4 x 4 Australia

TESTED: LIGHTFORCE GENESIS LEDS

BLOODY BRIGHT AUSSIE-MADE LEDS.

-

WHAT IS IT?

THE Lightforce Genesis is an Australian designed and manufactur­ed 140W LED driving light that’s claimed to provide a light output of 1053m at 1 lux. It features 37 Lumileds LEDS that are housed in (214mm wide x 232mm tall x 73mm deep) cast aluminium with a Uv-stable, powder-coat finish. An IP69K rating protects against highpressu­re water and dust ingress.

Features include three-stage operation, with full intensity and day- or night-time positionin­g. The light also has thermal overload protection, is CISPR25 compliant (reducing radio frequency interferen­ce) and is supplied with a replaceabl­e impact resistant polycarbon­ate filter.

MOUNTING

THE Genesis is easy to mount to a vehicle’s bullbar and features a sturdy mounting bracket. The 2.4kg light is secured with an M10 35mm stainless-steel hex bolt and a nyloc nut. An anti-theft security lock set is an optional extra. With a depth of just 73mm, the Genesis will fit on many vehicles that might not otherwise accept such a large diameter light. Having said that, I had to fashion a spacer to fit between the light mount and the bar on my D22 Navara so the harness adaptor would clear the vehicle’s grille (the wiring comes out quite low on the back of the Genesis).

The optional driving light harness made wiring up the lights a simple task. I used the H4 harness adaptor (so I could plug straight into the back of the Navara’s headlights), mounted the relay and fuse in the engine bay, and found a good spot low on the dash to secure the two switches (one for full intensity and the other for the positionin­g lights). The switches have small red LEDS so you know when they’re on. Wiring up the daytime positionin­g light feature is optional and requires you to connect the second switch to a suitable ignition signal wire.

Once everything is in place and the lights are operating, adjustment is achieved via the easily accessible side bolts fitted to the light. Once adjusted and tightened, the lights secure well and don’t vibrate. For extreme conditions, Lightforce offers an optional top stay bracket (not tested).

LIGHT PERFORMANC­E

WOW! These things are bloody bright! Not only does the Genesis provide a fantastic throw of light down the centre of the road, it offers a reasonable spread, even with the standard polycarbon­ate filter fitted. With the optional combinatio­n filter (not tested) Lightforce claims a beam width of 120 metres. Colour temperatur­e is 5000K, which is a comfortabl­e white without getting too far into the blue zone, and on high beam the Genesis lights up without delay.

I have been running the Genesis with the daytime positionin­g lights on, and it’s comforting to know my vehicle is now more visible in all conditions. As promised on the box, the Genesis doesn’t interfere with radio reception (either AM or FM) even when the signal is weak in remote areas.

SUMMARY

THE Lightforce Genesis is a high quality LED driving light that’s packaged in a sturdy housing and provides a brilliant light output. I like the fact it’s designed, manufactur­ed and tested (at an independen­t NATA laboratory) in Australia. The Genesis is covered by a three-year warranty and Lightforce offers a wide range of replaceabl­e filters and other optional extras.

 ??  ?? A sturdy housing makes these LEDS a good choice. RATED AVAILABLE FROM: www.lightforce.com RRP: $669 (each); $115 (harness); $33.20-$37 (filters) plus extras. WE SAY: Easy to install; bloody bright.
A sturdy housing makes these LEDS a good choice. RATED AVAILABLE FROM: www.lightforce.com RRP: $669 (each); $115 (harness); $33.20-$37 (filters) plus extras. WE SAY: Easy to install; bloody bright.
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia