Spot lights

I am thinking of adding a couple of round LED spot lights to the front.  They are going to be for road use, so I know they can only come on with high beam and have to be ‘E’ (now ece) marked otherwise they are off-road only.

However, I am having a difficult time working out which ece standard they need to be made to, here are a couple of choices:

ECE R112
The OSRAM MX180 are stated as road legal and in addition to the main spot lights they also have a position light, so they could be classed as DRL?
www.osram.com/ecat/Round%20MX180-CB-LED%...3438271/ZMP_4061799/

Staying with OSRAM the VX80 spot/driving lights are also R112, lower output, lower cost and don’t have the position light
www.demon-tweeks.com/osram-ledriving-vx8...AvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

ECE R148
These 7” auxiliary driving lights from Hella are made to R148 and also feature white position lights and are approved for road use.  The also feature amber position lights for off road use, but I am not sure I would even wire those.
www.hella.com/lightstyle/en/Truck/Produc...truck-4884/?pid=5741


So it seems to be a choice between lights conforming to R112 or R148, anyone know which is best (or legal) to go for, using them as spots in addition to main beam?

If anyone has any other suggestions about makes or models let me know?

Ta

Robin
 

These are what I have  KC Hilites LED , that price has just smacked me in the gob £577, when I bought mine in 2019 they were £360. Luckily I had a replacement pair sent under warranty as one of them had condensation on the inside. The new ones are still in the box, I can live with a bit on condensation, plus it might put anyone off stealing them if they know the cost of new ones.

On the box it says:
Spread Beam - SAE/ECE Certified
Spot Beam - Off Road Use Only

I have the Spot Beam to complement my LED headlights on the Gen4 SZ5, I don't think Spread Beam would have added any benefit to the excellent headlights. They are only wired with the KC fitting harness, so independently wired with ignition on with a switch in the dash. Never been questioned at any MOT. I guess it could be one of those things that are only illegal to use On-Road if you are actually using them On-Road, and not just having them fitted and turned off.

Thanks and you are correct, it's not illegal to have non-approved off-road lights fitted, you just can't use them on the road and your fitting is correct, through a separate switch.

The ones I looked at are approved, but the spot light can only come on with high beam. I was thinking of wiring two switches (or a 3 way switch) so I can enable spots to come on with high beam (on the road when required) or for off-road switch them on independantly of the lights. As long as it is marked up that would still comply.

Robin

Are you in the UK?

I know there are regs around aux lights. But tbh you stand more chance of winning the Lotto than ever having an issue using them on road. Just make sure you have a way to isolate them.

I'd also say, while in theory it sounds like a good idea to be able to switch on a set of lamps without your main lights. I think the real world use is not there. I can't see a single time when less light would be answer.

I have some Osram lights I have a light bar I also have the VX80's. So far I have found them to be very good and high quality and still look like new.

Ultimately it comes down to what you want to achieve with the lighting. I wanted distance and a spot beam, I didn't want flood. So I initially bought one of their smaller light bars. Which did exactly what I wanted and expected.

However, when out over the fields in harvest I decided a little bit of a wider beam would be handy to see a bit more side to side. I still didn't want a flood beam, as flood tends to have a very high lumen rating and lights up a wide area. I opted to add the VX80s as they offered more of a spot beam. Not as bright and not as much distance as the main bar, but I set them up to focus/aim either side of the main light bar beam. Thus giving me a wider beam overall.

For the money I'm quite please, although a slightly different bar might have offered a similar effect in a single package.

The VX80s are tiny though. I know it shows the size online, but when you unpack them they really are small. It is also wroth noting, that while the housing is round on the VX80s, they are multi LED, so really are just a round shaped light bar. If you want a large lens and single emitter LED (aka a modern version of a halogen spot lamp), then your choices are limited and usually a lot more money.

Value wise I'd say the VX80s are very good. But there is no denying they put a lot less light out than my light bar does. I think had I only fitted the VX80s I would have been disappointed, although the 4th Gen Jimny does have superb LED headlights, so any auxiliary lighting needs to be super bright to really help. On a vehicle with less capable headlights, their impact would be greater. And maybe running 2 pars (4 VX80s) would be another budget option.

Here you can see them in action:

Yes in the UK.

Thanks for the review, very good. The VX80 look like good performers especially considering the size.

I am after something for mostly road use just add a bit more light on the dark rural roads for middle to far distance. My Gen3 lights aren’t bad if it’s dry, but coming home the other night in the rain they could have been better.

You are probably right I won’t use them often without high beam, however, there are times when high beam is a real pain, especially if it is misty and I wondered I if spots would cut through it better with the narrower beam?

Robin

To reduce the reflected/scattered glare from mist, you want the light sources as low as possible, which is why fogs are mounted below the bumper.

You just have to comply with RVLR 1989 www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/contents

Mainly
For additional driving lamps Schedule 5 : they must be inboard of the obligatory lights (no restriction on height or distance from front of vehicle), and carry an "approval mark" (mark not specified)

& section 27 Using

Which is the one about not dazzling other road users or having them on while parked



"Driving" lamps must be used with headlamps kept on.


Fog lamps can be used instead of headlamps (which is the whole idea as the glare from the headlights would make them pointless)


If they are officially to be regarded as fog lamps they must comply with schedule 6

400mm max from the sides 1200mm max from the road surface, aimed 3% below horizontal with a 75kg driver in the seat & carry an approval mark.

They can be white or yellow

(But the MOT only specifies white as fog lights are tested, I'll see if my MOT tester can query that)

Maypole have come up with an LED combined fog and flood beam lamp which may be suitable. Size would complement the 7" h/lamp of a Jimny.

Roger

Thanks everyone, I have a much better understanding.

I have refined my ideas and I am not really looking for a fog lamp, so that sout.

I now realise R112 specifies the light intensity, you can have a maximum of 100 (Reference Mark) at the front. The Jimny headlamps are 20 each then as follows:

VX80 - 12.5 each
MX-180 - 25 each
Hella 7" Blade 22w - 25 each
Hella 7" Blade 36w - 50 each

This means that the Hella 7" blade 36w cannot be fitted as that would take the reference light to a total of 140. However, the 22w variant can be fitted, but seems to be much less common, I have only found one place selling these and they are more expensive than the 36w, but still cheaper than the MX-180.

It also doesn't matter which EU country it was approved in as approval also extends to the UK, provided it was approval date was before Brexit.

So it still comes down to the Osram VX80, Osram MX-180 or Hella 7" Blade 22w. Out of all of them I look the look of the Hella best, then probably for light output the MX-180, but I prefer the visual apperance of the VX80 to the MX-180, but it is only half the light output of the other two.

The Hella 7" and MX-180 combine a position light with a spot, so in high beam will give a spread of light close to the vehicle and a spot in the far distance, that might be the best of all worlds for me.

Robin

Forgive my ignorance, but I thought ECE R112 & R123 were the requirements for the lamps to get an E mark?

Where does this 100 come from, is it intensity at specific distances or source luminosity?

AFAIK there is no UK limit on the total luminosity or number of additional lamps, just they must carry an approved mark and not be operated to cause dazzle or annoyance. RVLR 1989 is what applies to the UK, section 5 has no specification on intensity- presumably that is covered by the E mark, and why you can't fit LED or 120W bulbs to an H4 headlamp, as then it wouldn't conform to it's E marking.

Norway is not an EU member, we Just comply completely to all its laws.
But the regulations with the sum of the lamps R-number and no lamps on the roof and all that was removed here 3 or 4 years ago.
About the time I got my three lamps. Had to be even numbers before, only pairs