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Learning about Pod Lights

mlcinema

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Hello All,

I have never had Pod lights on, well, anything. I have some questions maybe someone could answer.

These will be mounted by the mirrors.

Can you use them while normal driving? Which ones?
Are the Ford offered ones expensive?
I know Rigid are supposed to be good. Any other brands I should look into?
Diffused, not diffused, driving, fog too many choices. A lot to learn.

Thank you.
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MrJoe

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In Maryland, spot/flood lights above the headlights are not permitted to be operated on a public roadway. I got a ticket years ago and I had to disable/disconnect them on the spot.
 

Philly

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Lights mounted on the mirrors will be illegal for on road driving.

The lights Ford offers are good quality, but more expensive than if you bought the same ones and installed yourself.

Check out KC HiLites and Baja Designs. I have some Halogen KC's on my Jeep and they're fantastic, but I will be going with Baja Designs on my Bronco.

Beam pattern is going to depend on how you will use the lights and where you will want to place them. Different lights are for different purposes. That's why many people have multiple sets of lights all over their rigs.

Check out these pages on Baja Designs website to start. It should help point you in the right direction and then you can go with whichever lights you like best.

Lighting Patterns

Lighting Zones
 
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mlcinema

mlcinema

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In Maryland, spot/flood lights above the headlights are not permitted to be operated on a public roadway. I got a ticket years ago and I had to disable/disconnect them on the spot.
Good to know. Thank you.
 
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mlcinema

mlcinema

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Lights mounted on the mirrors will be illegal for on road driving.

The lights Ford offers are good quality, but more expensive than if you bought the same ones and installed yourself.

Check out KC HiLites and Baja Designs. I have some Halogen KC's on my Jeep and they're fantastic, but I will be going with Baja Designs on my Bronco.

Beam pattern is going to depend on how you will use the lights and where you will want to place them. Different lights are for different purposes. That's why many people have multiple sets of lights all over their rigs.

Check out these pages on Baja Designs website to start. It should help point you in the right direction and then you can go with whichever lights you like best.

Lighting Patterns

Lighting Zones
Great! Thank you.
 

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Used2jeep

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Good to know. Thank you.
Also typically, fog lights are only legal when your low beams are on and driving lights are only legal when your high beams are on (MA law anyway).
 

Philly

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Will the pod lights create glare on the hood?
Depending on beam pattern, yes. The lights I have mounted on my A-pillars are a driving pattern and there is a little bit of glare on the hood, but it doesn’t bother me much. Most people recommend a spot pattern if you place lights in that location. It also depends on which direction you aim your lights. If they are for lighting up the sides of your Bronco and aimed outwards a bit, it will minimize the light thrown onto the hood.
 

Rogues Gambit

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Sorry, read the title wrong, moving this
 
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RiverRat001

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Not sure if folks are still watching this thread... I rarely go off-road and will mostly be using my Bronco on dirt trails and as a base for camping. I really like these pod lights. I’m looking for a more convenient way of lighting up the entire site at night for setup (~30ft radius around the Bronco). Right now I use my headlights and a battery-powered flood light. Does anyone have any recommendations for a type/size/brightness of mountable light to fit that need? Are these lights diffused enough for that (unclear if these are spot lights or diffused)?
 

Philly

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Not sure if folks are still watching this thread... I rarely go off-road and will mostly be using my Bronco on dirt trails and as a base for camping. I really like these pod lights. I’m looking for a more convenient way of lighting up the entire site at night for setup (~30ft radius around the Bronco). Right now I use my headlights and a battery-powered flood light. Does anyone have any recommendations for a type/size/brightness of mountable light to fit that need? Are these lights diffused enough for that (unclear if these are spot lights or diffused)?
If it’s just for setting up camp and not for lighting up the trails, a flood or work light would be best.

A spot beam is probably the worst pattern because it is so concentrated.

A driving beam would probably work because it throws a little light in all directions, but it may be too focused still.

I would say a fog beam would work too, but a true fog light will have a sharp cutoff so you will not get all of the vertical light you may want.

I recommend picking out a light manufacturer and spending a little time learning about how they label their lights and what their beam patterns look like. I posted som great charts from Baja Designs above to help with this. Sounds like you’re looking for lighting in what they refer to as Zone 7.
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