As a man who likes wilderness, faraway and remote places I'm compelled to have a vehicle that can carry me there safely and with a minimum of fuss. The vehicle must be able to handle rough terrain including sand, mud, rocks, rutted and corrugated tracks, inclines, declines, side-slope, creek and river crossings and just about everything you can imagine - Not minefields though thankfully.
This is why I've always had four wheel drives. It's the only vehicle capable of taking me where I need to be; That is, away from society and its noise. [Read: People.] I have the skills to use one learned through experience and training and put them to good use.
I've had all types of four wheel drives from wagons to utes, pickups, trucks, bakkies, whatever you wish to call them. They've all been purpose-bought for the job at hand and have been highly modified.
The image below shows my current four wheel drive, the current model 200 Series Toyota Landcruiser. This 4.5L V8 twin-turbo diesel wagon is legit and up to the task with massive amounts of horsepower and torque, a 3.5 tonne towing capacity, good ground clearance, approach, ramp-over and departure angles and is comfortable and has all the things that go beep too! It's a sheer pleasure to own and drive. It's really fast too. 😁
Having said that though, I've had to modify it for my needs, to make it more usable, efficient and safe. It's typical though as manufacturers provide a fairly basic vehicle that is comfortable, rides well, meets design rules and a price point...The rest is up to the owner and over the last year or so I've been accessorising my 200 Series for my needs.
So far I've added an auxiliary battery system with REDARC BCDC controller to accept solar and alternator input for charging. I added a 60L fridge/freezer which runs off the auxiliary battery; It sits on a slide-out roller draw in the rear load compartment.
There's 40amp Anderson plugs to charge my camper trailer (has a battery system on the trailer) when towing and an electronic brake controller by REDARC which operates the brakes on my camper trailer.
I also did a two inch suspension lift which has increased the gross vehicle mass capacity (GVM) of the vehicle which means I can load it with more weight. This needed an engineering report and to go over the pits at the government motor vehicle inspection centre for compliance. I used Old Man Emu off-road suspension for the job.
I added the ARB Summit bull-bar which, in my opinion is critical for outback travel in Australia and also a couple of front recovery points for those times I get bogged.
There's a lot to go yet, but it's a good start and allows me a good deal of confidence when I'm in those remote places I love so much.
On the bull-bar you'll see the spot lights I've had fitted. These are what I want to talk about today.
They're also from ARB and are called Intensity Solis a very legit LED lighting system.
On my last truck I had the same but not Solis which are only new. They are the same light intensity and profile as the standard Intensity light and the distance-penetration is the same too. But with the Solis they solved one of the big problems the predecessor had...They were sometimes too bright and could not be changed.
The issue arose when they were used in the bush and scrub or roads where tree trunks, cliff-faces and other objects reflected light back into the drivers eyes; It causes eye fatigue and strain. They are great for long distance on open roads but again the reflection off the reflective road signs and on-road reflectors brought the same issues. So ARB solved that issue...By making them dimmable. Enter the Intensity Solis.
The cool thing is that these spot lights can operate at different brightness levels being output from 5% to 100% which is really cool. They are operated by a small panel mounted to my dashboard which is backlit so always easy to find. A few presses one way or the other and I can dial in the desired light intensity for the situation. They're very cool!
The other night when I was out culling I took some snaps to show you what they look like in operation - See below with some explanations as well. Oh, just so you know, the law says spot lights can only operate when the vehicles' high beam lights are on and have to be able to be turned on and off independently. Obviously mine comply. im src 👆
Vehicle normal beam light profile
Above is the normal headlight beam. You'll note that they have a very flat light-profile which is government-regulated so headlights do not blind oncoming drivers. You'll also note that the beams are distinctly lower on the right which is because the oncoming traffic is on that side. This is an ADR (Australian Design Rule.) The factory headlights are very good on the 200 Series...But it get's better.
Vehicle high-beam light profile
Without moving the vehicle I hit the factory high-beams. You can see the light-profile open up, get higher and wider essentially, and in normal driving conditions these lights are about all one needs. They are bright, evenly patterned with no hot-spots and allow enough light to the sides, essential to mitigate the risk of animal-strike which is an issue here in Australia. Hitting a kangaroo or wombat at 110kph will mess up a vehicle in short order and it's best avoided. Light is required to do so.
Vehicle high-beam plus Intensity Solis at 60%
Here's the vehicle's high-beam lights plus the spot lights at 60% - The difference is amazing. I have two spot beams rather than spread beams and whilst I did that for distance-penetration, they reach to 1000 metres, they also provide excellent side to side light-profile as you can see. With no trees either side the light easily penetrates 10-15 metres left to right; It allows one to see what's coming. Kangaroos are unpredictable and will often bound right across the vehicle. It doesn't make sense, but that's what they do.
Vehicle high-beam plus Intensity Solis at 100%
This is at 100% intensity which is the same amount of light as the original Intensity spot lights. There's a definite use for them, but as I said, they are often far too bright for typical use. In areas like this the light bounce-back reflecting off things is very annoying and over long periods behind the wheel can be very fatiguing. Even in this photo you can see how bright the road is and the light reflecting back. In this situation I'd dial them back to about 40% which would provide ample light and far less reflection.
Australia is a big country, one I love passionately. I have travelled far and wide across most of it and a lot of that has been in a four wheel drive. There's nothing quite like the experience of a road trip and turning down a track along which you know you'll not see another soul. But one needs to be prepared for remote travel hence my need to enhance my vehicles.
To see Australia properly, and to escape people, one needs to travel over vast distances and whilst outback or remote driving isn't really suggested at night there's times when it's unavoidable - That's when light-systems like this earn their keep. The bull-bar too for that matter, designed to protect the soft parts of the car and keep it running when an animal is struck...But that's another post.
Having the Intensity Solis lights bolted onto my bull-bar means I'm good to go. They're robust, rugged, bright and flexible...Kind of like the driver! Hmm...He's mostly flexible, and sometimes bright. 😉
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Discord: galenkp#9209
Hive bumper sticker?
Haha, not quite. I'm not a sticker on painted car parts guy. I have an Australian Army rising sun sticker on the back window though. Does that count?
A Hive logo LED spotlight seems like the proper middle ground.
Now you're talking! I'm on it. 🙂
Thank you.
Jeez those just about turn night into day don't they XD though I'm guessing you'd have to drop them and the high beams down a bit if you see something oncoming so you don't bedazzle them?
Though speaking of bedazzling I think that's why kangaroos jump the wrong way, they see bright shiny thing and be like AAAARGH ESCAPE but because it's so big and so bright and they're now blind they have no idea where they're going and maybe some of them just don't like going backwards.
I have no idea I'm guessing a lot XD
The normal vehicle high-beams are so bright as they are and have to be dipped. The Intensity Solis are so much more intense. I've been on straight roads where people start flashing me to dip them from five kilometres away. I dip them back gradually and finally turn them off completely as they get closer. I guess due to the light output they think I'm closer than they think.
Yes, kangaroos are weirdos and I don't like hitting them I've clobbered two, both at over 100kph and it's unpleasant. Both times I've had a bull-bar and both times the vehicle has sustained damage.
Eep x_x but that is precisely why when we go on day trips we make damn sure we'll be back in the metro area by sundown.
Smart. Dawn and twilight can be bad times although they're always there. I hit one on the Hay Plains (NSW) at mid afternoon and the other north of Bourke at 2100H. There's no rhyme or reason.
Amazing lights. I do not see a winch, is it in the rear?
It's a winch compatible bar and it'll get fitted when I need one. The vehicle is capable of doing what I need right now and I didn't see the point spending $4500 on a Warn winch just yet. All my vehicle's have had them though. I carry hand winch though it's unlikely I'd need it for what I'm doing at the moment considering it's got diff-lockers.
Wow those intensity lights are very cool. 200 Series Toyota Landcruiser is an epic truck although a bit thirsty for my liking.
Yes, it likes to drink the diesel...But yes, it's an awesome rig. I love it.
When we were in Canada I had a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 in a Ram 3500 so I can't talk too much about fuel economy (hit 35L per 100km heading up the Canadian Rockies with a 2 tonnes of camper on the back). That thing had some crazy power, you could accelerate up a 15 deg incline to do an overtake at 140km/hr even when close to your 5 tone GVM. We reverted to a little 2.5L turbo diesel triton engine (in a PC Mitsubishi Challenger) for our 14,000 km outback road trip. Fuel is a bit more expensive back of Bourke compared to North America. The PC was last in the series (before rebranded to Pajero Sport) and they kept with the end of series (I think 10 year old design) 2.5L engine for it (rather than new (and initially faulty) 2.4L Triton engine which was released in the same year in the Tritons). After a run of ~10 years most of the engine issues had been worked out by then and it is easy to get parts. The 200 series are indeed epic; I am more than slightly jealous.
Perspective changes however and I have only used a couple of hundred L of fuel in 2 years living on a sail boat now so cars seem very thirsty indeed compared to sail ;-). I have tried to become more minimal (well at least for gadget loving person) as time goes on as I increasingly value time over money. The challengers appealed as they have terrible resale from new as they have no practical utility value like 2nd hand utes do so you pick them up 2 years old at half price of new from soccer mums with no miles on them. Yet they are built on a full triton truck chassis and are the same from the cab forward so you can put almost all of the aftermarket triton gear on them and get very cheap parts for them. Also they are one of the very few factory spec vehicles to come with a rear dif locker standard (certainly the only one that you can pick up for ~20k, almost seems an aberration in modern times to have a factory diff locker). I tend to look now at the net cost of the adventure, rig and gear, depreciation over the experience, and then resale. That way you can pivot from one adventure to the next with minimal loss.
I do love those dimmable lights. I have some old tough as nails Lightforce lights which I have moved from vehicle to vehicle for the past 3 vehicles and they are still going strong but eventually I will head in that direction.
That's sexy dude! My sort of truck.
The Challenger clearly looked after you and after 14,000km of outback Australia I'd say any vehicle that serviced a person well deserves a well-earned pat on the head. I know someone who had one actually, loved it, hated when they went to the Pajero Sport. The new Triton is a legit option for most too actually, not as nice looking as the other utes but a good option.
Smart, and I have every intention of doing this but then...You know. ARB.
I actually worked for ARB when I built up my PXII Ranger. I had $25,000 of stuff n it, only paid $9,000 due to staff discount and the workshop doing everything (after hours) for a BBQ and slab of beer. Lol. It was a nice truck and I regret selling it. Oh well.
I'm being a little less flamboyant on the LC200 and am adding on what I need when I need it, hence no snorkel or winch just yet. Those lights though...I'll vouch for them. Not cheap, certainly but good. I've had Lightforce before, in fact sent a couple to my brother in Cairns which he has on his DMax. I also have a couple Nightforce scopes on my rifles (Same company. I know the owner.) I can't go past ARB though, costly, but very worth it.
Thanks for your cool comment man. Maybe one day we can hit some tracks and show off our lights! 😀
that is a beauty set up. I used to have a 50 inch light bar on the roof of my truck. that thing made it look like daylight.
Yep, 50 inches of light bar will do that. Did you get much bounce-back off the hood?
no it wasnt noticeable if there was
I have a mate who has one up there, a Stedi light bar which is pretty sexy. The thing is that when it's raining and he has it on it picks up all the drops so it looks like we're in warp-speed, all these streaks of light coming at us. Looks cool, doesn't help seeing the road. They are cool to get the light down onto the ground for night time wheelin' though...Helps eliminates shadows and the coming to grief situations that can arise.
oh yeah i def had that driving through rain and snow. lol def does look like you are going through warp speed
There's a cool-factor to roof-mount light bars. And there's nothing wrong with warp speed either! 😆
Great to know the at times excessive lighting can be filled down. I removed a set of LED lights because they were often just to bright for the situation.
Sometimes brighter isn't better. I was navigating through scrub with my Ranger a couple years ago, a pokey little track, and I needed to turn off the Intensity's as the bounce-back was bloody terrible. With the Intensity Solis spots I can turn them down and problems solved.
Amazing truck and love the custom lighting setup! I've owned nothing but 4WD/AWD vehicles up until the last few years. My favorites were an old (late 70's) Jeep Cherokee and a mid-80's 3/4 ton Suburban. Right now I'm driving a little Chevy Bolt EV. I love the efficiency compared to the 7 mpg Suburban, lol but certainly not suited for off road.
I've had a Tesla EV Cybertruck on order now for a year or so. Supposedly they will start delivering sometime later this year or early next. I'm very excited. Some folks think they are ugly, but I love the stainless steel DeLorean style look. Of course, I'm also planning a few mods to it. See my vision below.
Nothing like a nice front cable winch and Mini-gun out the top right? lol
I figured you'd have had fourbys but didn't figure you for a Cybertruck guy, but then Kris/Gadgets...Yeah, it fits. I'm really looking forward to you getting it, the reviews will be epic! Get the mini-gun too mate, I'll be happy to be top-gunner. Dangerous but fun.
Wow those are intense lights! It's so awesome that you can modify them to your needs/taste. Your car is very cool and very you G.!
Thanks Mary, yeah most say that about my cars and me. I mean, I've had some very nice ones, all the right badges and all if you know what I mean, but it's my four wheel drives I've always loved the most.
Fucking saffers.
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