(877) 223-6460
Bright Ideas for Nighttime Off-Roading
One way to beat the heat of summertime off-roading is to off-road at night. Night riding opens a whole new dimension to off-roading, and if you are tricked out for the experience, it can be a ton of fun. That said, driving through the bush, or dunes, or climbing a rocky incline in the dark can be incredibly challenging. And if you break down or need to perform a rescue (or be rescued), dark is not your friend.
If you are going to hit the trails at night, you have to remember two things:
- Don’t go alone. Always travel with buddies.
- Bring all the light you can get and make sure it is mounted to give you maximum visibility.
We can’t help you with trail buddies, but when it comes to auxiliary lighting for your Jeep, we have you covered.
Jeep Lighting Basics
When it comes to off-road lights, you have a lot of options to choose from, and that’s a good thing. However, while the possibilities are many, the type of lighting will fall into one of four beam categories, driving, spot, flood, or fog. Driving lights (think roof-mounted light bars) are designed to supplement your high beams by illuminating an area further and broader than it can reach. Spots are highly focused, bright light beams that have several uses. Floods cover a short distance with a wide beam of low-density light and are frequently used to illuminate the area behind your ride, although they also make good work lights. Finally, fog lights are mounted below your headlights, typically on the bumper, and illuminate the area directly in front of your Jeep with a low-density broad beam.
When choosing your lights, keep in mind the type of mount you will need and how you will get power to them. Check to make sure the light you want comes with a mount that will allow you to aim the beam where you need it and has a wiring harness, splitters, or power lines that are compatible with your model Jeep.
Two Favorite Off-Road Auxiliary Lighting Brands
At AWT Jeep, we’ve sold and installed a bunch of light combinations on customers’ Jeeps, but we like two brands, in particular, DV8 Offroad and that old standby, Rough Country. Both have long histories providing high-quality, high-value Jeep aftermarket parts, and both have earned the respect of our Jeep customers. Here are a couple of examples of what we’re talking about:
- DV8 Offroad 20-inch Dual Row LED Light Bar. This light bar features a combination of spot and flood patterns that illuminate the trail ahead and the periphery. A durable steel housing with heat sink technology equipped with IP68 rated polycarbonate lenses is home to 3W Cree LEDs rated between 2,000 to 21,000 lumens.
- Rough Country Deluxe LED Rock Light Kit. Rock crawling in the dark is not an option, but with a Rough Country Rock Light Kit becomes a real possibility. The kit includes four waterproof brilliant light LED pods that can be mounted flush or on curved surfaces under your chassis. Ideal for rock crawling, but also great work lights for rescues and other “unsticking” operations.
Take a minute now and contact us at 877-223-6460 to get the lowdown on all the lighting options available. Then, talk to one of our lighting specialists and ensure your rig is equipped with precisely the lighting you need. Call us now!