Light Up the Night or Blind Jerks on the Road with Auxiliary Lights

A set of gnarly off-road lights is just about the final piece to your customization puzzle. You can get a pair of performance lights for the factory openings in your bumper, or line up a bank of lamps for extreme power. They come in all sizes—from less than 3” in diameter to beastly 6” housings—for making whatever kind of statement you want. And, with the wide array of makers out there, you can fit a set into just about any budget.

Also, off-road lights like the ones made by PIAA, KC and Hella come in more patterns than sheer brightness. You can pick a long, narrow beam pattern for distance, known as a “driving light.” On the opposite end of the lighting spectrum, “flood lights” sacrifice distance for a massive spread. To cut through nasty weather, a wide and low-intensity “fog light” beam adds to your overall visibility. But, most light buyers stick with the tried-and-true “off-road light” pattern, with awesome brightness and outstanding range.

There are also a variety of bulb options. Most off-road and other auxiliary lights are powered by high-efficiency halogen lights. That’s why most modest light setups can be run off your current battery, with no need for an upgrade. Also, if you have some serious scratch to spend on lights, you can opt for HIDs—incredibly low draw for such clean lighting power. Bulbs for most off road lights are easy to replace, and available at big department or home stores. You may want a set of light covers or light grilles with those new lamps, though. A tossed rock can easily put an unprotected lamp out of commission.

Off-road and other vehicle auxiliary lights usually spark a few common questions. “Why do I need such extreme lighting power on my rig?” The answer is, of course, that your fun doesn’t have to stop when the sun sets. You can keep on chuggin’ through the mud, rocks or dunes well past sundown, or use your lights to set a course through nasty weather. Or, heck, you can even keep your local pickup basketball game playing late. “Isn’t a set of lights extremely hard to wire?” It’s not as hard as you might think, especially with the plug-and-play harnesses provided with most light kits. You could be fired-up in less than an hour. “Would Marty McFly’s or Walker’s truck have been as cool without lights?” No. Absolutely not.