Bumper Lights / Off road lights setup

[wolfpup]

So my buddy just purchased a brand new Dodge Ram with the Laramie package and I test drove it and when you turn the steering wheel, a light turns on to shine on the sides so you see what you are turning into. That got me thinking that I would like to add some lights to my front bumper or pillar lights to shine off to my sides. I only want them to turn on when I want them but just wanted to see if you guys are running some aftermarket lights. I will be mounting to them on a 2015 Ram 3500 and I have the 5 accessory switch in the cab so all I will need to do is wire them up to the switch. I am always pulling into camping spots late on Friday nights and this will help a lot. Thanks in advance. Lets see what you guys got!

 

[noharleyyet]

You ain't kidding..adaptive or fog have spoiled me. I've been intending to switch the oem fog lamps to LED on the 2500. The daymaker on my late motorcycle also lit the ditches.

 

[Nutrioso]

KC Gravity Pro LED on my jeep. Flood beam with removable amber lens covers really helps in snow and dust. Not street legal, but they have driving beams that are. A world of difference for me.

 

[fishing4sanity]

I use a LED light bar mounted inside my grille and wired on an accessory switch. I doubt it's legal for highway use, but I use it on the farm or off highway use, it really lights things up. Also, added LED's in the rear bumper so I can actually see while backing up or hooking up trailers at night.

 

[LuketheDog]

I use a LED light bar mounted inside my grille and wired on an accessory switch.

I did this as well, i like the low-profile location...

 

[Wildabeest]

I did this as well, i like the low-profile location...

Ditto. Although mine is in the aftermarket winch bumper I installed. Has both white and amber LED’s on separate switches. The amber are helpful in fog or white out snowstorms since they don’t reflect as bad.

Don’t have ditch lights on my 4 runner, but do have them on my SxS and they are pretty helpful for navigating through tricky narrow spots.

 

[noharleyyet]

This thread got me thinking about the useless OEM halogen fog lights on my 2500 GMC. I ordered some Diode Dynamics SS3 Sport in yellow. I was going to order white but watched a few videos and read some info about the efficacy of yellow on fog, rain, and snow. Any first hand input?

 

[Dave N]

Yellow works pretty good down low like that.

 

[Elkmagnet]

Considering the only things you can add that will be street legal will be fog lights I'll make a suggestion.
If you go with fogs get them from a good company with an actual fog pattern. Also they work best in a yellow or orange is color.

But, If you find yourself driving on the highway at night a lot where you only pass one car an hour and its free range black Angus then I have a great setup.
I mounted a pair of high intensity discharge (h.i.d) off road lights. They are relayed off of my bright switch and through their own master switch. This allows me to turn them on only when on a empty road but if an un expected car pops up I can quickly dim with dimmer switch so not to blind a oncoming driver while I look for the master switch.

As far as lights are concerned for pattern you would want a driving beam to light up the ditches and road or spot pattern if you just want to see for a mile down the road. You do not want super bright led floods for two reasons. First you will create such a bright area around your vehicle that you will loose your night vision and your ability to see further down the road. Second you will have light bounce off of every light colored object and reflective sign. It will feel like you have lights pointed in your eyes.

There is a reason why led's are not typically used as headlights for high speed driving. The light from them doesn't travel the distance down the road that other technologies do.
The absolute best lights for driving at speed are h.i.d.
The downside to hid is if they have been turned off long enough to cool down it takes a few seconds of "warm up" to reach peak brightness. Similar to a florescent a.c. fixture.
Also $$$$

 

[noharleyyet]

Considering the only things you can add that will be street legal will be fog lights I'll make a suggestion.
If you go with fogs get them from a good company with an actual fog pattern. Also they work best in a yellow or orange is color.

But, If you find yourself driving on the highway at night a lot where you only pass one car an hour and its free range black Angus then I have a great setup.
I mounted a pair of high intensity discharge (h.i.d) off road lights. They are relayed off of my bright switch and through their own master switch. This allows me to turn them on only when on a empty road but if an un expected car pops up I can quickly dim with dimmer switch so not to blind a oncoming driver while I look for the master switch.

As far as lights are concerned for pattern you would want a driving beam to light up the ditches and road or spot pattern if you just want to see for a mile down the road. You do not want super bright led floods for two reasons. First you will create such a bright area around your vehicle that you will loose your night vision and your ability to see further down the road. Second you will have light bounce off of every light colored object and reflective sign. It will feel like you have lights pointed in your eyes.

There is a reason why led's are not typically used as headlights for high speed driving. The light from them doesn't travel the distance down the road that other technologies do.
The absolute best lights for driving at speed are h.i.d.
The downside to hid is if they have been turned off long enough to cool down it takes a few seconds of "warm up" to reach peak brightness. Similar to a florescent a.c. fixture.
Also $$$$

Middle left lume pattern....78* X 8* ....good candela rating for the dough

 

[Elkmagnet]

Middle left lume pattern....78* X 8* ....good candela rating for the dough
View attachment 165811

If you have them aimed properly and mounted low like that it should really improve driving in inclement weather.

 

[noharleyyet]

If you have them aimed properly and mounted low like that it should really improve driving in inclement weather.

You are correct magnet..the yellow are less harsh, lume periphery better, and pop lane markers and road signage. Sorry about pics...

https://flic.kr/p/2kjq9pW

https://flic.kr/p/2kjq9pR

 

[mtnkid85]

I run a pair of Baja Designs XL80 driving/combo lights for off-road use I also have them relayed off of the brights switch on the stalk. They are great, I couldn't live without them.

 

[Elkmagnet]

You are correct magnet..the yellow are less harsh, lume periphery better, and pop lane markers and road signage. Sorry about pics...

https://flic.kr/p/2kjq9pW

https://flic.kr/p/2kjq9pR

That looks perfect. Ricers be damed! Yellow isn't as bad about reflecting off of rain/snow/fog back into your eyes.

 

[Tradewind]

You ain't kidding..adaptive or fog have spoiled me. I've been intending to switch the oem fog lamps to LED on the 2500. The daymaker on my late motorcycle also lit the ditches.

Are those lights useful when you're driving in the ditch?

 

[Paul from Colorado]

I've got ditch lights on my baja bumper, we run a ton of mountain roads with switchbacks and they are so nice for seeing around the bend, saved me from hitting a moose last year that was just standing there. Just switch mount them and turn them on when you need them.

 

[Philthyphil]

I have a 32” curved light bar on my stock 04 Tundra bumper. It’s just a ricer for ~$60 from Amazon, but so is the truck. It works but there’s better. Light years better then stock headlights though.

 

[Hunt&FishCO]

Autozone special 20”, has held up longer than I anticipated to be honest. Most folks on the auto forums recommend resealing with silicone before their first use; my after market fogs lasted only a few months before water seeped in.

Has saved my bacon a few times already with deer / elk on the side of the road trying to cross over.

 

[/sw]

Buddy has a dodge, same problem. Got him some ditch light brackets from t-rex billet and led pods from caliraised. Night and day difference.

On mine I just used old school antenna brackets and led pods, and upgraded the fog lights to throw more to the side. Took 30 minutes to save a lot of headaches on a Friday night getting to camp late.