Equipping your truck with a pair of proper off-road lights that provide sufficient illumination can be extremely beneficial for your safety. The Australian outback can be unforgiving so it’s important that you are able to spot any obstacles and animals on the road on time so that you can properly react. When shopping for off-road lights, there is a wide range to pick from. Picking the right off-road lights is important not just for safety reasons, but they can enhance the way your vehicle looks as well. There are three important things to consider when shopping for off-road lights, including bulb type, mounting position, and light patterns.
As far as bulb types go, there are three basic types – halogen, LED and HID off-road lights. Halogen off-road lights are the most affordable option, but they don’t produce as much light as LED or HID lights. Additionally, they aren’t the most energy efficient option and aren’t as durable. LED off-road driving lights, on the other hand, are the most popular type, as they use very little energy to produce a high level of brightness. They’re also compact, more durable and extremely long-lasting. They’re more expensive, but you can expect them to last you for several years unless you damage and break them, which is also hard to do. Lastly, HID off-road lights are specifically designed to produce a lot of brightness, making them ideal for off-roaders who drive at high speeds at night.
In terms of light patterns, you can pick between spotlights, driving lights, floodlights, and fog lights. Driving lights are designed to supplement your high beams by providing you with wider and longer illumination than your headlights can. These lights are ideal for trail driving and night road driving. Spotlights produce a focused beam that can provide focused illumination in front of your vehicle. They aren’t recommended for use on highways, and instead, they’re great for racing, for off-road and commercial applications. Fog lights are mounted just below the headlights, and their purpose is to illuminate the way ahead without catching the dust, rain, fog and other particles in the environment that may make it hard to see in adverse weather conditions. Lastly, floodlights illuminate wide areas within short distances, and they’re usually used as work lights or backup lights.
The last thing you need to consider is the mounting position of the lights. Generally, you can mount them on the bull bar or grill, on the low end of your front bumper or on top of your vehicle.
