Hello all...

I bought a 97 Legacy GT a while ago...and the previous owner had installed an HID headlight kit. Its pretty nice, very bright, doesn't seem to bother people, but it has no high beams. I will be doing a lot of early morning commutes this winter, it will still be dark. The commute is all interstate, and rural, with little traffic, and lots of deer and moose. So I am planning to put in a set of round driving lights on my bumper. I want to get some really really bright ones, I plan on rigging a foot dimmer switch on the dead pedal, so I don't expect oncoming traffic will ever even see the lights on.

Anyways, Should I go with a pencil beam? Or a regular driving beam or maybe euro beam? I will probably go with 100 watt or higher bulbs, cause I really want these to "look" bright in the distance compared to my HIDs.
Thanks
Micum

If the dark commute hours through the interstate is primarily a long straight, I can see how a pencil beam will be of use. However, given that the main motivation seems to avoid deer &/ moose potentially crossing the road, I would say a wider beam pattern, even ones that have a shorter range, would benefit more. In that case, a good set of foglights would probably work better for you.

Good pencil beams with 20 degree coverage concentrate most of the beam very far, pretty much on a straight line. Good fog lights (of the same wattage) typically have shorter range, but better peripheral coverage thanks to the 150 degree or so spread. Some driving beams are in between, so perhaps you might find the right compromise there too. In any case, I would consider a wider beam rather than a narrow pencil beam if avoiding animal crossing is the main concern.

I've never heard of a euro beam pattern, unless you're talking about the way the verticall cutoffs are in the euro spec low beams vs us-spec low beams.


my 2 cents

For what you want the lights for, you should avoid fog light patterns... although they are wider, they do not illuminate much further out than you headlights and will not give you time to react and stop if there is a deer. Pencil beams may be too tight. I think a good set of driving lights (like the Hella FF1000s which have a magnesium housing so they should be able to take more wattage than other brands) would be a good choice.

I'll also put in a vote for the Hella FF1000's. They can handle up to 135watts but come with a 55w bulb. Great light in the standard driving pattern. I don't believe they come in a pencil beam but I think for your purposes, a driving pattern is good. Puts out more peripheral light compared to the pencil beam and mounted high on the bumper you will get trememdous range. I have a set on my WRX mounted in the stock fog positions. Even in this not very ideal position they put out tremendous light. i also have as set of the 500's in the driving pattern on the Festiva (mounted on top of the bumper). The light pattern is closer to a pencil beam than a driving pattern. These are not bad for the price but the the lens and housing are not in the same league as the FF1000's. The lens is a bit flimsy; it kind of wiggles in the housing compared the FF1000's which are rock solid and robust. i would also suggest a set of the Hella Clear Acrylic Shields. That way you have protection for these but are able to use them at any time. The Euro beam (hella only) pattern is only available on the larger lights like the 4000 Motorsports. Its a really nice pattern but no one seems to carry it.

http://www.susquehanna.com/susq/hella/ff1k00.htm

http://www.susquehanna.com/susq/hella/clr01.htm

http://www.frustmag.com/car_stuff/hella3%252f4front.JPG

Thanks for the advice guys...
I think I will go with the rally 4000 in a driving or euro beam...they are 100 watt, but I could upgrade to 130w. The other option would be the FF1000 with 130w bulbs, driving pattern, and upgraded harnesses. I hope they would be ok with the high wattage bulbs. Of course there is also Cibie...I think PIAA is kinda taxed.
Thanks
Micum

Hi -

To add to the above, the Pencil beams are usually used on the rally cars to show the treeline / straight down the road. It is usually a mix of the driving / euro beams, and if I had to pick one beam to leave out of the mix - it would be the pencil.

Some driving beams are just as broad as the euros, and the patterns are somewhat similar. I like the Hella FF1000, and the Cibie Oscar + (we carry both to fit the Impreza). The Cibie is all metal, and more robust than the Hella. You may have trouble getting them to fit with a Legacy without a custom bracket, and the 4000s are going to be another issue entirely - the 1000 and Cibie are 7" round, while the 4000 is 9" round.

Another option is the Hella FF200 - available in 55w or HID. It is smaller than the FF1000 and Cibie by a bit (slightly oval) and may fit the Legacy as well.

Regards,
KC
Rally Performance
www.rallyperformance.com

I mounted a set of FF300 driving lights above the bumper on my legacy. I believe these are the same as the FF200 except the FF300 is an oval shape. The light output is very good and has helped me out a lot as I live in an area where there are a lot of deer running around. The driving beam is good, although I would also like some fogs to illuminate the sides of the road a little better.
http://www.alexdominey.net/subaru/pictures/hellaff300lo.jpg

Originally posted by czo79
Thanks for the advice guys...
I think I will go with the rally 4000 in a driving or euro beam...they are 100 watt, but I could upgrade to 130w. The other option would be the FF1000 with 130w bulbs, driving pattern, and upgraded harnesses. I hope they would be ok with the high wattage bulbs. Of course there is also Cibie...I think PIAA is kinda taxed.
Thanks
Micum

You can use 130w bulbs with the provided harness, no problem, on the FF1000's. The 4000's rock but they are quite large and you really do need a rock solid foundation to mount them to avoid vibration.

Originally posted by czo79
Anyways, Should I go with a pencil beam? Or a regular driving beam or maybe euro beam? I will probably go with 100 watt or higher bulbs, cause I really want these to "look" bright in the distance compared to my HIDs.
Thanks
Micum

A regular Driving beam (of good quality) will provide just the illumination you're after. I just installed a set of Hella 1000FF driving lamps in place of my stock fog lights and they are truly amazing.

What you have to remember about lights is it has very little to do with the wattage of the bulb and a LOT to do with the engineering of the reflector/projector.

I previously had a set of $70 driving lights (Hella FF75, 55w H3) and they did add some useful light to the road, but in comparison to my 1000FF's, it's nothing. The 1000FFs are well worth the extra cost and they definitely outperform the Hella 500s and the PIAA 80XT's that I've seen before.

On my lights, I put a 100w bulb in one side and a 55w bulb in the other. The difference is definitely noticeable, but the 55w side is still throwing a lot more light down the road than my highbeams. I will be putting the 100w bulb in both sides, but I only had 1 100w bulb cause i accidentally broke the other that came with the lamps.

Note: with 200w of light, you'll be drawing ~15amps while the car is running (14volts) so be sure you install a heavy duty relay (30amp relay) and 16gauge wiring. Also, solder as many connections as you can isntead of just crimping them - it will make them brighter and more efficient.