• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

150w HID floods?

GrimmJeeper

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Gardena, CA
Anyone seen these things in person? Saw this ad on RDC, claims they use a 150w sodium halide arc bulb... The same type used in warehouse and stadium lighting. I can't find much about them on the web aside from a couple of ads posted and their website which doesn't have much info at all. With a 450$ a pair price tag it puts them on par with other HIDs but holy crap 150w?

http://www.race-dezert.com/cgi-bin/trader/atl.cgi?ct=7&md=second&id=2641

partp2641n3.jpg
 
These aren't headlights, they're auxilliary lights.

CherBear, are these bulb types any less durable than smaller arc Xenon HID bulbs? not sure what makes you worry about durability.
 
With no filament to break, the bulbs should be as tough as the Xenon bulbs
I wonder if the wattage/lumen ratio is similar. The equivalent of 450 watts of Halogen? 'Wouldn't want to touch one while it's lit up though.
 
Geez, 150w! That would be awesome in the desert! :eek:
 
With no filament to break, the bulbs should be as tough as the Xenon bulbs

That's what I was thinking, which is why I asked about the durability comment.

they claim 11000 lumens, a 150w power requirement is ridiculous. I really want to see these in action. Some of the guys on the candlepower forums have built some crazy big lights as custom one offs but this is the first I've heard of a production light this powerful intended for automotive use.
 
Last edited:
Amperage on starup would be pretty hefty too but damn that looks fun!
 
These aren't headlights, they're auxilliary lights.

CherBear, are these bulb types any less durable than smaller arc Xenon HID bulbs? not sure what makes you worry about durability.

Simply because these lights arent built as offroad lights... They are obviously built for more of an industrial application, otherwise the power inverter would not be needed to run the ballasts. (assuming the inverter is a 12v to 110v model)

Adding the inverter into the equation doesn't necessarily make them less durable, just adds another part that could break.


EDIT: Another question being what is the warm-up time for metal halides? They say they are used in stadium lighting. Ever watch stadiums power up? It takes a while for them to get to full brightness...
 
They definitely seem to be an "all purpose" flood pattern, more round then the wide flat pattern most automotive lights have.

'Not sure the warm up time matters for reasonable applications. You'd only be using these off road. It's not like you'd be flicking them on/off with the hi-beams. Even if they take 2 minutes to reach full brightness(about what the metal halides on our flag poles take to warm up) it wouldn't be a factor. Once it's dark, they're on.
Also, this from their web site:
Because the ArcLight system uses Metal Halide light sources the restrike time for the ballast is not instantaneous as it is with Xenon lamps...ArcLight lamps require a cooling down period after they are turned off before they can be reignited.
So they're definitely not "on/off" like most of what we use.
 
They definitely seem to be an "all purpose" flood pattern, more round then the wide flat pattern most automotive lights have.

'Not sure the warm up time matters for reasonable applications. You'd only be using these off road. It's not like you'd be flicking them on/off with the hi-beams. Even if they take 2 minutes to reach full brightness(about what the metal halides on our flag poles take to warm up) it wouldn't be a factor. Once it's dark, they're on.
Also, this from their web site: So they're definitely not "on/off" like most of what we use.

Well I guess for a lot of the true jeepspeed or racing rigs, this warm up time isnt a problem. My rig is way more geared for the street, I prefer something that is more instantaneous.

I think they would sell a lot more if they had a better beam , that flood pattern just doesnt do it for me :wow:
 
You shouldn't need instantaneous secondary lighting, unless you're one of those ass clowns that likes to flash your offroad lights at people on the street.

How many they are going to sell probably depends on exposure at this point, I can't find any information on the company before june of this year. It's not like a lot of people would have had experience with them yet. I do agree about the inverter part though.

I emailed the company and asked about location, as I would like to see these lights in action first hand. I also asked if they had plans to get into sponsoring race teams. This is the response I got from them:

ArcLight said:
Hello,

We are located in Frederick, Maryland. If you are interested in trying out the 150W HID system I can offer you a 10% discount on the price of the system if you agree to display a sponsorship decal on your vehicle.

Also we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on the system.

Regards,
Hector Barbeito
ArcLight HID

I emailed him back saying 10% off isn't much of an incentive, and if he was serious about sponsoring an off road racing truck that I could help put him in touch with the right people. That's too much $ for me to risk getting burned on :gee:


Thanks for digging up that video though, It doesn't look like they have much in the way of distance in that clip. I'd be interested to see what they look like with a decent set of optics on them. Guess I'll have to build my own :confused1
 
Last edited:
Well I guess for a lot of the true jeepspeed or racing rigs, this warm up time isnt a problem. My rig is way more geared for the street, I prefer something that is more instantaneous.

I think they would sell a lot more if they had a better beam , that flood pattern just doesnt do it for me :wow:
You shouldn't be turning your offroad lights on on the street anyway...
 
Well I guess for a lot of the true jeepspeed or racing rigs, this warm up time isnt a problem. My rig is way more geared for the street, I prefer something that is more instantaneous.
Agreed there. When you're switching on/off based on oncoming traffic, even a 10- or 15 second delay would get pretty irritating. Then again, with the federal max 55w rating, I don't think these are ever going to get a DOT sticker.

Bet they'd work great at night in the rocks.
 
Back
Top