Ok gang, Saw a lot of additional lights on MINIs at the Dragon. At first I was going to go with the little ones from the dealer, but I heard they don't make a lot of difference. What all do you have and where did you get them? If you feel like it, please post pics
I have PIAA 510 driving lights They pretty much double the OEM high beam range / brightness. I like the small size and the fact that they are easily aimable - so for nighttime twisties (like at the Dragon) I can cross the beams to provide maximum light around corners. I run them straight the rest of the time. While the large "rally" style lights provide more light output, some aren't as aimable side-to-side, reducing effectiveness in the twisties. And the bigger lights are certainly a different aesthetic - some like them, some don't.
Lighting can be fun, so many options. Here is a quick primer... For additional lighting people usually use one of three types; fog, wide angle and pencil. Fog lights are like the name implies good for use in fog, the beam is low, wide and does not extend far to minimize reflecting the light back. Fog Light Beam Pattern Wide Angle or Cornering lights have a higher upper cutoff than a fog, are wide like a fog light and go out for some distance. At speed it is still easy to overdrive the light. Wide Angle Pattern Pencil Beams go out a long way but are not broad. For a LOT more on lights see Hella Headlight and Auxiliary Lamp Beam Patterns
The PIAA 510's aren't quite pencil beams, but that's probably closest of the options shown. Their pattern is very similar to the OEM high beams. They're just aimable - so you can do interesting things with them... spread them a little for country highway driving to watch for deer, or cross them aggressively to see around corners on the twisties... or point them straight ahead for more range for high-speed straight-line driving.
I have four Hella 500's on a VIP light bar. The VIP bar mounts to existing bolts so the bumper does not have to be removed and no fnacy mounting hardware need be maade, I have the two center lights pointing down the center and the two outside catching the shoulders. Makes night as light as day. I like them and I like that look. Jim
Well, thanks to Mike and Lion Collision, I got my new lights installed. Thanks for all your imput. I ended up going with the Hella 500- Black Magic.
Nice I always likes the Hella Black Magic. They go good with your black trim. What kind of mounts did you go with? Do they attach directly to the bumper or do they penetrate through the lower grill? Watch out for those goofy SUV's that parallel park using the braille method.:nonod:
I got the bracket kit from OutMotoring. They attach to the bumper frame and the arms come out the lower grille. You need to cut a very small amount of the honeycomb to allow this. I thought it was a very sturdy setup which is why I went with it. No doubt.... I am a very picky parker, so no SUVs around me if I can help it