Added driving lights/LED light bars to my Clarity...

7712 Views 17 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Lovemeta, 1 mo ago

Insighter

Discussion Starter · May 13, 2020

3

I had my 12v shop put on some LED light bars/driving lights on both sides of my front license plate. They are 1800-lumen 6" LED light bars frome LED Outfitters.

They are combo spot/flood lights, and, after testing them last night, I now know I should have picked a version that was just spot lights. They tend to light up the canopy of shorter trees as I drive. They just throw too much light everywhere, which would probably annoy oncoming traffic (something I will not do), so I will replace them. Here are some links. The first link is the ones I bought, the second is the replacements I've ordered:

https://www.ledoutfitters.com/offroad-led-lightbar/30-watt-work-light/
https://www.roughcountry.com/6in-led-light-bar-70707bl.html

My installer cut an opening in the plastic grill behind them so they wouldn't stick out. The ones I ordered look very good, like they belong on the car. They are 6000K color temperature and match the lights on the car (they are not more yellow or more white). Here are some photos of the ones currently installed (the ones I'm replacing):
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4sallypat

· #2 · May 15, 2020

NICE!
Looks very sharp and the color temps seem to be very closely matched to the existing DRL.

Let us know how much it cost (labor and parts) for this job ?

I'd like to get better lighting on my Clarity..

Insighter

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 15, 2020

4sallypat said:
NICE!
Looks very sharp and the color temps seem to be very closely matched to the existing DRL.

Let us know how much it cost (labor and parts) for this job ?

I'd like to get better lighting on my Clarity..

Thanks! The lights were about $60 each. I'm actually switching them out for some brighter ones this week that have only a spot beam (instead of spot/flood because the flood aspect casts to much light where it isn't needed and will annoy other drivers). The shop I go to in San Diego (Streetnoyz) charged $200 to install them (which I think is 2 hours of time based on the rate for customer-provided parts). They do a very good job. Be very careful when picking an installer. Proper installation is crucial to the lights looking and operating properly.

Boston_Pilot

· #4 · Jul 28, 2021

Lol

Insighter

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 28, 2021 (Edited)

Boston_Pilot said:
Lol

@Boston_Pilot Lol? I'm not sure what you're laughing about. I guess maybe you're referring to the installation fee? I'm fully capable of installing them myself, but, at this point in my life, it's not worth my time to spend hours installing lights to save $200.

Or maybe you're laughing at the lights themselves? Those aren't the ones I ended up keeping. I switched for a better, brighter set (which were very easily switched out since the wiring was already done) which I think I posted photos of in another post. The ones I ended up going with look great and put out a lot of very usable light.

Regardless, what's the point of posting "Lol"? This forum is for posting about modifications to your Clarity. It's to let people see what other owners are doing. If it's not your cup of tea, that's fine. But what's the point of posting "Lol"?

Boston_Pilot

· #6 · Jul 28, 2021

Insighter said:
@Boston_Pilot Lol? I'm not sure what you're laughing about. I guess maybe you're referring to the installation fee? I'm fully capable of installing them myself, but, at this point in my life, it's not worth my time to spend hours installing lights to save $200.

Or maybe you're laughing at the lights themselves? Those aren't the ones I ended up keeping. I switched for a better, brighter set (which were very easily switched out since the wiring was already done) which I think I posted photos of in another post. The ones I ended up going with look great and put out a lot of very usable light.

Regardless, what's the point of posting "Lol"? This forum is for posting about modifications to your Clarity. It's to let people see what other owners are doing. If it's not your cup of tea, that's fine. But what's the point of posting "Lol"?

Oh, let me give you some Clarity then! Those are ghettofabulous. Clear enough?

Insighter

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 28, 2021 (Edited)

Boston_Pilot said:
Oh, let me give you some Clarity then! Those are ghettofabulous. Clear enough?

@Boston_Pilot
Well, let me make this clear. The use of "ghetto" anything is, of course, racist. You're trying to denigrate my Clarity? You want suggest it looks cheap? Well, at least when I bought my Clarity, I bought it new. So, if you're concerned about matters such as class and cost (which I'm not, but you clearly are), I've outclassed you there.

The changes I've made to it are almost exclusively for safety, and they are very difficult to even notice as anything other than factory equipment. My blind spot monitoring system (from BrandMotion, the OEM manufacturer for most automakers), integrated Muth turn signal mirrors (the OEM manufacturer for all integrated turn signal mirrors), front and rear parking sensors, top-of-the-line Compustar alarm system, 3M Crystalline Tint, etc., are all high end items installed by the best local 12v shop. Most of it you wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it. The Rigid brand lights I ultimately went with (shown in the photo below) cost over $700.

You are a troll who felt the need to weigh in with a snide comment, probably due to the fact that you're a miserable person. Clear enough?
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Insighter

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jul 29, 2021

2

These photos show the difference in the visibility of the road ahead that the lights make when driving at night. The difference is quite noticeable in the photos, but even more noticeable when driving. Note how much more you can see on the sides of the road, too. These are stills pulled from my dashcam's video.
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Automotive lighting Road surface Window Asphalt Headlamp

Automotive lighting Window Road surface Plant Sky

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Insighter

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 29, 2021

Insighter said:
@tommyboy These photos show the difference in the visibility of the road ahead that the lights make when driving at night. The difference is quite noticeable in the photos, but even more noticeable when driving. Note how much more you can see on the sides of the road, too. These are stills pulled from my dashcam's video.
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tommyboy

· #10 · Aug 11, 2021

That is pretty amazing. I will look into it. Now if I can figure out how to adjust the bass, midrange and treble on the stereo...

Reactions: 1

EV Nerd

· #11 · Aug 11, 2021

tommyboy said:
That is pretty amazing. I will look into it. Now if I can figure out how to adjust the bass, midrange and treble on the stereo...

I had to look it up in the manual yesterday. (I know RTFM. I skimmed it.)

It's counterintuitive, as you have to select "Menu" icon from the left column, after you're already in the Audio submenu.

Home Icon (Left Column) > "Audio" > Menu Icon (Left Column) > Sound (Bar on the Bottom)

Without a subwoofer, the low range is fairly weak, no matter what you do.

Reactions: 1

JArnett

· #12 · May 3, 2022 (Edited)

The main requirement for outdoor lighting is the availability of high-quality protection from dust and moisture and resistance to low temperatures. It is required to protect the soldering points and connections with connectors. Winter salt and reagents remain in the mud on the roads, and during rains and floods fall back on the car in summer. They erode the undisguised joints quickly enough. We seal such places with shrink tubing and sealant or other reliable methods. Low temperatures have a very strong effect. Before buying this LED strip, I used a Chinese one, which went out in cold temperatures.

Insighter

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 3, 2022

JArnett said:
The main requirement for outdoor lighting is the availability of high-quality protection from dust and moisture and resistance to low temperatures. It is required to protect the soldering points and connections with connectors.

Hi JArnett - That makes sense, but why did you post it in this thread? I don't think I'm following what you're saying.

jzchen

· #14 · May 4, 2022

This one is recommended by a forum moderator on a lighting forum I'm on. I wonder as it is one piece and likely need to be mounted lower under the license plate how it would perform in comparison. (Thanks for sharing a nice LED lighting option.)

HELLA 958040071 LED Light Bar 350 (Driving Beam) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BNF65FO/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_JGV8J6BNH2EHYYV9J3C4

Insighter

Discussion Starter · #15 · May 4, 2022

jzchen said:
This one is recommended by a forum moderator on a lighting forum I'm on. I wonder as it is one piece and likely need to be mounted lower under the license plate how it would perform in comparison. (Thanks for sharing a nice LED lighting option.)

HELLA 958040071 LED Light Bar 350 (Driving Beam) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BNF65FO/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_JGV8J6BNH2EHYYV9J3C4

I don't see any mention of an SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) approval. After my experience with the first lights I purchased, I'd hesitate to buy lights that don't have that rating. There's also a question of whether they're street legal.

jzchen

· #16 · May 5, 2022

I was a little confused for a while I thought you got the lights in your 2nd link but then realized you went on to get a Rigid set. I tried to ask about how good their Toyota fog lights are but just got advice to look into replacing our clouded headlights....

Reactions: 1

mhaynes

· #17 · 8 mo ago

Insighter said:
These photos show the difference in the visibility of the road ahead that the lights make when driving at night. The difference is quite noticeable in the photos, but even more noticeable when driving. Note how much more you can see on the sides of the road, too. These are stills pulled from my dashcam's video.
...
View attachment 758 View attachment 759

Thank you for an informative and thorough post on this...I hadn't thought about additional lighting for my Clarity but now I will...yours looks and performs great!

Reactions: 3

Lovemeta

· #18 · 1 mo ago

My installer cut an opening in the plastic grill behind them so they wouldn't stick out. The ones I ordered look very good, like they belong on the car.

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