LED Light bar questions

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

Will a 200 amp System will be enough?

[Frederic]

12 hours ago, Lakshmi Narasimhan said:

Will a 200 amp System will be enough?

I would advise the following:

1) calculate the total wattage of LED lights that would be activated at the same time. If you have different switches for different configurations maybe you won’t be switching them all on. 
 

2) Divide the total wattage of the LED lights with 12. That will give you the current in Amps. 
 

An example: 450W total LED power divided by 12 Volts gives you 37 Amps. This is perfectly fine for a stock battery but a 75Ah battery will run empty after about 2 hours.

Think about the following setup:

1) Powerful setup for off-roading. As long as your engine is running the battery won’t run empty. 

2) Economical setup for camping which has lower wattage so it doesn’t drain your battery quickly. A few of those small cubicle LEDs could be good enough. 
 

A second battery will require a lot of extra cabling, extra weight, and will need to be installed properly. If you go that direction, Optima Yellow batteries are fantastic but need to be equipped with battery management systems. 
 

As an off-road vehicle you’ll need to make certain compromises: if you like dynamic dune bashing and fast pace driving you should think about the fact that every kg reduces engine power. If you want to make a kind of overlanding vehicle where you focus more on crossing the desert safely this is less of a concern. 

 

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

3 hours ago, Frederic said:

A second battery will require a lot of extra cabling, extra weight, and will need to be installed properly. If you go that direction, Optima Yellow batteries are fantastic but need to be equipped with battery management systems. 

Thanks @Frederic for the suggestion. Second battery needs to be put in rear, looking for optima 65 Amp slow discharge battery only with 200amp IBS management System from Switzerland, over all it adds another 20-25 kg, hope it should not drain the power a lot. As suggested i will try to optimize the usage of lights at any point in time.

 

[Lawrence_Chehimi]

@Lakshmi Narasimhan, i follow some Facebook pages where they do modifications for the Y62s below is an example they are adding to the Patrols.(if money is not an issue) , below image for example is a 110 Ah lithium battery with built in power management system, and that is 11kg only. Not sure if you can find something similar in Dubai for your car.

[Lawrence_Chehimi]

Honestly, I won't install a battery inside the cabin of my car . there are plenty of hazards involved which many people ignore. If installed correctly the chances of catching fire or exploding are less but more importantly the toxic fumes that come from the battery in which you and your passengers will be inhaling.

 

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

 

20 minutes ago, Lawrence_Chehimi said:

the toxic fumes that come from the battery in which you and your passengers will be inhaling

Thats a valid point cannot discard that. What to do any suggestions!!!

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

Had high regards for carnity already, but I am astonished with the amount of suggestions and feedback from all experts, experienced folks over here spending time to answer all the queries. Simple thanks wouldn’t be enough, I feel lucky that I am in the right community.

[Lawrence_Chehimi]

@Lakshmi Narasimhan, my question is do you really need all that much of light? I don't believe you might need them unless you are going on an extreme night drive and not sure if they are necessary. I'm currently running 2 high quality Leds installed on front of the bumper, they provide high lumens and consume less amps than the OEM halogen fog lights. And honestly I don't feel i need much more. My next upgrade will be swapping the combo lenses with Flood lenses for the installed Baja lights and add another Baja spot LED bar with 12000 lumens and I guess that is more than enough, unless you are tending to race at night. With the above setup you won't really need any upgrade to your alternator or battery.

As for my night trips/ camping with the family or friends, I have a 500W LED light bought from the gas station and that gives some good light, and i connect it to a separate power bank that i charge at home. I don't want to connect it to my car's battery as it will drain it out unless i keep my engine running.

Edited April 21, 2021 by Lawrence_Chehimi

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

I agree this setup is over kill for night off-road drive. Going for lights mainly for night camping trips with elderly people and kids.

[Lawrence_Chehimi]

@Lakshmi NarasimhanAs for the warranty, from what I heard they try to find any reason to void your warranty in case you encounter any electrical faults in future.

Even if you do a lift kit, the agency will void the warranty on your upper/lower arms, axles and transfer case.. (that is something I recently read on one of the forums)