PIAA Light Questions

[coltchris]

I'm ready to purchase lights for installation on my Westin Bull Bar and am leaning towards the PIAA 520 series.  Having no experience with such lights, I have a few questions:

1. Do these lights provide significant improvement when used with normal lighting?

2. Does "fog" or "driving" provide most improvement for normal driving?

3. Whats difference between "520 Series Ion Crystal" and "520 SMR Xtreme Plus Clear Driving"?  Lighting quality the same?

I've been to PIAA's site and read all info., but would like some real life experiences.  Also aware of BB mods necessary to mount.

 

[coltchris]

Come on guys; someone ought to be able to help this old fart!!

 

[Rolando]

I'm ready to purchase lights for installation on my Westin Bull Bar and am leaning towards the PIAA 520 series.? Having no experience with such lights, I have a few questions:

1. Do these lights provide significant improvement when used with normal lighting?

2. Does "fog" or "driving" provide most improvement for normal driving?

3. Whats difference between "520 Series Ion Crystal" and "520 SMR Xtreme Plus Clear Driving"?? Lighting quality the same?

I've been to PIAA's site and read all info., but would like some real life experiences.? Also aware of BB mods necessary to mount.

Hey coltchris ,

  I don't have the PIAA 520's I have the driving 2100XT's, so that this with a grain of salt.

- significant improvement over normal lighting?  i would say yes, in that it fills the gaps where your normal headlights don't fill/reach

- i got normal driving lights to extend the range of my low beams.  since the AV already came with fog lights, i didn't want to duplicate the same range of light

- don't know the answer to question 3 

Good luck on your research and don't forget to post pics 

 

[vertabatt]

I have the 520 driving lights... They have the clear lenses rather than the lenses that diffuse light.  The way they are mounted on my bar does not allow them to angle up high enough to do any real good (unless I take the rock gaurds off).

I do love the lights and I use them often when I leave my AVS headlight covers on.  They don't add an incredible amount of light, but they do project farther out than the highs... with a much more narrow beam.

I would say a better investment in lights would be switching to HIDs if you are looking to improve normal lighting.  I just had to get em to fill out the empty space on my bull bar though!

So....

1. Not a huge improvement in light, but it is significant and noticable.

2. I think you will want driving lights for normal conditions.

3. No clue!

 

[Cisco04]

Yeah what vertabatt and Ro said.? I have the PIAA 540 fog lights, they do project better than my factory fog lights.? At night, when I have all my lights on, it looks pretty intimidating? for the car ahead of me?

 

[coltchris]

THANKS guys; but still can't make up my mind!!!  May just go with the 540's like Cisco04 did.  Easier install (no drilling to fit); bull bar doesn't look good without something there!