Let there be light

Gnarvan · 02-22-2012, 08:36 AM

The UPS man was very good to me yesterday. Now I need to get serious about pulling wires through the firewall and drilling more holes in my new bumper

**BroncoHauler** · 02-22-2012, 09:15 AM

I'd recommend getting some clear stone shields for those nice lights, but if you do, don't leave the lights on for a long period of time with the vehicle not moving because the lights get hot, and the plastic stone shields trap the heat and can scorch/melt. Still better than having a rock take out one of those lights though.

Had one for each of the Hella HIDs that were on my SMB.

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=1726

Herb

Gnarvan · 02-22-2012, 09:30 AM

Herb

I'm a little unsure where to mount the two side lights. Did you have any issues with opening your winch compartment with the lights mounted on your bumper? I just looked at the picture of your SMB and it looks like you mounted the lights as far back and to the outside as possible.

I do have the acrylic stone shields. Will didn't mention anything about heat being a problem. Did you melt one?

**BroncoHauler** · 02-22-2012, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnarvan

Herb

I'm a little unsure where to mount the two side lights. Did you have any issues with opening your winch compartment with the lights mounted on your bumper? I just looked at the picture of your SMB and it looks like you mounted the lights as far back and to the outside as possible.

I do have the acrylic stone shields. Will didn't mention anything about heat being a problem. Did you melt one?

John,

The Hellas were already mounted on the bumper when I bought the SMB. The center one provided the most interference with opening the bumper compartment, but the other two cleared with no problem.

Regarding the stone shields, I scorched on on the smaller Hella driving lights in the bumper. Accidently turned on the light exiting the van, and didn't notice for a while.

Herb

Gnarvan · 02-22-2012, 09:43 AM

The center light mount that Kenny at Aluminess made keeps the center light out of the way of the winch lid. These Hellas are the 4000i internal ballast HID's. I think the housing may be a little deeper than what I'm guessing are the 4000 HID's on your SMB.

Did your side lights have shims under them to raise them up so the lid would open?

**macmcintire** · 02-22-2012, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnarvan

Herb

I'm a little unsure where to mount the two side lights. Did you have any issues with opening your winch compartment with the lights mounted on your bumper? I just looked at the picture of your SMB and it looks like you mounted the lights as far back and to the outside as possible.

I do have the acrylic stone shields. Will didn't mention anything about heat being a problem. Did you melt one?

Here are some pictures showing the placement of the Hella lights. They do not get in the way of the winch opening:

My rig:

JFB's rig:

**rionapo** · 02-22-2012, 09:58 AM

Slightly off topic, I have a question about the Hella 500 Fog lights we put in our SMB. I thought they'd be brighter than they are and just want to confirm that they aren't. When driving with the headlamps on, I cannot see any difference with the Hellas on or off. When the headlamps are off, I can see the Hellas. Is that how it should be? Does that mean they are only used for low light conditions (i.e., fog) without the headlamps? How do they compare with the driving lights or are they the same creature with a different name?

Thanks.

**macmcintire** · 02-22-2012, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rionapo

Slightly off topic, I have a question about the Hella 500 Fog lights we put in our SMB. I thought they'd be brighter than they are and just want to confirm that they aren't. When driving with the headlamps on, I cannot see any difference with the Hellas on or off. When the headlamps are off, I can see the Hellas. Is that how it should be? Does that mean they are only used for low light conditions (i.e., fog) without the headlamps? How do they compare with the driving lights or are they the same creature with a different name?

Thanks.

Great question. Mine are the same way. There isn't a lot of difference when my bright headlights are on and the Hellas are on at the same time. Had I known, I would have saved the money and installed LEDs instead.

Gnarvan · 02-22-2012, 10:25 AM

There is a newer version of the Hella 500 fog light. It's the Hella 500FF for free form reflector. It uses the reflector to aim the light instead of the lens. You loose some light when you use the lens as the aiming mechanism. The 500 FF's are something like 30-40% brighter. You can also upgrade the wattage of the bulb you run. I think they come stock with a 55w bulb. You can go up to 130W (I think) I've changed the bulbs in my 500FF's to the Yellow Star 100w bulb. I haven't wired them up so I don't have a report on how bright or not bright they are. I have some spare 100W H3 bulbs on standby if I don't like the yellow. You can see the free form reflectors in both the 500FF's and the 4000i's in the attached picture. Yes the fog light is a different light than the driving light. If you want bright lights get a different light. Fog lights are designed to keep the light pattern in low and close so they don't reflect a lot of light back in your eyes while driving in fog.

Back to the 4000i's

The housing on the 4000i is a little bigger than the Rallye 1000 lights. Here is a picture of my install. This picture has the side lights just aft of the plane of the center light and shimmed up 3/8". The winch door is going to be a problem if I put the lights where I want them. I'll probably have to move the side lights as far back and to the outside of the winch box lid as I can. Using a 3/8" shim will make the mounting bolt that comes with the light just a little to short to work. Since it's a specialized square head bolt that fits into the light housing replacing it with a longer one could be an issue.

Still trying to figure this out......any suggestions?

PS....I'm also running Hella E-beam replacement headlights with 100/55W bulbs as my normal headlights. Please don't tell Johnny Law as these are for off road use only. I've been running them this way for close to 6 months now and never get flashed. It's all about having your lights aimed properly

**rionapo** · 02-22-2012, 10:37 AM

Thanks for the replies. I'll check on the bulbs--I'd hoped the Hellas would provide better low-level lights for back country roads. Probably not up for a new light so soon after buying the originals.