A form of modification that truck owners frequently practice is the changing or adding of lights. The extra visibility that aftermarket lights can provide is especially useful if you plan on going off-roading in darker conditions. For some, light accessories are good for setting their trucks apart aesthetically as well. Whatever your reasoning, when you go on the hunt for truck lights of your own, you’ll want to know how brightly they will shine once you install them. You may become confused at seeing both lux and lumens while looking at lights, though, which are two different measurements that are both connected with brightness. We explain lux vs. lumens and what you need to know about them to clear things up.
Lux Definition
Lux indicates the quantity of light that a bulb will cast onto surfaces. This characteristic of a light is known as illuminance and it can change depending on the distance between the bulb and the surface in question. Consequently, when you see a lux measurement for a light, there should also be a distance measurement alongside it. As the lightbulb moves further away from the surfaces in front of it, lux will decrease, and vice versa. For trucks, lux is good for gaining an understanding of how bright the light that you will see ahead of you will actually be. After all, you won’t be looking straight at your headlights, but rather at the illuminance that they direct onto the road.
Lumens Definition
In comparing lux vs. lumens and what you need to know about them, you’ll find that lumens are simpler to understand. They don’t change based on distance and instead represent the brightness that lights give off irrespective of their surroundings. To put it another way, lumens measure the brightness of lights themselves. While this may seem like a suitable way to show the brightness of a light, looking at lumens alone can sometimes be misleading in practice. Just because a truck light is brighter does not always mean that it does a good job of increasing your visibility. Remember this useful tip if you’re trying to buy functional headlights, fog lights, or spotlights.
Avoid cheap quality products and find truck lights that really work by checking out the selection here at Specialty Performance Parts. We stock Ford F-150 and Roush truck accessories that you can trust to do their jobs well.