SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/470914
pattern and bright areas, leaving some sections dark in the field of vision for the driver and co-driver," adds Carpenter. "The pure beam of light from an LED light bar, coupled with a lower profile, can give better aerodynamics when mounted on a vehicle's roof. This can allow a race team to leave their lights on from the start of the race, avoiding a potentially long pit stop, when the sun goes down, to mount a bulky upper light rack." Another advantage LED lights have over HID and Halogen is power consumption. "LED lights consume far less power than any other lighting type. This puts less strain on a race vehicle's electrical system and allows the vehicle to have more light where the driver needs it, with less amp draw," says Carpenter. So overall, getting more light from a smaller, lighter package that uses less power, is the biggest reason why LED lights have become so popular in desert racing. Because of this, racers have also discovered that LEDs can be easily mounted in a variety of locations that won't hinder air-flow to radiators or get in the way of moving parts. This allows teams to strategically mount LED lights for a variety of reasons. "In desert racing, there two main requirements for lights," says Carpenter. "These are distance and spread. For distance, a 50-inch Rigid Industries combo light reaches farther than 1,000 meters. This five-degree pencil beam is ideal for high speed desert racing. To compliment the narrow beam, different optics are used to provide incredible side to side lighting, (Rigid's patented Specter optic), and can pack six LEDs in the space of a typical four LED package for maximum brightness both to the front and side." But lighting conditions are different for each type of vehicle, be it an ATV, VW Beetle, or an Unlimited Trophy Truck. So the type, amount of lights, and their placement, need to provide some benefit to the driver or team. ROUND HALOGEN LIGHTS ARE STILL USED BY MANY RACERS, INCLUDING ROB MACCACHREN. 061 SCORE JOURNAL