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Please school me on where to place after market lighting... how many I need... blah

E

ericfx1984

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Kansas City Area
I am planning on going with Harbor Freight 55watt rectangle lights... why? well I already have a new pair of them that came with the truck, NEW IN THE BOX... and they are cheap and they get GREAT reviews
http://www.harborfreight.com/clear-lens-halogen-lights-37349.html

any reason I should NOT use these?

My wife wants me to do the Harbor Freight 6" round off road light
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-off-road-light-system-95811.html

so should I roof mount? Above the bumper mount? IN the bumper mount?

I kinda am worried about going above the bumper because of cooling issues

How much light do I really need?

I am a little worried about roof mounting as I only have a 7ft door on my garage

I clear ok now... but when I had a 285/75/16 on a roof mounted tire rack(which sat 5 or 6" off the roof) I could not get into the garage, I needed about 2 more inches to be safe...

also pics of your setup would be nice
 
the 55 watts don't look bad, my buddy had about 5 or so mounted on his top roof rack cross bar..threw off some good light when it worked. since you can't do that mounting those on the bumper would be the next best thing and you wouldn't have to worry about cooling issues there small enough they won't constrict anything.

the 6 inch round ones again aren't bad another buddy had 4 mounted on his roll bar they were pretty bright. due to them being deep dish lights mounting them on a stock bumper would look un-proportioned in my mind. Roof would be the next bet but again height issues so that is a no. SO if you want to make the wife happy and get the 6 inch off road lights get pillar light brackets and mount the som bitches on the passenger and driver side of the windshield on the body rails
 
any 55w incandescent lamp off road light is useless if you have upgraded headlights. upgrade those to some real housings, wiring, and bulbs.. then if you feel the need for more light, go HID or LED.
 
I'm running a pair of Hella 500s and they throw great light. Once I get upgraded headlights (again), I'll likely do an HID conversion on them.
 
I run two of the round Hf in conjunction with two daylighters, even after upgrading the wiring in both to 12ga, and adding 100w bulbs, the daylighters still put out a lot more light.

Would not mount them on the roof either, BTDT. Lots of glare from the hood, mounting them sideways off the roof basket worked pretty good for me:
socal2010.jpg


Ended up ditching the rack, and moving them down to the bumper, no cooling issues with 4 lights and a winch in the way
Seanwinching.jpg


Guess it just depends on how much light is adequate for the type of night wheeling you do.
 
Look on Amazon. I got mine for $22 a while back. Every once in a while they come up on some ridiculous sale.
 
I've got two IPF 968's on the front bumper. They have a dual beam so they throw a long spotlight but also a short wide fog-type pattern as well. Sort of a T shaped beam with the wide part near the front of the jeep. I hardly ever use them though, only on very country roads when it's pitch black, or out on the beach at night.

Sorry don't have any pics with the new light setup.
 
If you want to use them on the road. They can not go on the roof. Not in Ohio anyway. Check your state reg.
Offing: What type fast/slow
For slow offing your not looking to pitch a beam 2 miles down the trail. Why because you would never be able to see that fare anyway. Not on any trail I did. Turns, trees, hills or some other offer gets in the way. A roof mount can sometimes see over things but that is raw. Light to the sides. This is were I use my lights. Roof mounts pointed well down and to the sides. Used more for my spotter to find good footing then for driving. But it does help see what you may be turing into.
In front:
Also roof mounts pointed well down. Good when off the trail. Can help you see as you push throu the brush.
Not often posted is a VERY large hand held lamp but plugs in. Some out there with 500,000 candle power. Point that bad baby were you need any extra light. Much more useful then a bumper full of fix lamps.
Faster types of offing. Sorry not my bag.
Just looking for bragging rights? Then what does it mater were you mount them.
Don't forget behind you too.
 
Last edited:
It matters where you mount them because it affects what kind of pattern they throw and how far they can reach. And I hope when you are off the trail that you're on private land that allows wheeling and cross country off trail travel. Be a shame if you were promoting venturing off the trail anywhere that could get shut down as a result...
 
Am I the only one that likes the factory headlamps? Replacing the "sealed beam" lamps are much easier. They don't blind other drivers and are just enough light for me. Increasing lead gauge and using relays helps tremendously with the factory lamps.
 
HoneyBadger said:
Am I the only one that likes the factory headlamps? Replacing the "sealed beam" lamps are much easier. They don't blind other drivers and are just enough light for me. Increasing lead gauge and using relays helps tremendously with the factory lamps.
Click to expand...

While upgraded headlights are a huge improvement over stock, it is still unable to get enough light for night wheeling. Especially on a trail that may be unfamiliar.

... Unless you're a honeybadger, and just dont give a Sh**
 
Factory headlights suck. I had to go back to mine after my HIDs acted up and now coming down my street (about 3 miles long, no lights, completely straight), I always turn on the Hellas whereas before I didn't have to. Once I get a new relay in my BOR harness, I'm going to reinstall my Sylvania bulbs into some decent housings.
 
XJLI said:
i didnt even look at what he posted...
Click to expand...
.
maybe next time eh?
HoneyBadger said:
Am I the only one that likes the factory headlamps?
Click to expand...

honeybadger should have HID's, since he dont give a shit.

its true, headlights are the first layer, theyre good for peripheral vision, up close, to the sides, general glow. IMHO, any jeep should have nice h4 headlights on an updated loom. did that YEARS ago, as should the op. but they have their weak points offroad, long range piercing. which is why i run dos bueno opticimo pencil beams.

theres 2 parts of any light, output and optics, the cheap shit may be bright, but they dont throw light the way good 21st century german or american optics can. this isnt as important when your going 10mph, when your doing 40, it becomes important, 70mph its crucial. terrain and driving style is a big part of it.


HoneyBadger said:
Am I the only one that likes the factory headlamps? Replacing the "sealed beam" lamps are much easier. They don't blind other drivers and are just enough light for me. Increasing lead gauge and using relays helps tremendously with the factory lamps.
Click to expand...
 
start with upgrading the harness and then move onto the lights, I run an upgraded harness with silverstar sealed beams and it lighs up decently
 
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