Long-Range lights or spotlights feature pencil beam lenses, which they use in creating extremely focused beams of light that penetrate farther than standard driving beams are capable of.
Spotlights and Long-Range lights are typically used for high-speed racing and off-road rallies due to the unpredictable and undeveloped nature of the environment that these types of vehicles are designed for.
Spotlights, long-range lights, and pencil-like beams are often mounted on the roof of your motor vehicle in order to maximize visibility while traveling. Spot beams are not for normal road use, but they are perfect for off-road driving where speed is important since they help you to see as far ahead as possible without any concern for oncoming traffic.
A driving light projects a bright, focused, and very long beam into the distance. They are originally meant to supplement a vehicle head lamp’s standard high beam. Although driving lights are great for road use, they are best when used off-road because they offer a higher degree of visibility along the trail.
Driving lights are usually mounted on the same level as the vehicles normal headlights. This allows them to focus their beams nearly the same way as the headlights, but only brighter and farther.
Most driving lights adhere to ECE and SAE regulations which makes them stick to standards, but some like spread light beams don’t and are often taller, wider, and brighter than standard driving lights.
Floodlights create a widely angled light that spreads out at a 30-degree angle. These flood beams are not intended to be used as road lights use because they are very powerful and shine in nearly every direction. A floodlight is like a more powerful fog light that gets mounted on a truck’s roof.
It’s perfect when a large area needs to get brightly lit. Floods lights are also great for various off-road uses, as well as RV and farming use. On trucks and on off-roaders, they are not ideal for speed, as is the case with spot-lights. Rather, they help you get a wider view of the trail while driving at slow to medium speeds.
While spot beams are narrow and long, fog lights tend to produce beams that are wide and short. The goal of the fog beam is to offer as much illumination as possible in the 100 to 350 feet of road ahead.
Fog lights are best mounted close to the ground. This is usually below the headlights and on the bumpers. The light is additionally aimed slightly downwards to give the best visibility for nearby vehicles.
As for color temperature, amber (about 3,000 Kelvins color temperature) works best for fog lights because it provides better visibility in fog, dust and snow storms than pure white and even blue-tinted lights.
Note though, that different jurisdictions have different laws guiding fog light use. They are normally road legal but that’s only when there are no other vehicles within a 500-ft vicinity.
