Does anyone use LED KC HiLites?

[mousehunter]

Just curious. Slowly outfitting my Jeep. I know that the Gravity Pro are their top end product, but a comple online sites are selling HiLites retrofitted with KC led drop in's. I suspect they are almost the same price as the Gravity Pro-but curious how much output and beam pattern is sacrificed with the retrofitted HiLights to get the old style housing. I don't think the old style housing has much in the way of heat sink fins - so in theory they might be ever so slightly less noisy. That said, I wonder how they made them to deal with the decreased cooling - less watts maybe?

Anyway, thinking of getting a pair to start with. I have mounting spots on my front bumper and they would match my HiLite fog lights. I would prefer to put them on the roof - but if the noise is too much, I can at least mount a pair on the bumper. If they do run realitively quiet - I can always buy a second pair to mount on my roof platform. Of course, doing that will requiring making a custom mounting bracket - but such is life. My platform should be almost flush with my windshield - so If I mount them directly in front of the platform I can lower them a few inches and not sacrifice all that much more overhead clearance.
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per KC website. Same Amp, Same K, Same Lumin. about 60% Candela, 60% Lumin, and 60% range. I guess that comes down to same LED, but different reflectors. Probably different beam pattern.

 

[L J]

... but a comple online sites are selling HiLites retrofitted with KC led drop in's.

Just out of curiosity ... got website?

 

[mousehunter]

Eventually found them on the KC website KC web site, Think I first found them on Extreme Terrain. Also see them on Amazon now, 4wheelparts says discontinued.

It is sad, but Donut Media did a high/low on offroad lights. They kind of hit the nail on the head - You see them even when you are not using them... Even if a light bar is just as bright with the same beam pattern (generally not), KC's just look more old school toy truck cool (high/low was putting them on Tacoma's). Unfortunately, I have only found reviews of the halogen Daylighter vs the Gravity Pro's. Perhaps it is not universal, but I bet a lot of TJ owners are kind of trying to recreate the cool vehicle that we remember from our High School parking lots. Retro sells. I know I am 100% guilty of looking at the vehicles a lot more closely when I watch 80's movies or movies/shows set in the 80's (Stranger Things for instance). I don't know why, even though I have a Gen 1 Tacoma, I don't have any real desire to put KC's on it and do a full Marty McFly.

 

[L J]

You see them even when you are not using them... Even if a light bar is just as bright with the same beam pattern (generally not), KC's just look more old school toy truck cool (high/low was putting them on Tacoma's).

If I'm being completely honest, a good deal of the reason I bought my KC Pro6 lightbar is due to the individual round light look. The rectangular light bars just don't appeal to me. They belong on bro trucks ... or YJ's.

 

[mousehunter]

Sad, but I know if I do this it is going to cost me more than 2x what I plan on. My wife will not be happy until she has a new bumper and Gravity Pro's mounted on it (can cross fingers and hope she does not want the full overhead light bar). She is frustrated enough that I have vintage KC fog lights already. That is only going to be worse when I remount them... I pulled them off when I changed bumpers and have not made a new bracket yet to remount them.

Part of the reason I got my own Jeep is she would not let me mount roof bars on hers. I kayak, as long as her's does not have roof bars, I could not borrow it to go kayaking.

 

[AndyG]

My wife will not be happy until she has a new bumper and Gravity Pro's mounted on it (can cross fingers and hope she does not want the full overhead light bar

You have an inverse marital relationship we aren’t familiar with. The normal wife is mad when new parts go on.

You must be insanely happy.

 

[Mrholland]

I have Pro Sport KC on bumper and pillar. They're the version just before Gravity Pro.

I'm pleased

 

[mousehunter]

Been doing a bunch of thinking and googling. Retro vs current trends I guess. The old HiLites were fairly huge. Finding the few pictures I could online, they almost require above the bar mounting. Here is a non-TJ install picture I found.

Now when I look at virtually every modern install, the lights have been mounted lower, often in front of the windshield - which is only possible with lower profile lights.

Oh well, more thinking...