Hella black magic 500 vs 1000
 

Going to put a light bar on xj but can't decide on lights, either 4 500's or maybe 2 1000's in center and 2 500's on outside. How much brighter are the 1000 and are they worth the extra $?

I'm not sure about the 1000s but I've heard the black magic 500s aren't that bright.

X2 on them not being so bright... I've heard they just look good but aren't a very good light-source

Ok, well that is good to hear. I really like the way they look but not so much that I'm going to sacrifice brightness. So kc or Hella which is better

KC has a better warranty than Hella, but Hellas have more plastic to them to prevent rust. I have 2 700 ff Hellas on the front of mine and I replaced the 55w bulbs with some 100w bulbs and they are pretty good for me. Plus all said and done it cost $100 for two. I've been looking on eBay from some used PIAAs for the top but I'm not paying for new ones. Way too expensive. Just make sure whatever you get is a driving light and not a fog since you're doing a top mount.

Long range beam would probably better on top as two more driving lights will just overlap your current headlamps. For max brightness I would do the two outer lights angled outwards for better light coverage and those you could possibly do driving lights for maximum visibility.

You're right, I'm a little off today. Too many drinks last night. Thanks for catching that.

I've been pondering this exact setup. I've got 4 light tabs and was thinking 2 KC long range 130w in the middle and 2 KC driving 130w on the outside. Anyone ever done this?

i guess it would be a sin to mix kc and hella? hehe Ive always had kcs but the hellas are a bit cheaper, would 2 kc long range in middle with 2 hella 500's on outside look stupid? im thinking of getting the carr rota light bar so i can fold the lights down when not using.

Go PIAA

PIAA looks great, but they're like a new set of tires if you know what I mean. If i were to go that route which PIAA would be the most value?

Piaa is way too much money for me I can Kc's and 2 Hella's for the price of 2 piaa. So that's prolly what I'll do

Can get 2 kc's

I'm running this set up with KC 69 series lights. Good amount of light for crawling through the woods on a night run. I put the pencils in the middle and the driving on the outside.

Here are some PIAA's I was looking at on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251151171086...84.m1438.l2649

They are driving lights but still much cheaper (until the bid goes up, if it does).