PIAA 940 Dual System lights... any good?

[Starscream]

I searched around and found near nothing on these lights.

I am looking to replace my Hella 550 fog lights. They give out decent light, but have been a pain since day one and I'm looking to step it up a bit.

I like the idea of having fog lights, and after playing with a set of 500s I have decided I want both. The PIAA 940 dual system light kit looks to me like the answer to my wants: it's compact, driving, fog, amber lensed, rectangular, and will fit easily on my C4x4 Trailblazer.

I haven't seen a single negative post about any PIAA light yet, but I want to know if anyone has used these lights, and if they are worth the ~$190 I may spend on them.

 

[rsalemi]

Haven't used them; but most combination units (of anything) are not as good as specific one-purpose units. You don't see World rallye cars with a single set of multi-purpose lights - they have 6 or 8 mounted up front!!!

 

[Starscream]

Ya, but my Jeep isn't used for rally, and I can't fit 6 or 8 up front... well I can, I just choose not to. I understand that it won't be as good as single units, but I'd like to have both in a single package, and the J01Cs from IPF are way too expensive.

 

[Thayer]

They're a good light, but a bit pricey. I've had them for 7 years and they haven't leaked and rusted like my other lights. I'm not sure where you want to mount them, but I don't think they will fit easily on the stock bumper since they're a bit thick. I have them on my bumper thumper now, but also had them mounted where the stock fog lights go too. That's where all my other lights rust out and this pair didn't, even though they were mounted there for a good 3-4 years.

I think IPF makes a dual beam round light. You might want to check them out too. My friend had it on his XJ and they seemed good.

 

[Starscream]

Thanks for the info. I'm really liking these the more I look at them. I mentioned something about the IPFs above. I know the PIAAs are around $190, but $300+ for the IPF J01C/J01CB is just way too much.

 

[Thayer]

Yeah, I just noticed you mentioned the IPF's. I'm getting into the bad habit of not reading posts thoroughly. I'd definitely get the PIAA's if I were you. I had no clue the IPF's cost that much.

Here's another story that shows the reliability of the PIAA 940. When I had them mounted in the stock fog light location, I rear ended a civic doing about 10-15 mph. One lens had a 1" crack, but it was still good. That glass lens is really thick, much thicker than the Hella Micro's that I have in the stock fog location now. I did finally get a replacement lens to keep water from getting in. Forgot how much it cost though.

 

[Starscream]

Ya, IPFs are pricey. The replacement lens, IIRC, is only about $20-30. Plus, I think they come with a lifetime warranty.

 

[lilredwagn]

I've got the 960's and I have mixed feelings about them. The fog section is not terribly bright, but it does have a nice wide beam pattern that illuminates the side of the road nicely. It's definitely nicer than any stocker fogs (save maybe the Lexus LS300 (?) I'm sure you know the ones I'm taking about ) and a step up from K-Mart fogs too. I've thought about upgrading the bulbs, but haven't tried it and don't know if the extra heat would damage the enclosure. They're better than headlights, and cut through rain and fog well, but don't expect them to do much at highway speeds.

Likewise, the driving light section, while effective, is not jaw-dropping. They are similar in brightness to the standard high-beams, but they are more focused, and aimed on the road in front of the jeep. If you are looking for a long-distance weapon to use against oncoming drivers who don't dip their brights, look elsewhere. (well, actually, I have no idea how effective they are for that - curious to know actually )

If you want to see every pebble and crack in the road directly in front of your jeep out to past where your headlights hit - but notably *before* the area your high-beams hit, these are the lights you are looking for. If the high-beams are floodlights, these are spots. They will NOT illuminate well around corners in the mountain twisties.

On the plus side, the dual rectangular lights make my jeep a manly jeep . And they do fit on the (pre-97) stock bumper.

 

[Starscream]

I do a lot of city and back country road driving, so I'm not too worried about seeing around corners or five miles ahead of me. I want added light, ahead of me and directly in front of me. The fogs will be handy for night trips offroad, and the driving lights will be great to add to my high beams.

BTW, how much are the 960s? I know they are larger, but I haven't seen them listed anywhere.

 

[lilredwagn]

No idea. A couple years ago, I picked up two sets on ebay (One had a broken lens, and the other had a crapped up housing, so I got both and mixed the two for one good pair). Ended up about $150 for both, IIRC, but the harness was in sad shape (and may have been a POS to begin), so I made my own. After all was said and done, probably $200.

However, even back then they had been discontinued, and there were only like 3 or 4 sites that even had any pictures, much less selling them.

I think they are 115w driving and 85w fog. Some place I emailed told me that the 940's replaced the 960's, so if I had to go out on a limb, I'd guess that the 940's would equal or better the 960's, but I could be totally wrong on that.

 

[dakotus]

the 960's are the 930's little brother.
********
Personally, I have the 968's and they are fantastic. They have a dual reflector so you get a driving and a spot beam in ONE housing, with ONE lens. They run about 118 on sale now at DPGOFFROAD.com

Highly recommended

 

[JEEPZZ]

I haven't seen a single negative post about any PIAA light yet,

The price of Piaa's suck! :laugh3:

I've got the dual beam Pro 90 XT's on mine and love them (other then the cost). I do believe that Piaa makes the best lights on the market but they also do make some very 'popular' funky crap also for the import ricer scene too.

 

[Starscream]

The price of Piaa's suck! :laugh3:

I've got the dual beam Pro 90 XT's on mine and love them (other then the cost). I do believe that Piaa makes the best lights on the market but they also do make some very 'popular' funky crap also for the import ricer scene too.

Ya, PIAA does cater to the import boys. It's time for a (sort of) hijack, but I can do that since I started this.

I've been looking at the IPF 968s that dakotus recommended. I like the look of them, and they are highly rated by everyone, but I have a couple of questions:

What is the housing made of? It says resin... what's that?

How is the seal around the lens? Is there a chance water could get into the back of the lens / bulb area?

How durable are they?

What kind of spread do they offer? I wanna see to my sides as well.

Are they so bright that I would be unable to use them while driving at night? (Are they considered high-beam-like lights / do they offend other drivers?)

Anyone with these or the 868s please gimme some info.

Thanks everyone.

 

[dakotus]

Well
I might as well reply since I suggested them. Firstly, I love them. They are the perfect combination of everything an aux light should be. Now to your questions... Resin, is plastic. Kind of like ABS. The glass is pretty thick on the lights, not as thick as some KC lights though. But not as thin as some cheapo lights, again perfect combination. The back housing attaches to the glass via 2 screws. I've never had any water in my lights. I guess if you TOTALLY submerged them then, yes water would get in. They are not water proof, nor are they meant to be. The IPF 900XS however are submersible up to 11.8 inches for up to 2 minutes. Thats pretty decent. But those lights are a couple hundred dollars, and Im sure theyre worth every penny.

The spread on the 968's is really good. Its a perfect daily driver light. When you buy them, IPF will include 100 watt bulbs along with the 55 watt bulbs. I currently run the 55w and its perfectly legal (here at least) to use them anytime you want with your normal headlights. Durable? Well, I got into a accident back in Sept I think I was going about 20mph, slammed on the brakes, wasnt enough, and i slammed into a kids car as he was flying out of a parking lot, one of my lights was smashed, the other is perfectly fine. IPF is good with that too, I told them my light was smashed, and all they wanted was $25 +ship, and I had a new light. I cant comment on the IPF wireharness though, I rigged up my own harness to use with them. Because I initially bought my lights used and didnt want to sort out the wire mess of a harness the dude gave me with them.

PHEW, i hope that helps ya out somewhat. If I were looking for lights for the first time, I wouldnt hesitate to buy these again.

One more thing, you will get white lens covers for them, if you would like CLEAR covers for daily driving you need to contact Atlantic British LTD (www.roverparts.com) They sell them at a really good price.

You can buy cheap ass walmart lights like everyone else does and smash them on the trail and not care, but if your rig is more of a daily driver than a trailer queen I suggest something that functions a lot better than some cheao-o lights from walmart

Nik

 

[Starscream]

Well
I might as well reply since I suggested them. Firstly, I love them. They are the perfect combination of everything an aux light should be. Now to your questions... Resin, is plastic. Kind of like ABS. The glass is pretty thick on the lights, not as thick as some KC lights though. But not as thin as some cheapo lights, again perfect combination. The back housing attaches to the glass via 2 screws. I've never had any water in my lights. I guess if you TOTALLY submerged them then, yes water would get in. They are not water proof, nor are they meant to be. The IPF 900XS however are submersible up to 11.8 inches for up to 2 minutes. Thats pretty decent. But those lights are a couple hundred dollars, and Im sure theyre worth every penny.

The spread on the 968's is really good. Its a perfect daily driver light. When you buy them, IPF will include 100 watt bulbs along with the 55 watt bulbs. I currently run the 55w and its perfectly legal (here at least) to use them anytime you want with your normal headlights. Durable? Well, I got into a accident back in Sept I think I was going about 20mph, slammed on the brakes, wasnt enough, and i slammed into a kids car as he was flying out of a parking lot, one of my lights was smashed, the other is perfectly fine. IPF is good with that too, I told them my light was smashed, and all they wanted was $25 +ship, and I had a new light. I cant comment on the IPF wireharness though, I rigged up my own harness to use with them. Because I initially bought my lights used and didnt want to sort out the wire mess of a harness the dude gave me with them.

PHEW, i hope that helps ya out somewhat. If I were looking for lights for the first time, I wouldnt hesitate to buy these again.

One more thing, you will get white lens covers for them, if you would like CLEAR covers for daily driving you need to contact Atlantic British LTD (www.roverparts.com) They sell them at a really good price.

You can buy cheap ass walmart lights like everyone else does and smash them on the trail and not care, but if your rig is more of a daily driver than a trailer queen I suggest something that functions a lot better than some cheao-o lights from walmart

Nik

Thanks, that helps a lot. I am skeptical about plastic housings still... I dunno, I guess I'm just the paranoid type. You said they supply a 100W bulb and a 55. Why two?

 

[dakotus]

So you can run the 55w on the street, and be legal. And run the 100w on the trails for more candlepower

 

[Starscream]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but can you run both at once... or is it you can use 55s if you run them on the street, and 100s if you run them trail-only?

 

[XJCasper]

Something was mentioned and I want to bring it to anyone who cares attention.

In the state of Washington (I don't know which others), it is illegal to use auxilary (fog/Driving) lights when Highbeams are on, when on-road.

Jason

 

[dakotus]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but can you run both at once... or is it you can use 55s if you run them on the street, and 100s if you run them trail-only?

No dude, you have to switch the bulbs out. You're making this A LOT more complicated than it needs to be. Get the damn lights and LOVE THEM