Awww, I'm bummed now. I thought it was a cool idea. So, everyone would be OK with mounting them in the hibeam as a secondary lightheaded as long as the OEM remains in place... Thanks for the input.
Here are a couple of recommendations I give most people and some things I typically don't do when mounting cannons (or laws of any kind):
1 - Avoid putting them in extremely large light housings. (such as most headlamp areas for low beams and high beams) The larger the area, the less "pop" the
LAW gives out. If you have smaller housing options, use them!
2 - Avoid putting them in a housing that emits your low beam or high beam. Why compete with the brightest lights on your vehicle? Most LAWs can do just fine in competition with them, but here is the thing: Warning and attention getting is = to one thing.... contrast. We prefer "bright" because it gives us contrast from whats not bright. If you are putting it in a housing with one of these bulbs you are going to get some wash out and significantly lessen the amount of contrast. I don't know about you, but I'm not rich... I can't afford to spend money on something and not get the most out of it.
3 - We have always tried to put the
LAW as close to the "focal point" of the reflectors in a light housing for the longest period of time. This to me is not the standard answer anymore for a few reasons:
A - Some of the LAWs operate at extremely high temperatures. Putting them directly next to another extremely hot bulb is begging to shorten a life span of either device. I've seen multiple brand
LAW's (Yes, of all brands) melt before. Most people blame this on the the
LAW being "defective" but it really isn't. Do you really expect something made of a plastic based compound to not melt when exposed to heat in the 125-200 degree range?! Some bulbs get extremely hot (even more true for headlight bulbs.) If you couple that with the fact that the housings are sealed (and in turn holds in all heat,) you have a little oven.
B - Oh did we forget to mention that the reason we put it so close to the focal point is so that we have reflect the light being admitted back into the wall of the housing where the light itself is inserted? You are essentially aiming more heat in some cases back on the lighthead itself. (Think of using a magnifying glass to melt something using the sun.) If you prefer to cook stuff, sure.... mount it there.
C - Housings are very different these days. The shapes our our vehicles now somewhat dictate the shape of the light housings. Some of them are not always geared to distribute light evenly, as much as they just designed to avoid keeping light from going somewhere it shouldn't. The sharp angles and small natures of some housings lead us to one conclusion, the spot where the bulb is might be ok, but if you move off center from that just a hair you are rendering the light ineffective. Put some thought into your location. Study the light reflector and make your best guess as to where the light form your
LAW should be coming form. Next to the bulb is not always the best answer these days. Don't just assume it is.
D -
LAW's these days have a variety of ways they emit their light. If you already bought something, pay attention to what you bought and take that into consideration when looking for a mounting point. If you havn't bought your laws, study the intended light housing (Be sure to look at the back of the housing so you KNOW there is nothing that will prevent you from mounting where you want) and determine which is the best
LAW for your desired location.
I know I havn't said everything... but I'm tired and going back to bed. Only got up to let the dogs out for a minute and saw this post.
