Thread: Driving light suggestions for a D3

Well I'll declare my bias:

Lightforce: Australian designed and modern materials (Polycarbonate)

However with the D3 I pose a few questions:

1. What is wrong with the existing lights so why add more?
2. How far do you need to see?
3. How can you be true to the Designers' aesthetic? (the D3 seems to be "closed architecture" when it comes to accessories). There is the ultimate challenge.

Hi Mahn, not wrong about “Closed Construction” but I am not all that impressed with the existing D3 lights.

Don’t get me wrong, the lights are better than average but I’ve been spoilt by all the lights I run on the RR so I’m out to do a minimal improvement and that means working out how to wire driving lights to the D3 and how to mount them with as little, if any alterations ( no drilling holes ) as possible.

One thing though, at this stage with only a small amount of use I do not like the HID lights. Although quite bright, that is the problem, there is a very distinct cut-off line and this has a very bad effect on on coming vehicles.

Cheers

Lightforce all the way. Australian made, bright as all bejesus and both light and strong. I have RM170s, but the RM140s would be ok too. I decided to got the 170s because there was room for them, and while the bigger RM240s would be brighter again the frontal area was just too big and I was nervous about cooling problems with them fitted. I am VERY happy with them.

240XGTs would look a little better I am sure, but they cannot be focussed and cost a heap more.

I can source lights and filters through work if you like (not the 240XGTs though), so feel free to PM me.

Cheers,

Mike

Hi MacMan, I’ve PMed you and I’ve also been reading a few posts here and on other web sites and the Lightforce seem to have a good reputation as compered to similar lights plus I like to support Australian made, so I’ll go and have a look at them at Super Cheap to day and see both what the look like and how much they are.

I also want to see how they mount and I’ll be looking at what else is available.

Cheers

what about a bulb replacement first??

are they that bad you need another couple of hundred watts??

Hi pedro, as I posted, the lights on the D3 are better than average but for more than 30 years, because of preferring night driving, I have always run heaps of driving lights, 6 to 8 additional lights at a time and I like the comfort and stress reduction that comes with the extra light.

The problem is that the wife has made it quite clear that there is to be no permanent modifications, I.E. <span style="color:red">NO DRILLING HOLES.</span>

I’m looking at all options including roof mounts ( in my dreams ) and I will most likely be replacing any globes that come with whatever driving lights I get with Philips Crystal Vision 55w globes.

I’ve been running 10 of these philips globe on the RR for the last 2 years and only two weeks ago I replaced the first blown globe, which is not too bad considering the amount of night driving I do.

Cheers.

I hear what you said about the HIDs, but if you're not drilling / modifying too much, then I guess you're down to a single battery system. You've already said that you do a lot of night driving, and are used to having lots of light.

Depending on what your budget can extend to, have a look at the Hella Predator HIDs, and reconsider the HID idea. They only run at 35W ea, which is pretty low power consumption, but the beam lights up for 1,000 meters and from memory the spread for about 700m.

I looked at them awhile ago, but I was scared off by the price (the best price I got, which was wholesale from a Hella sales rep, was $900 per light 8O :!: :!: ) I decided to keep the old Cibies on the Rangie, and the SIII has QH 100W Hi Beams, so it's not going to outrun it's light.

Hello drivesafe

I have Lightforce 170's on the Subaru and they work great. And They're as tough as! I hit a six foot tall 'roo a couple of years back; smashed up the front end ( didn't have a bar!), but the 170's were still intact and could be transferred straight onto the new front end!

Do you have the Landrover nudge bar?? If so you can get brackets to mount the lights from underneath the top rail.

You can also get brackets that fit to the top of the bumper if you don't have the bar.

What I don't know is if you can use the LR brackets as a base to make up a setup like MacMan has.

But I know what you mean about the lights, I've got the active cornering Xenon lights on my D3. The spread is fantastic, but the reach at night on country roads is not that flash. I'm getting an ARB bar and winch fitted in early Jan and am having a set of IPF Extremes fitted at the same time, both as spots. If they don't come up to scratch, I'll sell them and put on a set of Lightforce.

Happy New Year. James