Do I really need… part 11 – Spotlights and LED Lightbars

Do I really need… part 11 – Spotlights and LED Lightbars

Do you drive a lot at night? That’s really the only thing that you need to consider for adding spotlights or lightbars. If you drive at night then a good quality set of driving lights and/or lightbar will definitely help you to see everything in front of you. If you don’t drive at night, then you don’t need them.

But, do you need spotlights or a lightbar? That question is a bit harder these days then it used to be. In the past, if you wanted long-distance light and pin-point beams, you’d get a set of HID spotlights, and if you needed a wide spread pattern light you’d get an LED lightbar. These days lightbars have got some powerful spot light built in, and the new generations of LED spotlights can throw a great pencil beam way into the distance. So which suits your driving? If you’re doing some slow, close rock climbing or technical tracks, then a big lightbar will help, givng you a big spread of light so you can see everything around you. If you’re doing some long-distance high-speed outback touring, then a combination of a good quality set of spotlights for distance view, and a reasonable LED lightbar to provide spread will be your best bet.

One thing to remember here is that you can very easily go overboard. It’s not uncommon to see 4WD’s heading out with 4 spotties, 3 lightbars and a few rock lights scattered around. There is a point where having more light sources won’t give you more or better light, so start off small and add more if you do actually need it. There’s also legal issues as well. Some states limit the amount of forward-facing light sources that you can have,  so be sure to check what the rules are where you live before you add that 10th lightbar!

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