What Pod Light Beam Pattern Should I Use?

At an astounding rate, pod lights have been transforming the automotive lighting sector. The fact that pod lights can be seen on everything from crossover shopping carts to off-road racing is what makes them so popular. What is the best pod light to use, then? To find out, we examined the Morimoto 4Banger.

Pod lights can be mounted in a variety of locations and have a wide range of uses. Every mount has a distinct function for which the lights are designed. We'll examine today which beam design is appropriate for each mounting option.

ABOUT POD LIGHTS

Light bars were a standard feature of all off-road and pavement crawler truck builds in the past. It would be disastrous to have one of those delicious Vision X Lightbars on your rig. The lightbar was a fashion statement among truck fans, even if you weren't the kind to sift through the brush in the backcountry.

No matter what you think of them, their impact on automobile culture is undeniable. They may have started to lose favor, but they're still a fantastic option for off-road lighting. Pod lights, however, have shown their value in recent years.

The Morimoto 4Bangers have recently caused a stir in the off-road lighting industry due to their small size, bright output, and more than 25 mounts that are compatible with the 4Banger LED pod lights. We'll use these to illustrate the various beam patterns.

Additionally, the 4Bangers have two power levels: the entry-level NCS and the high-end HXB. You may compare the HXB and NCS to other well-known pod lights in the industry here. The HXB is noticeably brighter than the NCS. There are also two types of color: yellow and white. Both colors are accessible for every power level and beam pattern.

Types of Beam Patterns

There are usually only three different kinds of beam patterns for pod lights. You have a broad beam first. This is sometimes referred to as an SAE light or fog. This light has a great deal of breadth to assist you in viewing the sides of the road, but it is not particularly deep.

The combination beam is the second option. This light's projection has some depth but not quite as much as that of a spotlight beam. The combination beam pattern, often known as driving light, adds a little depth and width that isn't too different from your high beams.

The spotlight beam comes last. A spotlight beam pattern allows for an amazing amount of down-range visibility. These aren't really useful for anything else, but they're perfect for fast nighttime off-road driving.

Based on the lens grooves, you may determine which beam pattern corresponds to which light without turning on the 4Bangers. The Total Internal Reflector (TIR) optics in these grooves help to provide a powerful beam pattern with fewer LED chips.

APPLICATIONS

Bumper Mount (Fog Light)

This is where the fog light will be deployed, and the broad beam light should be employed. Although it is not the ideal option for a flush install fog light mounting position, you might use the combination beam.

With the majority of the light from the combination beam concentrated in the center, a lot of light will strike the ground just in front of your car. Your eyes won't be able to adapt to seeing farther down the road since these will block the beam from your headlights.

However, you may use the combo beam as an auxiliary high beam instead of your headlight's high beam and position the pod lights higher on your front bumper.

In this case, a broad beam pod light will bridge the gap between the front of your car and the beginning of the beam pattern from your headlights. Naturally, this is in addition to the beam pattern's width, which will also improve your visibility of the road's sides.

If you want to use a flush-mount rear bumper light as a reverse light, you'll also need a wide beam. Your backup camera would be destroyed if you did anything else. Furthermore, when reversing, how far behind you do you actually need to see?

A-Pillar Mount

When we talk about an A-Pillar mount, the pod lights are usually installed where your hood meets the A-Pillars, one on each side. Any one of the three common pod light beam patterns could be used in this application.

An excellent way to increase the breadth of your headlights and create the illusion of a larger headlight beam pattern is to add a broad-beam pod light. If you choose the combo, it can be used as a dedicated off-road driving light or as an alternative to high beams.

A flashlight beam gives you the best visibility at close range. If we had to choose one for this application, the spotlight would be the least helpful for the majority of off-road activities. In contrast, you should drive on slow-moving trails, through the forests, or down long, straight highways in the dark.

The spotlight beam pattern is not advised for frequent use and is best positioned higher on the car.

ARE THESE STREET LEGAL?

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) regulates fog lights, in contrast to the Department of Transportation (DOT), which decides whether headlights are road-legal.

You must check the product listing to find out which pod lights are road-legal. In general, the spotlight beam patterns and combo are not road-legal. The wide beam is the best option for using these while driving.

When pointed at -3°, the NCS and HXB variants of the broad beam are road-legal when used with the Morimoto 4Bangers. The NCS and HXB are photometrically compliant for use as fog lights, according to the SAE's tests. This basically indicates that, in terms of light output, they can be used on roads. This also applies to the white and yellow variants of these pod lights. Therefore, the 4Banger LED Pod Lights are the best option if you're searching for an improved fog light solution that is still legal to drive.

However, if the 4Banger combo light is the NCS version, it can be used as a high-beam substitute. Simply put, the HXB is too intelligent for driving. For vehicles without high-beam capabilities or in which the driver opts to use the 4Bangers in lieu of high beams when appropriate, this would be perfect.

CONCLUSION

Because of their small size and versatility, pod lights are becoming increasingly popular, so it's critical to know when and where to utilize them.