95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

KC or Hella?

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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 03:56 PM
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From: Portland, OR
Question KC or Hella?

I'm getting get a pair of round lights to mount on my TJM and I was wondering if you guys prefer KC or Hella lights. I'm thinking either the 100W KC daylighters or the 55W Hella 500s. I don't think the KCs are necessarily brighter due to the power rating, but I'm not sure.

What is everyone's preference and are there any other sets that are about a hundred bucks that someone knows of?
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 07:34 PM
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save your pennies for a pair of lightforce 170s.
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 07:35 PM
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i like kc's just cause they are a classic
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 07:51 PM
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Fork in the road(hijack)

I'm investigating lighting too. I was wondering about the Explorer ProComp lights as well. Anyone have experience with these? I know they aren't as expensive as some and you probably get what you pay for but for limited offroad use I don't know about the cost on the others if these will do just fine for night offroading, which I have yet to do...
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 07:54 PM
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I had 4 procomp 55w that I sold this summer. I got it with the surco that i bought. I never used them but they looked kinda ugly to me..LOL. I went and got hella instead. I got 4 hellas for $115. THe hellas are 55w as well. I guess its all about personal taste and financial reasoning. Hope this helps.

Matt
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 08:01 PM
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the KCs are pretty classic and it's hard to beat the big yellow smileys on the front of you rig. i checked out the ProComp ones too, but yeah, im guessing you get what you pay for. PIAAs and Lightforces would be nice, but mods are hard on a college budget!
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Localmotion
I had 4 procomp 55w that I sold this summer. I got it with the surco that i bought. I never used them but they looked kinda ugly to me..LOL. I went and got hella instead. I got 4 hellas for $115. THe hellas are 55w as well. I guess its all about personal taste and financial reasoning. Hope this helps.
$115 for four lights sounds like a good deal to me. Was that a used purchase or new? What kind? The 500s everyone around here likes?

My ideal setup would be a couple round driving lights for the front bumper and a couple rectangular lights for the rear bumper for backing up, camping or whatever.
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 08:10 PM
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This thread is great...
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f123/u-satisfied-your-aux-lighting-38248/
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 08:11 PM
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hella 500's seems to be the most popular item. they're cheap and can be purchased at a great price on fleabay

i'm holding out for some lightforces so once my mod funds grow that'll be one of the next items for me.
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 08:36 PM
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From: Escondido, CA
Originally Posted by Good Times
hella 500's seems to be the most popular item. they're cheap and can be purchased at a great price on fleabay

i'm holding out for some lightforces so once my mod funds grow that'll be one of the next items for me.
What kind are you looking into? I've checked into them and they are pricey but I do like them, they should have a special bolt pattern so they don't get ripped off! I do like the 170 or 240 but I could get the whole truck lit up for the price of those alone. But just by doing a little reading they do look to be a quality product for sure.

I bet you're saving up for the HID 240s! They look sweet but...
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 09:01 PM
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i love my 150 watt KC's... i love it when i can find an on-coming car with their high beams on and blind them back....
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 09:33 PM
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From: Escondido, CA
Originally Posted by gapguy
Thanks gapguy!

From other thread:

Originally Posted by BajaTaco
Did you get to see the Lightforce video? (right click and "save target as")

Pretty cool.
I'm sold!

Too bad they don't make rectangular lighting as well. I need something to stuff into my rear demello bumper. Maybe I'll go cheap there and get the ProComps!

Last edited by Darx; Nov 15, 2004 at 09:34 PM.
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 09:34 PM
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From: Slave Lake, Alberta Canada
I've got a pair of 130 Watt ProComp 8 inch stainless and a pair of hella 550 fogs. The Light pattern on the pro comps are fantastic. The fluted lens makes a huge difference and I can see way down the road as they are a pencil beam pattern. They also do a really good job at lighting up the immediate area much like what fogs are supposed to do. HOWEVER, there are some definite design drawbacks for the procomps. For one, they're not the best at being sealed from moisture. Even though they are stainless, not everything is stainless. One of the bulb retaining clips on my pair corroded and I couldn't get a replacement part. Luckily, the clips are a pretty generic shape and I got a set out of an old pair of warn lights I had and it fit with a bit of bending. Nice lights but I would have liked to have seen better parts availability. Hellas wouldn't be a bad choice though. My buddy has got a pair of the 500s and they're pretty bright as well.
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 10:06 PM
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i had a set of hella 500s, they have a bit of a crappy mount system and move under extreme vibration..... however they are a lot slimmer than the kcs...... and i got them used pretty cheap... so they served me well
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 10:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Darx
What kind are you looking into? I've checked into them and they are pricey but I do like them, they should have a special bolt pattern so they don't get ripped off! I do like the 170 or 240 but I could get the whole truck lit up for the price of those alone. But just by doing a little reading they do look to be a quality product for sure.

I bet you're saving up for the HID 240s! They look sweet but...
I'm savin up for the big boys (which is never... hahaha)
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Old Nov 15, 2004 | 10:15 PM
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I love my Cornering Beam Hella 4000's!
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Old Nov 16, 2004 | 06:09 AM
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My vote - Light Force 170's. Had my set on for a year now and love them. Bolted directly to the bumper and put the switch in the empty center space near the hill button. Love how they are adjustable beam and can run different disusers or covers. I run the yellow in traffic when it rains. Had a set of $350+ IPF Super Rally's and these are much better.
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Old Nov 16, 2004 | 10:49 AM
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I have a set of Hella 500's, and 1000's, as well as haveing the KC's on a previous ride. In my opinion, the Hella 500's suck, just not nearly enough output. The KC's were great, and I was very happy with their preformance....however, I'm really happy with the 1000's. I have the Driving beam, and my buddy have the pencil beam.....now those suckers are BRIGHT, I'm upgrading the 500's to 1000 pencils any day now. If you go on Performanceproducts.com they usually have a deal on 2 1000's in driving beam pattern for around $100.
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Old Nov 16, 2004 | 11:23 AM
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I love my Hella 500 Fogs and Driving lights...I just got mine wired up on the roof and the fogs are really good for bad weather. I haven't noticed any glare from the roof lights on the hood so they're workin great for me.

I will probably end up gettin some more Hella 500's so I can have 4 on the roof...the Light Forces are a little too much for me to pay for just some lights when my Hella's are workin fine, if the Hella's end up not workin then I'll shed the cash for the Light Forces.

Fink

Last edited by Fink; Nov 16, 2004 at 11:25 AM.
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Old Nov 16, 2004 | 12:03 PM
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Check your local advanced autoparts...

I got a set of Hella 1000s on clearance for $35.95. They had two sets and my buddy got the second set. Ive got Hella 500 Fogs and they were pretty darn good I thought, but they are my frist set of aftermarket lights. LightForces are pretty sick, you can even get an infa-red covers for night vision
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