How many spotlights before it's overkill on a 4X4

[RealNick]

Hi all,

2 spotlights on 4x4 is pretty standard I guess, I see guys driving around now and then though with 2 spotlights and an LED bar, or two bars.

Once in a while you see the blokes with 6 spotlights or 2 lights and 2 bars.

Really is there any advantage in the slightest for this? Modern lights are bloody bright!

How much more light can you need really.

Is there anything at all being gained for having 4 or 6 lights, or is it just blokes getting carried away with their toys would you say?

[AusTac]

Nothing really gained, some mates have have 4 massive light bars and a bunch of spotties and yeah it lights up the bush like day time but so do my led housings and single light bar, you get what you pay for as well, blokes just get a little carried away as you said

[Noisydad]

These days it’s pretty easy to drive 2 hours at night on country highways and not get your lights on high beam at all due to so much oncoming traffic I’m wondering if any additional lighting is worth the effort.

[Bigjobss]

These days it’s pretty easy to drive 2 hours at night on country highways and not get your lights on high beam at all due to so much oncoming traffic I’m wondering if any additional lighting is worth the effort.

I tend to agree, my 9" spotties seem to get used most when a "hazard" cuts me off...
However in a paddock or an isolated track where you are avoding obstacles I would hate to drive without them.

[pete1]

I have one 30 inch on front, lights up everything. wouldn't even bother with extra lights. think lots of people do it cause it looks good.
Know a bloke has so many lights his alternater cant keep up and starts to use battery power, after 30min all lights start to dim.

[brett1868]

Often the lights are different types...I run a pair of lights, 1 is pencil beam for distance and the other more a flood light. There's also a pair of light bars, a small 28" on the bulbar to stun the project managers and a massive 50" on the roof to melt the bastards retinas so I can run them over.

[JimTom]

I only have one pair of spotties on the bullbar and they seem to do the trick most of the time.
In saying that I have been toying with the idea of chucking on a light bar as well.
Each to their own but I think anymore than that is a bit of an overkill.
Just my humble opinion.

[Member-Deleted]

I have HID's in the high beam and two HID spotties, these light up the road and stun roos so generally if they are sitting, they stay put, the down side is the reflection off big road signs, especially on long straight roads in the Territory, where the glare is annoying a long way off.

[Homer]

G'Day Fella's,

RealNick, I'm not sure what others consider enough but this is my present set-up.

DSCN2470.JPG (1.12 MiB) Viewed 14185 times

Thats 3 x Cibie Oscar driving lights (1 x Spot, 1 x Fog and 1 x Flood, as viewed above) and a 24" 888 brand, LED light bar.
The driving lights and the light bar are on seperate circuits and switches, with a twin 30+30 Amp fused relay.
Works for me.

Hope that helps

D'oh!
Homer

[Daddybang]

These days it’s pretty easy to drive 2 hours at night on country highways and not get your lights on high beam at all due to so much oncoming traffic I’m wondering if any additional lighting is worth the effort.

I'm pretty happy my part of the world hasn't got that populated yet!!
I reckon there's a bit of "look at me" factor in some of the setups I see but if they can afford it good luck to them. ...as long as they remember to dip the f@#kin things!!!

[brett1868]

Here's the front of the Rattler....

IMG_4309.jpg (162.73 KiB) Viewed 14146 times

[Wes]

I was looking at the Bushrangers, how do you rate them, Brett?

[pete1]

Here's the front of the Rattler....

IMG_4309.jpg

Why do you call it the rattler?

[Rod_outbak]

RealNick,

Most states have a maximum of 4 auxiliary driving lights, and a light-bar is counted as a single light (regardless of how many emitters in it).

I reckon 2 good long-distance spots down the centre of the road, and either 2 floods for the immediate area in front of the car, or a single light-bar doing the same job.
I have a similar setup on my ute to this, and I find it a lot less tiring when driving at night.

Our work-ute has a pair of Rallye 4000 halogens; 1 flood and 1 spot. My overseer swears by it, but I'd prefer an extra light or two for my aged eyes.

Too much light starts to overload the road signs, which isnt too problematic when you are driving on your home turf, but annoying/tiring when travelling unknown highways.

[brett1868]

I was looking at the Bushrangers, how do you rate them, Brett?

I like them mainly because they offer plenty of light and don't cost a fortune. The bar light on the roof rack throws a nasty amount of glare onto the windscreen but I don't use it for driving, it's there for lighting the ground in front of the vehicle when setting up camp.

[brett1868]

Here's the front of the Rattler....

IMG_4309.jpg

Why do you call it the rattler?

It's a funny but true story....A month after buying the Ranger new I was up the bush driving along the fence line whilst chatting to the missus on handsfree. Here I was minding my own business when over in the long grass I spotted the distinctive head shape of an Eastern Grey Giant Bunny. I asked the missus to hold for a second, powered down the passenger side window and introduced the head to 32grs of Hornady V-MAX flavoured .204 resulting in red mist. It was within a nanosecond of the red mist eruption that I painfully realised that firing a .204 inside a vehicle with only 1 window open wasn't a good idea as both my eardrums went to war with my brain for being so stupid. As 1 head disappeared into red mist, several others popped up to complain about my bad language and in my rush to make further introductions I rapidly cycled the action on the Sako, much to the disbelief of my eardrums. The spent casing flew out of the action almost in slow motion where I witnessed it hit the windscreen, then the dash, then the windscreen again before disappearing down the demister vent. Almost 2 years have passed and despite many attempts I have been unable to retrieve the case, to this day it rattles every time I accelerate, brake or go round a corner. It's a constant reminder of a brief moment of stupidity and that's why I call the Ranger "The Rattler".

[JimTom]

That’s gold mate. Much laughing whilst reading that.

[sungazer]

At least the round made it out the window. more than one bloke has aimed through a scope not realizing the barrel is 2 inches below the scope. I have seen a few holed bonnets.

[brett1868]

At least the round made it out the window. more than one bloke has aimed through a scope not realizing the barrel is 2 inches below the scope. I have seen a few holed bonnets.

I broke a tail light and 7 out of 8 filaments shooting the M99 from the tailgate last year, I'm blaming brother Bentaz for that

[Tiger650]

Brass case you can forget fishing it out with a magnet LOL.
My Missus asked me what I was smiling for, I described your "rattler" post and she reckons you were crazy for shooting out the passenger side window with your missus in the passenger seat !!!!!
And they reckon we do not listen.
We don't but that's beside the point.

[perentie]

At least the round made it out the window. more than one bloke has aimed through a scope not realizing the barrel is 2 inches below the scope. I have seen a few holed bonnets.

And Chronys

[Blr243]

I paid approximately 1350 for a pair of high quality led lights. Later I purchased for the same money a pair of lightfoce hid/ led combos .....if I’m doing a big long trip at night I might go to the trouble of fitting the latter pair to the top of my roof racks. But the extra lights up there does not give me twice as much light on the road. It’s probably about 30 per r cent brighter. I have noticed that as I’m getting older I need all the light I can get. It does not at all seem overkill. But young eyes I think should need no more than one decent pair ........a light bar on the top of bull bar is 99 per cent safe from roo strikes but 95 per cent of light bars throw pathetic amount of light

[geoff]

A lot of the time I reckon they're compensating. The market is flooded these days with lights that aren't up to scratch for running by thenselves. So you Chuck 6 of em on to do the same job.....suddenly those Chinese LED's aren't so cheap when you need 3 sets.

I run the fyrlyt Nemesis 9000 lights with the 24v step up convertors and will never look back. This is my 2kd set (as I sold the last vehicle with them on) and will sing their praise to anyone who will listen. And even those who don't. Their spin about the colour being reflected back true to life is pretty legit I reckon.

[TassieTiger]

The amount of people who visit my local radio commutations supplier asking for broken "broom" antennas is insane...all about the looks.

[Am88]

I have 2 good quality, expensive Great White 9" lights, that is all, and those 2 lights beat the hell out of sh!tty cheap kings or whoever lightbar combos or the ebay specials people buy 6 to hang off the roof rack and bullbar posts and in the grill and anywhere else they can block off air flow.

As said it's all about compensation, campfire talk, Same with 2 way airiels, if they actually had a clue and looked up the specifications on how the things work, but nah nah, bigger the better.

[KMA]

One on the roof & one headlight works on low beam.

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[Bourt]

That thing has seen some miles