Adding Lights to my roof rack

I'm going to be installing some front and rear lights. Since adding the roof rack to my jeep putting them up high is more appealing than down on the bumpers. So I'm curious with those of you with roof rack lights where did you bring the wires out to feed them and what have you learned or do different if you could?


Thanks DT.

When I had a rack with lights, I cut a slit in the weather striping and ran the wires down the door frame behind the trim peices.

What did I learn? That the lights just glare off the hood so now I don't have them up there anymore.

Haven't done this, but:
* how many controllable sets do you want, i.e. how many switches are you using to control them? The fewer the better, more means more wires you have to seal.
* how much current / how many watts total load?

I would wire all the fronts on one circuit and all the rears on another. Run the wires out of the cabin via the holes behind the rear tail lights, then stuff them under the outer edge of the weather stripping for the rear hatch up to the top and out onto the rack between the hatch and the roof. The ground wire can go the same way, except just stuff the ring terminal under the first bolt you come to instead of going inside with it, if you have a late model (97+) you can use one of the hatch hinge mounting bolts.

Lots of lights is one of those things everyone wants to do when they get the idea, but then you realize they are easy to break and you don't use em much. Forget I ever said this if you do prerunning/jeepspeed...

I do a lot of dark driving with big animals on the roadways (elk) so I'm not looking to go serious just two 55 to 100watts up front on one switch and a single backup light in the rear. Once you hit a tree in the dark because you can't see you cuss every time there after you put it in reverse and can't see in the pitch black.

I have heard of the glare from others but that was when they had four and usually the center two caused it.

I'm going to be building a new front bumper so I need to make a decisions if they will go on that or up high. The down low I worry about air flow into the radiator (AZ jeep) and the up high I worry about low hanging branches busting them up. Then again I've lost my share of driving lights due to rocks and have three stars in the windshield as it is. I'm not set one way or another but would like to augment my factory lights some more. 100 watt up front would be preferred but not mandatory.

fwiw, a headlight upgrade will get you better light output than say, two 55w hella 500s.

XJLI... I'm not ruling that out either. Although I'm impressed with the factory regular and high beams - that isn't a bad route to go. Thanks for the suggestion.

if your impressed by factory stuff, better wiring and good housings and bulbs will blow you away.

Two lights on the bumper was way better lighting then the 2 or 4 lights I had up top. I tried both ways.

I run two clear lensed fog lamps on the roof of m XJ. Aimed about 60 degrees to the side and down at about a 30 degree angle. Great for off road. I have light from the sides of the XJ up to the front. I can see clearly about 50 feet all around the front and sides. It penetrates into the holes between rocks, no glare and I dont have to run my headlights on the trail which the people in front really appreciate when I am not leading.

Not useful on the road, but awesome off road.

John

Auxillary lights are not leagal on the Highways. I for one disagree with the lights not working up on top... I have a set of fogs and auxilary lights on the bumper, and am not satisified with the light pattern, On my '60 Wagon, I mounted 4 lights up on top, along with my bumper lights... The outside lights were positioned at 60 degrees aimed at about 30-40 fet infront of me, my two middle lights were aimed at about 15 degrees tword the outsides and about 100 feet in front of me. the Lights on the bumper were aimed strait at 150 feet in front of me. This is how I plan on setting up the Cherokee when all is said and done.