(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best interior & off-road car lights

Ok, so like I said I would, here is the album of the install for my LED Lightbar. All said and done, it took about 5 hours of work. My father helped me out, so a big thank you to him!

Let me say this, we aren't professional mechanics or anything, but we have wired up stuff like this before. When deciding on how to run the wiring, we thought about running it down the windshield, but decided against it. Here is why. It will look better (in my opinion), and we both felt we were capable of doing the semi-professional way of drilling a hole. I think it turned out great, so I am satisfied.

On to the good stuff. If you decide to drill a hole like we did, I would recommend right behind the factory rail (it is pictured in the album. We went to Subaru and got some great information regarding this. There are no brackets for the airbags in that area, and you won't hit the airbag either, and there is no factory wiring that runs up the frame there. You can run the wire back along the rails and down into the cabin of the vehicle. That is also pictured.

If you do drill a hole, you will have to take the headliner off, or off enough to where you can get enough room to play with. My XV has eyesight, so taking it off completely wasn't an option. We were able to take the left-hand side hand holds, sun visor, and A pillar cover off, and that gave us enough room to work with. Again, everything is pictured.

Here is what I bought:

• Brackets
  
  
• Wiring harness
  
  
• Lightbar
  
  I did the research on LED Lightbars and such, and landed on the one I linked. I love it so far, but do your research and figure out which one works best for you.
  
  We also had some 14 gauge wire that we bought, along with wire connectors and the like to complete the project.
  
  Feel free to ask any questions!

For lightbars, I got this one for my car and I was genuinely surprised at the quality. I was expecting it to just be okay or mediocre, BUT, it's actually really good. The fins on the back felt sturdy like they wouldn't break id I hit a bump, the lens was well sealed and wasn't wavy (have heard of a few lightbars having this problem), and the cord coming off the end of it was really nice silicon wire.

All in all I think I spent ~$120 on the whole install. With the wire, switch, relay, etc... it adds up.

If you have any questions about the wiring or anything else, I'd be happy to help.

I have the Astar JDM Extremely Bright version of this. Unlike many, if not most, chinese lights, they actually have believable ratings instead of being rated at the theoretical limit of the LED's used when hot rodded with DTP copper PCB's and huge heat sinks. Anyhow, it's 6000k and looks bad as reverse lights unless you prefer a purplish tint. I'd prefer neutral white. My bulbs are brighter than stock, but the optics of the factory housing really limits how useful the reverse lights can be. I agree with the others that it'd be much better to get a mini light bar/pod. Here's what I'm planning to try out. I don't like the 6500K tint, but I'm hoping it's more effective than my LED's in the factory housings. If it's bright enough, I'll install one in the middle of my bumper, and maybe a second one if one isn't bright enough.

I've also tried ordering the Sencart version of the bulbs you linked, except that have 16 Cree XP-E LED's. Unfortunately the first order was sent with red instead of white LED's and the bulb doesn't even work correctly in the XJ, and the replacement order was lost in the mail.

I've found that white LED's in the turn and brake housings looks too washed out. Red LED's in the brake housing is about the same as stock. The only good reason I see to swap is to reduce power consumption, IF you're already near or beyond a level at which your alternator can keep your battery charged.

I am one of the luminous idiots with a light bar in my lower grill(2017 3) tied to my fog light switch.

You can do it but you need to make sure it is not pointed far forward/up. I would suggest you tie it into the fog light, but using the high beams is an option. The problem comes about if the high beam circuit can handle the additional load. Each light will add 4 watts(really 3, but add safety margin.) so a total of 8 watts and 6 amps requiring a 7.5a fuse or the stock fuse +7.5(so 20a fuse stock, 30a fuse with lights). How you can get around this is by using a relay that gives ground when the power to the high beams and power coming directly from the battery with a 7.5a fuse. So when the high beams get power, it also grounds the light pods and turns them on without adding strain to the high beam circuit.

Another option is to use the fog light circuit, this is a great option if you don't have fog lights and is easier but more expensive. You swap a stalk with fogs into the car and wire into the fog light sockets and it will turn on when you turn on the fogs. What is great about this option is that it gives you the ability to use the high beams independent of the light pods and vise versa and because it uses the stock switch, you can have a cleaner install as you don't need to put a button anywhere. You can do the relay trick if you already have fog lights.

Personally I feel the narrow style of light pod like this would look better in either the upper or lower grill as it has less of the stock grill blocking it vs the square 12 diode model you linked to. Also for amazon links you don't need anything from the "ref=" onward, so your link should look like this: https://www.amazon.com/6000-6500K-Breathable-Driving-Motorcycle-Warranty/dp/B07FNFWFDD/

It's pretty basic electrical work, but can be a bit intimidating. I made my own harness, but there are way easier ways.

They make easy wire harnesses like these. These are pretty straight forward, with diagrams.

LED Light Bar Nilight 20 Inch 126w LED Work Light Spot Flood Combo Led Bar Off Road Lights Driving Lights Led Fog Light Jeep Lights Boat Lighting ,2 Years Warranty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WE47FVM/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_XO8jyb00TR1KP

Probably smaller than. You want on a battle car but I have one on my '15 focus st a d I love it. Works great and I could totally use just it and no headlights.

288W 50" LED Light Bar Combo Beam for Off-Road ATV UTV SUV RV Truck Pick-up (pack of 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NAQUJ34/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_gQ8jybETDYH5B

Also got this one for my fiance's jeep and it's incredibly bright.

I purchased mine from amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N9HHPK5/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

The spread is pretty good and they are very bright. I’ve been happy with them.

I went with this from Amazon and besides the trunk LED, I like it. Dome/map lights are very bright and I love the nice white appearance against the leather.

I'm a little bit hood when I'm working at home, lol. I have some of these little offroad lights (maybe not those exactly, but similar). I ran some wire with alligator clips on the end so I just hook them to the car battery. They last for-freaking-ever on that big battery, and they're pretty bright. I attach them to little countersunk magnets so I can stick em just about anywhere, like on the hood of a car. In the winter I stick them on the ROPS on my little tractor so I can putter around before sunrise/after sunset and move snow (if it ever snows again).

Use Amazon to buy blue LED strips, an inline dimmer, and a power supply. Place them wherever it is convenient to you.

You can get a 16 foot roll of strips, but you probably only need a few small sections. I just bought 4 1-foot sections for 7 bucks to add to my DIY light hood.

Edit: To avoid having to do anything resembling soldering, you can use sockets like these to connect to the wires on LED strips. With waterproof strips like this, you can use an inline dimmer and plug it all right to a 12v power supply.

Links for example, you'd have to search for the best products/prices/quantity for your use.

I didn't keep track but several hundred dollars at least. Planning is key. Stainless hardware isn't cheap!

​

My best guess would be:

• Lights - Around $150 all in
  
• Plywood - About 250 bucks for everything. Two sheets of marine ply was around 180.
  
• Electrical - Gang switch was 65. Wiring is expensive and around 60 bucks for the spools. We re-used some stuff here.
  
• Probably 40 bucks in pool noodles for floatation. Just got these are dollar general.
  
• Seats were about 400 bucks.
  
• Screws, nuts, and bolts were around 100. We'll call it 150 to be safe.
  
  ​
  
  So all in that's $1,115. Sounds about right. We didn't keep a strict budget or anything and several items were Christmas gifts.
  
  ​
  
  Here's links to to stuff I got on amazon:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D6GJSSP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H26541B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
• The seats came from the manufacturer but I think this is them: https://www.amazon.com/Millennium-Marine-B100-Boat-Green/dp/B00JRHSM98/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1Z4ZXBRWLYKVO&keywords=millennium+boat+seat&qid=1554259271&s=gateway&sprefix=millennium+boat+%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

I got the light bar as well as the mounting brackets off of Amazon as well as a switch/relay.
Here are the links! The switch is unnecessary as relay comes with one, but I liked the fact that it is labeled, in case I want to add more toggles in the future.

Light Bar: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NXL4F4A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mounting Brackets:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0175W0NCA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Relay:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R7IOOMS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Switch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T7DR7FW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Edit: Formatting

Thank you! The lights are pretty cheap off of Amazon, here’s a link: 2PACK 7" LED Offroad Pod Lights Bar 51W with Mounting Bracket, Black Round Spot Bumper Driving Lamp Headlight Fog Light for Offroader, Truck, Car, ATV https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MCXDZ4H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_NWwP3yEh73wze


As for gears, I’m still doing research on what I want, but want to strike a balance for decent crawling but this is also my daily so needs to be somewhat freeway friendly. Probably why I haven’t done it yet, gearing is a deep rabbit hole!

LED bulbs WILL blind oncoming traffic in your stock reflectors. So will a lightbar.
Best option is to do an HID retrofit. They're a little pricey, but I hear are very rewarding.

I've seen some people do LED bulbs in the fogs recently, it seems to be another decent option for increasing output.

If you want a lightbar, a 20 inch one will fit in the lower opening on the second gen bumper.


As far as rear light goes, I've never seen a full bar flush mounted in the bumper, but people have put Nilite pods from Amazon in the bumper and on the plastic corners.

Just an Amazon bar. I don't do any off-roading. It's more for the curvy back roads at night. I ordered this one because it had the best reviews and least complaints about leakage. TMH® 20'' Dual Row High Power 126w Cree Xb-d SMD LED Work Light Bar 13000 Lumens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KQXKG46/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_KRcNwb28Y5Q77

All of RGB lights on our store are enjoying 10%-25% discount now after we back to work.Check them out if you are interesting!!

1. 3inch 18w led pods halo
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NALDFSN
   2)32inch 180w led bar halo
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6DOQ3F
   3)50inch 288w led bar halo
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY2IPYL
   

I believe he has the jw speaker evo 2's. I recently purchased the jw speaker evo J's and its incredible how nice they are after you get them adjusted. I honestly give them a 10/10. Only downside being the price, but you get what you pay for. The only difference I know of between the Evo 2's and the evo J's is that the evo J's come with a half halo on top of the headlight and they have a built in harness so there isnt any flickering. Here's a link to the J's on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/JW-Speaker-8700J-Black-Headlight/dp/B0137B5HEC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482891384&sr=8-1&keywords=jw+speaker+8700+evolution+j

This is the bracket I'm using. It's a license plate mount. Seems to be holding it on pretty strong so far.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N9HHPK5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They're pretty good so far, though I haven't really done any heavy thrashing with them. Currently have them wired to my fog light switch.

Here are the lights i got just in case you guys want to check them out. Not bad at all! Very bright!

I had a couple of their smaller units on before with no issues and they worked well so I purchased from them again. I haven't run any silicone along to better seal it but I do check all the screws. No fogging or leaks so far and wash it pretty regularly. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZEYP6Q0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_vSzMAb19JB71Z

Its also insanely bright.

Also, they come with everything needed to wire and use except for a mount. If it is a new Wrangler built after 07 I would get these

http://www.amazon.com/KC-7316-2007-2014-Wrangler-Windshield/dp/B00192QSVS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419017660&sr=8-2&keywords=jeep+jk+light+mount

They mount by the windshield and are really easy to install if you do it yourself. And I would recomend the spot lights. I bought the driving lights and then the spots like 2 weeks later.

It works and Amazon. It's bright as fuck. I love it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NAQUJ34/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Starting in April we will post a thread and sticky it. Posting in the thread will enter you in the drawing for the give away.

The contest post will go up April 1st. This is NOT the contest post.

There will be new post each month!

The item they will give away each month is the 18w Offroad led light Led work light with Chasing RGB halo ring

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All of Nicoko RGB lights on thier amazon store are discounted 10%-25% now. Check them out if you are interested!

3inch 18w led pods halo

32inch 180w led bar halo

50inch 288w led bar halo

Was just going to post my LED upgrade, though it doesnt look half as nice as this one. I used an LED bar/lamp... this one: https://www.amazon.com/YITAMOTOR-Single-Driving-Waterproof-Warranty/dp/B01A6TNWHW/

The cool thing is that I connected it to a 12 volt USB relay module which is connected to the Raspberry Pi running Octoprint. So I can use the API to make the light turn on when it begins to print.

I buy these in whatever color I want and splice the wires with old fan wires to plug them into the MOBO. Works really well.

I had those ones off amazon as well. They where slightly warped so then I tightened the mounting bolts down it popped a weld. Very cheaply made. There are tons to choose from without the POD brackets. I added a set of brackets over my LED uprights and it works just fine.
http://www.amazon.com/KC-HiLiTES-7316-2007-2014-Windshield/dp/B00192QSVS/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462535961&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=kc+highlights+jeep+bracket

JW Speaker 8700J-B Black LED Headlight, Set of 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0137B5HEC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_G-TOwbZEF45KK

It actually belonged to my buddy in the picture before me. He got a new bumper and gave it to me and a police officer friend of mine helped me install it. My buddy paid ~140 for the light bar originally.

Edit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KQXKG46/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_IQg9ub1C58YP9

do you mean the led light bars, like this??

Normally they are bolted to the chassis and then the headlight lid is lowered on top. They aren't bolted to the headlight housing. If you watch youtube videos on how to do this mod, you can easily reverse it.

Thanks.

Ive got a pair of these plus their little brother on each side.

KAWELL 18W DC 10-30V 6500K LED Flood https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NPQV06O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_P9lbzb3Y37SVQ

They're wired through the roof rack tube to the front where I will be connecting everything under the cowl.

Nilight Led Light Bar Super Slim 2PCS 7 Inch 30W Spot Driving Fog Light 3600LM Single Row Off Road led Lights for Jeep - 2 Style Mounting Brackets, 2 Years Warranty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0197ZQLBA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_zUmwCbHHQAM3J

Here they are. Really not the best for actual headlights. Kinda blinding

I have these in my TLX
Unifilar Car LED Strip Light, MINGER APP Controller Car Interior Lights, Waterproof Multicolor Music Under Dash Lighting Kits for iPhone Android Smart Phone, Car Charger Included, DC 12V https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0798KMJFG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ak0VCb7PDC0D5

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J5AAX5S/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_C2CIyb6QRDGXK

these are interesting, fairly inexpensive

Make something like this and use the license plate holes https://www.amazon.com/MICTUNING-Universal-License-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B01CEICZLC/ref=sr_1_9?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1518047171&sr=1-9&keywords=license+plate+light+bar+mount

This is what i got for my 2016, it cost like $20 I think.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IGQS2SC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xmxqybYZDZSBK

All the lights are from Amazon.
Top bar
Bottom bar
Round lights

They are some generic LED fog lights that came with the car and since they worked, I didn’t toss them. I did however spray painted them with some Bed liner. Take a look on Amazon for LED 5” lights. Upon further inspection, they look very similar to these lights

Amazon, it was a cheap little bolt on mount. Just wanted something to hold the bar. MICTUNING Universal License Plate Mounting Bracket w/ Front Bull Bar Bumper for Off Road LED Work Light Bar - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CEICZLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_uyVn4hnb4G36c

I have a '16, but I got the interior lights from Amazon.

I used these: https://www.amazon.com/YITAMOTOR-Single-Driving-Waterproof-Warranty/dp/B01A6TNWHW?ref_=ast_sto_dp

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IGQS2SC

If you can change a light bulb, you can change these out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0197ZQLBA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is the mobile version of your link

Here's the link, guys: https://www.amazon.com/Auxbeam-20inch-Driving-Lights-driving/dp/B00T9BJ2GE/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?keywords=auxbeam+20+in+light+bar&qid=1554157264&s=gateway&sr=8-3-fkmrnull

Links to components used:
Headlight
Wiring Harness
36v-12v Converter
Tail Lights
heat shrink
Mounting Brackets

Not sure which one OP is using, but there are a bunch of private label versions of the same product. Here is one:

MICTUNING Universal License Plate Mounting Bracket w/ Front Bull Bar Bumper for Off Road LED Work Light Bar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CEICZLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tAKcBbMBBQDDS

amazon $95 (they are even cheaper now http://www.amazon.com/Light-Combo-Off-Road-Truck-Pick-up/dp/B00NAQUJ34/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452257311&sr=8-1&keywords=50%22+led+bar)

It has lasted 2 years and has worked flawlessly. No moisture and looks identical to the ones a few buddies have that cost 6x as much. I originally bought it as a joke cause people hated them so much, but for that price and the light it puts out I can't beat it!