I admit I have an unusual love for bright LEDs so this may not do for you what it does for me but check this out.
The short story:
- These LED lamps shine 900 lumens each
- LEDs = half the power demand
- LEDs are more robust
- You save overall because you don't have to do as much change to your vehicles charging system to meet the new power demands.
OK, for you normal people, why is this so cool to a guy like me?
LEDs are vastly more efficient and are far more robust. A regular 50 watt halogen bulb will create about 580 lumens of light but it takes 4.2 amps to do so. Most of the energy put into the halogen is lost in the form of heat. These LEDs are so much more efficient that they will provide 1350 Lumens with the same amount of energy. So can run your lights twice as long before depleting your batteries to the same level. In my case if I end up adding a dozen LED lights and run them all at the same time (5 in the front, two on each side, and three in the rear) then it would mean I'm demanding an additional 33.6 amps. To get the same amount of light from Halogens I would need a whopping 78 more amps available from a new alternator, regulator, and wiring. Price for a 140 amp alternator with exchange: $185.00 If I run say 3 - 5 LED lamps at once or all 12 for a short duration I probably won't even have to change out my stock alternator.
One of the biggest strains on a light bulb is turning it on and off. The uneven temperature in the filament causes a lot of stress in the filament metal and eventually causes the filament to break. That's why if you've noticed light bulbs often burn out at the instant when you turn on the light. Vibration on the trails also is hard on the filaments. LEDs are solid state and don't have a filament. You can cycle them on and off thousands of times and it will be a fraction of the wear compared to a regular bulb. You will probably never have to change out an LED lightbulb unless you physically damage it with a rock or something. That's another cost savings. If however, you are like me, a moth to a flame, and want to get the brightest thing out there you will likely loose money because it won't be long before a new brighter LED is released.
These lights still need to be mounted on an additional heat sink such as aluminum but the light has a built in regulator that works from 3.6v - 8.4v so you can wire two or three in series, run them direct, and get the voltage they want without having to buy and LED driver.
Link to buy the LED for $34.90 shipped: LED Light
Link to Buy the glass lens for $1.31 shipped: The Lens Cover
SSC P7-C 2800mA Regulated LED Module with Copper Base (3.6V~8.4V)
Wide spill pattern
Glass lens to seal out dirt and debris (52 mm is = 2 inches)
Like always I sure would like the time to mod this up today!