My garage is in need of new, brighter lighting. Right now, it's just a 100 (150?) watt Incandescent and a 40wT12 fluorescent (one of the ballasts is bad). Needless to say, it is very dim, so I am looking for upgrade options. I was thinking maybe a 100-250w Metal Halide ceiling fixture. Would that be overkill for a simple 2-car garage? Maybe multiple fluorescent fixture? Heck, I was even thinking about a MH yardblaster with a shorting cap, as I don't want to spend a boatload money. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Here's a pic:
http://gallery.me.com/gilramirez1/100042/IMG_0308/web.jpg

Hmm, I think I would relamp the T12 fixture with 4 T8 lamps, and add another 4 lamp T8 troffer personally, that would be in the $50-80 rang, I wouldn't use Metal Halide due to the long warm up time, and I do think it would be a bit overkill.

Replacing T12 with T8 does not work, unless it is preheat.

First i would paint the ceiling white, to reflect as much light as possible and do not absorb it.
I would spread ~4 lamp 4' strips (most common, so i guess it would be cheapest), to even out the light distribution.
One of them should be just above the working desk, to have more light there.

Single MH would not work, as it is rather pointy light source and you have low ceiling, so it would make only glare and shadows.

Great, thanks for the help guys!

Depends really what you're using the area for.  If you're doing a lot of work in there, some higher output source might be handy.  Metal halide doesn't really come cheap though.

If colour rendering isn't important, high pressure sodium might be worth considering too.  I've a 250W low-bay fitting here which produces a heck of a lot of light, albeit a very yellow-tinted colour of course.  Both of these are pretty intense sources though, so you would need to be careful where they're positioned so as to not cause glare or shadows in the work area.

Assuming that it's a garage that you're also likely to be in and out of pretty regularly, you'll still want something which can give instant light.  Both MH and SON have warmup periods, and frequent starting isn't good for them.  Sticking with standard fluorescents for that is likely to be the best idea, especially given that they're cheaply and readily available.

I've found that in a garage having a couple of twin tube fixtures on the walls can actually be handy as well, as it helps deal with shadows when working under the bonnet of a car or crawling around underneath it.  I'd recommend getting something with covers though for them, or make your own "cage" around them, otherwise you'll likely end up with the odd broken tube.

Replacing T12 with T8 does not work, unless it is preheat.

I meant re-ballasting it as well.

I know you probably figured out already, but.........
I would get some good high quality shop lights. Ones that will start in cold weather, and hang a few of those up. Depending on the size of the garage, a few regular F32T8 strip lights will work perfectly, and you can add a trouble light with a cord (or wireless) for task lighting.

One 400watt Halide, right in the middle, like one I have in the attic , (flourescent coated, to cut down glare, and mounted cap up without a fitting).
Do you just use it as a garage, or as a workshop too?

One 400watt Halide, right in the middle, like one I have in the attic , (flourescent coated, to cut down glare, and mounted cap up without a fitting).
Do you just use it as a garage, or as a workshop too?

Yes, it is occasionally used as a workshop.

I like designing rooms for multiple lighting levels dependent on what I need (generally without using dimmers). My garage is a 2-car size, but it has a very high ceiling. I have a blue single-LED nightlight on 24/7 for the most minimal visibility; 2 60w halogens in the garage door opener for instant light for quick trips in the garage; two 2xF40T12 fluorescent strips for general use; and 12 other fluorescent fixtures of various sizes (from 2' to 8')around the garage and over the workbench for when I need more light for working on things....all individually switched (with all of them on at once, it's broad-daylight bright in there, in every corner...hey, there are no windows!)

Of course, as a crazy lighting collector, I also have over a dozen HID lights in my garage on display too, but if I didn't have the display, I'd probably just use two 70w metal halide security lights (cheap) for extra lighting when I'm in the garage for at least an hour or two working on something, particularly because I like the quality of light MH provides. I think it's better to have more than one fixture of lower wattages for redundancy and to avoid bad glare & shadows.

A friend has a 2-car garage with standard ceiling...it is lit by about 6 2x4' T8 strips, 5000K lamps, and is plenty bright in there and looks great. The key is to spread the lights all over the ceiling, not just in the centre. He also has two 2x4' Powergroove VHO fixtures (!) for working on cars.

I'll probably pick up a couple of 4-lamp T8 fixtures.

I have 4 8 foots switch start a 5' and a 6' all T12 and a 70W CDM-TC for above my bonnet in my workshop! Does the job lovely!

You want lamps no longer than 4 feet, because in cold weather, they may not start up well. I would get some fluorescent wrap lights at Home depot or lowe's (about $20/ light).

If you get allot of really cold weather (and if you plan to work in the garage during it), get a couple 8 foot rapid start High Output fixtures & cold-rated bulbs for them...LOL I tested one of those in below-zero , it fired right up & warmed up fairly quickly....LOL compareing it to a normal 8' slimline it did way better in the cold.

If you get allot of really cold weather (and if you plan to work in the garage during it), get a couple 8 foot rapid start High Output fixtures & cold-rated bulbs for them...LOL I tested one of those in below-zero , it fired right up & warmed up fairly quickly....LOL compareing it to a normal 8' slimline it did way better in the cold.

Yeah, those slimlines really suck in cold weather. They'd never make it through a brutal New England winter like up hete