How you set up your driving lights should reflect the type of driving and terrain you are driving in.
In areas of wide open land and fast roads such as Outback Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory, a set-up of two spot lights will give you the best throw of light reaching as far down those long straight roads as possible.
For drivers who are predominantly in heavy bush with lots of winding roads such as the Victorian High Country, a set-up of two flood lights will fill the foreground, giving you great visibility to the side of the roads where roos like to hide and through the next close corner.
For most drivers, however, the combination of one spot (driver’s side) and one flood provides the best of both worlds. The single spot throws a strong direct beam down the road over 1/2 mile, while the flood beam fills the foreground and roadside what is often considered the optimal driving light pattern and output.
LIGHT OUTPUT AND DIMMABILITY
The combination of 6x 10 watt and 30x 4 watt performance OSRAM LEDs with a highly tuned reflector design has brought the Intensity Solis to the top of the class in light output.
Measured as a pair of spot beams, the Solis boasts 1 lux @ 4796 feet. Individually, a single flood beam will achieve 1 lux @ 2391 feet while one spot beam has an impressive 3385 feet throw.
Lights this bright need some level of containment, which is why Intensity Solis lights are sold standard with a 5-stage dimmability switch.
The ability to dim driving lights is perfect for when you’re approaching highly reflective road signs and is also really effective in low visibility scenarios (such as dust)
LIGHT PROFILE
While the Solis’ light output figures are impressive, what the light really offers the driver is so much greater!
The ultimate goal when designing a driving light is to get two light patterns, one spot and one flood, that offer light where you actually need it. To be most effective, a driving light needs to light the areas of the road and surrounds that match the terrain and driving style. Your driving lights need to be effective either as a matching pair (of spots or floods) or as a combination (one spot and one flood). Creating a light pattern that shines the furthest doesn’t always mean the light is useable – let alone optimal.
Driving lights need to have good central light and shouldn’t have harsh edges, but rather a good feathering of light that bleeds off. Additionally, the light should not be too white as it can cause additional eye strain for the driver, nor should the light throw too much intensity onto the foreground directly in front of the vehicle.
