Arb's New Light Bar is... Intense

ARB have gone back to the drawing board for their new light bar – and it’s a pearler.

After three years of development, ARB has released the new AR40 Light Bar. In true ARB fashion, the bar is not only extremely well made, it looks great too – sporting the same styling as the round intensity lights. But that isn’t the best part…

On Paper

The light bar ticks all the boxes; the specs are what they should be when you’re forking out this kind of cash. The AR40 pumps out 9,200 lumens through 40 Osram LEDs. The unit draws 8 amps of power and is IP68 rated – that’s water and dust proof. To suit individual needs the unit is produced in spot and combo beam models.

Remember, the specs that ARB gives out are tested; not those provided by the Chinese factory before they are placed in ‘brand X’s’ box. The products are designed in Australia, manufactured in the USA by Rigid Industries and backed by a two-year warranty. Put all of that together and ARB has dealt us a damn solid offering.

Inside the box you get the light bar itself, a polycarbonate cover and some easy-to-follow instructions. The mounts, wiring loom and additional covers are purchased separately.

Design and installation

The people at ARB have outdone themselves and the rest of the market. They have introduced a curved housing that integrates with the top bullbar tube, while the wrap-around tube clamps provide a solid connection. The cast aluminium housing not only works as a huge heatsink but is also designed to keep the light bar low and behind the front of the bullbar (meeting ADR 13 and 42). The light bar actually looks like it’s meant to be there – not some tacked-on afterthought! If a roof rack (or any other flat surface) is your preferred mounting position, ‘pedestal’ brackets are also available.

When it comes to installation, getting the perfect angle isn’t as simple as I’d like… tightening the clamps pulls the light bar up significantly. A bit of guesswork is required to aim the light lower to counter this. Once it’s tightened though, it’s not going anywhere.

The optional wiring loom is well made and has everything you need to get the light bar up and running. If you plan to make your own loom, the light bar features an industry-standard Deutsch connector.

How does it go?

Flicking to high beam, the candles Volkswagen calls headlights are completely drowned out by the AR40. An LED light bar with an actual spot pattern is a welcome sight; rather than showering light in every direction, it maintains its spot pattern and goes the distance. The distinct spot beam throws useable light to over 270 metres away (check the pictures for yourself) and I reckon the spread is pretty close to the 10 degrees stated in the book.

The spot beam model would be fine to run on its own, but it wouldn’t hurt to supplement that with a pair of spread spotties. If you’re limited on space or cash, then the combo beam variant might be what you’re after – sacrificing a little distance for 20 degrees of spread.

Due to the mounting system, shaking on rough terrain is virtually eliminated. Only the movement of the bullbar as a whole is noticeable. There is also no chance the light will end up pointing in the wrong direction, even if it does take a hit from a small animal – this thing is rock-solid.

And the cost…

Brace yourself. The unit is $849 on its own. The bullbar brackets will set you back $129, whereas the pedestal mounts are $249. Lastly, the wiring loom is $79. ARB assures us the performance is on par with a pair of AR21s, but a little cheaper – if that’s any consolation.

What we liked:

Solid mounting

Excellent build quality

Bullbar integration

Out of driver’s view

What we didn’t like:

Cost

Hard to aim

Brackets may not
suit all bullbars

More info: arb.com.au

Full Specs

Input: 9-36V DC