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Curved or straight light bar?

Here's another idea:
XJ4.jpg


The mount is straight. The top pencil HID lights swivel. Very easy to adjust.
I simply copied the setup from my race car, which has been working well for me.
In this photo it is hard to see, but the HID's are aimed in a curved pattern.
With this setup, it has been very difficult for me to outrun/overdrive my lights.
 
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It's all preference. On my Jeep, my preference was........spend the money elsewhere! If you are going to use the Jeep off-road at all, there are better places to spend that money in my opinion. Armor, traction, ect. In all the years that I've owned my Jeep I've never wheeled at night, or found the need for a light bar, but you can bet my rock sliders come in handy every time out.
 
Cottontail said:
It's all preference. On my Jeep, my preference was........spend the money elsewhere! If you are going to use the Jeep off-road at all, there are better places to spend that money in my opinion. Armor, traction, ect. In all the years that I've owned my Jeep I've never wheeled at night, or found the need for a light bar, but you can bet my rock sliders come in handy every time out.
Click to expand...

Agree with to an extent. I did all the other stuff first - armor, traction, cage, etc. Light bars were the last thing I did. We do actually wheel at night quite a lot here. It finally gets below 100 degrees by about midnight around here. I prefer straight on an XJ.
 
One more question. Should I get one to go across the windshield or go on top of the roof rack? Like maybe a 40 incher. It's my daily that I drive to school and back where in the mornings it's pitch black. My headlights aren't very bright on the back roads...

f8052ef585971cc6c6d918db885fd3c2.jpg
 
Your headlights would be a lot brighter at night if you didn't have a quarter of it covered with paint or tape or whatever you used to make those "angry eyes."
 
Ohio Administrative Code

4501-15-06 Spot lights and auxiliary driving lights.

Spot lights and auxiliary driving lights shall be constructed and installed so as to provide adequate and reliable illumination and shall conform to the appropriate S.A.E. Standards for Spot Lamps, Front Fog Lamps, Auxiliary Driving Lamps.

(A) Fog lamps -- Any motor vehicle may be equipped with a maximum of two fog lamps mounted on the front at a height not less than twelve inches nor more than thirty inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands and so aimed that when the vehicle is loaded none of the high-intensity portion of the light to the left of the center of the vehicle shall at a distance of twenty-five feet ahead project higher than a level of four inches below the level of the center of the lamp from which it comes. Lighted fog lamps meeting the above requirements may be used with lower headlamp beams as specified in paragraph (C)(2) of rule 4501-15-01 of the Administrative Code.

(B) Auxiliary low-beam lamp -- Any motor vehicle may be equipped with a maximum of one auxiliary passing lamp mounted on the front at a height not less than sixteen inches nor more than forty-two inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands. The provisions of section 4513.17 of the Revised Code shall apply to any combination of headlamps and auxiliary passing lamps.

(C) Auxiliary driving lamps -- Any motor vehicle may be equipped with a maximum two auxiliary driving lamps mounted on the front at a height not less than sixteen inches nor more than forty-two inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands. The provisions of section 4513.17 of the Revised Code shall apply to any combination of headlamps and auxiliary driving lamps.

Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 03/10/2015 and 03/10/2020
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 4513.19
Rule Amplifies: 4513.19
Prior Effective Dates: 11/17/66, 10/16/82, 7/23/01
 
I will never put lights on my roof again. The glare is ridiculous and to me made any extra light worthless. A small auxiliary high beam mounted low off the bumper is 10 times better for driving at night. Ive run a set of hella 500s tied to the hi beams for years and never needed more
 
Phil said:
Ohio Administrative Code

4501-15-06 Spot lights and auxiliary driving lights.

Spot lights and auxiliary driving lights shall be constructed and installed so as to provide adequate and reliable illumination and shall conform to the appropriate S.A.E. Standards for Spot Lamps, Front Fog Lamps, Auxiliary Driving Lamps.

(A) Fog lamps -- Any motor vehicle may be equipped with a maximum of two fog lamps mounted on the front at a height not less than twelve inches nor more than thirty inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands and so aimed that when the vehicle is loaded none of the high-intensity portion of the light to the left of the center of the vehicle shall at a distance of twenty-five feet ahead project higher than a level of four inches below the level of the center of the lamp from which it comes. Lighted fog lamps meeting the above requirements may be used with lower headlamp beams as specified in paragraph (C)(2) of rule 4501-15-01 of the Administrative Code.

(B) Auxiliary low-beam lamp -- Any motor vehicle may be equipped with a maximum of one auxiliary passing lamp mounted on the front at a height not less than sixteen inches nor more than forty-two inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands. The provisions of section 4513.17 of the Revised Code shall apply to any combination of headlamps and auxiliary passing lamps.

(C) Auxiliary driving lamps -- Any motor vehicle may be equipped with a maximum two auxiliary driving lamps mounted on the front at a height not less than sixteen inches nor more than forty-two inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands. The provisions of section 4513.17 of the Revised Code shall apply to any combination of headlamps and auxiliary driving lamps.

Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 03/10/2015 and 03/10/2020
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 4513.19
Rule Amplifies: 4513.19
Prior Effective Dates: 11/17/66, 10/16/82, 7/23/01
Click to expand...

this.
statie gonna get you.

upgrade your headlamps and they won't suck.
$25 harness, some hella headlamp housings and some hella 80W h4's and you will have a great pattern with a clean cutoff and lots of fill below that.

and yes, the angry eyes are a detriment to your headlamps, so if you want to see at night don't blind other people with non-dot LED lightbars, fix the stock stuff that you've ruined.
 
I see nothing but excellent advise given here. It does depend on your end goal. My XJ is used to pre-run race courses and act as a chase vehicle. That said, I do want to explain what has worked well for me, as I do have a need for these additional offroad lights.

XJ5a.jpg


With this setup I have full adjustment of short range driving lights, mid range driving lights, and long range pencil lights. Not necessarily specific to the type of lights you run, but rather the mounting location and method. My light bar is removable both mechanically (tube connectors) and electrically (via weather pack connectors).

This is what has worked well for me, but I do a lot of 50+ mile race course laps at night and in some cases at high speed. With just the IPF's, which are fantastic headlamp replacements, I could easily outrun my lights at night. In addition, I could not see the course well enough to mark hazard points on the GPS.

I do agree with the advise that everyone has been given you. Good luck with your decision.
 
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That was a good write up on varied use lights...on a rig with specific purpose. On 90% of rigs, light bars are to this decade what chrome was to the 80s.
 
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