Light Bars - simple but effective

[KaiserM715]

Basic take-aways when buying lights:
If you want real lighting performance, you have to spend the money. A $100 lightbar is usually only good for 25% (or less) of the performance of a quality lightbar. If you are buying for aesthetics, buy whatever you want. Take a look at the light test threads Noah posted (quoted below). A good example of this is the 30" KC Flex combo bar vs the 40" Venomous combo bar. The KC puts out 6 times the output of the Venomous, in a smaller package.

Putting a light bar behind the grille cuts the light output by about 50%.

You mentioned fog lights. Most of what you see in the bumper cut-outs are NOT fog lights and are not DOT legal (off-road use only). If you want fog lights, you are going to have to look for a fog beam pattern.

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f81/lighting-shootout-results-trr-2014-a-33574/

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f81/lighting-shootout-results-trr-2015-a-42166/

There is also more info here:
http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f81/*read-before-posting*-lighting-install-faq-38334/

 

[Mariner]

Sorry I'm not trying to be "that guy"..... I'm new to the forum and I noticed there is a lot of information on said topics but some were posted years ago and I'm trying to come up with a summary of everyone's expertise. Not only in my new to the forum I'm also new to owning a Raptor and the options that it offers.

Example: many threads talk about their Chinese made light bars and how much money they saved but I'm having difficulty finding if they're still happy year(s) down the road. Is the quality still there? Is there moisture problems? If you were to do it all over again would you spend more money on a higher-quality bar? etc...

I will continue to research and I will let you guys know what I decided to do. Thank you for your help.

I can offer a little insight to the whole Chinese light ordeal. I bought a 40" off Amazon for $70 just to test out the behind the grill location. I run mine in heavy rain down here in Florida with an 8" amber cover over the flood pattern on either end so I'm more visible to road traffic:Haven't had a cop give me trouble yet. That being said, because it's behind the grill I wasn't ready to drop hundreds of dollars on a light bar.... yet. I'm not too bothered by the light output loss because I run Apollo Optics satellites on my A Pillars as well, and I've been offroading at 60+mph on a dirt road at night with no visibility issues at all. If you do go with a cheapie to start, do what I did and pull the end caps off and re-silicone around the lens opening and the back, as well as the screw holes. I'm seeing how long this will last me, and when it ***** the bed I'll upgrade! I've had it for a few months now and holding strong. Besides, can't beat the looks.

 

[Airic]

I agree with what everyone is saying here when it comes to putting a lightbar behind the grille, to spend that kind of money and block 50% of your output doesn't make sense to me at this point. What I decided to do after doing a lot of research, reading reviews and watching YouTube comparison videos is:
- place a 20" combo lightbar in the lower bumper
- SAE compliant fog light's at inside area
- Flood lights at outer fog light area

I believe the above will get me a very good place to start.

 

[infinitereality]

I've had a Chinese 30" light bar, 4-4" cubes for 2 1/2 years and no issues. My 4" cubes are tied into my parking lights so they get used daily and get turned on/off ALOT...like locking and unlocking the truck.

Zero regrets.

 

[t_j]

My 2 cents:

- buy what you can afford.
- Set you budget based on how much you will rely on it in an emergency
- Nothing will last if you put it on the side holes of the bumper as fog lights every brand leaks when put there
- if buying Chinese lights use a reputable dealer that is known for good warranty service

I have auxbeam (50" & 10"), totron (40")bars, totron cubes and Zeus pods. The totron is behind the grill and a couple of years old now and still going strong the cubes are on when ever my truck is on and are the same age no issues. Don't do business with Zeus/Olympus.

 

[Airic]

Wanted to let you guys know what I decided to do. Even though I was afraid of the price when I first saw it, I went ahead and purchased all Rigid Industries. After reading and watching many reviews it was hard to deny the quality. Plus with the black Friday sale there's no way I could've passed up this opportunity. What I ended up with was:
- 20" combo light bar #120312
- Flood lights #20211
- Spot Fog lights #50481
- Amber light Cover #20193

I installed everything myself and it came out amazing. The 20 inch combo bar throws out an unbelievable amount of light, I installed it in the lower bumper portion. (pictures to come)

One thing that I would like to note what I did that seemed to be different from most of the topics I've read was the way the wires were connected. Like many people here, I cursed at Ford at the length of the wires that were supplied behind the glovebox. As a precaution in case I messed up and had to cut the wire shorter, or me changing my mind in the future on what switch goes to what, I decided to use was Bullet Electrical connectors (see image below) at the glovebox and engine area. By doing this I was able to worry about one end of each wire and then simply connect the ones I wanted. I wrapped everything up electrical tape and called it a day. Now if I decide to change lights/switches I simply untape, unplug, replug..... Worked perfect!



Thanks for all the help.

 

[Airic]

Here's the end result. Love my lights....I use them all the time!!

 

[3rdStng]

Looks good. I just installed a pair of cubes in my fog light area as well. A pair of floods and a pair of spots. However I'm not totally pleased with the amount of light they put out. (could be a learning experience for me buying Chinese instead of a name brand.) The HID's are brighter, or appear to be. I'm thinking a proper alignment may help. How did you align yours?

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[AbnMP13]

I can offer a little insight to the whole Chinese light ordeal. I bought a 40" off Amazon for $70 just to test out the behind the grill location. I run mine in heavy rain down here in Florida with an 8" amber cover over the flood pattern on either end so I'm more visible to road traffic:Haven't had a cop give me trouble yet. That being said, because it's behind the grill I wasn't ready to drop hundreds of dollars on a light bar.... yet. I'm not too bothered by the light output loss because I run Apollo Optics satellites on my A Pillars as well, and I've been offroading at 60+mph on a dirt road at night with no visibility issues at all. If you do go with a cheapie to start, do what I did and pull the end caps off and re-silicone around the lens opening and the back, as well as the screw holes. I'm seeing how long this will last me, and when it ***** the bed I'll upgrade! I've had it for a few months now and holding strong. Besides, can't beat the looks.

Where did you get the amber covers?


Who cares where this is sent from?

 

[Mariner]

Where did you get the amber covers?


Who cares where this is sent from?

The light bar covers or satellite covers?