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Driving light ?


alan0043

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Hi Everyone,

 

I would like to add driving lights to my first gen Volvo. The truck already has fog lights. Where is the best placement in the front valance ? To you place the driving lights more to the inside or the outside. Where is the best placement if you have driving lights and fog lights together ?

 

The lights that I am looking at is the Hella 450. I can not go over 6 1/2" wide. Does anyone have any thoughts on these lights ? If there are other lights that you like out there, please post the name.

 

Please post your thoughts,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Guest Lostinaz

My thought would be that the Hella 450 uses an H3 55Watt halogen bulb.

I would definitely research LEDs.

The are whiter and brighter and use less juice for more light.

A 36 Watt LED is way brighter, and a 45 Watt LED would blow those Hellas away in light output.

Just my thought.

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My thought would be that the Hella 450 uses an H3 55Watt halogen bulb.

I would definitely research LEDs.

The are whiter and brighter and use less juice for more light.

A 36 Watt LED is way brighter, and a 45 Watt LED would blow those Hellas away in light output.

Just my thought.

Lostinaz,

 

I was thinking the same thing about LED's. I wish I could find some LED's like yours in a size of 4"x6"or 6 1/2" but I have not had any luck yet. My front valance will only accept 4"x6"or 6 1/2". Have you seen LED's in the size that I need ?

 

Thanks for your help,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Guest Lostinaz

I have these on my Ranger. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ESYH8WM/ref=mp_s_a_1_58?qid=1419727025&sr=8-58π=AC_SY200_QL40

Not as good as the SuperBrightLED ones on my KW, but less than half the price, and still a claim of 36 watt. I wish they had LEDs when I was younger.

As far as not being able to use driving lights legally, I have always had something similar, I just don't have them on when there is oncoming traffic.

Mostly for late at night watching for animals or finding a place to park .

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Usually fog lights are mounted low and wide, driving lights inside of the fog lights, mine are all in the openings in the bumper and tied to the dimmer switch with a master switch if I don't want them on.

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Bob has it right, low and wide for the fogs. Driving can be anywhere, actually the higher the better.

 

Take a look at the cabovers in Europe sometime, most of them have a light bar over the cab with enough lights to light up the road like daylight. A lot of nighttime travel there due to congestion. Higher are also better protected from flying rocks and such.

 

Anyhow, for the Volvo bumper mounts, fogs on the outside, driving on the inside.

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You have to decide between "effective" and "aesthetic". As Dennis said, higher is better. Look at all the off-road race guys, light bar above the cab like Europe. For my money, the amount of times you can actually use them on our roads (and be polite) is so short I'd wear out the switch.

Wanna' scope out campsites? I'd either use a hand-held boat spotlight (1 mil CP) or get a thru-the-pillar mounted spotlight like old Pete's and cop cars.

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Hi Guys,

 

Thanks for the info. Low and wide, got it. The more light I can get in front of the truck the better. Most of my trips almost always starts when it is dark. If I could get head lights like my '03 Ranger I would be happy, but the Volvo does not have that.

 

More info on lights would be appreciated,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Al- 1 thing to remember is that you're sitting above the light in the Volvo not behind it like in the Ranger. It makes a difference. Another thought is to find the Volvo harnesses for the driving and fog lights. Plug and play makes everything easier and Volvo usually does a good job of it. I'm looking for the same stuff for our truck. I'm hoping to have a stock "Looking" lower valance with the 4 lights but actually have decent light output from them.

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

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Al,

 

While they're technically fog lights, if you want something affordable that you can leave on all the time and aim properly, here's a good option: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-headlight-fog-light-housings/morimoto-xb-led-fog-lights-type-s.html

 

There's also now a kit for the gen-1s that uses the same projectors as the gen-2s here: http://www.deepspacelighting.com/shop/1996-2015-volvo-vnm-and-1996-2003-volvo-vnl-bi-xenon-hid-headlamp-set/

 

Since I buy quite a bit of stuff from TRS already, if there were enough interest in the fog lights (10+ sets), I could get them at a discount and pass that on. I have one set that I've been playing with--after it gets dark I'll try to get a few pictures posted.

 

David

45' 2004 Showhauler -- VNL300, ISX, FreedomLine -- RVnerds.com -- where I've started to write about what I'm up to

Headlight and Fog Light Upgrades http://deepspacelighting.com

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Hi David,

 

First off, Thank You for making the offer to help others with fog lights. Would the fog lights be of rectangular shape ? The nice thing is that I have time on my side. I am in no hurry. I want my lights to be good. I have seen what your light kits can do for the 2nd gen trucks at the '14 ECR. The kits make a big difference in lighting things up. I will be interested in your testing with the fog lights. Please post your results after testing.

 

Thank you for your help,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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They're a round light. One of the things they've got over most aftermarket auxiliary lights is that they adjust like a headlight. A lot of the lights out there basically use mounting screws to hold them in place, making minor changes difficult.

45' 2004 Showhauler -- VNL300, ISX, FreedomLine -- RVnerds.com -- where I've started to write about what I'm up to

Headlight and Fog Light Upgrades http://deepspacelighting.com

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My first thought about the replacement light kits linked above is "Holy Crap, that's expensive." But then I think back to the evening we crossed the border into the US at Portal, ND, at dusk. Bug encrusted windshield, old yellowed lights, tired and aging eyes, and darkness creeping in.... Couldn't find a place to park for the night, had to drive 50 miles to a truck stop. I would have gladly laid down a stack of Benjamins for good lights right then.

 

I will be ordering a kit before our summer trip.

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Rick, your experience is equivalent to mine. While I do not routinely drive at night....in fact I avoid it with the truck - I do sometimes experience night driving. ANd in a stock Volvo is is a truly frightening experience. Well, at least to me it is. So anything I can do to increase the ability to SEE things is worth the money. Just like I run disc brakes on my trailer, I will pay the money for good lighting.

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They're a round light. One of the things they've got over most aftermarket auxiliary lights is that they adjust like a headlight. A lot of the lights out there basically use mounting screws to hold them in place, making minor changes difficult.

 

David,

 

What is the diameter of the light ? I could not read the dimension off the web site. The lights could work with a little part making or machine work. Would be like putting a round peg into rectangle (lol). Just need to make a cover plate.

 

Thanks,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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I ended up doing a lot of fog driving a few years ago and added fog lights to my van, they helped but I still didn't feel like I could see as well as I'd hoped for. Talking to a local driver about it, he suggested I change the aiming on my lights a bit. Bring the driver's side light a bit to the right so it didn't go quite as far into the other lane and put more light ahead of me in my lane. Then, what made the biggest difference, move the passenger side light further to the right and down a bit with the intention of making sure I could see the edge of the pavement right ahead of the truck so I didn't wander onto the shoulder. It makes some difference if you have a nice reflective lane edge stripe but it really helps on back roads where the road just turns to gravel then grass with no markings.

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Al,

 

The lens diameter is about 3.5"--the mounting holes are 4" apart left-to-right, and 2" top-to-bottom. You'd probably want a hole diameter closer to 4", just to make sure you have enough room to aim them.

45' 2004 Showhauler -- VNL300, ISX, FreedomLine -- RVnerds.com -- where I've started to write about what I'm up to

Headlight and Fog Light Upgrades http://deepspacelighting.com

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Al,

 

Here are a couple of quick shots of those lights. First one to give a feel for the beam pattern, the other for what it looks like in action. Sorry for the bad quality--I was holding the light and camera, and trying to balance without getting wet--it's been raining most of the day. The second shot was with the light at mid-bumper height on my truck--probably 12-16" off the ground.

 

DSCN1228.JPG

 

DSCN1227.JPG

45' 2004 Showhauler -- VNL300, ISX, FreedomLine -- RVnerds.com -- where I've started to write about what I'm up to

Headlight and Fog Light Upgrades http://deepspacelighting.com

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David,

 

Thank you for taking pictures and posting them. What did you think of the light ? Do you think it is a good option for fog lights ? The pattern seems to throw the light out left to right but how far left to right ? How far to you think the light was going out ? Do you think the light is going out past where the stock low beams would go ? I will probable have more questions later.

 

Thanks again for your help,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Al,

 

The lights have a fairly similar pattern as the factory fog lights on my Mazda (those are a halogen projector). On my night-time drive to visit family in Louisiana for Christmas, it was either rain or heavy rain the whole way, and they definitely helped. As fog lights go, they're pretty good. The picture pointed at the side of my motorhome was taken standing about 5 feet away, and the bright portion of the beam was probably about 10-12 feet wide at that distance. If you look closely enough, you can make out the upper cutoff near the sign at the edge of the woods--that's probably about 75 feet away, and the light is pretty uniform inside that space.

 

I haven't lined them up side-by-side, but I'd expect that if you had a choice between stock low beams or those LED fog lights, you'd pick the LED fogs.

45' 2004 Showhauler -- VNL300, ISX, FreedomLine -- RVnerds.com -- where I've started to write about what I'm up to

Headlight and Fog Light Upgrades http://deepspacelighting.com

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David,

 

Do you think the lights will hold up in the valance ? Are the assemblies water proof ? If the lights hold up to the weather the way that they are, I am willing to give them a try. I have some friends that are machinist that can help me make some cover plates. Do you see anything other than cover plates that need to be made ?

 

Thanks again for your help,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Al,

 

They should be fine down there. They're designed for below-the-bumper applications on cars, and you'll be a good bit higher up. They're not technically waterproof (there's a small vent covered with a semi-permeable membrane on the back), but should be fine. Other than the mounting/cover plates, the only other thing you'd need to address is the wiring. They come with Metri-Pack 280 series terminals already on the wire ends, and an 880-series bulb connector shell. You could either use that (with an 880 female pigtail on the vehicle side) or cut them off and use a couple of butt splices.

 

David

45' 2004 Showhauler -- VNL300, ISX, FreedomLine -- RVnerds.com -- where I've started to write about what I'm up to

Headlight and Fog Light Upgrades http://deepspacelighting.com

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David,

 

I think I would make an adaptor cord that would go from Metri-Pack 280 terminal to the stock Volvo plug. Maybe 2" to 3" long could work. I'm not a fan of but connectors. Am I thinking on the right lines ? I would like to do business with you. What kind of cost am I looking at ? I think it might be best to use a P/M for cost numbers. I do have time on my side. I'm not in a hurry because I need to pick and choose my days for working outside this winter. Right now winter has not been to bad there in Ohio. If other people are interested in doing the same thing, is a group buy possible ?

 

Thanks again for your help,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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