Ideas for lights for my new ride

[LoneWolfUSMC]

How long have you been running these? They’re on my very short list of possibles so interested in longevity of the housing coating and any functional issues. Do you get a good spread with the side shooter stuff?

I have had them for about a year. They survived a couple of trips and one wreck on my Silverado. I have had them through one winter and there isn’t really any corrosion on the housings. The spread is pretty decent. Not a lot of throw, but I just need to see 30-40 feet off of the road.

They were a less-expensive way to see if the ditch-light thing worked for us. I may replace them with BD or KC later on, but there are other things I need to spend money on right now and these work fine.

Sponsored

 

[WambliSka]

Another question, Some folks have told me that have experienced issues with their aftermarket lights after running them through a car wash. Has anyone here had any problems doing this? I was afraid of running my old Jeep through a carwash not knowing how the mounts and lights would do with the brushes etc but I'd like the convenience of doing it with the new one.

 

[WambliSka]

Currently, I only run cowl/ditch lights. For the overlanding we do, they are critical. Mine are angled about 45 degrees out because I need to see off the side of the road/trail when looking for possible campsites after dark. I will eventually put some supplemental front lights on, but the factory LED headlights are pretty fantastic compared to previous vehicles I have owned. I am not running high speed at night and I am usually pulling a trailer, so I am never over-driving my headlights.
These are Auxbeams that I salvaged from my old truck. They work well. I will eventually splice the amber backlight into my marker lights.

The Auxbeam lights have come up in other conversations outside the forum as a nice alternative at a fair price. I can get them directly from Amazon Prime in a few days and installation on Bumper would be easy. I'm glad to see someone report a good experience with them.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Another question, Some folks have told me that have experienced issues with their aftermarket lights after running them through a car wash. Has anyone here had any problems doing this? I was afraid of running my old Jeep through a carwash not knowing how the mounts and lights would do with the brushes etc but I'd like the convenience of doing it with the new one.

My Gladiator has been through the wash numerous times with cowl mounted lights with no harm done.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Another question, Some folks have told me that have experienced issues with their aftermarket lights after running them through a car wash. Has anyone here had any problems doing this? I was afraid of running my old Jeep through a carwash not knowing how the mounts and lights would do with the brushes etc but I'd like the convenience of doing it with the new one.

No issue with my current cowl light setup. The local car wash uses the big microfiber flap wheels. I am almost to “no car wash” point though with my solar panels

 

[ORACLElights]

If you love the roof mount look, check out our integrated LED Light Bar. Cuts back on a TON of wind noise without compromising performance!

 

[Alpine Warthog]

I use KC slimlite spots. I put 4 on top of a sports bar. No glare whatsoever so ever and I don’t loose any of the main spot beam since I don’t have any leveling.

I'm wanting to ditch my Camper Shell and I'll probably go this route as well. I've been eyeing the Maximus3 sport bar. Which one do you have?

 

[MrBones]

This above or quadratec has an internal light bar that would take care of the noise thing. I’m not a huge fan of cowl lighting but to each their own.

I have the Quadratec internal light bar and overall satisfied with it.

Pros:
You don't need the aux switches. They tap off the cigarette lighter. Cable runs through the dash and up the A pillar.
Good light output (10000 lumens)
White and amber selectable on the unit rocker switch.
Doesn't interfere with lowering the windshield or removal of freedom panels

Cons:
Not aimable. They project like a high beam.
If you park your truck outdoors the housing will get hot from the sunlight. By hot I mean way too hot to touch. Hasn't affected operation in the two years I have it.
It cuts down slightly on visibility for the upper part of the windshield.
Sun visors won't swing completely up to the windshield.

Off

White

Amber

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

I have the Quadratec internal light bar and overall satisfied with it.

Pros:
You don't need the aux switches. They tap off the cigarette lighter. Cable runs through the dash and up the A pillar.
Good light output (10000 lumens)
White and amber selectable on the unit rocker switch.
Doesn't interfere with lowering the windshield or removal of freedom panels

Cons:
Not aimable. They project like a high beam.
If you park your truck outdoors the housing will get hot from the sunlight. By hot I mean way too hot to touch. Hasn't affected operation in the two years I have it.
It cuts down slightly on visibility for the upper part of the windshield.
Sun visors won't swing completely up to the windshield.

Off

White

Amber

I have been looking at the two-piece version for the ACC. I like that it doesnt take up a spot on my AUX panel and its amber and white

 

[smlobx]

IMHO Baja Designs are at the top and they know it! I have their hidden light bar that mounts behind the grill in my F-350 and love it.

When it came time for the Gladiator I wanted to use a round light to compliment the Jeep’s light. I ended up using ARB’s and like them because I can adjust the intensity via a little switch inside the cab. It throws out a ton of light when I’m off-roading at night.

PS. I have not had any issues regarding the engines temperature while running these lights.

https://store.arbusa.com/lighting/driving-lights/arb-solis/

 

[Commodus]

I invested in lights for my last '22 Gladiator Overland and while the setup was fantastic for off-road night use I never really appreciated the amount of incremental noise that came with it especially when driving at high speeds on the highway. I'm also sure they did not do me any favors in regards to mileage.

r

So I just traded it in on my current '26 Gladiator Mojave X and this thing is sooooooo quiet compared to my previous ride! And the main difference between them seems to be my lights.

So now that I have the correct wiring and factory switches to add lights without crazy rigging, I'd like to gain the capabilities I had before BUT I don't want the previous level of noise. Any ideas? Is there anything out there that is quieter? Maybe more streamlined? I REALLY like the metal bumper that came with the new Mojave X so I'm not changing that but I was thinking getting a smaller but more powerful light bar and install it on the bumper?

Anyway I'd like to see what other members have done or any suggestions you have on this topic. Pics would be great too.
Thanks in advance.

Just a couple options I went with

 

[SanTan38]

I'm wanting to ditch my Camper Shell and I'll probably go this route as well. I've been eyeing the Maximus3 sport bar. Which one do you have?

I'm wanting to ditch my Camper Shell and I'll probably go this route as well. I've been eyeing the Maximus3 sport bar. Which one do you have?

It’s the rocky ridge sports rack.

 

[S JEEPN]

I haven't found a decent light bar bracket for the Mojave for what i would be willing to pay they all flex to much for me at least those i have tried still have an STV motorsports 500 watt 52 inch LED light bar sitting in the garage maybe at some point i will mount it on a rack or make some brackets to put it at across the cowl area. A 20 inch light bar or something similar on the bumper would be a great option to use as a flood or long range light source mounted to a bar above the winch area would be close to perfect. I put on a pair of 4 inch ditch lights and found i do not have a need for cowl mounted lights barely used them so i removed the lights and brackets. Added some amazon (Redlion, Bansit etc.) 210 watt a pair supposedly 40k lumen 7 inch LEDs spots from Amazon mounted on top of the outer section of the bumper under $100 in either flood or spot the downside they are nowhere near the illumination of the 52 inch 500 watt light bar combo beam light bar either mounted overhead or on the Cowl. They do project out at full brightness far enough maybe a mile with a beam out there just over 100 feet wide the best part they do not make any noise or look to out of place so they can be left uncovered. If i ever thought i needed side illumination i would probably rotate the bumper mounted lights maybe add a pair of floods to go with the bumper spots like the Aussies do. The rigid and Baja design lights are amazing in both durability and design but the price scares me off they are a buy them once product. The KCs are a good brand the only issue i have with them is you pay a bit more for them due to the lineage. Auxbeam products are a little above the Amazon brands price wise but well below the high end race manufacturers they seem very similar to the knockoffs you just pay a bit more for the better warranty and may get a bit better optics.

 

[VA6489]

I have a set of BD LP9 up front, dual beam wide and pencil.

 

[MPMB]

IMHO Baja Designs are at the top and they know it! I have their hidden light bar that mounts behind the grill in my F-350 and love it.

When it came time for the Gladiator I wanted to use a round light to compliment the Jeep’s light. I ended up using ARB’s and like them because I can adjust the intensity via a little switch inside the cab. It throws out a ton of light when I’m off-roading at night.

PS. I have not had any issues regarding the engines temperature while running these lights.

https://store.arbusa.com/lighting/driving-lights/arb-solis/

Dunno if that's the camera's forced perspective, but those look yuge! :D

Auxbeam 7" cornea-searers. Nevermind my cheap-ass rusted fairlead mounting plate.

Sponsored