Need tips on a light bar

hello! I'm just curious if anyone can post the info of a light bar ; what I need for my 2011 Tacoma. What size, brackets, hardware and what not. Links also would be appreciated. From the info I've gathered it might need a 50 in. I'm just not completely sure. And this is for the top of my truck/not to go on grill.
Thank you!

 

I can give some info. Don't do it.

Lightbars are now the equivalent of those stick on fender vents that were popular 10 years ago.

 

Lol

 

A lot of the mounts require drilling into the foot frame, your truck is still fairly new and hasn't depreciated enough to risk permanent damage yet from drilling wrong. My truck is 12 years old and beat up, I can do dumb stuff to it and not worry about value.

 

I appreciate the feedback sir, but to be honest it is something I want to do and can afford the value decrease

 

Why do you want a light bar?

 

Well then what's popular now?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/caliraisedled-mega-group-buy-led-lighting-products.496051/

Just in time

OP isnt asking for opinions against light bars. Haters bite your tongues or add to the thread.

 

Been there and done that. Won't do it again. If you absolutely must then get a good light brand. Stay away from Amazon cheap lights.

Beware of the following:
- audible noise: it is loud. Can be ameliorated by door/weather strips applied to the back of the light. Some people argue that bracket placement makes a difference. I used the one that rivets into the roof bar base, no bueno.
- visual noise: beware that these lights may shine the crap out of your hood. In my case the super white blinded me to no end. Making the use of the light bar useless.
- light artifact: bugs will hit your light bar at high speeds and smear a nice film. I tried the pressure washer at a car wash but that ended up getting water inside the light bar.
- Legal issues: some people are saying you need to cover off road lights when driving through California. Make sure you get a light cover.

If you can bear these things in mind, and find a solution, you'd be in good shape. I now use 9" rounds on my after market bumper and haven't looked back. Iggy sells some good lights. Good luck.

Edit: not trying to hate OP. I just hope you find a solution to the issues I came across. I'm sure you can if enough people chime in.

 

Some good points. Some guys put vinyl or dip portions of their hoods, or some member makes custom shrouds to reduce the glare.

Wind noise is def a concern, but most people just live with it. Same with roof racks.

I dont personally run a roof light but ive seen the benefits of having one on a dark trail. Im just never on a dark trail much.

Some mounts attached to the holes in the rain gutters, some require drilling. Im not sure how the cali raised ones mounts but im sure the vendor can answer that.

 

To make the outside darker. Duh.

 

All the cool kids are doing it

 

I'm a fan of @ragofabrication

 

I don't have a "light bar". However, I do have a couple of Baja Design's "Driving/Fog Lights" from their Squadron Pro series. These things are so bright I basically can't use them. I've had other people flash their headlights at me during the day. About 4,300 lumens each. Good quality lights though. Brighter than my HID headlights on bright. Even stuffed into narrow holes in my Pelfreybilt bumper they will light up way down the roadway.

If my HID's ever go out I can use my BD Fogs to drive 80+ down the interstate and have no issue seeing plenty far enough ahead of me.

 

@MacMan123, do you have a factory roof rack?

 

Thank you guys very much!

 

Precisely what I was talking about earlier in the thread.

Light bars nowadays have ZERO purpose -- it's just a thoughtless mod that every 17 year old does because it's "the thing to do" (along with plastidip on some pointless body panel). I always see them on vehicles that obviously never go off road, or on vehicles that use them while driving on city streets to blind everyone.

If you're going to do aux lights, do them right:

 

You may mock my comment, but there are significant drawbacks to light sources behind the hoodline vs those in front of the hood. Significant glare, vastly reducing night vision and degrading visual performance, placing obstructions in the wind stream causing noise and mpg loss, mounting complications and more. Unless you are looking for an elevated light source for night time trail use, and going to construct a glare guard for the light bar (which they do not come with) you are far better off with light upgrades that are forward of the hood line which to not degrade night vision, and do not enter the wind stream, do not create additional noise or mpg loss and are just as effective at putting out additional light.

Those are nice lights. But you are not getting flashed because they are so bright, you are getting flashed because those are for off road use only as they have no engineered beam pattern or cut offs to make them safe for on road use. So they just spew light everywhere, including up into the eyes of oncoming drivers. It is the equivalent of driving around with your high beams on.

 

Light bar glare solved. Yes, I use my light bar on a public road but only one road and its wired to my high beams.

 

Thanks for being such an expert.

I get flashed because they are fucking bright. Really... fucking... bright. They make reflections on speed limit signs during broad daylight. Therefore I don't drive with them on unless I'm on a dirt road, at night, alone.


As for me if I wanted a light bar I'd put it in the 20" light bar slot on my Pelfreybilt bumper. No extra wind noise or glare.

EDIT: These are the Baja Designs Lights I have: Driving/Combo Squadron Pro (4,900 Lumens)
https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/squadron-pro-led-driving-combo.asp

Quote from manufacturer's description: