LED light bar quest

Yea I'm looking at ditch lights for my double cab. Tired of dodging deer I can't see on my new commute.

I have some main lights picked out but no way to mount them yet.

I like the look of the 260w 42" single row by that seller too

 

The vision x clone? That's the one I got. Its awesome. I'll be buying another one before too long and gonna double stack

Also gonna get dual pod mounts from Croth I think, take my cannons off the cbi ditch mounts as well as the mounts, and mount four of the 2led pods (like the 4.5" I posted but only two leds) on the pillars.

So I'll have:
x2 42" 3d single rows on roof
One 20" 4d in valence
x2 8" single rows in the blinker spots
x4 pods on the pillars
x2 rigid srq ambers for dtrl on the hood

 

Ehh...I don't think the a pillars would be cool. And double stacked roof lights is just..idk. Not my thing.

But I might get a the 42" for Igor as I'm gettin two 250w 10" round LED light for the front.

 

Yeah certainly not double stacking double rows. But I don't think the single rows would look all that bad. Probly gonna stagger them so top one sits back an inch or so from the bottom one. If I don't like it then I'll just go back to one and sell the old (and kinda faded and scratched up) one.
Idk. I'm always trying to change up my setup. Ha. Just not completely happy with it yet. And even though I've already got a great setup, going for that setup, heh.

 

Yea always room for improvement haha I think my setup in Frank will be totally good.

Igor idk yet. Shall see. Need a bumper for the big lights. Gonna have to build something and I don't have time for anything like that of course. So..yea idk

 

Oh and Here's thumpers thread on his 4d auxbeam 18w pods. With output pics. Pretty impressive I thought. Considering they're like $25 iirc for the pair.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/auxbeam-18watt-osram-spot-light.424092/

 

Decided to go with these on CBI ditch brackets.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281957156679

Considering the 42" or just a 20-30" for the valance.







Or both

But not sure yet. One at a time.

 

Yeah buddy! Lemme know how they work out. Maybe some output shots. Considering getting those myself and swapping out my cannons for em. I think you'll like those. Might have to angle them but only just a tiny bit if at all. Did u get the spots or floods?

 

Spots. LEDS flood enough.

And yea I plan on aiming them out a bit. I'll take photos too.

If I need light in the middle I get a 20-30 or the 42"

 

Dude go with relentless fab ditch light, if it's not too late. Bolts straight on under the hood mounts. No cutting or screwing around with them and they come out the same as CBI. 5 min install

 

I'm a 1st gen. Pretty sure that's for 2nd gen only and las I looked way expensive. I have CBIs on Frank and they work great. Already ordered the CBI ones a day or two ago.

 

.......I should probably read your sig before responding. Carry on sir

 

The cbi ones are good. But I don't think they're great especially for bigger pods or especially my heavier cannons. Might be alright with those 4.5". But my cannons tend to shake quite a bit offroading.. They should've added a small reinforcing gusset on the underside. Not sure if that would help or not.. But oh well.

And yeah those big reflectors along with 3d lenses will have a nice spread already. But damn, the floods are insane with the diffused lenses on those. But, you do lose some output. Don't think they make combo beams in those 4.5" pods. Thatd be the way to go.

 

I'm also considering these in combo.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191603426425

B.D. clones. But they're pretty big. Bigger than my cannons.

 

Holy good thread batman! I appreciate the work yall do looking into these. I bought one off flee Bay a while back. Just a 20 inch for my f350. I figured for 80 bucks delivered I'd take the gamble. From the specs they posted, it was identical to the ridged model. I don't have a ridged to compare it to, but it has paid for its self here in the back roads of okie Ville.

I've got a 30 inch zero dark brand on my wife's 4runner. The dealer installed it. It's bright as balls.

My plan for the new 16 tacoma is one hidden in the lower grill and one across the roof.. couple questions for yall. Will a 52 inch fit on a tacoma? Or is it a bit too wide? Also how much glare do you get coming off the hood?

 

Not sure on the 2016's as far as a good size bar. Maybe check the 3rd gen forums? Otherwise I would take a tape measure and see what might work best up there. 1st gens are 42", 2nd gens are 50". Some have fit bigger sized bars by a couple inches with either slight modifications to bought mounts, or custom. 52" might not look too bad, depending how much it sticks out if at all. But I'm betting it'll be a 50.

And as far as glare goes, depends on the vehicle color. Lighter colored trucks especially white, have it bad from what I hear. With my black truck, doesn't really bother me. Biggest thing is having to keep your windshield clean and free of even the slightest dust. A windshield tint strip/visor helps a ton too. Mine goes down about 5 inches iirc. Maybe 4, can't remember. But it helps a ton with glare. If all else fails, I've heard of guys fabbing up a metal visor for the underside of the bar to block the light from hitting the hood. I think someone sells them too but I believe it's only for a specific led bar/brand. And is pricey for the whole package iirc.

 

My truck is MGM. And I have a 5% strip on the windshield so hopefully it will be ok. I've been pouring thru these threads all night. Probably spend some quality YouTube time today. I'm trying to see if the $$ is worth is for one of the "brand name" bars. They seem to be the same, with different logos on them. Yall seem to know your stuff on them.

Like I said the one on my wife's 4runner is crazy bright. But I don't see where it's that much better than my eBay special. Being another 10 inches wide. But past that....

 

Welllllll... I'll try to express my opinion as softly as I can. Because I don't want this to turn into a heated debate, heh. They can start a whole nother thread for that, ha.

I would say, that depends on your budget! Any name brand bar will certainly be better quality. From the quality of the internals, the finish on the housing, to the actual performance(output). Some would have a hard time believing that clones, even cheap fleabay no brands, could be inferior to the top tier name brands. Simply because they only see it as an accessory and that it's 'just a light', and can't see spending that much more for 'just a light'. I meet kinda half way. I agree in a sense. But would LOVE to have all name brand bars.

So are they really better? I don't have personal experience under my belt , however I have seen enough professional output shots/comparisons of the top tier, to know that they are better, even against clones that are almost exactly the same but with different branded leds as well as lower binned leds (thus reducing the overall lifespan). Some might only have slightly less output, some will have considerably less. Some might have a different Kelvin color to them depending on which leds they use. Some might have the same housing but use slightly different optics. There's a few different factors that play into it and if they're worth it to save the extra cash and go for name brand lights. Some generics may not have issues at all! Some are designed quite well and can be had much much cheaper.


And to take it further, here's more food for thought:
For the price of one top tier roof bar, I can get lots and lots of additional lights and have way more output, and probly still be saving money. But on the other hand you take a slight risk regarding the quality and lifespan of getting the cheaper products. Same goes for everything else in this world anyways, heh.

Another thing to look into, is what brand of the cheaper options ( the few that are out there vs generic no names) people are going for. I've heard good things about auxbeam. And Cali raised, and opt7 too I think. I've had good products myself from eBay seller 'v-liteway'.

The hard part is trying to filter out reputable sellers if anything. All these generic lights are crazy with resellers. You never know who actually designed them or who will stand by their product unless you get a few good people with positive feedback. Lately we've been getting negative feedback regarding 'scams' or lies or inconsistencies with their listings and people srent getting what they ordered...

Anyways.. I'm sure we could go on and on about this, but hope this helps. Again I'm not an expert, just things I've learned And looked into myself over the years. Along with basic consumerism/retail understandings. Ha.. I'm still learning..

 

I have hella 500s on my others. Granted, they are light weight lights. But they don't move at all. The 1/4" steel should be plenty. If they move though, I have a welder and can gusset them easily.

Yea they will flood fine for what I need at the moment.

 

Im looking for a light bar to go in my bumper any reccomendations?