driving light questions

[etlsport]

I've started the process of building a light rack for my roof basket... now the question is.. what kind of lights to put on it.. I'm thinking 6" will look best in front of the basket going to go with 4 and possibly two in the back.. after 5 stores im realizing this buying process is going to be much more involved than i thought... so im turning to my trusty VX fam with some questions

are hella/piaa/kc lights really worth it? they're so much more expensive than others.. but is there really that big a difference? any "generic" lights that are good? (pilot.. apc.. etc)
any specific features i should look for? (beam patterns, adjustment styles, power etc)
generally.. any recommendations to good lights that anyones had good experience with?
any ideas on how to run the wiring to the roof?

thanks guys!

[CoastieCosta567]

hey get on ebay and search for "off road fog lights" and there is a whole lot of lights to choose from, many are not that great quality but some are, and most of them come in pasks of like 2, 4, 5, or even six, they even have blue, green, yellow and clear lenses. when i get a chance i'm going to buy the pack that comes with the yellow lenses for the top. the yellow u can see better at night. the price range goes for like 30-70 bucks, thats all for those packs, but if u want really good stuff u are going to spend over 200 bucks, and if u really really want amazing stuff, u are going to spend more then 1000 bucks, but it's up to u how much u are really going to use those lights, i think the 60 dollor packs are good enough, but thats my openion.

[VehiGAZ]

In my pretty limited experience, the cheap lights just suck - weak light, sloppy patterns, poor mounting mechanisms. In my yout' I put driving lights on a couple of my cars, and it wasn't until I got a name-my-own-price deal on a set of high-end Carella (sp?) lights (I paid $25 instead of $150) did I understand the difference. I was never anywhere near happy with any of the cheap lights.

If you are going to do front-and-back lights, I would also suggest mounting one light on each side of the basket. I saw a big ol' K5 Blazer in Yosemite with that set-up, and WOW does it help light up your environs when you are camping or off-roading at night!

[etlsport]

costie.. yea i saw those kits there on ebay and was seriously considering them

vehigaz.. thanks for the input, thats about the response i figured id get, looks like ill have to buck up

anyone have any experience with these?
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM%2DG6288&N=700+4294925242+4294839017+4294922591+215+4294906 001+115&autoview=sku
in my experiences summit has had good products, and these are much better priced than piaa or kc..

[Chopper]

Lights and tires... cheap out on either, and you are making a mistake. Cruisin' Roosevelt Bvd., at 2am, lit up like a U.F.O. might be interesting. It is all about mount strength, filament durability and such; no impact concerns, with them top side and all. I'd look for wiring access under the roof rails. Drop the headliner, pull the rails, and get creative... or use the wing holes. Get the black urethane, goop type sealant. Don't use silicone on roof holes. It will eventualy leak. The stuff in the caulk type tube, from 3M is the shizzle. Let it squeeze out, then clean up the extra. p.s. don't over tighten the rail mounts... break that uv aged plastic, and you'll be cryin'... use lock-tite, not torque. Wayne

[etlsport]

thanks chopper! definately stuff i would have overlooked/not known, my lights should be getting here tonight or tomorrow.. went with the summit racing ones, ive never wired lights this big before so i wanted to make sure i had everything right.. heres my wiring diagram... the wire ive got is all 14ga

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/medium/wiring.jpg

this gonna blow anything up? haha

[etlsport]

bump.. lights were delivered.. so installation starts in t-minus 3.5 hours.. no feedback on the wiring?

[etlsport]

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/medium/lights_001.jpg

and holey crap they're bright... wiring through the engine bay is done, tomorrow wiring will be run up to the roof