Recommendations on FOG & Driving Lights

New to the forum and after looking for a long time, have decided to join the conversation.

Could you please recommend a setup for front fog lights and driving lights up top?

Here's what we are doing...We have the full setup from Body Armor 4x4 going onto the company 2009 Tacoma. The mods are to serve two purposes, to serve as some on the road eye candy and to be functional for our desert excursions when we head out to do videos on new products.

So, I don't need the top of the line, most expensive light out there. I do, however, appreciate quality and I'm not looking to get a piece of garbage.

So I have two spots on the front bumper to mount and 4 on the rack up top. What would you recommend?

Thanks

 

HID conversion! Hella 500 with HID conversion or get on the group buy for the HID 7" Kragen lights, everything is housed in the light housing as a all in one unit. Prob cheaper for the groupbuy

 

7" HID 35w or 55w Kragens are sufficient
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/group-buys/229172-round-6-gt-lighting-usa-hid-led-offroad-light-bar-starting-now-7-13-2012-a.html

 

Fog lights should be mounted low and should have a wide pattern with a short throw. Driving or spot lights should be mounted a little higher and will have a narrow pattern but a long throw.

The HID's are better as a driving light than a fog light but there are some considerations with HID's. If they'll be turned on and off quickly (as in if you have them tied to your high beam switch), don't go with HID's. The HID ballasts like to be turned on and left on, not cycled.

LED light bars can be a good combination of both fog and driving light patterns and are damn near indestructible. Rigid Industries is a good brand but pricey. Theretrofitsource.com just started selling a less expensive option manufactured by Morimoto.

For halogen or HID lighting, Lightforce makes some good stuff, Kragen also. I'm running PIAA lights and have been happy with them so far.

For fog lights, I'm running the blazer projectors with 35W 3K HID's in them and they're pretty awesome for fog and foul weather but they are a custom application.

 

Okay I have some questions...but first let me tell you my situation and perhaps you can make some recommendations.

Situation:

Daily commute, I drive Teton pass everyday twice a day. It’s a two-lane highway with a twisty mountain pass. It gets pretty wicked weather Lots of snow. I need to be able to better light up the road to watch for wildlife on the side of the roads and far down the road. I am also looking to have a better clearer vision at night in the snow. I also have to be able to turn them on and off quickly when the occasional oncoming traffic comes into play. Also they do not salt the roads out here thank god, but they use nice little stones that can fly up and break your light. So they need to be tough and of course I don’t have a big budget but I wont put junk on my truck either. I would like to spend around $500.00 on the set up including the bar to mount the light. I will do the install. I am wide open to any thoughts or ideas. Thanks!

 

Do you need light directly in front of you or do you want to throw light out 1/4 mile to see what's coming?

500 including the mounting bar is kind of tight but doable. Check out Lightforce or one of the LED bars. You need to decide what light pattern you want.

To turn them on/off quick, use your high beam wire to trigger the relay. That way the lights will only come on when the switch is on and your high beams are on (meaning they'll shut off when you dim your high beams).

 

I was origanlly looking at having 4 lights two that put light out to the sides two to the front? however I never thought about the LED set up,and I like the install with the high beams. what would a buget be for a decent light set up? $700. can I mount the LED on the same light bar? Thanks for your help...what LED light might you recommend?

 

Honestly, I'd spend some time and do some research into what you want to spend and how you want things to function. LED lighting is very expensive but is a pretty nice setup! If I were to buy an LED light, I'd have to see it in person. The thing I like about single lights over LED bars is the adjustability. I can swap out my center 2 lights for longer range lights if I were so inclined but with an LED bar, you're kind of stuck.
Here's a link to the morimoto LED bars, also check out Rigid Industries, they're big $$
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=19516
I'm running 4 PIAA 520 lamps so they function exactly like you mentioned, 2 pointed straight, 2 to light up the road sides. Normally, they're around $330/pr but I found a pair on Amazon for $100 (I got really really lucky). My center 2 are tied to the high beam switch and the outter 2 are on a separate switch and can be toggled on at any time. I can light up a 6 lane highway all the way across, several hundred yards in front of me. I like this setup because I can see the shoulders of the road, specifically for deer.

Lightforce would be another great brand to look into and they're damn near indestructable. For Lightforce, check out Sierra Expeditions. They make some awesome long range lighting. Kragens are decent and can be picked up relatively inexpensively. They don't seem to withstand as much abuse as say Lightforce lights but lots of people run them without issue. GT Lighting sells several LED solutions and has group buys on TW with decent pricing. I guess what I'm saying is, be patient and your budget can be stretched a lot farther than you'd think. I'll throw a shameless plug also, I've got a set of PIAA 540 fogs I'm trying to sell so if you end up liking those, let me know.

As far as mounting, that comes down to what you like personally. There are Avid light bars, NFab and Smittybilt, Westen, Pelfrey Fabrication, the BAMF light bar to mount them behind the grille. With some exceptions, most lights can be mounted to any bar. The exceptions are the overly large lights that are too deep to be mounted normally because the backs hit the bumper or grille.

 

check out rigid industries and look how they test them. expensive but come with a life time warranty. the d2s make a nice fog light. buy 2 sets, 1 amber for snow and rain, and a set of clear lenses for everything else. 2 sets would be around 675.00 well worth it, and no stones will break those lenses. I might have a new set for sale if nobody trades a tonneau cover for them.

 

Try this:
http://www.lightforce.com/us/index

 

Sorry, it took me so long to get back to you all. I appreciate all your help and recomendations.