When it comes to 4WD modifications, the term ‘bigger is always better’ is generally true – to an extent! A 4inch suspension lift is generally better offroad than a 2inch lift when you’re driving tough low-range 4×4 tracks, and a set of 35inch 4WD tyres will perform better than factory-sized 31inch offroad tyres. And when you’re talking about diesel performance upgrades, more power is always a good thing!

However there is one area of 4WD modifications where the term ‘bigger is always better’ doesn’t ring true, and that’s when you’re talking about 4×4 driving lights. It used to be the case that the bigger the 4WD driving lights you fitted to your 4×4, the more light output and performance you got. That was true when we only had the option of fitting halogen driving lights, but these days advances in 4WD spotlight technology mean that you can now get incredibly bright LED spotlights in a compact package!

Let’s look at three different things to consider when it comes to choosing what size 4WD LED spotlights are right for you, to ensure that you buy the correct driving lights the first time around!

WHAT SIZE DRIVING LIGHTS CAN YOU FIT?

The first thing to consider when choosing a set of LED driving lights is what size driving lights you can physically fit onto your bullbar. Quality LED driving lights generally come in two different sizes these days – 7” driving lights, and either 8.5” driving lights or 9” driving lights. These days dual-cab utes are far and away the most popular type of 4WD on the roads, and as vehicle manufacturers put in more effort to make their vehicles streamlined and fuel efficient to mean ever-tightening engine emission standards, the result is that many 4WDs won’t be able to fit a set of 8.5 inch driving lights let alone 9 inch driving lights!

This is especially true when you consider that a lot of the modern bullbars that are available on the market today have been designed to be as slimline as possible, and in many cases even mimic the size and shape of a factory plastic bumper bar. In many cases, the bullbar is what dictates the size of 4×4 spotlights you can fit – not the vehicle!

That’s okay though, because advances in LED driving light technology mean that you can now get absolutely incredible driving lights that are ultra-compact! This means that in many cases, a set of ‘smaller’ 7inch LED driving lights are still four or five times brighter than older 10 inch halogen driving lights!

ADVANCES IN 4WD SPOTLIGHT TECHNOLOGY

LED driving light technology has come a very long way in the past decade. Market leaders like OSRAM LED Lighting have devised ways to get amazing amounts of light performance out of incredibly compact LED modules. That means if you’re looking at a set of driving lights that are fitted with genuine OSRAM LEDs like the Domin8r Xtreme LED Driving Lights, you’re guaranteed to get an insanely bright LED driving light!

To give you an example of just how far LED driving light technology has come, let’s look at the performance ratings of the 7” Domin8r Xtreme LED spotlights. They have been proven in an Australian NATA-accredited testing laboratory to produce a simply staggering 1 Lux @ 1,111 metres. Put another way, that’s enough light to read a newspaper, if the newspaper was more than 1.1km away from the 7” Domin8r Xtreme LED driving lights! They also feature an insane 13,832 lumens, which means these amazing 7” driving lights not only throw light an extremely long way down the road, but that there is a huge flood of light directly in front of and to the sides of the vehicle as well. And all that in a light with a compact 7” housing that will fit on just about all bullbars that are made today!

REFLECTOR CUP DESIGN

LED chipset technology isn’t the only driver of increased light performance in modern 4WD LED spotlights. The reflector cup – the silver part of the light behind the LED chips – is just as important! With 4WD spotlights, we want them to deliver light directly in front of the vehicle and also off to the sides, so we can make full use of the bright light that they emit. The reflector cups in Domin8r Xtreme LED Driving Lights have been specially designed and tuned to direct light in the optimal direction – meaning the light that is being emitted is sent exactly where you want it to go! If you take a close look at a set of Adventure Kings LED driving lights, you’ll see that each LED chipset has its own individual reflector cup, which means that these 4×4 lights have been precisely fine-tuned to make the most of every bit of light they emit!

LASER DRIVING LIGHTS – THE NEW REVOLUTION!

And while we’re on the subject of 4WD driving light technological advances, we can’t neglect to mention the newest, most amazing advancement on the scene right now – LASER modules incorporated into LED driving lights! The Adventure Kings Laser Driving Lights come in two sizes – 7” laser driving lights and 8.5” laser driving lights. Since we’re talking about the performance of compact LED driving lights, let’s look at what the Adventure Kings 7 inch laser spotlights can do.

A pair of these incredibly high quality laser driving lights produces 1 lux @ 1,618m – meaning that they throw light down the road to a distance of over 1.6km from the vehicle! If you do a lot of long-distance night driving down the highway or on long outback dirt roads, then there’s simply no better way to light up the road in front of you than with a set of laser driving lights. They’re compact, they’re incredibly high performance and of course because they come from Adventure Kings, they’re unbeatable value for money too!

The long and the short of it is, big 4WD LED driving lights aren’t always the best. First figure out what size of 4×4 spotlights you can physically fit on your vehicle, and from there you’ll be able to choose the right set of Adventure Kings Driving Lights to suit your needs!

To find out more about the entire range of compact LED driving lights head to www.4WDSupacentre.com.au call us on 1800 88 39 64 or drop into one of our fully stocked showrooms to see the range in person.