Advice on lightbar location and color

So im looking at installing a lightbar in the hood bulge but have heard that depending on length you need to cut the clips and then that makes the bulge not as secure at high winds/speeds. Is it worth installing there on above the bumper?

 

Bumper is the only place for offroad lights...

 

I had one in my bulge.. and then had many troubles with 18-wheelers going by and ripping my bulge off truck.

After several replacements I changed to lower lightbar and this one is VERY bright and I love it

 

That is what im afraid of. What size bar did you have in the bulge? Ive heard that it doesnt happen if you have a shorter bar but ifk how true that is.

Was it difficult to install above the bumper?

 

Reduces air flow to the power steering cooler.

 

Sounds logical, however, I haven't had any issues even with pulling RV around. (knock knock)

 

I had a 41" in there but you have make modifications to do a bulge light. I wish I hadn't done it but others have had better success. Now I live in a windy area by the coast so the big trucks passing are a problem.

 

Why not roof mount?

 

Just picky, not really a fan of that look. I would mainly be using it to help with night drives. Possibly looking at amber colored due to the fun colorado weather for visibility

 

I agree with the top mount. Im not a fan of the look and I was worried that it would light my hood up as much as the road. I want to see in front of me. I put this cheap light on the bottom (in pics above) and was shocked at how bright it is. It isn't amber but it does shine a bit yellow(ish) but it is so bright. I'm very happy with this choice.

$96 Rigidhorse 42" Curved LED Light Bar, 300W Super Bright Flood & SpotBeam Combo - 52000LM Off Road Driving Single Row Light Bars for Trucks for Jeep Trucks Boats ATV UTV Cars

Amazon.com: Rigidhorse 42 Inch Curved LED Light Bar, 300W Super Bright Flood & Spot Beam Combo - 52000LM Off Road Driving Single Row Light Bars for Trucks for Jeep Trucks Boats ATV UTV Cars : Automotive

mounting on the bumper was fairly simple. I drilled small holes and used metal screws to hold her in. It is very solid. The bumper is curved under there so I couldn't get my straight light to fit very good.

 

This is the nilight 42” light bar. Fits nicely inside the useless hood bulge.

 

How far can you go with that extension cord?

 

Have you had any issues with the bulge popping up from speed or wind? Did you have to trim anything?

 

Only 50ft. Lol, my X2power is on the battery tender right now.

 

No, I’ve gone 90mph+ and no issues. Hood bulge stays on nice and snug.

 

What light did you go with?

 

You are lucky. I original bulge exploded when a truck passed me one day in the opposite direction. I've bought 3 aftermarket replacements since then and none fit right. Maybe I should stop being a cheap ass and go buy an actual one from the dealer.

My 2nd one split after a big gust of wind. Suddenly my hood was bouncing and my whole truck had a terrible vibration going down the interstate. I thought maybe I threw a wheel balance weight and pulled off the highway only to find the bulge split. Ripping that one off fixed the vibration but boy is the truck ugly without it.

 

This one:

$74 Nilight NI04-200W 1PC LED 41" 200W Spot Flood Combo Single Row 19000LM Off Road 3D Fog Driving Roof Bumper Light Bars for Jeep Ford Trucks Boat, Black

https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-41in...007&sprefix=nilight+41"+single,aps,110&sr=8-3

Surprisingly, they came out with an amber version too. I’m wondering if it’s OE Amber or selective yellow amber like the BD.

 

Yeah, when I went with the Pro grille and bulge, I didn’t go the cheap route. But the hood bulge also has 10mm holding the bottom too IIRC.

 

was it plug and play or did you have to splice them in?

 

There’s no plug and play. You’ll need to splice to a switch or plug to use - which is pretty simple.

I connected it to my Auxbeam box to use the light bar.

 

would this wiring harness supply enough power for the light bar??

Harness

$14 Nilight 10011W 16AWG Wiring Harness Kit-2 Leads LED Light Bar 12V On/Off 5 Pin Rocker Switch Power Relay Blade Fuse for Jeep Boat Trucks, 2 Years Warranty

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073TYH2VN?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

lightbar

$74 Nilight Led Light Bar Amber 41" 200W Super Slim Spot Flood Combo 19000LM 3D Driving Fog Off Road Lights for Trucks Pickup SUV ATV UTV Boat 4x4 Van Camper-2 Style Mounting

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C8591NFK?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

 

Yeah, I bought the harness from HF, but should all be the same!

Are you planning to wire a plug into the dash? Or do you have a switch panel?

 

Let me know how the output is on the Amber once you get it! I have the white and it’s extremely bright. Have had mine for 3+ years now and haven’t given me an issue. I have a 32” Amber on the lower valence, but the output isn’t too great.

 

i was planning on installing into the dash for now until I get more lights but I think this will be good for my needs as well as light off-roading for awhile.

a buddy of mine brought up the idea of getting two ambers and then a smaller white light bar inside of the hood bulge so I may price that out and see what works best

 

I know what you mean, but the bulge is a pretty tight area to run multiple light bars.

There is the option of the side OE markers with the centers being white. But I haven’t seen any good reviews on those. I think CaliRaisedLED sells one of those light bars.

Another option is to go the expensive route of getting the BD S8. That’ll be the top notch light bar for the bulge if you’re willing to dish out the money for lumens. Personally, I’d put that towards an SC. Lol

 

Hmm I see. Eventually I’ll be replacing the halo fogs and headlights for leds but with the prices of those in comparison to light bars is where I’m at right now.

Maybe be able swing getting amber dogs and do the white light bar

 

I installed power bars on the right side under the hood. From there I ran a relay with a switch by the Tow Haul switch. I'll search for pics and send if you want.

 

Yeah that would be awesome. Honestly anything would help since this will kinda be like my first mod to the truck

 

Here are the photos. Wow didn't realize how dirty my engine bay was. Guess I know my weekend project.

First you see the two switches I put near the Tow Haul switch. There are actually some aftermarket switches that match the Tundra switches but to me they feel cheap. So instead I added a different cheap switch. I like these switches. Next I added the terminal blocks under the hood on the right side. From the battery I routed a red cable which is made to length. The negative cable is mounted under the black terminal block to a grounding point which was already on the truck.

Behind the terminal blocks I used relays to power the lightbars. You DON'T want to wire your lightbar to the switch directly. The lights use too many amps and most switches will just get hot and melt. That becomes a serious fire hazard. Instead get some relays. These are cheap on Amazon. There are also a million videos on YouTube on how to wire these in. Note: First I decided on wiring the relay using the Negative Trigger method. I didn't like it because the LED on the switch wouldn't work, PLUS if there is ever a fault in the switch or wiring then your lightbar defaults to the ON position. I didn't want that either, so I'd suggest wiring to a positive trigger like a normal switch.

What you don't see in the photos is the wiring harness for the lightbar itself. I used the harness that came with the light and just cut the end off to wire to the relay. It is routed under the terminal blocks and down to the bumper where the bar is located.

I'm very happy with this setup. The bar is extremely bright, and it is low giving me perfect light on the road where I want it.