PURE BRILLIANCE FROM LIGHTFORCE
A no-compromise hybrid driving light from Down Under.
I stopped at the top of a rise and noticed the beam from my vehicle pierced through the darkness, clearly illuminating a white house on the opposite slope. I’m pretty sure they didn’t appreciate having their windows lit up, even if I was half a kilometre away.
An off-road rig that also functions as a daily driver is often a vehicle of compromises. What makes the rig better off-road often detracts from on-road performance. It was great to finally find an accessory that was built to be great for both.
The HTX2 from Lightforce is a very unique 230 mm (9”) round headlight. Twenty domeless Lumileds Luxeon ZES light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) surround a Philips D1S WhiteVision Xenon high-intensity-discharge (HID) bulb. We usually see comparisons between the two styles of bulbs – not integra
tion. The ring of LEDs provides a bright triple road-width pattern of light for driving off-road at slower speeds than the highway, while the HID punches forward through the darkness in a road-width beam for highway driving. It literally offers the best of both worlds.
As you may have guessed from the name, this is the second iteration of the HTX. While the initial HTX was good, it has been improved. The lights now have a fully integrated waterproof plug, which uses the Genuine
Gore® waterproof membrane valve and mechanical seal to achieve an IP68 and IP69K level. This means the HTX2 is dustproof and fully submersible up to 1.5 m (5 ft) for up to 30 minutes. Lightforce says the HTX2 can comfortably operate between -40°C to 63°C (145 F°), which means it can meet the demands of the average winter temperature in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT above the Arctic Circle and the maximum summer temps in Death Valley, CA.
We mounted the lights on the front of our Wrangler JKU and went for a spin, or three. While you can run the LEDs or HID separately, or both simultaneously, they cannot be used when there is oncoming traffic as they are simply too powerful.
We found the LED shines bright with a great dispersion beam illuminating the road ahead as though it were daylight and the colours were accurate. The HID is insane. In full darkness, it provides a piercing narrow beam that will illuminate everything in your path and we can’t imagine a scenario where a wheeling rig could overdrive these lights. The HID is backed by a 170° reflector and casts a wide dispersion of light to the sides. When you use the LED and HID in a combo you get it all – a wide flood to the sides, solid fill immediately down the road, and penetrating illumination into the distance.
The HTX2 was noticeably effective at dusk, which we find the most challenging time of day for driving. The eyes’ iris stays small because of the light sky but this means it doesn’t let enough light in to see the dark road clearly. Add in the fact that drivers (and their eyes) are typically fatigued at the end of the day and there is an increased risk to safety. With a bright, colour-accurate driving light your eyes can relax and see it all.
The mount for these lights allows you to adjust the light vertically and it can be mounted to your light bar with one to three bolts. If you use the single centre bolt, you can adjust the horizontal angles to your own preferences. During our tests, we set up the lights to shine parallel, however, you may want to angle the beams a couple of degrees
apart for a wider illumination at all times. When you’re happy with the beam pattern on your rig, you can then add the second and third bolts for more stability.
The lights ship with an impact-resistant, clear, polycarbonate spot lens that produces the beam pattern you see in the photos. There is also an optional clear combo pattern lens available similar to one we used while testing the Lightforce Genesis driving lights (see
4WD Volume 23 Number 3). This combo lens produced a fantastic, all-around blend of spot and flood. We imagine it would be a great lens for the HTX2 as well.
Another option for the 12V HTX2 is a topmount bracket (called the Extreme Top Stay Bracket), if your bull bar or light bar mount allows an upper point of stabilization. We experienced some vibration while driving offroad and this would certainly eliminate it. The 24V lights come standard with this feature.
There are a couple of minor cons amidst the myriad of pros to these lights. We found the HID takes about four to five seconds to warm up and achieve their maximum brilliance. When driving down a highway with interspersed oncoming traffic, they don’t function on/off as quickly as your traditional high beams. The second con is that the flood pattern of the LEDs causes some glare as you pass street signs (should you pass any street signs).
In our opinion and based on our trials, the HTX2 are the best accessory lights on the market in terms of durability, performance, and clarity that we’ve ever tested for rural and off-road driving,
MSRP: HTX2 Twin Pack: $1,300 USD Three-year warranty