What Do Light Bars Really Do?

I found a video comparing the Rigid ditch lights against the Baja ditch lights. It was a good video and the main difference between the two was the Rigid was more of a cool white color and the Baja was more of a neutral or natural color. The Baja was smaller and has the ability to change bulbs if one so desires. I still don’t really care for the hood mounted ditch lights. I wonder if anyone has any photos of ditch lights mounted elsewhere, like maybe in the fog light location?

 

Thanks for the video.

Thank you. That’s excellent info. I think I will install a light bar and continue to research ditch lights. As I was driving down logging roads after dark last night, I looked at my lights a little differently than I normally do and it would be nice to have the sides lit up, but I feel I need to research and learn more before I decide on ditch lights or not. Looking at Baja first then Rigid.

 

Do you feel you can drive with the Sport lights in the fog light location and not blind oncoming traffic? I'd like to replace my fogs but I'd rather not have to turn them off if I meet another car.

 

i have the BD Squadron Sports and they are too bright for driving in traffic. off road only.

 

I work a swing shift so I'm coming and going all different times . I flip mine on to look for deer hiding on the side of the road before I whack one. It has saved me quite a few times.

 

I have another set setup as reverse lights in my rear bumper. kinda stupid bright for what they are lol

 

In the country no... I get flashed high beams all the time so i just turn them off when i see another car. I just push a button so its no big deal, just like driving with your high beams kinda...

Now on the highway when i am driving in traffic in the mornings... yeah i have them on so people see me!

 

haha. Yeah i did the same thing after i first rode in a truck with ditch lights. CaliRaised makes some "side shooter" ditch lights, they have 3 LEDs on the side that project light out the the sides to give you a "wider angle"

 

Amber really makes a difference with that. I was riding with a friend on a night run through some trails and noticed the guy behind me (@ETXTacoma) had all amber up front and it wasnt too blinding, then i jumped in his truck and the amber light was MORE than enough to light up the trails.... So i bought and run the same set up currently!

 

I've got a pair of 6" Black Oak led light bars. Ridiculous light output, 6600 lumens per bar. They're pricey, but IIRC they're cheaper than rigid bars, and they carry similar certifications for waterproofing etc.

 

Yea I love my amber Baja Designs. I have them for my fog lights and I run them during the day around town. Also have them on ditch lights as well.

I use the Wide Cornering on both the Fog and Ditch Lights instead of a spot or spot combo

 

Ditch lights will stick out and be seen. Period. No way around that really. Function over form, unless you're willing to spill out the coin and time to upgrade your stock lights.
Curved roof bars are imo, and I'm a white truck. So the glare would be blinding and useless.

I have a straight 30-32" Nilight bar in my lower valance and it's held up VERY well for being a +/- $40 light bar. All I did was pull it apart and used some real silicone to seal it up before I installed it.
I used these brackets for it
https://www.amazon.com/KAWELL-Single-Mounting-Bracket-Brackets/dp/B01DP77ETE
I didn't want to cut out the plastic in the lower valance, so I trimmed the brackets back about 2" and drilled mew holes to mount the bar to them. The bracket mounts to the outside 2 studs of your crash bar on each side.

I have Nilight ditch lights, pods on the bed sides to angle out, and flush mounts for the rear bumper to be installed. I've never had them flicker or break, only a slight fog in the lens.

Good luck OP. This is a can of worms in regard to loominz lol

 

I'm running amber Sports in my fog position and I leave them on commuting to and from work every day, just made sure to angle them down so they aren't lighting up the interior of smaller cars and so far so good. They make a huge difference and allow me to see off the sides of the road a bit, helpful for avoiding critters when I can't turn on my light bar or other lights due to traffic.

 

I agree with you here.

Got my truck without fogs. When I added them (stock housings), YUUUGE difference in side road visibility and what was directly in front of me.

 

I only buy Diode Dynamics. They're somewhat new to the LED Light Bar Game but their product is solid. I would even go as far to say they're as good if not better than Rigid.

 

I have a set of rigid DOT fog lights on my front bumper simply because they are DOT legal so I don't have to mess with inspections as Baja doesn't make anything that is currently street legal as their light output intensity for fogs is just too bright to safely use on the road. That said, I have BD ditch lights, BD rear fog light (camping light), and a BD roof light bar. I like to do night wheeling with some speed and the higher the elevation, the more coverage the lights depending on the bulb arrangement and speed of your vehicle can cover. Why many mount their ditch lights on the hood is they are much more effective with height and elevation. Nothing wrong with mounting a light bar in the bumper area as it will make up the difference in light output where your headlights likely lack unless you are retro'd.

I think the disconnect you are seeing here is the "non-subtle" locations of these lights are intended to cover uneven terrain better as off-road apps tend to not be flat like a road with lots of shadows behind obstructions.

I will say this in regards to lights themselves...you get what you pay for. That said, your requirements for light output may not be what others desire. For instance, I have a buddy who got a new rough country roof light bar that has similar lumens claimed on their products (close to 20,000 lumens) compared to my BD light bar which suit his needs as he doesn't night wheel. When we parked next to each other, I want to say my output was atleast double of his...yet our lights were probably about 40 lumens in difference. I am not familiar with the math involved in light emitting stuff, so his lumen count could be accurate or not from an manufacturer's standpoint, but the results are simply that. Top of that, BD has a pretty strong warranty on their stuff cause many of the racers use them without much issue unless they collide into things and BD is very responsive in getting people back out there with their lights. I know not everyone has the coin to join the BD family, but they take care of their own if you ever decide to...and they even have the TW discount regardless of whats going on!

 

is that a Diode Dynamics bar on your roof?

 

No, only reason is the Relentless Fab brackets are for curved bars, Diode Dynamics doesn't make a curved bar but I have a 30" DD bar for my bumper and it's honestly better. I use it more often than the 50"

 

After reading thru the comments, I wonder if there are some lights I could install in the fog light location that will light up the sides of the roads. It’s a 2011. Photo below to show the construction of the fog light location. I asked the dealer how much it would cost to install fog lights a couple of years ago and they quoted me $800! I nearly fell out of my chair and gagged and have done no more research on them till now.

 

I would see if anyone local can help out if you arnt familiar with electrical diagrams. For the most part fogs are a bolt on replacement with just a few leads you have to plug into or swap out. At the end of the day there normally is a positive and a negative unless the fogs are really sophisticated.

I could see this getting tricky though if the truck never had fogs originally though as you would have to tie into the existing wiring harness to some degree.