Help me with off road lighting please

Ok well here is the deal, ive been working on my truck and trying to build it up, most of the stuff i can read reviews on and choice on my own// but can you guys plz help me choice the best lighting for my needs
Im still in highschool so i dont have a ton of money, but let me tell you a few ideas i have had and go from there. Your opinion is wanted!

Option 1: Nfab Light bar with 4 KC lights or 4 Duallys on it
EXAMPLE:

Option 2: This 30 inch led bar under the grill in lower valance
http://www.prdlighting.com/product/high-quality-30in-pro-series
EXAMPLE:

Option 3: Bull bar with 2 KC lights on it or Duallys
Example:


They all look so good

I just want to keep good clearance but also want to get the best performing stuff. I just want to keep my truck looking good, so what do you guys think? Thanks alot for your help

 

I guess what i am asking is if i go with KC Lights which ones would be good for a light bar but not cost a ton, Are HIDs better or Halogen? Is it better go with the Light bar for more clearance or bull bar for protection and less lights.

 

It really depends on what you're looking for, i.e. close up lighting, distance lighting, or a combination.

Light bars tend to be best for close (flood) or a combination of flood/mid range.

Spots like the KC's are great at getting the mid to long range distances.

HID's are brighter than halogens, but it always depends on the housings. A housing designed for halogen modified to HID won't be as effective as a housing designed for HID and left alone.

Location on your rig can also be a big factor too. Lights down low, i.e. on the bumper or grille are traditionally for floods/fog lights whereas lights up top on the roof/top of the windshield are usually reserved for spot beams so they can have a longer unobstructed distance.

In auxiliary lighting, it's all about justifying cost vs performance & visual looks when comparing similar products.

 

IMO the only options are #1 and #2.
My truck, I'd go with #2

 

On a budget....4 wheel parts sells Pro Comp rounds in 6" & 8".....100 to 130wt....$45 or less for each. They work as good as the KC's (I've had both) but the paint on the Pro Comps is crap. Plasti-dip them before you install. Here's a pic of my 8" lights.

 

Im looking for distance really. If it was in my price range id go with 50 inch up top

 

For a mid to long range, you'd be looking at only halogen or hid.

Unless you purchase a hyperspot led bar, any led bar you get tend to top out around 200' down the road.

If you're on as tight of a budget as you say you are, your best bang for the buck for distance ligthing would be hid converted halogen housings, high wattage halogens, or hids.

 

I have been shopping quite a bit lately. I am willing to drop a grand myself on lights and a mount and wiring and switches and all the rest to get it installed, though I will DIY the labor. Good quality LEDs can't meet my needs inside my $1000 budget.

I have empty rural two lanes up here, with many moose running around that just step out onto the road whenever they want. FWIW deer v- car is usually fatal for the deer, moose v- car is usually fatal for the human.

How fast I can go at night in private is limited by how far I can see - the speed limit is defined by being able to stop before I hit the moose that just stepped out into the road without wrinkling my truck.

With factory (2015) heads lights I am limited to about 45mph out there. I take call for Hospice. If I got to run some morphine out to somebody's grandpa, 45mph doesn't cut it.

HIDs are not a good choice for me this far north, they just don't handle the cold well. I see -42dF over and over day after day every winter. They might be an option worth looking into for you ;-).

I have been asking my local vendors as well, good quality LEDs hold up fine up here, visionX and rigid. Cheap LEDs, not so much. Again, your milder winter might allow you to be happy with less expensive LED product.

Which brings me to halogen. They draw a LOT of current, but they do fine in the wintertime up here, and generally can be easily found in the 4000-5000K color temp range that human eyes are calibrated for. And they are relatively cheap to buy. And they can reach a really really long way.

One pair of 9" diameter visionX LED light cannons is $1299. plus labor. One pair of 9" diameter LightForce Halogens, with 100watt bulbs, is under $500. plus install.

Mounting you get to think about also. If two lights is enough, behind the grill in front of the radiator is an option for you. Enough folks have done it without overheating you probably can too.

I don't think two is gonna be enough for me. Top end I might end up with two seven inch halogen floods and two seven inch halogen pencils, for an extra 400 halogen watts on my high beam switch, and a 20" LED flood to augment my low beams.

Personally I am looking at light bars to locate my 7 inch housings on the bumper between the upper and lower grill. I agree bull bars tend to look really good on Tacomas, but I encourage you to read up on the search term "damage multiplier" before you buy one.

Best wishes.

 

2006 2wd base