What’s right for me? Overwhelmed by auxiliary lighting options.

[MxEffrt]

There are so many lighting options out there, I don’t know where to begin. Hoping you smart people can help me choose the right lights for my needs. I’m currently running the Oracle Oculus headlights on my JLUR, which I love, and no extra lights on bumper, A-pillar or light-bar. However, I am moving back to Alaska this summer and want some extra options for dark and/or snowy conditions to backup my LED headlights.

Should I go with halogen, LED, or HiD? I am open to pretty much any mounting location. Is the A-pillar going to cause too much hood glare? I’m not too excited about a light-bar, but would be OK with the old school KC Hilites, but am concerned about the wind noise. Currently have the LoD shorty front bumper, so limited with bumper mounting locations.

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[ORACLElights]

Hey! Hope Oracle Lighting can help you here! A lot of feedback I hear from customers is that they like how the HID clears the lights and warms up, as opposed to LED that does not get hot. You can view some of our Offroad HID lights that may be of use to this application!
https://www.oraclelights.com/collections/oracle-off-road-hid-lights

 

[maddscot]

A bit of the same, not so overwhelmed however as I am merely looking for some additional fog, rain, snow lamps for the front winch guard. Amber vs "white" and the only criteria is I wish to have round lights. A-Pillars may come later for side / ditch lamps. Watching to see what others chime in...

 

[Jeep Generation]

There are so many lighting options out there, I don’t know where to begin. Hoping you smart people can help me choose the right lights for my needs. I’m currently running the Oracle Oculus headlights on my JLUR, which I love, and no extra lights on bumper, A-pillar or light-bar. However, I am moving back to Alaska this summer and want some extra options for dark and/or snowy conditions to backup my LED headlights.

Should I go with halogen, LED, or HiD? I am open to pretty much any mounting location. Is the A-pillar going to cause too much hood glare? I’m not too excited about a light-bar, but would be OK with the old school KC Hilites, but am concerned about the wind noise. Currently have the LoD shorty front bumper, so limited with bumper mounting locations.

WHAT’S THE BEST BEAM PATTERN AND WHAT ARE THEIR DIFFERENCES?
Picking a beam pattern is very subjective, and it often boils down to what your use will be. For that reason, the best beam pattern for you might be vastly different than the ideal beam pattern for someone else. In general, you are aiming for the most balanced, overall lighting configuration, which is a blend of some of these beam patterns. You wouldn’t want only spot pattern lights on your vehicle as you wouldn’t have great short range and peripheral illumination, conversely you also don’t want only fog beams because then you wouldn’t see objects you’re approaching that are farther away at longer distances. Here’s an explanation to some of the most common beam patterns and what their best uses are for.

Fog Beams: A true fog beam projects a beam pattern that is very wide horizontally (often 135 degrees or wider) but has a sharp vertical cut-off. Fog lights are intended to be mounted below the headlights(e.g. 10-24 inches above the ground) and are designed to shine below layers of fog, rain, snow, and even dust. This pattern lights up a pathway close to the ground but does not light the airborne particles in the line of sight while driving. These also only illuminate a short range distance from the vehicle and will not throw light very far. If you’re often driving in foggy, rainy, snowy, or dusty conditions, then fog beam light will greatly benefit your visibility.

Wide-40 Beams:Lights that feature a Wide-40 beam are a hybrid between a fog beam and a driving beam light. They have a wide pattern, but also have increased brightness and light distance compared to a fog light pattern but do not have quite as much distance as a driving beam light. These are typically not street legal so they are a good option for you if you want something for off-road use only that has a very bright, and wide beam.

Driving Beams/Spread: Lights with a driving beam pattern are designed to supplement your high beam headlights and illuminate a path much further down the road. Driving Lights produce a rectangular shaped beam pattern that can reach further and wider than your headlights. Sometimes, depending on the manufacturer, a light with a driving beam pattern is not street legal and therefore cannot be used on roadways and when there is oncoming traffic. However, KC’s LED Driving lights all comply with both SAE and ECE regulations, while meeting street legal standards mandated by the Department of Transportation (DOT). Driving lights are very useful to create visibility near the sides of roadways and areas directly in front of the vehicle. They are great for all around trail riding as well. Spread beam lights are similar to driving beams but tend to be brighter, wider and sometimes taller as they are not required to follow specific SAE or ECE safety standards. Spread beam lights are great lights for multi-purpose off-road use and offer versatile, balanced lighting.

Spot Beams (Long Range): Spot or Long Range lights are able to penetrate deep into the night. Lights that have a spot beam pattern produce a tighter, more focused circular beam of light (often called a pencil beam) that reaches far down the road to see way out ahead toward the horizon even at higher speeds. Because this light pattern is very narrow, there is not much light on the sides. Spot beam lights are best when paired with other beam patterns to fill the areas closer to the vehicle, for a complete area of light beam coverage. Vital to the performance of these lights is where they are aimed.

Flood Beams: Flood beams are nearly the opposite of a spot beam and they create a wide, evenly distributed pattern of light that floods an area with an extremely tall vertical and wide horizontal light pattern. Due to the light being evenly distributed across a large area, they often are not very intense which proves beneficial in reducing glare when reflected off nearby objects around the vehicle.These lights are typically used as work lights, scene lights, and back-up lights to see a broader area at shorter distances. Construction and agricultural type vehicles often use these types of lights.

IS AN AMBER OR WHITE LIGHT BETTER?
In some conditions, and amber light will perform better but in other conditions a white light will perform better. This question really comes down to if you’re ever off-roading in the conditions where an amber light could prove beneficial. Generally speaking, an amber light will excel in dusty, foggy, rainy, or snowy conditions as they appear to cut through airborne particles much better than a more intense, white light does. However, a white light often appears much brighter even if they have the same power output.

Amber and white lights are different simply in their color temperature, which is how the perceived color of light is measured. Color temperature is most commonly measured in terms of degrees Kelvin (K). Lower values of around 2500-4000K appear more yellow/amber (warm) and higher values of 4000-7000K begin to appear white and even into the blue/violet range at the upper end (cool). Higher color temperatures have shorter wavelengths, which results in light bouncing off/reflecting off of particles in the air causing poorer visibility in dust, fog, rain, or snow.

For the most balanced lighting setup, a combination of amber lights and white lights is best — or at least having the option to turn your white light into an amber light with a clip-on transparent cover, etc.

Some good info on these links...

How to Choose Off-Road Lights
https://www.kchilites.com/blog/2018/04/29/how-to-choose-off-road-lights/

HOW WE MEASURE LIGHT?
https://www.kchilites.com/technology
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Above is some information on lights you might want to check out, plus my Jeep. If you are wanting A-Pillar and Bumper lights, I would suggest to get some Spot Beam Patterns on the A-Pillar (it is a narrow beam and shoots far down the road, and helps with hood glare) and some SAE/ECE rated Driving Beams Pattern on your bumper for wider and closer up light. If the bumper lights can have a optional Amber cover, that would be beneficial also. Or you can try some combo lights on the front bumper and A-Pillar. If you did decide to go for a combo beam pattern light bar (like in the above picture), I would change the suggestions on the A-Pillar and Bumper. Hope this helps, feel free to reach out if you have more questions.

 

[Arterius2]

You sound like someone who would actually use the auxiliary lights. So..

Two on the winch bar probably solves most of your issues. Also you do not want to drive in severe weather with a high light source because it would give off too much glare reflecting off the snow/rain particles and it would actually blind you. You want them mounted as low as possible and illuminate the roads instead. Also it would be street legal and reduces wind noise and will not cause visual distraction.

So in summary, reasons for mounting it on the bumper/winch loop.
1) Street Legal (doubles as driving light)
2) Reduced glare off rain/snow sleets.
3) Reduced glare off hood/windshield.
4) Avoid blinding incoming traffic.
5) Reduced wind noise
6) Better overhead clearance.

 

[viper88]

I would instal a better back-up light also.

 

[cosine]

great info. and a better understanding of the different lighting options. every time i read up on this kind of info from other sites, i get all mixed up.

i might look into a set of fog lights (amber color) that would be street legal. i found that baja design makes a set of Squadron SAE fog lights. a bit pricey but i'm sure it lives up to its name. what would be a another alternative to these and more of a friendlier price. from time to time, i fit some fog and thinking i would like to have a set to cut thru the fog. would these work in amber color

https://www.quadratec.com/p/rough-c...-lower-windshield-kit-wrangler-jl/black-70052

the other idea is these from quadratec. i could snap them on (somehow) when needed. i have a set of supernova foglight led bulbs, so i think they would work well with these. would yellow work. .

https://www.quadratec.com/p/gt-styling/fog-light-covers-2pc-jeep-wrangler-jl-unlimited-sport/yellow

 

[Jeep Generation]

great info. and a better understanding of the different lighting options. every time i read up on this kind of info from other sites, i get all mixed up.

i might look into a set of fog lights (amber color) that would be street legal. i found that baja design makes a set of Squadron SAE fog lights. a bit pricey but i'm sure it lives up to its name. what would be a another alternative to these and more of a friendlier price. from time to time, i fit some fog and thinking i would like to have a set to cut thru the fog. would these work in amber color

https://www.quadratec.com/p/rough-c...-lower-windshield-kit-wrangler-jl/black-70052

the other idea is these from quadratec. i could snap them on (somehow) when needed. i have a set of supernova foglight led bulbs, so i think they would work well with these. would yellow work. .

https://www.quadratec.com/p/gt-styling/fog-light-covers-2pc-jeep-wrangler-jl-unlimited-sport/yellow

I would stay away from the Rough Country Lights. You'll would be better off with some KC HiLiTES or Baja Design. Both have SAE Fogs. KC has actual Amber LEDs with a clear lens (like the ones I have - video above), and Baja has White LEDs with an amber lens.

If you already have the stock LED fogs and want the amber light, you can tent the lens (video above), that would be cheaper and better than those GT covers. Just make sure to get a good coat, you want more of a deep amber than yellow.

 

[cosine]

thanks for the info. i'd keep the foglights that i have now as my driving lights. just was looking at a another set (small and simple) for the few foggy days i get. i just might for go the idea for now, but have the info.

i know you mentioned not to bother with rough county. i have the same setup in clear on my piller. is 2800 lumen too much and wouldnt cut thru the fog if mounted on the bumper.

 

[Jeep Generation]

thanks for the info. i'd keep the foglights that i have now as my driving lights. just was looking at a another set (small and simple) for the few foggy days i get. i just might for go the idea for now, but have the info.

i know you mentioned not to bother with rough county. i have the same setup in clear on my piller. is 2800 lumen too much and wouldnt cut thru the fog if mounted on the bumper.

Its not really about the lumens, above is a video that explains how light is measured. Its more of how you capture and control the light. You can have a lower lumen light that has more light output than a higher lumen light.

The Rough County lights are not built to the same quality as KC or Baja. They aren't necessarily bad, but they wont last as long. Their IP67 Waterproof rating isn't actually waterproof. The IP67 rating means it is water resistant, but not actually water proof. IP68 is the actual Waterproof rating up to 1.5 meters.

For what you mentioned you are looking for, you might want to find a set of SAE/ECE Driving Beam Pattern Mounted on your front bumper below your headlights, and have Amber Covers for them. If not the Driving Beam, then something other than Spot, you'll want closer and wider light. Spot will be too narrow. The Rough Country lights you linked are Spot Beam Patterns. Good for an A-Pillar mount, like you have now, but you'll want a different pattern for your bumper.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Hudson]

I’ll just add that the Mopar 7” LED kit plus brackets, ordered from BAM Wholesale Parts, was 16,000 lumens of magnificent light and would be perfect for Alaska though an off-road only light. They were incredibly well made and a complete easy kit.

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