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Hello all....
I need to get some driving lights. Immediatly for the 97 GT, cause the person I bought it from did a ghetto HID conversion, so I lost the high beams. (flame away please!) I do a two hour (more or less) each way commute a few times a week at least, and will be doing it in the dark early morning in bad weather a lot this winter. I really need some seriously powerfull lights for the interstate commute. I like the look of big round driving lights mounted close to center atop the bumper...with white/black covers to match my car. I plan to install a foot dimmer switch on my dead pedal so I can kill them really quick, when I see headlights, before they see me, so I don't blind anyone...and use them sparingly...this is a really rural area and it will be dead when I am driving.
So I am thinking about getting a set of PIAAs (taxed!) or maybe hellas or even cibie...Kinda torn between going with one of the cheaper smaller 6 inch rounds (I don't really wanna go over 7") and using really good wiring and relays, and installing like 100-120 watt bulbs...or getting a competition set that come with powerfull bulbs, or getting a really good set with legalish bulbs...but I need to be able to see them over the HIDS, and way out in the distance. Too many people get killed by moose all the time, or deer. And with the miles I do, I'm bound to die...
And what do you think I should go with...a pencil beam, driving beam, euro beam?
thanks
Micum

PS whoa that was a book, My lights don't really seem to be that bad, I have the aimed pretty far down, there is a pretty sharp cutoff, so unless I'm cresting a hill at you or something, they don't get in other drivers eyes. Never been flashed, or bothered by cops, even when pulled over.

Ew. A ghetto HID conversion. If it's at all possible, I'd suggest trying to take out the HID stuff and get H4 bulbs back in there. Your beam pattern is wrong, although it could be worse. You have the cutoff still but you're throwing much more light above it than you ought to, which will hurt you a lot in rain and snow. Putting in H4s will give you proper high beams too.

You could probably find a set of used stock headlights for about the same amount of money that you could get selling the old HID pieces.

Most driving lights are designed to be auxiliary high beams, not a replacement for high beams. Most are some form of pencil beam, which won't get you the lateral illumination you'd need. It's a little unclear what Hella's "Euro Beam" is, but even that beam pattern seems to be fairly narrow. The thing is, usually stock high beams are good enough for illuminating the lateral foreground; they usually are lacking in lighting the stuff far ahead of you. So you may not get the proper high beam experience if you only use driving lights.

In any case, I'd suggest staying away from PIAA; they do have some good products, but they also have a lot of really, really bad products and all of their stuff is overpriced. Cibie and Hella make quite good lighting products.

You know what? I know what you should get to give you high beams!

http://www.susquehanna.com/susq/hella/90mm.htm

If you get the 90mm high beam, you'll get one of the best US-legal high beams out there. With a freeform reflector and an extremely efficient 65-watt H9 bulb, you'll have better high beams than most North American cars have. You'd just have to figure out a way to mount the 90mm lamps. Then you could add driving lights if you still felt the need.

If you are going to stick with the ghetto HIDs you might as well just wire up the additional lights to your high beam circuit and use the dimmer stalk to control them.

I have a 98 GT wagon with Cibie Oscar Plus lights. Work great for adding lots of light up the road. Mounted on top of the bumper with an upper brace tied into the grill so no vibrations. Stick with a 55w bulb to avoid electrical issues. The big reflectors throw lots of light.
Wired to hi-beam circuit with a relay so they dip with the hi-beams when they are turned on, most effective way to avoid frying some guys eyes.

Also switched to the sylvania super white bulbs with good resultsavailable at Wal Mart in Rutland VT for about $36. Added am amber bulb to the OEM fogs in the bumper for fog issues

Lots of large Bosch lights listed on e-bay mostly the big rectangular one.

Good Luck