Rigid Industries, Lightforce, VisionX, Projectors, etc...

[scottyb]

So I'm having a hard time deciding which lights to go with. I'm wanting some strong fog lights and am pretty set on the Rigid Industries Dually D2 ambers. At $379.99 they're pricey, but I think they will be worth it. From what i've read all over the internet, the Dually's leave more to be desired. The Dually D2s have 2600 lumens a piece, where the Duallys have 1300 lumens a piece (so half the light output in the same size package). I'm going to move my LED turn signals on my AOR bumper to the corner markers and weld a tab for the Dually D2's where the turn signals used to be. So I think I'm set for fogs.

Now I'd like to get people's opinions on offroad lights. All I do is rock crawling and exploring, so I don't think there's any need for extreme distance lights like a prerunner in the desert.

I'd like to go with the Lightforce incandescent 170's. They're 55 watts, cost about 260 online, but I couldn't get any information on the light output (in lumens) so it's hard to compare them. All is on lightforce's site is: LIGHT OUTPUT (12V) | 350 000 candela | 1 lux @ 650 m. This information is only about the intensity of the light at a certain distance, so it's not quite an apples to apples comparison.

The Lightforce 170 50 Watt HID's cost quite a bit more at about $600 a pair, but once again I couldn't find any actual light output numbers. I have read that they're pretty bad ass though.

Vision X has some awesome LED round lights with around 9000 lumens a piece and I'd probably get those if money was no object. They're about $600 per light though, so that's a little too steep for me.

The last option I could think was do an HID projector retrofit. In my opinion they look a little ricey, but I'm more concerned with light output and this would do it. I think Rickashay said his ran about $350 or so for the parts. My stock lights are terrible, so this would be a nice upgrade. I would get the benefits day to day driving, then I could just turn on the brights for wheeling instead of getting off road lights.

That was a little scatter-brained, but if anyone has experience with any of these lights or suggestions for rock crawling lights I'd like to hear your opinions.

 

[J-money$$$]

check out trail worthy fab. they have been buying led bars and selling them way cheaper than the others mentioned. they are from china I believe but are really nice still and 1/4 the cost. they have pods that looks like the rigid duallys and were cheaper

And there was a vendor on racedezert.com selling single stack bars cheap too. my buddy bought a 30" bar for $300 from the vendor and its really impressive

good luck, I have light force 170's with wide filters and they have been great.

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

I'll be getting a set of HID reto'd lights from rickashay and CANT WAIT! im so envious when new cars drive beside me and totally wash out my headlights lol. i beat google to death trying to figure out which auxiliary setup to go with. i read about ALL the led bars, hid's, and projector retrofits. i still want some crazy bright led's for my roof rack but the projector swap just makes more sense. they are super bright and can look pretty sweet with all the different options you have to choose from.

 

[Shibby!]

I agree. I don't like the look of projectors that much, but they are more function over form. I'm thinking about going that direction as well just to have light all the time.

Mine are downright bad. Half the time I'm not sure they are on unless it's really dark. haha. The BMW's and Lexus cars come by and I just start using their light while I drive =)

 

[GX4SEVEND]

I'm in the same boat. I'd love some D2's but I'm sorry, at $380 a pair they're just too steep a price for me. At that price there are a lot of other options and other things I can think of to spend that cash on.

 

[rickashay]

I'll be getting a set of HID reto'd lights from rickashay and CANT WAIT! im so envious when new cars drive beside me and totally wash out my headlights lol.

Yah you are!! Soon enough, you'll be the one with the bada$$ lights! I'm pretty stoked for the rack too:naughty:

OP - retrofits are great and really cant be beat for an all around lighting solution. The low beam is great on the trails because of the rediculous width you will gain with a projector. However, if your expecting the high beams of a projector retrofit to perform as good as a set of Lightforces in terms of distance, you will be disapointed. I think the best option is a combination that's tailored to what you use the rig for. My "perfect" setup is my LS460 retrofit, some small fogs in the bumper, and a +20" LED lightbar.

PS - if you buy some halogen Lightforces and later decide you want them HID, I know just the guy who can make that happen. Or if you want a set of projectors.... I also know a guy... hahahah

GL!

 

[scottyb]

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

J-money: Do you have any pictures of the lightforce 170's in action? They actually sound like a good option and then I could retrofit them with HIDs if I'm wanting more light. Also I took a look at those LED bars and it looks like they use 3 watt LEDs for their trail lights where Rigid Industries uses 10 watt LEDs so I'd imagine they would produce less light, but it still may be a good option. It would be nice to get a 30" bar and not have to sell my kidney.

Rickashay: Those retrofits are pretty BA as far as light output and width. I was driving on the highway last night and it feels like i have a piece of tin foil and a tea candle in each headlight. It's also good to know that the high beams still aren't as strong as a set of off road lights. I'm definitely thinking about doing the projector retrofit.

 

[theizzardking]

here we go with theizzardking again.....:lmao:

are our headlights really hat bad? it seemed back in 1999 that the head lights on our trucks were great and did what we needed them to well, i think it's only because in the last 5~8 years everyone seems to need headlights the temp of the sun to be able to drive anymore, i agree that we need an upgrade to the stocks because of this modern trend, as it makes it hard to see my beam when the guy coming at me and the guy right next to me are emitting beams that would melt peoples corneas if they stare to long .... my beams work just fine on the back country roads where other drivers aren't blinding me constantly and if not, that's what your high beams are for, driving around constantly putting out 30000000000000k of light in my face and across my path sucks and i hate it....that said I'll probably be doing the hid upgrade to the stockers just to combat this crap i hate as it's not the light my headlights are putting out that sucks it's the difference in light between mine and others and my eyes constantly trying to adjust to that difference that sucks....
:hiding:

offroad lighting is a completely different subject , that needs to be pure daylight due to constant obstacles coming at you and moving at speed, also task lighting...... i got my little 55 wat hid's at the local flaps for $78 a piece for $340 otd , i've heard good things about them , self contained ballasts , removable/replaceable poly-carb covers, simple wiring, 4 lights 3 wires through roof, you gotta provide your own relay though and make a harness...but for the price i can't really complain, i got 4 lights for the price of 2 of the other ones , also for $10 more light i could have gone with the 7 inch instead of the 4 but i choose the 4inch for style reasons mainly and price secondly as i think smaller looks better up top and the extra $40 is my relay and wiring paid for......

anyways is rickashay selling complete retro'd lights? or is that a deal you guys worked out? you guys know i can be a bit of a space cadet sometimes, lol, did i miss something somewhere? how much for the retro'd stockers?

 

[IanB]

I'm pretty sure Lightforces ship with no bulbs, so you have options of 55w, 100w, or HID from new. I went with the 100w, and even then you have the options of vertical or horizontal filaments (I can't remember what I have or what the difference is anymore), and I went with the yellow combo lenses, and they were great! I don't have them installed on the new truck yet, but I'm hoping to get it done before snow flies.

From the reading I've done, they can be retrofitted to HID fairly easily, I know Rickashay has done this with great results. They are a very high quality housing, that gives you plenty of options as far as light sources, and filter color/focus, you can't go wrong with the 170 Strikers IMO.

 

[J-money$$$]

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

J-money: Do you have any pictures of the lightforce 170's in action? They actually sound like a good option and then I could retrofit them with HIDs if I'm wanting more light. Also I took a look at those LED bars and it looks like they use 3 watt LEDs for their trail lights where Rigid Industries uses 10 watt LEDs so I'd imagine they would produce less light, but it still may be a good option. It would be nice to get a 30" bar and not have to sell my kidney.

Rickashay: Those retrofits are pretty BA as far as light output and width. I was driving on the highway last night and it feels like i have a piece of tin foil and a tea candle in each headlight. It's also good to know that the high beams still aren't as strong as a set of off road lights. I'm definitely thinking about doing the projector retrofit.

I am going wheeling tonight ill try and snap some pics. I had a set of hella 700 with a 55 watt HID kit in them and they were super bight, to the point i didn't like them. So i sold em off to get these LF 170s and have never wanted anything else. THe beam with the wide filters is great and if you have the spot filters they really throw down the road. Im impressed just with the halogen bulbs. And on a side note about light force, My buddy wrecked a set of 170's. I believe they hit something when he rolled his truck. Anyway, he sent them to LF and they warrantied the housings and sent him a bunch of new parts to fix them.

And as far as this light bars, Rigids are some of the best in the industry. But i have seen plenty of pics of the TWF ones and they are really bight.