Recommendation for Adding Lighting to Brighten Roads?

[Denny Crane]

I have read lots of specific posts on lighting written by folks who go off-road. I've just purchased a 2023 Black Diamond Sasquatch for my wife. She probably won't drive off the blacktop. I may, on the rare occasions when I get to drive the Bronco. What do y'all suggest if I want to add a set of auxiliary lights to brighten the road ahead, in addition to the standard headlights?

Thanks in advance!

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[SeptuagenerianSasquatch]

People have strong opinions and brand loyalties. A lot depends on your budget and your expectations, but understand that if you start off-roading, it can be addictive and more accessories, upgrades, and gear can get awfully expensive. First, check other threads. There's lots of discussion, also members have showcased their builds, which will give you ideas, and maybe wet your appetite.
Check clubs and join one or two. Meet up with others, go off-road, talk to them, check out their rigs, ask questions. Check out and join Jeep groups, lots of their equipment has Bronco adaptability. Be sure to join others--don't go solo, you may need some help. Plenty of offroading in the Houston area, and you've got more beach access than I do in New England!
I myself like the Heretic line of lights. They're in Utah. Kind of pricey, but worth it--to me.

 

[HighVelocity]

Environment, speeds and budget are critical pieces of information before any accurate recommendations can be made.

Otherwise it's just a bunch of people telling you what their favorite flavor of lollipop is.

 

[DarthLincoln]

How do you want to “brighten the road ahead”? Do you mean distance, like spot lights to supplement the high beams? Or do you mean nearby area and sides of the road, like flood lights or fog lights?

also, do you already have fog lights, and are you looking for street legal options or just off-road?

 

[23OBX2.7]

Head lights are mostly incorrectly adjusted from factory they need to be elevated and can take a lot thanks to very sharp top beam cut off.

 

[Oldhippie]

If you will not be off road much you need SAE legal lights…start with “fog” lights mounted low and then you can add some “driving“ lights mounted a little higher to supplement high beams…you cannot legally run flood or spot beams on highway…

 

[CalvinT]

I have read lots of specific posts on lighting written by folks who go off-road. I've just purchased a 2023 Black Diamond Sasquatch for my wife. She probably won't drive off the blacktop. I may, on the rare occasions when I get to drive the Bronco. What do y'all suggest if I want to add a set of auxiliary lights to brighten the road ahead, in addition to the standard headlights?

Thanks in advance!

Keep in mind that many people on here seem to put more emphasis on how an accessory or change makes their Bronco look instead of focusing on improved function.

Unless you're competing or doing someting hard core you don't need to do a lot. Ditch lights are a good idea. But make sure they point off to the side or they're not doing much for you. I bought a pair of Baja Designs S2 Sports from BluMak3d. They include a nice mount which won't produce hood glare.

As far as brightening the road ahead, how fast do you intend on going? Drive that fast on a very dark back road when there's no moon. See if your stock headlights are adequate. An overhead light bar could be nice to lght the road when topping a hill. Again you don't need super bright unless you're racing.

I changed out the fog lights in my capable bumper. Ford doesn't aim the stock ones properly. At 25 feet they're about 15 inches too low. I bought a pair of Diode Dynamics Elite Series amber fog lights. I think they have the sharpest cut off of any fog lights available and are almost twice as bright as the stock. And again, they're amber. They're also SAE approved. Aiming them can be a challenge unless you know a few tricks. Then it's fairly easy.

You say you plan on driving it rarely. So it doesn't make sense for you to do too much.

 

[SeptuagenerianSasquatch]

Amber goes below your headlights.
We can give you a few ideas. Lots more on other threads. Use the search tool, poke around, have fun. And meet up with others, find out if they're off-roaders, or just like to trick out their truck, see what's right for you.

 

[Denny Crane]

How do you want to “brighten the road ahead”? Do you mean distance, like spot lights to supplement the high beams? Or do you mean nearby area and sides of the road, like flood lights or fog lights?

also, do you already have fog lights, and are you looking for street legal options or just off-road?

Thank you for both your questions.

1). The only fog logs are the ones that came on the vehicle as part of the Black Diamond mid package.

Yes, to street legal.

2). What is running through my mind are a few thoughts:

First, I don't think I want a light bar at this point. However, I would like to brighten the road ahead beyond the reach of ordinary headlights, so I am considering spotlights instead of floodlights.

I'm also interested in the small hood-mounted pillar lights, as I spend a lot of time in Maine, and there are many unilluminated dirt roads that are tricky to navigate. I note that these lights come in clear and also amber. I've seen some vehicles with one pillar light on each side and some with two.

Earlier, another gentleman mentioned the Heretic lights, so I watched a few videos about them earlier in the evening. There are many sizes, manufacturers, options, etc., as I am sure you know. Hence, I am simply interested in guidance on what makes the most sense.

 

[CalvinT]

Heretic prides themselves on brightness. Brightness isn't everything. In 2023, after I took delivery of my Bronco, I looked into them. And kept looking. Their lights also tend to use more current than many others.

I bought the Diode Dynamics fog lights because I wanted yellow and brighter than stock but wanted stock appearance. I ordered the capable bumper expressly because it came with fog lights. I didn't want to have to run wiring later. And I saved one upfitter switch position.

Small pillar lights make a lot of sense. The lights I bought give me light about 120 feet off to either siide which is plenty in my book. I went with white, you can see farther with white and get better color rendition. I wired them separately so I can use the right light for reading house addresses. (Arizona allows one spotlight shining off to the right side so I'm legal here)

I've been going to the Overland Expo in Flagstaff every year. I've talked to a lot of manufacturers and learned a lot about them and their products that you can't glean from their websites.

I think all make a good product, some are better than others. They also cater to different markets. I'm definitely marching to a different drummer. Small (2 LED) Baja Designs pillar lights, Diode Dynamics fog lights that look stock, and a Hella light bar that isn't the brightest but is bright enough for my needs. If I didn't have a rack I probably would go with the BluMak3D Roof Light kit. Inexpensive, good quality with adequate light and no wind noise.

Be careful about mounting pillar lights that face forward. They can cause a lot of glare back from your hood. A light bar on your bumper would supplement your headlights without causing glare back.

Pay attention to what color white. Some are 5000K, other brands are around 6000K. 5000K is less tiring at night. I don't know why Ford went with 6000K headlights. Some manufacturers have lights that let you change the lenses. This allows you to to change beam pattern and to switch between amber and white. Diode Dynamics and Baja Designs are two.

 

[Red Five RN]

Your question is a good one. And likely will receive a lot of good answers. It really comes down to your specific use case but I will share what I chose.

I think this set up is very functional and versatile for my needs for off-road, hunting, camping and use on dirt roads and in city.

I went with Baja designs, but pick the brand that suits your needs and budget. I went the “buy once, cry once way” and chose Baja Designs for their warranty which came highly recommended.

My build was all purchased at Specialty Performance Parts @SPVPARTS :

Fog lights: Squadron Pros- 2 pairs of Wide cornering (outside pairs), 1 pair combo (inside pair at the middle of the hood)

A-Pillar: XL80 pro in combo (also purchased spot lenses), with S1 in wide cornering attached to the side of the XL80 for ditches.

I bought all lights in clear, but then added the amber lenses that snap on for protection, and so I can remove them for different use cases and situations.

I should add that the wide cornering fog lights are not technically SAE but I use for them for city driving and I have them angled down slightly below the headlight cutoff and I’ve never been flashed by oncoming drivers.

Hope this helps.

 

[Deadpool392]

You’ll need mounting hardware for any choice you make, I would start with a one or two light mount for the A-pillar. I would also suggest (if you’re comfortable with wiring) getting some cheap lights off Amazon to see if they fit your needs BEFORE spending the money on a higher (subjective) quality set. There are an endless supply of sub-$100 lights for the A-pillar, and plenty of sub-$200 light bars (or linkable pods) for you to choose from. Be aware that none (that I have found) will be DOT approved for on road use, but if you’re using them properly on back country roads that will likely never be an issue. Here are a few different ideas to get you started.

AUXTINGS 40 inch 180W LED Light Bar with DT Wiring, Straight Curved Adjustable, Spot Flood Beam Off Road 4X4 Waterproof Driving Fog Lights for 12V 24V Vehicle 4WD Car UTV SUV Truck Tractor Trailer https://a.co/d/9vY6IAU

Limited-time deal: Nilight 4 Inch LED Light Pods Amber Spot Beam Driving Fog Lights 2PCS 18W Off Road Work Lighting for Truck ATV UTV RV Pick-up Van Boat Tractor https://a.co/d/fupPtzE

Niking Auto Amber LED Fog Lights, 2Pcs 4 Inch LED Pods Yellow Spot Driving Light 80W Ditch Lights Off Road Motorcycle Super Bright Small Pods for Trucks Dirt Bike ATV UTV Tractor Surron https://a.co/d/2pSDPqT

Nilight 40.3 Inch Single Row Slim LED Light Bar 165W 17675LM Anti-Glare Flood Spot Combo DRL Offroad Lamp IP68 w/ 14AWG DT Wiring Kit for Pickup Truck SUV ATV UTV Boat 4x4 Jeep https://a.co/d/gQj6gbG

NOVSIGHT 4 Inch LED Pods - X Series Off Road Driving Light with Yellow DRL, Super Bright Pod Lights Drive Beam with Amber Cover, Off-road Fog Lights for Trucks Jeep Ford UTV ATV, 2-Year Warranty, Pair https://a.co/d/4pz3JEP

Good luck with the search, it can be a lot.

 

[Draughon]

Add all the lights.

 

[ThunderFlash]

Maybe the only vehicle aspect more personal opinion/biased based than looks and exhaust note is vehicle lighting. My 2 cents...​

​

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think BD vehicles have the standard LED headlights vs the Signature Headlights of higher trims. I'm not sure how those compare in lighting performance, but I see complaints about the Bronco headlights. I find our WTs with Lux package have good headlights. That said, I put the Baja Designs SAE lights in the inner most position of our Modular Bumper slots, and they do an excellent job of supplementing and filling in UNDER the low beams. They also cast decent light to the sides. The upper cutoff for the BD SAE lights is very crisp (clearly defined line w/ little scatter) and with that, we don't get flashed down. We have them on an Aux switch now, so they are on/off with that switch only, but I plan to move them to an added factory fog light switch and allow them to be on with high beams using some FORscan magic (we have the OEM connectors with the Lux package, just no OEM fogs w/ the Mod bumper). A blaster type light run with your head light high beams and "unswitched" to turn off with the low beams will piss many people off, unless you wire in a relay with the high beam switch (Lux has auto high beams). If you like, I can get some comparative pictures for you.​

 

[DarthLincoln]

Thank you for both your questions.

1). The only fog logs are the ones that came on the vehicle as part of the Black Diamond mid package.

Yes, to street legal.

2). What is running through my mind are a few thoughts:

First, I don't think I want a light bar at this point. However, I would like to brighten the road ahead beyond the reach of ordinary headlights, so I am considering spotlights instead of floodlights.

I'm also interested in the small hood-mounted pillar lights, as I spend a lot of time in Maine, and there are many unilluminated dirt roads that are tricky to navigate. I note that these lights come in clear and also amber. I've seen some vehicles with one pillar light on each side and some with two.

Earlier, another gentleman mentioned the Heretic lights, so I watched a few videos about them earlier in the evening. There are many sizes, manufacturers, options, etc., as I am sure you know. Hence, I am simply interested in guidance on what makes the most sense.

If street legal is a requirement, then i don‘t know of any auxiliary light solution for distance that is street legal when in use. The only legal option would be to replace the OEM headlights with brighter aftermarket headlights, but I don’t care for those. Too many posts about aftermarket headlights flickering, developing condensation, or failing. I’m sure the risk is not as bad as it seems reading the posts, still I don‘t really need them where i live to take on the risk.

There‘s lots of options and ideas for mounting off-road driving lights for distance that you can use when no one else is around. Hopefully you can do that where you live without needing to cover them when on public roads.

A good option for more light is replacing your existing fog lights with brighter and/or amber fog lights which is a good option for dirt roads. You can get good quality durable lights for that.

Also A-pillar lights is a good place to start since they are easy to mount.

I personally like and use Diode Dynamics light options.

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