Advice on driving lamps

[Ben_L]

I'm thinking of mounting driving lamps directly to the factory bumper on my 98 D1.
Any advice? Bad idea or good idea? Is there anything I should be careful about, besides drilling in the right place? Any opinions on the Hella Black Magic lamps?

Sorry for the multi-part question, but thanks for any help.

Ben

 

[Alyssa]

Every time I see someone do that, the lights end up looking floppy, and they definately look "stuck on."

 

[syoung]

I agree- they don't look good on the bumper. I added a used oem a-frame to hold my lamps until I get a new bumper, suggest that approach over mounting to the bumper.
Hella black magics are not all that great, but they have black plastic inserts that make the reflector look black when they're off. To me, big whoopie- don't do anything for me.
The Hella FF1000 is impressive- $100 at the car parts store, but $250 at a Rover parts place. Way better lamp than the more common Hella 500's. Ended up with oem Land Rover lamps from an 04 Rangie and they are quite good, but not worth the retail price.
FF1000's are the best bang for the buck by far.

 

[jmoore]

I'm with Steve, if your gonna do it, I would at a minimum buy the A frame bar. You have a nice vehicle, don't do it on the cheap. I run Hella 4000's and love them. They REALLY light up the road.

 

[kennith]

Hey man,

You want to mount them there, do it. If you think that will look good, than it's your perogative. The black magic Hellas do look pretty cool, but that is about it. If you like that look, than it's worth it. Shit, I have only two Hella 500s up front (the cheapest they make) and they are fine. A little extra light is all you need on the trail to help give you a good three dimentional visualization of what's to come. In all actuallity, you don't even NEED that, but you'll never hear the end of it if a yuppie with the off road package sees you on the trail without lights.

If you have the spare change, a used or new factory "A" frame will make life easier during the install, but don't bother springing for it if you might upgrade you're bumper in the future. Aside from that, it's all aesthetics. I have lights to use for work and to look cool. Off road at night, I don't need them at all. So get the ones you think look the best on your rig, and mount them how you see fit. You wont do any harm so long as you stay on the bumper.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[vabiro]

Ben,

I'm using the Hella 4000 Eurobeam on my '98. I also have an ABS A-bar that I think makes for a much more finished look than mounting directly on the bumper.

You can see it in my gallery (http://www.discoweb.org/victorbiro/index.htm)

You can get the A-bar at Atlantic British, on eBay, or from Padock Spares in the UK. I got mine from Padock for 99 pounds. AB and eBay are significantly more expensive.

The lights were US$245 with the Hella wiring harness.

I also upgraded to the 130 watt bulbs from Expedition Exchange. EE also has the Hella lights and a decent tutorial.

Victor

 

[campbell]

I have the 500's and am pretty pleased with them. Cheap too.
On a side note, if I did want to get more bang out of my 500's could I put a higher wattage bulb without risking a meltdown?

 

[vabiro]

campbell

You might be able to change bulbs, but don't forget to upgrade the wire, switches and any relays. I think the 500 has 55 watt bulbs, so upgrading to 100 watt would draw about twice as much current. If the harness isn't upgraded you may melt the wires and switches.

Further, the case on the lamp may not be upto the task. Too much heat in the lamp could cause it to break or melt.

Victor

 

[syoung]

Since the original question was about driving lamps, 100 watt off-road lamps wouldn't really be appropriate.
Hella 500's are legal for street use with the low beams, as are the FF1000's. They are quite bright even at 55 watts (legal limit for onroad) and aiming them properly is important. If you want off-road lamps, that opens up a WHOLE lot of possibilities.
I've seen used a-bars for $40 before... shop around. DAP has nice new ones cheap too.

 

[Ben_L]

Victor:

I caught the pictures in your gallery earlier today, looks good. I think I will go for the ABS A-bar, it has a clean look to it and it doesn't seem to protrude much. What was the shipping like from the UK?


Steve:

Thanks for the heads up on the Black Magic lamps. I need to decide if driving lamps or off road lamps are the way to go. What do you think of IPF Super Rallyes?


Thanks!

 

[cmondieyoung]

What are your winch mounting options for the OEM A-bar?

I like the look, but there doesn't seem to be many winch-mounting options other than the OEM winch tray (rock magnet?). Are the DAP winch mounts compatible?

Me and the ol' lady have had a few to drink, so I don't feel like researching. My toast now is to instant gratification...

 

[CaptainSpalding]

Victor:
. . .Thanks for the heads up on the Black Magic lamps. I need to decide if driving lamps or off road lamps are the way to go. . .
Thanks!

If you want them for the street, at high speed, you want a narrow beam. On the trail, at a slower speed, a wider beam. In Hella terms, Pencil Beam=narrowest, Euro Beam= middle of the road, Cornering=widest.

Black Magic lamps, I believe, come only in a narrow beam, as the term "driving lights" normally implies. They have a plastic shell, and are IMHO bling bling for boy racers. Not that bling is bad. It's just different for boy racers and off-roaders. 'Off road bling' increases capability first, cool factor as a side effect. 'Boy racer bling' stresses the look first and the function second, again, IMHO.

For bumper height, my preference is the Hella Rallye 4000 cornering. If you mount them on a roof rack, then a combo of cornering and Euro Beam can be quite effective, properly aimed. Lights up the world.

I agree with Vabrio's earlier post that indicated that mounting right to the bumper looks unfinished. Even mounting them on a simple tube with some appropriately placed brackets to bolt to the bumper looks better than a direct bumper bolt on. Makes R&Ring them after you mangle them alot easier too.

- Spalding

 

[RoverDisco98]

Alternate

Just within the last few days I spotted an ad for a light bar for the Disco. Sort of a chrome tube that mounted above the bumper. It looked good and was less expensive than an A bar. Has anyone else seen this? I'll try to find the ad abd post a link.

Frank

 

[vabiro]

Ben,

The total with shipping and taxes from the UK was about C$300, or US$250. Your mileage may vary.

Something I forgot to mention about the Hella 4000 and the front bumper. The lamps are actually fairly deep (~4-5" front to back). As a result, you couldn't just mount them directly to the top of the bumper or ABS Bar because they would bump against the grille.

I ended up fabricating a couple of brackets with 3 holes in them. Two bolts were fastened to the A-bar and the remaining hole was used for the lamp.

Craig,

Regarding winch mounts, I have purchased the DAP/Bearmach Discreete mount which has the fairlead coming out just below the bumper. It is inboard of the front bumper, so it doesn't impact the approach angle, but isn't easy to access for unlocking for free-spooling and winding onto the drum. I will probably switch to a synthetic line ASAP.

Victor

 

[syoung]

IPF lamps used to be great- they seem to have outsourced their manufacturing in the last few years or something... they just don't look and perform as good as they used to. Maybe it's just the ones I've seen.

www.rallylights.com is where I purchased most of my stuff- best prices around and customer support is perfect.