Bless me with your knowledge o wize ones!

my next mod is going to be lighting. I don't have a lot of experience with lighting. I'm thinking of installing a set on the front bumper and another set using windshield brackets. (I have a set of 6" KC Slimlites but haven't installed them yet)

Any suggestions on brands, size, wattage?

What light gives you the most bang for your buck?

Has anyone had any issues with bumper mounted lights shorting out due to water crossings? Do you recommend waterproof lights for the bumper or are they overkill?

Any glare issues with the windshield mounted lights?

Thanks for your help!!

 

For me personally, I really don't like windshield lights as they do tend to glare off the hood way too much. There are some companies that sell shields to help prevent this but even with them, I find them to be distracting. As far as lights in general goes, I bought a set of IPF 968's from Northridge4x4 and love them:

http://www.northridge4x4.com/proddet...p?prod=IPF-968

They were cheap, came with 100W bulbs, are easy to install and work great. Last weekend we did a lot of water crossings and I did not have any problems with my lights shorting out or anything.

 

maybe im an idiot, but what is the clear cover option?

 

Thanks, I'll check them out. Have you found that two lights generate enough light on the trail?

 

i have to KC 130watt long range blue light and I have no hood glare. If you want to mount on thewindshield then make sure you get long range. WELCOME TO THE FORUM.

 

I was wondering the same thing about the clear lense option... this is what I found.

 

Actually, yes. Or, at least compared to what you would get off of your factory headlights alone, they make a huge difference. I've used them twice now to navigate my way through mountain trails at night and have found them to be more than adequate. Of course, the more you have the more you will see.

 

These are really odd and I wonder how they work. Here in CA, you need covers to keep the local law enforcement off your back and doubt that these would do it.

 

Depending on if your Jeep is lifted or not will probably help direct you as to what size lights to get... 6" tend to look small w/a lifted Jeep, whereas if it's not lifted, 6" look just fine. Here are mine. I have the IPFs on the bumper and windshield. The bumper mounted ones are Floods and the windshield mounted are spot/pencil beam. No glare at all on the hood. I was concerned initially about that as well... I've had similar experience as Way-O-Life when it came to roll bar or windshield mounted lights... These IPFs are great! They measure about 8"-8.5" in diameter BTW. No glare off the hood... but I also went w/the Mopar brackets which offset the lights to the outside a little more than others.

 

I just installed a set of Hella 500 Fogs on my Shrockworks Stubby bumper and am really pleased. They light up the sides of the road for at least 30 yards on each side. They also have a sharp cutoff on top so no problem for oncoming traffic. I expect they'll really help out on the trail due to the side lighting. I'm now trying to decide on lights for the windshield brackets.