Lights, globes, driving lights etc.

[2nd Hand Yank]

I'm not as excited to try my Narva Ultra Compacts now
after hearing how the 160/115's did with 100W globes, rated for longer distance.

I wanted them before,
when my driverside headlight reflector was loose,
but now that I have a new one, I can see better.

How much do you think these ultra-compacts would improve my vision, when running with my high beams?
Can I try out the lights without installing them? (temporarily connect them?)

Subarino suggested I might be able to improve my headlight brightness by upgrading my wiring to "4-mill" wire.

From this thread,
it sounds like what is best is to have higher-power for low-beams, as they are used more.


Thought of something else that could be good...

I'd like to make a low-power setting for my headlights,
say 1/2 to 1/3rd the wattage, for when I need my headlights so other people can see me,
but in conditions where full brightness doesn't improve my road visibility
and this can extend globe life
or I can hit a switch to dim them if I find my beams blinding anothe driver.

I thought of this because in Canada,
we have something called "Daytime Running Lights" as mandatory equipment on new vehicles.
What this is is the high-beam setting, but running at 1/3rd power, so they claim.
That and if I do a wiring upgrade, I'll have some very powerful low beams that might be overkill at times.

[pitrack_1]

How much do you think these ultra-compacts would improve my vision, when running with my high beams?

They won't improve your vision, but they may improve what you can see...if you see what I mean? (Sorry, couldn't resist )

They should still be better than your hi-beams. In general though, the larger the lamp unit, the better the optics. I wouldn't worry about using driving light 100W bulbs if you're using them mainly in low traffic country areas. Better to see things than to be legally upside-down in a ditch...

Can I try out the lights without installing them? (temporarily connect them?)

Of course. Assuming you can get a hold of a set for testing they're just lamps requiring 12V. You can wire them directly across any reasonable 12V battery. For safety I do suggest you use a switch and fuse ~20A and appropriate wiring. Be careful connecting them on a vehicle, damage and injury can be done by inappropriate, inadvertent or careless connections.

[apg39]

Gannon was kind enough to post a modifed wiring diagram...

showthread.php?t=20176&page=2

wire codes are:
LW = Blue/white
R = Red
YR = Yellow/red
RL = Red/blue

Nice. So am I right that I hook it up to the red wire straight off the stalk?

[apg39]

^ help. Dash is in pieces just waiting to hook this wire up. Dont have a multimeter either.

[tony]

nononono do not connect extra lights directly to the power wire in the stalk you will overload the wiring and burn out the stalk. fit a relay and run the power though that.

[apg39]

?

I've got the pre-made wiring kit all hooked up. Everything is in the right place but I'm not 100% on the high beam wire.

[NachaLuva]

Sorry mate was away for the w'end...busy denting the underside of my nice pretty "driven on sundays" forester.

So have you made sure you've got the wires connected for "positive switching"? Its the opposite of normal.

I'll try to do a diagram but i havent done mine yet & wanna make sure its right before i post it.

The high beam wire is actually an earth, so if i have it right you run a lead from ignition to the switch, then to "86" on the relay. Run wire from "85" to the high beam wire (either red or red/black). "30" goes to battery thru a 30A fuse, "87" to driving lights.

As i said i havent done this yet but i believe i'v got it right.

Can any1 comment on this pls? I wanna help but dont wanna lead him wrong...

[pitrack_1]

Piccies and part nos (except fuse holder) located at

...And I'll try to remember to post a pic of my fuse setup.

Ha, Finally! After a week of flu, finally got around to these bits.

Waterproof inline fuse holder- takes a standard blade fuse.


See Narva part nos
* 54405BL http://www.narva.com.au/products/detail ... pup-layout

* 54406BL http://www.narva.com.au/products/detail ... pup-layout

Whole battery-fuse-relay wiring setup- as wired by an auto-electrician, all near the battery terminal. Fuse holder is centre-right-top, relay is black slightly out-of-focus square box at lower-right. The large red wire is the power wire for the lights, hence going through the fuse. It will go through the contacts in the relay and on to the lights. I assume the relay solenoid will be triggered off either the high beam switch, or perhaps taken off the high beam circuit itself through the driving light isolation switc on the console in the cabin.


Now that battery terminal will be worth a post (battery terminal- post? Geddit??? Never mind...) in itself. Stay tuned...

[2nd Hand Yank]

where to mount my driving lights...

How about either
mounted under the side mirrors,
or IN the side mirrors themselves?

My Narva Ultra Compacts are physically small enough for either.
I could reinforce the side-mirror housing with metal plates,
acting like washers to spread clamping force.

It would make the source of light start at a higher point
plus it would give me more visibility on the side,
which I still find the high beams are a bit lacking in.

[pitrack_1]

where to mount my driving lights...

How about either
mounted under the side mirrors,
or IN the side mirrors themselves?

Hmmm, that is innovative... You've obviously got a long drive and should be looking out for roos harder !

Wet blanket time (sorry)
Problem I see (and you will too) is you'll illuminate the bonnet ('hood' to Yanks) and need to paint it black (if it isn't already) due to the scattered/reflected light. I've seen people have to do this to the top part of their bull bar.

I think rules (ADRs) about how high and wide you can mount lights would rule it out. Hence you don't see people with lights on roof bars.

My Narva Ultra Compacts are physically small enough for either.
I could reinforce the side-mirror housing with metal plates,
acting like washers to spread clamping force.

I'd be worried about the plastic melting.

Could you possibly mount them straight in the grille? Without obstructing radiator airflow too much of course...

It would make the source of light start at a higher point
plus it would give me more visibility on the side,
which I still find the high beams are a bit lacking in.

I agree, higher points would help with aiming. As for vis. on the side, crossing the beams when mounted on the front, somewhat like on a rally car, would be the go.

Perhaps place in the mirror an FLIR / heat detecting /thermographic camera, linked to a display in the cabin... you could then see the critters from their body heat. And it can see through smoke, fog, rain. At least it might work perhaps with the lights off and not in summer when it's hotter than body temp anyway. This type of tech at any decent level is usually restricted use unfortunately.

What I want is one of those work lights with a handle, mounted just above the driver's door, just like a taxi. But it'd be a pencil beam with an oversize bulb, so I could reach out and directly spotlight those cretins coming down the road at you who won't dip their hi-beams no matter what!

[NachaLuva]

What I want is one of those work lights with a handle, mounted just above the driver's door, just like a taxi. But it'd be a pencil beam with an oversize bulb, so I could reach out and directly spotlight those cretins coming down the road at you who won't dip their hi-beams no matter what!

Hell Yeah!!!

I've always wanted to do that lol.

2nd Hand...I'd suggest sticking to the basics...mount your narvas in the grill or on the bumper as high up & out of the way as you can, but still Keep It Simple - KIS (some people say KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid but i'm not a fan of being rude! lol)

The simpler it is the less there is to go wrong!

[2nd Hand Yank]

I tried both out... the ones "Auto One" sells

3W LED?
It's so bright, it'd be perfect if you had just lost something in your car...
But I suspect it would be a big mood killer if I was on a date...
Unless I was planning to perform a medical examination on said date.

I'm happy I was still able to exchange the 3W LED for the 1.5W version.
I was seriously considering adding some tinted filters before I thought I could swap it.

1.5W LED?
Still quite powerful, easily twice as bright as the 3W incandescent it replaced.
I still dislike the 6300-6500 Kelvin colour temperature
and I might want a light coloured filter to make it less harsh looking
or at least to filter out directly under the LED.
I've very satisfied with the 1.5W LED performance.

[pitrack_1]

My quick answer/opinion is that a set of two wide beams may be the preferable option to a wide/pencil beam combo. Otherwise buy a better set of lights.

...
I bought them for country on-road driving mostly, both sealed and unsealed, long straight stretches and windy narrow vegetated. Around the NSW Tamworth/Gunnedah area is a good example.
...

Well, I’ve just done another trip ex- Canberra to Syd, Coffs Harbour, Lake Keepit and back again. Some country night time driving was involved allowing both a realistic driving evaluation and extended ‘in-situ’ alignment on dark country roads . So here’ my opinion on the Narva 160x115 wide and pencil beam combo, fitted with supplied ‘standard’ 100W globes (no fancy blue for me).

I believe these are the recommended or fitted set from Subaxtreme. At Nachaluva’s behest in a previous post I fiddled the alignment until it’s now about a good as it can be. To do so required turning off/blocking the headlamp main/hi beams , both for comparison and alignment purposes. This became a damaging debacle and may the subject of another rant which may be posted at some stage in the future.

Firstly, a comparison of the various beams: Narva pencil, Narva wide and Subaru OEM SH Forester headlamp hi-beam.
a) OEM SH Forester (2010) hi-beam, OEM Subaru 55W H7 globes. An indeterminate pattern giving a general broad overall light cast. Doesn’t appear all that brilliant but does illuminate roadside hardware, trees, etc OK. Seemingly no specific long-throw component.

b) Narva 160x115 pencil beam w/ std 100W globe. A symmetrically focussed round conical beam, not a real “pencil” (very narrow) beam but more a broad spotlight. Not being pencil it doesn’t penetrate to very long distances. Doesn’t much help except in the direction it’s pointed. Lamp tilt is unimportant due to the symmetrical beam. No appreciable side throw and no appreciable long-distance benefit over the wide beam globe.

c) Narva 160x115 wide beam w/ std 100W globe. A horizontally-wide and vertically-narrow rectangular pattern. Lamp tilt is critical to proper horizontal alignment or you’ll tilt the rectangle with one side too low + close and the other too high + off in the sky. Enough horizontal spread for illuminating both ahead and one roadside verge, with good vertical limits to throw a reasonably long beam- not far off the ‘pencil’ beam. Two wide beams could possibly cover both roadside verges (one each) and supplement straight ahead nicely. Limited general illumination.

In combination with the Subaru hi-beams the Narva units don’t give any obviously brighter area whilst stationary. However, once driving has started and the ‘picture’ is moving, the improvement in illumination becomes quite noticeable. The main drawback is dazzling from any reflective roadside signs. You are however still reliant on the Subaru hi-beams for peripheral coverage; as such the combo driving light set does not provide adequate overall lighting on its own. In my opinion the overall result is still inferior to a well-configured set of dual-beam headlamp units even when running 55W globes.

[2nd Hand Yank]

^^ My experience of Narva Ultra Compacts are just the opposite, so far.

*excellent summary btw, pitrack_1

At about 100m, this spotlight is about 3-5 metres wide?
Light intensity is basically two defined areas; spotlight and general lighting, extending from the edge of the central focus, to almost perpendicular.

I fiddled with the focus on a coastal road that had no street lighting for the last 200 m, with a curve 50m ahead, and dunes on both sides allowing me to see the vertical extent of the beam.

The only downside to these lights is they appear to be designed to be mounted hanging down, not sitting up on what ever they are bolted to.

I had some custom tabs welded to my roobar, and the driving light's focus (at the housing itself) is 3-5" higher than the focus of my headlights. Sometime I will post pictures of this.

[Davidov]

[
In combination with the Subaru hi-beams the Narva units don’t give any obviously brighter area whilst stationary. However, once driving has started and the ‘picture’ is moving, the improvement in illumination becomes quite noticeable. The main drawback is dazzling from any reflective roadside signs. You are however still reliant on the Subaru hi-beams for peripheral coverage; as such the combo driving light set does not provide adequate overall lighting on its own. In my opinion the overall result is still inferior to a well-configured set of dual-beam headlamp units even when running 55W globes.

Really? Mine just sitting in the driveway with other light around also, there is a massive difference with my Narva 160 spots compared to high beams.