light the way...

[tappethead]

hi again guys and gals,
iv had a read up of one of the other threads where some of the members have had a bit of a comparison/write up with tire brands and sizes that they have had direct experience with (very helpful and interesting)
my question to the masses is this...
what would your experiences be with aux lighting. driving/spot lights etc.
as our troll at some stage previous to our ownership has been fitted with additional driving lights ipf.
one of the lights has been damaged by a stone and the hunt for replacement parts/lights begun.
so many choices so many brands.
can anyone recommend value for money/brand/build quality/technology(hellogen/h.i.d) etc
are there brands to stay away from and brands to insist on?
thanking you all for the advice past/present and future...

[YNOT]

Check this thread for info on spotlights, lots of different opinions and experience.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?464-HID-s&highlight=lights

Tony

[Finly Owner]

Spottie much depend on what you intend to use them for and how often. One of my thoughts is, remember you need airflow to the radiator past your spotties. Too big may block air. Too little may not give you enough light. HID are definately bright but still not cheap, although kits are becoming cheaper and easier to install.

I personally still prefer Halogen type spotties and have cibies on my Finly.

Tim

[YNOT]

Once you've experienced HID's there's just no going back to halogen.
Tim makes a very valid point about big spotties reducing air flow to the radiator. But a small pair of HID lights will put out more light than a big pair of halogens. In my case I have a small pair of Narva ultima 175's converted to HID (55w) on my van that put out more light than the big Hella Rallye 2000 halogens on my fourby. The Hella's will be getting converted to HID soon.

Tony

[Finly Owner]

Once you've experienced HID's there's just no going back to halogen.
Tim makes a very valid point about big spotties reducing air flow to the radiator. But a small pair of HID lights will put out more light than a big pair of halogens. In my case I have a small pair of Narva ultima 175's converted to HID (55w) on my van that put out more light than the big Hella Rallye 2000 halogens on my fourby. The Hella's will be getting converted to HID soon.

Tony

See Mark from Ashdown as he had some nice HID kits that fitted to back of lights on special last week. I have his ph.no.

[tappethead]

ok thanks for that sounds like h.i.d is the more popular choice, another question i should have asked is that when you convert std type halogen lights to hid with the extra brightness of the hid lights does this introduce extra heat to the extent of them burning the reflector and or lenses?
as for use in my case, they would be used for on highway driving which i should be able to use a medium size hid type of light.
and hopefully not restricting too much airflow and cheaper.

[YNOT]

Because HID's do not have a filament, they run a lot cooler the halogen bulbs, so your reflectors will be safe.

HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights use a ballast to step up voltage from 12 volts to something like 55,000 volts. This voltage is required to create an arc through a bulb of zenon gas, causing the gas to ignite. The make up of the zenon gases determines the colour of the light. Do some research about colour (displayed in Kelvin or "k"). The most popular colour is 4300k, but this won't suit everyone.

Tony

[mackayboi]

Great info about lights.
My Nissan Patrol GQ lights are so dim compared to other vehicles, that it is a driving hazard for me.
My father's Patrol 2006 model has far superior lighting...

My question is this, what options do I have to make the lighting brighter, (Low and High Beams).

Thanks

[YNOT]

First thing to do is install a headlight loom with relays and bigger wires than standard.
For the headlights themselves the legal option is to fit Hella or Narva semi sealed inserts (that's the lens/reflector part) and fit them with +50 or +80 H4 bulbs. The not so legal option is to fit HID bulbs.

Some good information in this thread; http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?2314-Headlights-for-GQ

Tony