baja design squadron options / set up.

[cosine]

i've been looking at the bd squadron r sport lights and need help in clarifying a few things. also want to see whats the best setup would be. currently i have a rough country 30* spot on the a pillar. most likely, i'm thinking of relocate them to the rear of the jl. i would like to do a amber light on the front bumper and clear on the pillar.

what i'm trying to figure out is the light pattern. whats the different, pros/cons.
-wide cornering
-driving / combo

for the amber light (front bumper). i would be using them on bad weather conditions. (fog/snow/rain) is the driving combo preferred over the wide cornering.

for the clear (for the a pillar) looking more for a light to light up the immediate area, not much for distance.
with that i think spot is out. so which pattern should i use. would the diving combo give me the immediate lighting with a little distance lighting. i will be using the same light bracket that can with the rough country lights. so i'm not looking to change that.

any feedback would be great.

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[tonygiotta]

Their website really lays it out pretty well. I'm using wide cornering squadrons for my back-up lights (wide coverage, low speed/short range), driving/combo for my front light bar (fairly wide coverage, higher speed/longer range). However, for your intended use of the ambers (fog/snow/rain) you should really be using their squadron SAE pattern if you're planning on using them on the road. Essentially a wide cornering light with a cut-off filter. I've got those in place of my fogs. Any pattern that scatters light upward is going to reflect off fog/snow and having a blinding effect, just like driving in those conditions with your high beams on.

For your particular situation, I'd go amber SAE on the bumper, and clear driving/combo on the A-pillar. This will give you some nice amber lighting for inclement weather (that won't blind oncoming traffic) which when combined with the A-pillar lights (off-road only) will provide great coverage for higher speed off-road driving.

 

[cosine]

@tonygiotta thanks for the feedback. i figured that the driving combo will work well on the a pillar, i have looked at the sae version of the amber fog and decided to go with the squadron sport amber for a couple of reasons.
1 is that i only run them when no cars are around,
2 the 2480 lumen will not be effective since my headlight will cut them out. the headlight runs at 3600 lumen. my fog lights are brighter than the sae version.
3 i have a 2800 lumen spot which doesnt light up as well as i like them to be. the other factor is the sports are a better price. for the amount of use it will get.

i'm still getting mix reviews as to which lumen and pattern is the best in the fog, etc. been checking out you tube and sports is shown to be the perferred light.

vehicles around me run brighter lights. half of them run on high beam. let alone no lights at all and some run light bars. so for me it will not make any difference what i run. again i will not use the sport when vehicles are around me.

 

[tonygiotta]

Just so long as you understand (and it sounds like you do) what you're getting into by mounting off-road lights. I personally like my SAE lights. I can leave them on all the time which works well for me because in my experience, the weather doesn't change as soon as another vehicle approaches.

I'll also mention that despite their lower lumen rating, my fog lights don't get "cut out" by my headlights. They are a different beam pattern and therefore add supplemental lighting to areas where my headlights aren't very effective. The SAEs are just as bright as the other comparable Squadrons where they cast light, they just have a lower overall lumen rating because some of the light output is blocked by the cut-off filters. Remember, it's not all about raw lumens, it's about having a complete lighting solution (with effective light distribution) to meet your specific needs.

As for the mixed review on which lights work better in the fog, I'll repeat it again. Any pattern that scatters light upward is going to reflect off fog/snow and having a blinding effect, just like driving in those conditions with your high beams on. There's a reason OEM fog lights are mounted low and have a very defined upper cut-off.

 

[cosine]

@tonygiotta i'll revisit the sae version of the amber fog. i'm aware of the light pattern and how the light is thrown. i've been exploring other brands led aux lights and keep coming back to bd.

the mounting location for the amber light would be on top of the bumper just above and in from the oem fog light. (same location where your light bar is) do you think it a sae fog will work well in that spot. do you have pic of your amber fog lighting up whats in front of you.

on a side note on some dark mornings and nights commuting to / from work, theres not a whole lot of traffic. and on some road its dark so having some extra lighting is helpful to spot out wildlife, etc.

thanks.

 

[tonygiotta]

Baja Designs really does make some great lights, not surprised at all that you keep coming back to them. I think the SAEs would work fine on top of your bumper, but might be somewhat redundant if you're keeping your factory fogs. If it were me, I'd get the amber SAE fog pocket kit to replace your factory fogs and mount the clear driving/combo lights on top of the bumper. Probably not what you want to hear, I know it was difficult for me to let my LED factory fogs go. However, it's your Jeep, your needs, your choice as to what's going to work best for you. If you're really spending a decent portion of your morning commute on dark roads without any traffic, the non-SAE ambers just might be the ticket for you.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures. The pictures on the BD SAE Fog Pocket Kit webpage are a pretty accurate representation. They compare both varieties of factory fogs, Squadrons, and Squadron SAEs. They appear to be the clear lenses rather than the amber though.

 

[cosine]

if you're keeping your factory fogs. If it were me, I'd get the amber SAE fog pocket kit to replace your factory fogs and mount the clear driving/combo lights on top of the bumper.

i've thought of that. since i have the supernova led fog light it work well with the headlights. i swapped both of them at the same time. so i'm happy with that setup.

Probably not what you want to hear, I know it was difficult for me to let my LED factory fogs go.

lol. but i hear you. i probably should of mentioned earlier that the front bumper will be replace with (most likely) a arb classic winch bumper. with that, keeping the factory fog was one reason i'm keeping because it fits nicely in the arb.

I think the SAEs would work fine on top of your bumper

good to hear. on the arb theres hole to mount up lights. not the bull bars. tho there are tabs for aux lights. which i'm not planning anything yet.

i forgot about the pics on the website.

thanks again.

 

[cmb396]

Been looking at Baja too for pillar mount.
I've never had amber lights, how would they do for off road light at night? I know they're designed for bad weather, but would they work for nighttime trail lights as well?

 

[Headbarcode]

Been looking at Baja too for pillar mount.
I've never had amber lights, how would they do for off road light at night? I know they're designed for bad weather, but would they work for nighttime trail lights as well?

I just recently installed 2 pairs of the Squadron Pros, spots inboard and floods outboard, and damn they are bright. They create a 180° blanket of sunlight in front of the Jeep. I haven't taken any night pics yet, because I still have to mount the amber LP4's on the front bumper.

Amber's are great for fog, dust, and snow driving. They also work just as good as white, as long as one doesn't mind the color.

 

[cosine]

I just recently installed 2 pairs of the Squadron Pros, spots inboard and floods outboard, and damn they are bright. They create a 180° blanket of sunlight in front of the Jeep. I haven't taken any night pics yet, because I still have to mount the amber LP4's on the front bumper.

Amber's are great for fog, dust, and snow driving. They also work just as good as white, as long as one doesn't mind the color.

looks good mike. i would like to see some night pics when its done. i'm interesting to see what kind of glare up might get on the hood. plue what you light up. tho, i'm looking at the squadron sport combo set up. clear on the a pillar and amber on the bumper.

 

[Headbarcode]

looks good mike. i would like to see some night pics when its done. i'm interesting to see what kind of glare up might get on the hood. plue what you light up. tho, i'm looking at the squadron sport combo set up. clear on the a pillar and amber on the bumper.

I have the 1st pair of ambers mounted under my bull bar, but it started raining before I could run the wiring. I'm waiting on a pair of 2.5" clamps from Anzo, to mount the 2nd pair on top of the bull bar.

The spots are aimed dead straight ahead, so there's a bit of shine off the hood, but not enough to be an issue. The floods are aimed about 30° out to the sides, so it's only when standing outside that I notice them lighting up the Rubicon decals. The mounts I chose are from the company Go Rhino. They're not low profile like the BD mounts, which helps to lessen the amount of hood glow.

I'll get some pics very soon.

 

[neil]

I have a pair of squadron sae wide cornering that are going on the bumper bull bar on aux 3. Still waiting on a roll of 16g to do the wiring via the sacrificial wiring harness.

Generally in the past when i've ran ambers in crap conditions I kill my main lights-but it just depends- so with that I am mounting up higher on the bull bar. I am leaving the factory led driving lights lower in the bumper. If I don't like it I can swap em.

I do need something that is sae....

 

[cosine]

I have the 1st pair of ambers mounted under my bull bar, but it started raining before I could run the wiring. I'm waiting on a pair of 2.5" clamps from Anzo, to mount the 2nd pair on top of the bull bar.

The spots are aimed dead straight ahead, so there's a bit of shine off the hood, but not enough to be an issue. The floods are aimed about 30° out to the sides, so it's only when standing outside that I notice them lighting up the Rubicon decals. The mounts I chose are from the company Go Rhino. They're not low profile like the BD mounts, which helps to lessen the amount of hood glow.

I'll get some pics very soon.

good to know. i have the rc 3" cube with a 30* spot. i dont have much of a glare. its mounted on a low profile hinged mount which i'll be using for the bd squadron sport.

 

[Headbarcode]

good to know. i have the rc 3" cube with a 30* spot. i dont have much of a glare. its mounted on a low profile hinged mount which i'll be using for the bd squadron sport.

The BD spots are 6° and the wide cornering are 42°.

 

[cosine]

Still waiting on a roll of 16g to do the wiring via the sacrificial wiring harness.

doesnt baja design provide enough wire to run up to the dash?

I do need something that is sae....

sae is designed to be road legal. the lumen is 2480. also the light pattern is cuts offto reduce the glare. the sport lumen is 3100 and doesnt have a cut off. what i'm wondering is if you could run the filter that is provided on the sae light onto the sport light. i pm @Baja Designs and waiting for a response. my plan is to run the amber squadron sport driving combo pattern on the front bumper. for those bad weather days. not run them when other cars are around.

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