?

 

Glad to hear PIAA is still making good stuff!

 

While checking out the Pro Comps at Summit, I see they offer their private labeled "Summit" lights. Any comments on those? Very attractive prices, so I gotta ask. I have used some Summit labeled stuff that was quite good - appeared to be manufactured by the same folks as the "name brand" parts, but with Summit labels and about 20%+ less cost.