What Are the Best Off Road Lights?
Halogen, HID, or LED Off-road Lights?
Check out our second article as part of our series on the history and development of automobile and off-road lighting. In this article we are going to briefly cover the different types of off road lights, more specifically, the many popular variations of LED off-road lighting systems and products.
In case you did not know, off-road lights can be purchased in a wide range of variations, and if you do not know what you are looking for in terms of a quality lighting system, you could very well end up wasting your money on a low quality off-road light. The different options in off-road LED lighting include a vast array of unique designs, power sources, shapes, sizes, light beam patterns, optics, reflectors, technologies and circuitry, light colors and color temperatures, materials, internal components, and manufacturing processes.
The 3 Main Types of 4×4 Off Road Lights-
- Halogen Off-road Lights
- Off-road H.I.D. Lights
- LED Off-road Lights
As previously state in the first article in our series on the
history of automotive and off-road lighting, LED off-road lights have quickly gained in popularity over the past 10 years among off-roaders for a number of reasons. Some of the main reasons that LED lights are the best choice for off-road use are they are the most efficient, require little maintenance, are the longest lasting, the most durable, and affordable option when compared to off-road halogen lights and/or HID Xenon off-road lights.
Types of Off-road LED Lights
- Off road LED Lights
- Single Row LED Light Bars
- Dual Row LED Light Bars
- Square LED Pods and LED Cube Lights
- Round LED Off-road lights
- Mini LED Rock Lights and LED Puddle Lights
Light Beam Pattern Configuration-
As there are many criteria to take into consideration when purchasing your next set of off-road LED lights, one of the biggest “things” to keep in mind is what you plan on specifically using the off-road LED lights for. By answering this question you should be able to get a better understanding of what type of beam patterns and complete off-road LED lighting systems would work best for you and the type of driving you intend on doing.
That being said, here is a list of the most common beam configurations utilized in off-road lights and light bars: Off-road use only Driving Beam, DOT approved driving beam, Spot Beam, Fog Beam, Flood Beam, Diffusion Beam, Scene Beam, and Combo Beam.
What is the Best Off road LED Light or LED Light Bar Size for Me?
Before we get into detail about the more intricate side of off-road lighting systems and there components, you should first understand the different types of off road lights that are common among off-road enthusiasts. Once you have a basic understanding of what is available in terms of 4×4 off-road lighting and what to look for in a premium grade off-road light, all you need to do is figure out which combination of off-road lights and light bars would work best on your rig and for the type of off-roading you plan on doing. Check out our list below of the different types of off road lights and light bars are currently popular within the 4×4, Jeep, and off road crowds.
Types of Off Road LED Light Bars
- Mini LED Light Bars
- Full Size LED Light Bars
- Curved LED Light bars
- Low Profile/Slim line
- Multi Row LED Light Bar
- Colored and HALO
- Wireless Controlled LED Light Bars
- Marine LED light bars for boats and yachts
Popular Off Road LED Light Bar Sizes
4×4 LED Light bars available in 4″ LED bars, 6″ LED light bars, 10″ LED light bars, 20″ LED light bars, 30″ LED light bars, 40″ LED Light bars, 50″ LED Light bars.
2 inch LED lights and 2 in. LED pod lights- There are several different variations of this specific size of off-road LED lights. We have our single row 2” LED off-road light along with our double row 4”x4” LED pod cube lights that have an approximate face plate of just over 2 inches. The LED pod lights come in the following light beam patterns- Off-road LED headlights, LED spot lights, LED fog lights, LED flood lights, off road LED light bars in single and dual row; and offered in different watt ranges typically from 10 watt – 40+ watts.
4 inch Off-road LED Lights
Single and Dual Row 4 inch LED Light Bars- We currently offer 4” LED light bars in the single row low profile design, as well as, our dual row 4 inch LED light bars. Our compact yet extremely bright 4 in. off road LED light bars fit on a wide range of vehicles, ATV’s, SxS’s, dirt bikes, golf carts, snow mobiles, snow plows, farm and lawn equipment, tow trucks, and they are also used as marine LED lights! Our 4 inch LED lights come in different beam patterns- Driving, Fog, Flood, Spot, Diffusion, Scene, and Combo beam.
6 inch LED Light Bars-
6 inch off road LED Light Bars are another popular size that people use for a wide range of install applications. 6 inch LED bars are typically offered in single row and dual row versions, with some other off-road LED lighting retailers however, they could be offering 3 and 4+ row variations of the 6 inch LED light bar. Our single row 6 inch LED light bars utilize six 5 watt CREE XTE LED’s with the dual row 6 inch LED bar having 12- 3 watt CREE XBD LED’s. Most off-road LED lighting manufacturers and retailers offer the Off-road 6 inch LED light bar in the following beam pattern- driving beam, spot beam, flood beam, fog beam, scene beam, diffusion beam, and combo beam patterns.
10 inch LED Light Bars-
Another one of the fairly popular off-road LED light bar sizes is the 10 inch CREE LED light bar. Similar to the off-road LED light bar sizes above, our 10 inch LED bars come in the low profile single design as well as the dual row design. These smaller LED bar sizes are universal in that they provide ample lighting while being able to be installed on just about any type of vehicle, ride, rig, work truck, ATV, or ORV. We offer the following off-road 10 inch LED light in the following light beam patterns- Driving beam, Spot beam, Flood beam, Scene, and Combo beam.
20 inch LED Light Bars-
The 20 inch off-road LED light bar is another one of those LED bars that work well in a number of varied applications. We offer our premium grade 20 inch LED bars in both single row and dual row; outfitted with either spot, flood, or combo beam. The 20 inch LED light bar is a popular off-road LED light for Toyota Tundra’s, Toyota Tacoma’s, Toyota FJ’s, and Jeeps as they fit perfectly within the vehicles bumper, grille, or on the hood with the correct off-road LED light mounting brackets and/or kits. The 20 inch off-road LED light is also popular among small to mid size trucks such as Ford Rangers, F-150’s, Ford Raptors, Chevy Colorado’s and Silverado’s, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Ram’s, Nissan Titan’s, Jeep Wranglers, Land Rover Defenders, Trophy stadium trucks, Side by Side’s(Polaris, Arctic Cat, Honda…), ATV’s, rock crawlers, hill climbers, along with many other types of on and off-road vehicles, heavy machinery, work trucks, construction equipment, etc.
30 inch LED Light Bars-
The 30 inch off-road LED light bar is another popular size product similar to the likes of the 10 inch LED bars and 20 inch LED light bars. The 10″, 20″, 30″, and 50″ LED bars are the most common larger size off-road LED light bars purchased and installed in a wide range of vehicles, Jeeps, trucks, racing trucks, Side by side’s, UTV’s, ORV’s, and even used in marine applications. Nox Lux’s CREE 30 inch off-road LED light bars come with either thirty 5 watt CREE XTE LED’s on the single row light bar with the dual row light bar coming with sixty 3 watt CREE XBD LED’s.
The 30 inch LED light bar installation in or on the lower bumper/valance on just about any size pick up truck SUV, which is very common on Toyota Tundra’s, 4-runners, FJ’s, Sequoia, and Tacoma’s; Nissan Frontier’s, Xterra’s, and Titans; Ford Rangers, F150’s, and Ford Raptors; Dodge Rams, etc. They also work great when installed on brush guards, on winches, on bull bars, on the roof rack of a side by side or ATV, and on the hood of Jeep Wranglers.
40 inch LED Light Bars-
Off-road 40 inch LED light bars also come in 40” single row light bar, as dual row 40 inch LED light bar, and even as 3 and 4+ rows of LED light rows. Nox lux currently stocks single row 40 inch LED light bars with 40 state of the art 5 watt CREE XTE LED’s. Nox Lux’s dual row 40 inch led bar offers two options in regards to the types of LED’s used with either eighty 5 watt OSRAM’s Oslon LED’s or eighty 3 watt CREE LED’s.
Off-road 50 inch LED Light Bars-
The 50 inch LED light bars are another very popular model among people whom want to add auxiliary off-road LED light bars on their Jeeps, trucks, SUV’s, rally racing cars, trophy trucks, stadium trucks, enduro racing rigs, mega mud trucks, dune buggies, etc. Our 50 inch LED light bars come in both single and dual row. The single row LED light bar version coming with fifty 5 watt CREE LED’s, and the dual row 50 inch LED light bar coming in either 300 watts with one-hundred 3 watt CREE XBD white LED’s, or in 500 watts with one hundred 5 watt Oslon LED’s.
Curved LED Light Bars-
Curved LED light bars. Currently, curved 20 inch led bars through 50 inch dual row off-road LED light bars have all been gaining in popularity within the off-road industries. The newer curved LED light bar design offers pretty much the same specs that a straight LED bar would have other than the fact that curved LED light bars offer a little more horizontal spread in regards to light beam output. Curved LED light bars are commonly installed on trucks that have more sweeping curves to the body style of the vehicle, where straight dual row and single row LED light bars are a little more popular among the Jeep, Landrover, older Toyota 4×4’s, and Hummer off-road owners. Curved LED off-road light bars are commonly installed on the roof, hood, roof rack, in bumper or valance, as part of a custom LED grille assembly, on the roll cage of an ATV or side by side, along with many other optional install applications.
Curved 50 Inch LED Light Bar
Round LED Off Road Lights-
Off-road round LED lights are another option in regards to shape, size, and perfect for specific installations where you need round shaped light versus that of square or rectangle off-road LED lights. Round LED Lights come in a wide range of sizes and variations. They can be used as replacement headlights for on and off-road use, they can be used as replacements for your stock fog lights, they work great installed on the front bumper, winch, brush bar, on the side of your mirrors, on the hood, on the roof or roof rack, on the roll cage of your vehicle, etc. Round Off-road LED lights are commonly used as auxiliary lighting, as fog lights, as spot lights, and as headlights for specific vehicles, such as Jeep LED headlights. Be advised, not all round LED lights are made for driving on the road. Any round LED light that is going to be used for on-road driving must be DOT rated and approved, otherwise it is for off-road use only.
Mini Rock LED lights and RGB Puddle Light Kits
Main Questions, Features, and Benefits To Use When Comparing Off-road LED Lights-
- Are they Built with high tech, Grade “A” bin, 3watt/5watt/10 watt CREE or OSRAM LED technologies and circuitry
- Do they Carry the IP67, IP68, and the highly coveted IP69k Ratings (most LED light bars do not have this rating!!!)?
- Are the off-road LED lights rated for military use according to the MIL STD 810 Rating system?
- Is the protective lens on the off-road light made of GE LEXAN Lens or other high quality shatter proof materials?
- Any stainless steel mounting hardware? Is it adjustable?
- Is there a waterproof wiring harnesses?
- Are they rated for 50,000+ Hours of continuous use?
- Does the off-road LED lighting system come with any type of warranty?
We hope this article about LED off-road lights has helped you with understanding some of the many different types of off road LED lighting systems, as well as, the numerous benefits of using LED off-road lights versus HID off-road lights or halogen off-road lights.
Check out the first article in our series on the history and development of automotive off-road lighting systems.
https://nox-lux.com/blog/articles/a-brief-history-on-the-different-types-of-automotive-lights-for-off-road-use/
Stay Tuned for Our Next Article on the Different Types of Off-road LED Light Beam Configurations Explained.
Common Off-road LED Light System Applications
High performance off-road LED light and off-road accessories for Jeep, Toyota, 4×4’s, 4WD’s, cars, SUV’s, trucks, trophy and stadium trucks, baja buggies, enduro racing, rally racing, ATV’s, UTV’s, snow mobiles, dirt bikes, four wheelers, Side by Sides (sXs), golf carts, rock crawlers and rock bouncers, hill climbing trucks, campers, RV’s, lawn and farm equipment, forklifts, tow trucks, snow plows, construction equipment, emergency vehicles, fleet vehicles, boats, motorcycles, boats, yachts, commercial ships, etc.
