which one is better? any reason why


im looking to change my lights up top cuz they arnt bright enough and move those maybe down as fogs. or a little mix

I've got both but right now my KC daylighters are the only ones mounted and wired. I love them. Suer bright and have a rubber mounting pad for offroading.

I have KC daylighter spots right now and wanting to add 2 more floods when I build my lightbar. As far as which is better, I can't say because I haven't used Hellas yet. I know that KC lights come with a 26 year warranty though which may say a lot. I've had mine underwater and pounded into rocks and they still look good and are bright as hell. Of course they are 100W bulbs which I can't run legally on roads and technically I'm supposed to keep them covered but I don't.

i got both and if i were to get some more i would go with the Hella cause of the plastic back side. The KC i have are some sort of metal and already show signs of rust. As far as the brightness just go out and get brighter bulbs. Just my 2 cents.

I tested KC before I got the Hellas....I didnt like KC very much and the Hellas was alot brighter than KC...just my opinion....I have Hellas 500's mounted in the entire front and will get Hellas for lightbar when it comes to that time.

i got both and if i were to get some more i would go with the Hella cause of the plastic back side. The KC i have are some sort of metal and already show signs of rust. As far as the brightness just go out and get brighter bulbs. Just my 2 cents.

My buddy runs both (KC on light rack, Hella on winch bumper)...KC's were a little brighter, but I agree with Mike, KC's do rust on the back. However, the smiley face may make up for the blemishes.

My buddy runs both (KC on light rack, Hella on winch bumper)...KC's were a little brighter, but I agree with Mike, KC's do rust on the back. However, the smiley face may make up for the blemishes.

I dont smile when I'm on the interstate....so having those on wouldnt describe me...lol (road rage) haha jk.

ok what about price difference? anything major

I dont smile when I'm on the interstate....so having those on wouldnt describe me...lol (road rage) haha jk.

Well I guess you can repaint the caps and put a frown on there ;)

Hellas 500 usually runs around between 65-70 bucks a pair. I know black hellas are around 200 at the most. I'm not real sure about KC but I saw somewhere that it was like 50 smacks per light (more likely at pepboys).

Oh yeah, whats the update on that black hellas from that classifieds? j/w.

Well I guess you can repaint the caps and put a frown on there ;)

Haha....if I ever get KC...I'll be sure to do that! Hahaha

idk but i want the black ones

ok what about price difference? anything major

Depends on what kind of light your looking for:

a) Driving vs Fog
b) Xenon vs bulb

driving for up top, just regular white bright bulb

$50 range

I'm just giving you a ball park ranges for those two brands in all models:

Hellas- 50 to 400 bucks
KC- 50/light to 300 bucks

Unless you are a serious night-time offroader anything over a 55W bulb is going to be overkill and illegal for street-use. Go with the Hella 500's because they are probably the best bang for the buck IMO.

KC has a new line out now called their slimlites which are plastic housings and have a thinner profile than the Hellas. What I get is going to depend on an item I'm watching. If I win it, then I'm going Hella and if I don't then I'm sticking with KC.

from what i have heard i think i want hella lights

Does anyone know a good place online to buy lights? Other than ebay?

The only drawback to Hella that I have heard is they can be hard to wire...

whys that

I am not sure, I have just researched both lately and the reviews i read on Hella always seem to mention wiring issues. Not sure if the diagram is bad and the people just do not know how to wire? Or, they have faulty materials. Not sure. I see a lot on the road so I guess they can't be to tough.

I am not sure, I have just researched both lately and the reviews i read on Hella always seem to mention wiring issues. Not sure if the diagram is bad and the people just do not know how to wire? Or, they have faulty materials. Not sure. I see a lot on the road so I guess they can't be to tough.

Never had a problem with my Hellas 500's and its been 6 years.

The best prices I've seen for just about everything has been on Summitracing.com

I find the same prices for tires, lights and all sorts of stuff that I find on ebay listed on summitracing as well or at least ball park close. Plus free shipping!

I wired my 4 Hella 500's myself and didn't have any problems. i didn't have any previous wiring experience either :D

I think the main thing that confused me for a little while was that i had to tap into the wires for the headlights to get them to work. that was it though, i thought it was rather easy

oh no i dont wanna taap into my headlights i want these with a seperate switch that i have

I ignored the wires that came with Hella lights and used my own design along with remote controls for all of my lights....was pretty easy.

LOOK AT THESE>>WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY!?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PAIR-LIGHTFORCE-240-HID-DRIVING-LIGHT-FOG-RAIN-OFFROAD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43984QQihZ024QQ itemZ370066812348QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

I'd be better off getting those LEDs offroad lights rather than THAT!

oh no i dont wanna taap into my headlights i want these with a seperate switch that i have

Mine r connected to two seperate switches on the dash, i only tapped into the headlights b/c i think VA state law says that the have to cut off when i put my high beams on. they can only come on when i have my lowbeams on

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c131/SVandeBogart/DSC06153yel.jpg
i put my 2 round switches here, it looks really sick

tats what i did but i also put in indicator lights on the side of the switches... i hate laws

The laws around here arent that bad as yours sounds....I've had driven on backroads with all 8 lights blazin' and passed a parked cop car...didnt do anything....I love it here :D

Indicator lights? for what?

What'd u use indicator lights for? my switches had a light built in so when they're on, they light up green

ya there is some problem with my damn wiring... mines the opposite, when the lights up top are off the led is on,,idk what the hell i did but it pissed me off, so i tried indicator lights, still doing the same thing, and a reason i did indicators is cuz i bought a heavy duty switch 50a that dotn come with leds

sry 'bout the double post.. my comp. was messin' up and saying that i didn't post anything

ya there is some problem with my damn wiring... mines the opposite, when the lights up top are off the led is on,,idk what the hell i did but it pissed me off, so i tried indicator lights, still doing the same thing, and a reason i did indicators is cuz i bought a heavy duty switch 50a that dotn come with leds

Hmm... i think that happened to me.. i had the wires on the connectors on the back of the switch mixed up lol

ive tried every damn way possible, my brother told me he would install some ic chips and circuts that would fix the problem hes made them but he jsut has to put them in wensday

O... well idk what happened then. hopefully those circuits will work

Try remote control....thats what I use to control my off road lights

once thing to think about when it comes to company is warranty Eshan. If your smash your roof lights off a low hanging branch then hella probably wont warranty it. Kc might be a little better about it like if you crack a lense. specially with a 23 year warranty. and if you dont want rust. get the stainless ones. or titanium long range beam like i have for my middle two on the roof and black floods for my outer 2.

All this talk about KC lights and rusting, and hella being plastic and what not...now I have to chime in. KC lights do rust unless you get stainless, but they have a great warranty! All my offroad lights are KC Stainless (4-150w Long ranges, 2-100w Floods, 2-55w fogs) and they are great! Hellas do rust as well. They may have a plastic back to them, but under that plastic is all metal, and thats where all the water and dirt gets trapped and goes to town on those lights. I personally am not a big fan of Hellas because the wiring that comes with them is garbage and not neatly put together in a nice harness like PIAA or KC. Thats my $.02

Well, for the lightbar I'm gonna fab up later in the upcoming months....would you guys recommend round or square lights? I see some of you have round and a few have square....which give a better light output?

Well the Actual first Gen guys will say Square.

But even tho I have Square headlights on my 2nd Gen I like round lights. All 6 of them

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z228/XterraVT/RC%204-26-08/Dave0001_3.jpg

I am also partial to Hella as well. No real reason just like their product.

Nice pic! I'm thinking bout round lights but just wanted everybody's feedback on it.

I prefer the rounds as well because they will usually come in a higher wattage versus the 55W that most squares are offered in.

As for the laws, I don't believe it's so much the lights themselves but like James had mentioned, it's the output wattage. Mine are illegal because they are 100W. The difference, and I have compared with a jeep, in mine versus some 55W hellas was about 1/8th of a mile. Seriously.

Also keep in mind the output capacity of your alternator. The S/C SE models have a much higher output than the other X models. When I flip the switch on mine, it won't even flutter my headlights or kick in the alternator unless I run them for a while.

I bought the Hella 500ffs and i have to say i love them. I am going to make a light bar soon, but the only reason i bought them was me and whit are want to do alot of camping the end of the summer so i figured i would be going into the woods and i just wanted dome good lights

Don't get me wrong, I think Hellas are good lights and their output is just fine especially in wooded areas where you don't need distance but more coverage.

Hey Justin, wait up a bit on your lightbar. I got a guy here at work that designed me a fold-away lightbar that I'm going to fab up in the next couple of weeks hopefully. It will be relatively cheap and you'll be able to fold them back behind the wind-dam when you aren't using them.

This goes for anyone else interested too. Once we get the ball rolling on this (we are swamped right now at work is the reason why I haven't started it yet) I will post the schematics here so others can build one if they want.

It will be out of box tubing with a bracket on the driver's side and uses a spring-loaded pin to hold the bar in place on the existing rack and will rotate on some type of bushing/dowel mount.

sounds good to me man i like the idea of them not always being stuck straight up just let me know how much it is when the time comes and if you dont care just have that guy make to and i can get mine from you sometime when we go to cc

thanks for all ur input, now money is a issure here too, im, looking to get 4 lights for up top, now my one problem is, i already have 5 holes up there and it was a pain to drill into, what do i do now i dont wanna make a nother one should i just redrill some holes somehow?

You could do that or go with a smaller light like a 4" round so you will have the room for all of your lights. Also keep in mind the extra power the lights will draw so I'd make sure you have the fuses to handle the output.

You might also want to consider splitting the lights up on 2 different circuits/switches otherwise you will put a heavy load on your alternator which can affect your headlights, stereo and other things.

drake i member you telling me this, and cuz of that right now my lights are already slpit into 2, diff relay diff fuse and diff power, for the swtich its a heavy duty switch, ok are the 4inch cheaper? also how do i go about choosing if i want spot or flood or how to do that setup?

the fog lights i have up top now arnt that good so i might put them on the buttom or something

Fog lights are best used closer to ground level. The higher they are, the more glare you will get from fog. They also are a low-powered beam. Most people who run a mix setup on their roof rack will have floods on the outside of the bar and spots or driving lights in the middle. And run the floods on a seperate circuit from the driving lights.

4" lights are cheaper and KC makes a good set that isn't too bad expensive. I'm not sure if Hella makes a 4" or not. If you go to summitracing, you can filter through their lights by the beam (fog, driving, flood, spot).

Haha after reading this thread i really guess i didnt do my home work. i went to walmart and was in the automotive section, next thing i know i have 4 hellas in my hand hahah the bug is taking over my mind haah

wait i thought flood was fog and driving was spot?

Driving is more of a mix between a fog/flood and a spot. Spots are a thin pencil beam that doesn't cover a wide area but very long. Fogs are a shorter beam and driving is the happy medium. Floods are a really wide short distance beam for lighting up an immediate area.

so i can do floods on the sides and spots in the center? thats the best way right? or can u do driving for all for

You can do it either way. If you're on a budget then going with 4 driving lights would work well. Spots are good mainly in open flat areas, which you don't really encounter much on trails. I got spots because where I live, it's pretty much flat farm land with lots of wildlife so I use them to pick up the reflection of their eyes at a distance so I don't hit a deer, coyote etc. When I do my bar, they will go to the roof along with a flood light on each side.

i see. any ideas for the 5 lights i have now where they can go underneath?

you could mount them to your future guard...i have 4 hellas on my front

so i can do floods on the sides and spots in the center? thats the best way right? or can u do driving for all for

Thats what I'm planning on doing....maybe.

I prefer the rounds as well because they will usually come in a higher wattage versus the 55W that most squares are offered in.

As for the laws, I don't believe it's so much the lights themselves but like James had mentioned, it's the output wattage. Mine are illegal because they are 100W. The difference, and I have compared with a jeep, in mine versus some 55W hellas was about 1/8th of a mile. Seriously.

Also keep in mind the output capacity of your alternator. The S/C SE models have a much higher output than the other X models. When I flip the switch on mine, it won't even flutter my headlights or kick in the alternator unless I run them for a while.

Thats what I was thinking...its easier that way and I typically use mine for driving distances in the dark so I think I'll go w/ the Hella rounds lights

Don't get me wrong, I think Hellas are good lights and their output is just fine especially in wooded areas where you don't need distance but more coverage.

Hey Justin, wait up a bit on your lightbar. I got a guy here at work that designed me a fold-away lightbar that I'm going to fab up in the next couple of weeks hopefully. It will be relatively cheap and you'll be able to fold them back behind the wind-dam when you aren't using them.

This goes for anyone else interested too. Once we get the ball rolling on this (we are swamped right now at work is the reason why I haven't started it yet) I will post the schematics here so others can build one if they want.

It will be out of box tubing with a bracket on the driver's side and uses a spring-loaded pin to hold the bar in place on the existing rack and will rotate on some type of bushing/dowel mount.

That'd be awesome if you could show that and if I'm interested, I could let ya know about it and maybe whoever can fab it up?

That'd be awesome if you could show that and if I'm interested, I could let ya know about it and maybe whoever can fab it up?


I'll be doing the majority of the fab work. My co-worker has access to specialty fasteners, parts and what not so we can get exactly what we need to do it right and not a half-ass setup. We have access to 6061 aluminum for brackets and aluminum box tubing so we have all of the materials on hand to do it minus what we need to build the lock system. He's thinking with the design and relatively ease of fab, we may build quite a few of them and ebay them.

Wow, that was alot of info on the lights! What I needed though. Drake, posst up the pictures of that setup, I might be intrested. I am going to run 2 spots and 2 driving and 2 fogs down in the opening under the grill. Thanks agian for all that info. Now to get started!

I will definitely post up a DIY on it but it's going to be several weeks. Workload is heavy, I'll be working in Kansas City for 2 weeks at the end of the month through August so at the earliest, it will be after I get back.

hey drake is yur design anything like the one i sent to you????

whats your design look like, jason?

i want to see if its the same design... if it aint i will post mine that i found on another site awhile back... just got to make sure first....

Sounds good man, I'm really up for the idea of spring loaded lightbar...it seems like it'd be so much better than having those lights sittin' straight up.

Not exactly the same design. It works with a much simpler spring-loaded locking pin (similar to the ones used on a trailer's rotating front wheel jack). Rather than having a lock on each side of the bar, it will be a spring-loaded pin on the driver's side only. It will have a bronze/aluminum/steel dowel pin mounted inside of a nylon bushing on each end of the bar that it will rotate on and has two brackets with a hole for the lock pin set at 90 degrees from each other. One bracket is to lock it upright and the other is to lock the bar folded down. The xterra rack will have a hole drilled through on each side with a bushing (probably bronze) to keep it from vibrating and to rotate easier.

drake your design sounds lot better than the one i found so i will wait till you post yours up....

can some one give me a link to the hella 500's i think i want 4 driving lights

Here's a link to summit racing's complete line of Hellas:

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+4294925242+4294839017+42949225 91+115+400152

ya but they only have hella 500 fog lights

I know you can get the 500 series at Advanced Auto. I was in there yesterday and saw them for like $45 or $55.

this is where i got mine.

http://www.autoanything.com/lights/69A1325A0A0.aspx

I know you can get the 500 series at Advanced Auto. I was in there yesterday and saw them for like $45 or $55.

dang! its about 65-70 bucks here

im going to look at advanced soon.

i know walmart carries them as well....

Yeah, I first noticed that walmart started carrying them after christmas which was a surprise to me.

they have been carrying them down here for quite a while here... i could have gotten them instead of the baja lights i got but i didn't want to pay the money for them