Off-Road Lighting... What do you run? Why?

[Clang]

LightForce Lance 140 halogens with the 100W upgrade. Honestly I run these because I have them, and they have been great lights. This is the third rig I have had this particular pair on. I like the adjustable beam and the ability to quickly switch lens color. They are amazingly bright, and have proven to be very durable. The main drawback at this point is the 200W draw when using them. To give you an idea of how long I have had them, LED was not an available option anywhere when I bought these new.

When I finally have to replace them, I'll look into high quality LED starting with the LightForce product.

 

[Cam_Cam_Tech]

Myself, customers, and friends are using Sidetracked Offroad LED lights. Morgan, the owner, has been a pleasure to work with on different lights and other gear he supplies. His lights are great, have held up for years. Mid price range on the LED world. Don't get me wrong rigids are awesome, just a little out of my price range.

I used to run a 40" bar above the windshield, and although it gave plenty of light it was too much glare over the hood, too much reflection off the road signs, and only used it mainly in Baja. For desert driving it was perfect, The rest of the year blah. Sold it and went with a 20" focus spot beam on the bumper along with two flood pods. Great combination for norther cal driving in the mountains, Baja was good this year with that setup. All of the pods from sidetracked accept colored lenses as well.
Rear bumper lights are flood, upper amber is spot, rack lights are flood.
All I'm missing is the rock lights.

We use all of our lights during the Baja 1000 this year, rear and rack lights for working, amber for when on the course, front lighting the way on the course.

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[Montanarally]

I run Arb intens leds been pretty darn good so far.

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[Jaydub514]

I ended up going with Baja Designs, and I'm very happy I did.

For the 14+ 4Runners, there are two companies who make fog light replacement brackets for their LED pod light setups, and they both make plug and play harnesses for said lights. There had been more than a few reports of leaks and fogging with the other brand, and I just didn't care for their style of marketing.

I had a small issue that happened when the authorized vendor I ordered through didn't place the order correctly but Baja Designs stepped up and made it right immediately. Didn't even have to go back through the vendor, which is a definitely tell to their level of customer service. Also, everyone I've dealt with there has been great. One of my main questions and decisions was to go with the Squadron Sports vs. Pros - they assured me that the sports were perfect for my intended use and didn't try to sell me on the more expensive (and brighter) Pros. In this day and age it's rare for a company to really sit down and listen to your goals and needs instead of just trying to go for the crash grab.

I'll see if I can get some pictures up later, but I'm super impressed with the craftsmanship and customer service. The uservice feature is an absolute game changer!

 

[Huck]

I run a mixture of visionX and Whelen. Due to quality and light output / distance.


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[RyanC]

I'm thinking about putting a pair of Baja Designs Squadron Pro lights on my ARB bumper, where the intensities usually mount. I'm not convinced I need the extra light though. Between my headlights and the fog lights in the ARB bumper I seem to have plenty of light, when running brights and fogs together, to see at night. Are there situations other than high speed desert driving that might need more light?

 

[Cam_Cam_Tech]

Bad weather, recovery situations, mountain driving, and more. Once you have them and use them you'd wonder what took so long


cam_toyota_tech

 

[ExploreDesert]

Baja Designs.

I started off cheap with China LED bars. But was never happy with them. They were bright, but light was scattered and useless.

Got a set of Baja Designs Squadrons for the front bumper and they blew away my cheapo' 30" bar. I saw the light - literally. Since then I've replaced all my lights with BD and couldn't be happier.

Phenomenal customer service. Self serviceable. Can change beam patterns with different reflector/lens options. Made in the USA.

Going to be ordering a few more lights in the near future to complete my setup.

 

[Jaydub514]

Great to see you guys on here, I absolutely love reading your blog!

Baja Designs.

I started off cheap with China LED bars. But was never happy with them. They were bright, but light was scattered and useless.

Got a set of Baja Designs Squadrons for the front bumper and they blew away my cheapo' 30" bar. I saw the light - literally. Since then I've replaced all my lights with BD and couldn't be happier.

Phenomenal customer service. Self serviceable. Can change beam patterns with different reflector/lens options. Made in the USA.

Going to be ordering a few more lights in the near future to complete my setup.

 

[RyanC]

Does anybody have the Baja Designs wide cornering lenses? Do they have a defined cut off like a fog light?

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[dagen]

I'm thinking about putting a pair of Baja Designs Squadron Pro lights on my ARB bumper, where the intensities usually mount. I'm not convinced I need the extra light though. Between my headlights and the fog lights in the ARB bumper I seem to have plenty of light, when running brights and fogs together, to see at night. Are there situations other than high speed desert driving that might need more light?

Like @ExploreDesert said, the Baja Designs are amazing. I have the "combo" squadron pro and I used them out in the desert over the holiday. Amazing lighting. I felt like I didn't even need the headlights at all. Once you can really see what's going on around you it's much easier to navigate at night. They're a touch pricey, but you'll be glad you did it in the end.

 

[Jaydub514]

Does anybody have the Baja Designs wide cornering lenses? Do they have a defined cut off like a fog light?

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I have the Squadron R's in wide cornering in the fog light position - they have a pretty good cutoff when aimed properly. It's obviously not going to be projector beam sharp as far the cutoff goes, but I have tested it with other vehicles directly in front of me, as well as head on oncoming, both reported zero issues with getting blinded. Also, never been flashed for having them on either.

 

[RyanC]

I have the Squadron R's in wide cornering in the fog light position - they have a pretty good cutoff when aimed properly. It's obviously not going to be projector beam sharp as far the cutoff goes, but I have tested it with other vehicles directly in front of me, as well as head on oncoming, both reported zero issues with getting blinded. Also, never been flashed for having them on either.

That's what I was hoping to hear. I am thinking of putting them in the place of my fog lights in my ARB bumper but I didn't want to blind anyone if I have to use them on the road. I do usually need the additional light from the fog lights on one hilly section on my way home daily.

Slee is selling these now, brand new. Fits most off road lights like Rigid D2 or Baja Designs Squadron

 

[Steve]

Does anybody have the Baja Designs wide cornering lenses? Do they have a defined cut off like a fog light?

I have the Squadron-R Pro in amber wide cornering. I wouldn't say it is a sharp cutoff. They are too bright to use with oncoming traffic anyway, so I appreciate the coverage. Photo examples are in my build thread linked in my sig, on page 13.

 

[RyanC]

I have the Squadron-R Pro in amber wide cornering. I wouldn't say it is a sharp cutoff. They are too bright to use with oncoming traffic anyway, so I appreciate the coverage. Photo examples are in my build thread linked in my sig, on page 13.

Hmm back to the drawing board then. I may just have to put them on top of the bumper and wire a separate switch. You weren't kidding, those are WAY too bright to use on the road.

 

[Steve]

Hmm back to the drawing board then. I may just have to put them on top of the bumper and wire a separate switch.

Note that I aimed them lower after those photos, so it isn't quite as high. And these are the Squadron-R Pro lights, which have about twice the output of the Squadron-R Sport models.

 

[mountainkatt]

Running stock headlights with PIAA bright white bulbs. This was the most cost effective upgrade for the Jeep at the time. I'm looking forward to putting in TruckLites or similar in the future... because even with better bulbs, Jeep headlights suck.

Other lighting is a 12" light bar (SpeedDemon I think, it was free) over the winch and two 4" Nightrider pods on the A-pillars. The 12" was one a family member was replacing with a bigger one, so reasoning would be, well, free. And the Nightriders were inexpensive and still light up the ditch.

 

[Anon]

So far I run 1 52" Senlips Curved LED Light bar that I bought off of Amazon for $69.99 + S&H. Thing is bright as hell and absolutely invaluable Offroad. Good reach & flood for an Amazon bar. IP67 rating. Have had it for 3months now and I have zero complaints other than it's not much for "spot" on the highway, but I'll be buying other lights for that. Have also taken it through high pressured car washes and still no moisture in the bar. Only thing I haven't done to test it is submerge it. If you plan on doing that, when you buy one, reseal it yourself with RTV and go on about your day. Don't waste your money on a rigid lol not worth it.

Sorry, I don't have a pic of me using it Offroad, but it's amazing I tell you what [emoji481]

Next up, is installing my 32" Amber/White Liteway LED light bar. First one I got a section of LED's didn't work and I called the supplier and they sent me another and let me keep the old one so that one will be going on my rally rig and not my DD/over landing project. Seemed really bright in both colors, strobes in both colors, and even comes with a remote so there is no switch needed. [emoji1303] This is also an Amazon light bar that cost about $120 + S&H.

I also have 2 flush mount NiLight LED pods in the rear of my bumper for backing up. These are awesome and only $18 + S&H on Amazon. Bright as hell and I've submerged them 4 times now launching my boat with ZERO issues/moisture. Would highly recommend these.

Just installed 2 of their pods on my 4 wheeler yesterday 1/10/17 cause I trust em so. I have a feeling I will have to reseal those myself with how I ride, but we will see. Still, for $18 ($20 for the pods), they are perfect for my application. I will be buying 5 more of these pods eventually. 2 for either side of the roof basket I'll be buying and then one for the rear of my truck as a work light.

Plus, I also won't be scared of the boogie man anymore


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[15Canyon]

I'm running Rigid 20" E2 Combo, which I mainly chose due to durability/high quality, and because I'd rather have something more expensive than take the risk that it breaks.

I absolutely love it, the beam shoots over 800 m, and it lights up the roads really well. I'm considering mounting Rigid Dually's (or a similar light) on the hood, but they're slightly out of range at the moment. Something similar to this:

And here's mine while I was up north:

 

[Stepsride]

I run the Rigid Ind lights. However I rarely get to use them in the Southeast. I find that too much light in heavily wooded areas is blinding. I find that a little bit goes a long way. Running the Cubes and a 10inch bar. I rarely use them both simultaneously