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LED Light Bar - Gen 3 with Solar Sunroof Package

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by DevinP, Jul 23, 2021.

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  1. DevinP

    DevinP Junior Member

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    I want to add a light bar to the top of my car, but I'm running into some problems.

    1. I need something with suction cups because the top of my entire car is glass.
    2. I need a way of mounting it such that the front sunroof flap can still flip up.
    3. I need to know what wattage light a Gen 3 Prius could handle. It's not easy looking for this one...

    Yes, I know this is ridiculous, but I've already made the car kind of obnoxious with switching every light to LED. How much worse can I get?

    P.S. I'm not going to use the lights on main roads, like highways and whatnot. I want it to be connected separately from the headlights and be a manual switch in one of the extra slots by the mirror controls.

    This is one that I was looking at, but it won't work because of screws.

     
    #1 DevinP, Jul 23, 2021
  2. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    whats the fastest speed you’ll drive?
     
    #2 Grit, Jul 23, 2021
  3. SnowMexicanuck

    SnowMexicanuck Member

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    From what I've seen "42 LED bar are rated from 9 amp all the way to 20 amp depending on the brand. I had one on my '05 Corolla and it made no visual difference with the electrical system when turning it on (no dash dimming, nothing weird).

    But honestly, I put one on my Corolla since it was a winter beater painted matte green... Something you have to realize is that putting a big flat object on your roof might not help with mpg. From experience with headwind, I could feel it on my Corolla and it was bolted with nutserts in the roof... not sure I'd trust suction cups for that.
     
    #3 SnowMexicanuck, Jul 23, 2021
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2021
  4. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    #4 black_jmyntrn, Jul 23, 2021
  5. DevinP

    DevinP Junior Member

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    I'd say up to ~90 MPH.


    True, suction cups might not hold. I know they work for ski boxes at 100 MPH+ but they're pretty aerodynamic.


    That looks amazing! Though, I don't want to lose too much MPG and this will make my sunroof pretty much unusable. If I didn't have the solar sunroof package on my car, I would absolutely do this!!
     
    #5 DevinP, Jul 28, 2021
  6. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    there um... is an option for you and not lose too much mpg, it's just what are you will to do to achieve your goals?
     
    #6 black_jmyntrn, Jul 29, 2021
  7. DevinP

    DevinP Junior Member

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    What are you thinking?
     
    #7 DevinP, Jul 29, 2021
  8. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    it's too crazy but I did stumble on these led light bar suction magnetic bases.

    the crazy... roof rack mounted on the side pillar with your light bar or custom mounts for the light bar only, bolted to the upper pillar...

    [​IMG]
     
    #8 black_jmyntrn, Jul 30, 2021
  9. gboss

    gboss Member

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    What about placing a light bar inside the windshield on top of the dashboard or in front of the mirror? This would satisfy the MPG concerns.

    Just use a rubber gasket to seal the edges against the glass similar to what police use when they have lights mounted in the same place.

    @black_jmyntrn - does the 50" curved lightbar you have fit inside of the car on top of the dash?
     
    #9 gboss, Sep 2, 2021
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2021
  10. tony_2018

    tony_2018 Member

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    Have you ever shined a flashlight through glass?
     
    #10 tony_2018, Sep 9, 2021
  11. gboss

    gboss Member

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    Most all flashlights have a piece of glass/plastic between the outside and the bulbs - so, yes. Refraction through the thick prius windshield will be a tradeoff when optimizing for mpg, of course, but you could probably reduce some of it to usable levels by removing any additional plastic housing around the bulb enclosure.

    Ideal setup is a popup light bar from within the hood :cool:
     
    #11 gboss, Sep 9, 2021
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