I like talking about stuff like these. What is your opinion of putting rally lights on a street-driven car?

Is it ricey?
Is it stupid?
Is it awesome but stupid?
Is it flat-out awesome?

I've done several cardboard cutouts...




The last one is my personal favorite!

Discuss

First or last - #2 justl ooks bad....

It all comes down to the lights you choose to buy and how you mount them. If done nicely it will look great and not "ricey" - if done poorly, well - you can guess.

I think it could look great and you already have the right size light in mind. There is an Evo around here that is running some lights that are about 10 inches in diameter. Im sure they work great, but they are just too big to look good on that front end.

The only thing I don't like about them on a car is when they stick out really far forward. If you could somehow integrate them into the bumper on the first picture.....

I agree. I think when it sticks too far out, it just ruins the lines and the purpose. Kinda like Madonna's thingy back in the 1980s...

I think if I use low-profile lights, I might be able to mount them closely. Maybe after I get the car fixed once again (body damage for those not in the know)

I just don't see the purpose of them. I haven't been disappointed with the light output of any of my Saabs. I really like the understated and clean neutral look of the <=2006 9-3 and your Aero front spoiler and blacked out chrome looks great.

I think small rectangular lights would look much better. Round lights would not go with the flow of the car at all.

I like the third option myself.. but then again I'm a bit biased when it comes to lights.



Also, do you plan on doing driving lights (HELLA 500/500FF) or fogs? If you go for fogs mount them below the bumper, but be prepared to lose a lens or five. I opted for driving lights because the output on both of my c900's is dismal at best and the mounting above the bumper provides a great beam and they don't break them if someone looks at them funny.

I commute 100 miles a day and it's through hardcore deer country and I thought it would be nice to have strong foglights or driving lights that can really shine up the road ahead. The foglights on the car is a joke. I've thought about upgrading the high beams to HIR lights too. I've heard these bulbs are much stronger (brighter)

Of course there are some plus and minus to everything. Let me get my negative statement out of the way and if someone can steer me right I will stand corrected since my information is old.

Fogs don't work and never really have. I remember tests by Car $ Driver and R&T tring to find fogs that actually worked in fog and the best they did was a foot here and there. I have never seen any objective test that said one really was worth the money? I hope one of you can point me in the right direction with this.

Driving lights are nice and where I live they are more for spotting deer that are a major problem. Actually the lamps on the 08 Aero I guess are the HID and those are indeed the best stock lamps I have ever had but still (and part of it is), getting older I have been thinking about driving lamps and kind of decided on the Hella Black Magic in the smaller of the series.

Mounting is a problem. I would not want to put them by any intake and block air. The 6 cylinder is air deprived enough already. There is one bracket on the market that mounts to the license plate points and has potential; it's called the Carr Light Wing and though it looks like more of and SUV product is may be practical since it looks like it moves the lights apart but not in the way of an intake.

I would go with the third option, assuming driving lights and not fogs. I have Hella 500FF's, myself.

Are the Hellas pretty bright? It seems that you're mandated to have the light covers on? People keep telling me that.

Lights are as bright as the bulbs you put in them. I used to run Lucas Flamethrowers and the joke was not to singe the bushes on the side of the road; I think they were 100.000 candlepower rated. I like that method to measure.

Hmmmm? I am going to have to ask the fellow in the accessories shop about covers.

When you go on the Hella site there is a mention of covers and off road only.

However, if you look at the specs for the different lights for instance, look at the Black Magic series, you will note that some are DOT approved and that seems to be done by the bulb you put in. I think it was 55w are DOT and others are not.

Check the Hella site itself. Blue or white 12v55w are listed as DOT/SAE approved but the yellow bulbs are flagged as off road.

Tunnan, did you ever go about getting the lights that you and I where talking about?

Originally Posted by PRD2BDF

Are the Hellas pretty bright? It seems that you're mandated to have the light covers on? People keep telling me that.

Brightness also depends on which model you choose (since they throw different beam patterns) and how you aim them. I run the Hella 700ff on my truck and couldnt be happier. You just need to be really considerate of other drivers since these lights will shine a couple hundred feet down the road.

Where I live, they dont really care about covers. I never have them on. I also have wired the lights to the high beam and on a seperate switch, so I can choose to have them on or not and either way they are not lit with the low beams on.

No more than 2 lamps of 55w DOT/SAE

more than 12" but no more than 42" from the ground level

shall not be aimed at oncoming traffic

must be white or yellow

NJ Motor Vehicle Code 39: 3.51 thru 3: 3,53

Before you call you local SP just check the statute number so they can grab the book and look it up for you.

So, my read on this is that blue are not allowed however that is arguable since they have an SAE rating but according to Hella, yellow don't. Nice "catch 22" eh? So basically aim them as you would conventional lamps. The officers first comment when I mentioned 55w is that is a conventional beam. He did mention citing "KC" off the top as needing covers. Hmmmmm. There must be KC's that are 55w.

I have a feeling that this call will be the subject of "refresher training" at roll call this afternoon. I mentioned keeping a copy of the product literature (55w SAE/DOT) in the manual with the statute number and he agreed this was a good idea. Probably the average road trooper does not remember the allowably number and wattage.

I have in the past (on a 1986 900) had Hella spots with adjustment struts. But now that I have some Hella Jumbos on my 2001 9-3, to compensate for the useless headlights, I cannot find the struts. Anyone got a supplier?