System-ized lighting: PIAA's approach to lighting the road.
PIAA is well known for their off-road lighting, but many off-road
lights can not be legally (or safely) used on-road. Ever stare into
a pair of 120-watt lamps coming at you on the trail? PIAA also
makes an extensive line of street and dual use lamps. When I
originally approached the friendly staff at PIAA-USA in Beaverton,
OR, we discussed the full range of 4x4 night lighting needs --
including those unfortunate miles spent trapped on pavement. Our
challenge was to upgrade visibility for both off-road and on-road
driving. In Part I, we discussed lighting systems devoted
to trail lighting. In this article, we'll discuss on-road lighting
systems. The lights atop Project WomBAT’s Garvin
Wilderness Accessories roof rack are illegal for use on the
roads of most every state in America. These lights are mounted too
high to be legal for on-road use and are not marked as
DOT-approved. The Department of Transportation (DOT) approval
process is costly and complex, related mostly to the power and
pattern of a light. Most states also require that high-mounted
lights be covered when on-road, but when you want to explore some
dirt road or take a quick 'short-cut' home, do you really want to
get out, climb up, and peel off light covers? Super White Replacement Bulbs
Upgraded on-road lighting has significant benefits off-road, as
well. When upgrading lights, this double benefit makes sense as the
starting point for lighting upgrades. In early 1998, after an
extended development period, PIAA released their Super White
Halogen headlamp replacement bulbs. This technology allows a
dramatic increase in light output without a corresponding increase
in power draw. These 55/60w H4 replacement bulbs crank out the same
intensity of light as PIAA's conventional 100/110w bulbs! Lower
wattage bulbs:
(1.) Lower wattage bulbs generate less heat, allowing
longer bulb life.
(2.) Decrease the load on the electrical system,
reducing the likelihood of needing an upgraded wiring harness
(which PIAA can also provide).
Best of all, the DOT approved these bulbs as replacement elements
for 9004, 9005, and 9006 headlight bulbs -- these new bulbs are SAE
and DOT certified and are 100% legal for street use. PIAA reports
that these are the only bulbs of their kind approved by both
bodies. Honest, officer!
So why do they call it "Super White?" The
technology used in these bulbs approaches the whiteness and
intensity of the hyper-expensive High Intensity Discharge (HID)
lamps, which PIAA pioneered. Traditional halogen bulbs emit a color
temperature on the order of 3200 K, a fairly yellow hue (natural
sunlight is 5250 K). HID lamps produce beams at 4300 K, and Super
White bulbs produce about 3800 K. The breakpoint between yellow and
white color temperatures occurs between 3600 and 3700 K being.
Super White bulbs are closer to the white of sunlight than to the
yellow-tinged white of traditional headlight bulbs.
Candlepower Comparison for Replacement Bulbs| Bulb Model | Super White bulb | | Equivalent PIAA bulb | |
9004 |
Super White 65/45w |
= |
110/85w PIAA XTRA halogen bulb | |
9005 |
Super White 60w |
= |
110w PIAA XTRA halogen bulb | |
9006 |
Super White 51w |
= |
100w PIAA XTRA halogen bulb | |
H4 |
Super White 55/60w |
= |
100/110w PIAA XTRA halogen bulb | |
H4 |
Super White 80/80w |
= |
115/135w PIAA XTRA halogen bulb | |
H3 |
Super White 55w |
= |
85w PIAA XTRA halogen bulb | |
H3 |
Super White 85w |
= |
130w PIAA XTRA halogen bulb |
 Upgrade individually or all at
once, these three products improve general driving, distance, and
all-weather performance. |
Replacing your tired, low-tech halogen headlight bulbs can do a lot
for your light system, but the degree of improvement depends upon
the cut and condition of your headlamp’s lenses. Engineers
design stock headlights for all-around use, creating a lens that
works fairly well for most situations. When your lighting needs
require precise, specialized patterns, the best solution is to use
auxiliary lights.
The biggest shortcomings of most lighting systems
are on-street distance and all-weather or fog lighting; environment
dictates the priority. In the forested, deer-infested mountains of
Idaho, spotting critters from far away can prevent untimely brush
guard collision testing. Hours away in the Pacific Northwest, fog
lights are more critical. PIAA makes a wealth of excellent lamps
for both needs. 510 Super White Lamps - Pencil Beam
For driving lamps, PIAA’s line includes compact dichroic
units that implement Super White technology. With plenty of room on
Project WomBAT’s bumper, we opted for the 510
model, a mid-sized round lamp. With 51,000-candle power, these
little lamps punch a narrow, long beam down the road. Their pattern
floods a well-defined beam of light forward, filling the view ahead
with beams that meld into one another. With big light from a
mid-sized package, these lamps were the biggest surprise of all the
lamps we tested. The Super White bulbs produce the equivalent of
85w from 55w of actual draw. Beefy in construction like all PIAA
lamps, the 510s come with a stamped steel body, thick lenses, and
tough, snap-on covers.
959 Ion Crystal Projector Lamp
Bad weather can reduce visibility to almost nothing. In thick fog
or blinding snow, headlights only make matters worse as they
reflect back from air-borne water particles. Projector lamps
contain an elliptical projector that cuts off the reflected light
pattern horizontally, preventing light from reflecting back to
blind you. This also prevents your beams from blinding oncoming
traffic. To further improve visibility in inclement weather, PIAA
uses Ion Crystal coating on the lamp lenses. This treatment
produces light with a soft, amber hue -- without the loss of
candlepower caused by traditional yellow-colored lenses.
PIAA
manufactures 959 lamp bodies from die cast aluminum, with die-cast
zinc mounts. These tough, corrosion-resistant metals resist road
salt and grime. PIAA sells the aero-shaped 959 lamps in
bottom-mounted or upright configurations, but the projector pattern
requires that they be used in only the specified position.  Take advantage of nooks
and crannies to protect your lighting
investment. |
PIAA suggests that these lamps be mounted with the centers of their
lenses no higher than 24 inches from the ground. Mounting these
lamps even lower improves their ability to cut under the moisture
in the air to reach the ground, but finding a low mounting place on
the average lifted 4x4 can be difficult. On the WomBAT, it was
difficult to mount a lamp low AND still protect it from rocks,
logs, or steep approach angles. Extending stout mounting points
rearward and tucking them up in towards the wheel wells kept the
lens well protected behind the skid plate. They’ve held up
fine in this position despite road muck and the rigors of
four-wheeling. If covers were available, they might help protect
the lamps and lenses better.
PIAA Light Locks
PIAA designed the Light Locks with the help of theft prevention
specialist, McGard. These simple and elegant gadgets protect your
investment by covering the mounting nut. Light Locks come in pairs
and are individually keyed to prevent easy removal of the lights.
The locks fit about half of the PIAA line, as well as many other
manufacturers’ lights with similar bolt and thread sizes.
Installation
As with the off-road lamps tested in Part
I, PIAA’s harnesses, couplers, and diagrams made
installation a breeze. Replacing headlight bulbs can take as little
as 5 minutes, but mounting auxiliary lamps can take significantly
longer, especially if you encounter tricky dashboard mounts.
PIAA’s newer lamps simplify such mounting nightmares by
providing adhesive-mounted switches. PIAA also offers a Remote
Wireless Switch for steering wheel mounting.
Be sure not to touch
the bulb’s glass, since skin oils contamination reduces bulb
life. Performance
PIAA’s lights drastically improve the performance of the
WomBAT for night driving. The Part
I article addressed the effectiveness of PIAA’s trail
lights, and their on-road lights are every bit as impressive. Super
White technology is an advance for those who sweat the legal and
moral issues surrounding upgrading street lighting. The 959 cuts
under the elements, illuminating the roadway without regard to the
weather, and the 510 casts a tightly focused, far-reaching swath of
light.
Project WomBAT tends to waddle along as slowly as its
Australian namesake does. As good as this lighting system is for
the WomBAT; it may be insufficient for faster vehicles. Speedsters
can exchange different component lamps in their system: 80/80w
H4for 55/60w H4 for headlight replacement bulbs, 910s instead of
959s, and/or 520s in place of the 510s. Conclusion
Don't put up with vague illumination on-road or off-road. PIAA's
line-up of long-lasting and powerful lighting system components
provides plenty of options to light up the night. You can upgrade
your vehicle’s lighting system either incrementally, or all
at once, in one fell swoop.
On-road or off-road, a well-designed
lighting system offers many advantages over the haphazard approach
so often taken with auxiliary lighting. Plan your lighting system,
and give proper consideration to the vehicle's electrical system,
as well as the lighting needs. | We separated this article into two parts:
lighting the trail and lighting the street. In
Part One, we showed how we designed a lighting system
for range of terrain and trail conditions. This article, Part
Two, discussed a systematic approach to lighting up the
street. |
Also see articles on PIAA's
520 Series Ion Crystal lights and PIAA's 80 Series lights.
15370 SW Millikan Way, Suite ORC
Beaverton, OR 97006
800-321-1191
503-643-7422
503-643-9144 Fax
|
