Basic Off Road Light set up for a Pajero?

[Andrew John Melvill]

Hi All

I have been looking at fitting some off-road lights to my Pajero, but the more I research the more confused I get! So, any advice would be welcome.

I am looking for a set up that will allow me to bring a convoy out of the desert if we get stuck until after dark, as well as for camping trips, joining a night drive as support, etc. So not for dedicated hard core night driving. My eyesight is affected by glare so a set up that prevents any glare off the bonnet will be preferred.

Current thinking is as follows:

1. Bumper mounted spots or short light bar - which would work best and mounting options?

2. A pillar mounted ditch or side shooter light pods - size, light color, how to prevent glare, etc?

3. Rear mounted work light for vision during night recoveries, camping etc.

4. Wiring and switch panel in the cabin?

5. Trying to keep the budget within reason, hopefully within 2000 aed all in? Will this be possible while still using half decent options?

6. ADIHEX starts this weekend, so there might be some good deals available?

Cheers

Andrew

[_luke_]

auxbeam V-ULTRA series.
get a mid sized pod for a pilalrs, 4 inch or so. Aim 40 degrees away from front on, no bonnet glare and wide beam of light.

get a 5 or 6 inch spotlight for front, might require a shop to fab a bracket.

for rear i would get a small 2 inch or so, its not driving light so a small one will be plenty.

auxbeam gangpanel 6 switch controller which mounts in cabin. comes with quality vinyal stickers for switch labels etc and is one of the the better switch box systems available in my opinion (think i managed to convert @ChrisW to these as well).

This will come in around budget. auxbeam makes some damn excellent stuff.
price performance wise they are pretty amazing IMHO.

for colour, i prefer amber, others prefer white. its really up to you.
auxbeam do have the option of having amber coloured protection covers, so if you choose white you can switch to amber easily later.

[Zubail]

I was installing a Yukon Auxbeam 8-button panel, or some copy of Auxbeam not sure- and it works nicely.

 

On Expedition, it's a Switchpro8; it has Bluetooth. You can make different options with 1cick,2 clicks, hold,  with ignition on, etc., but it's 5-6x the price, and I don't think it's worth it.

[Frederic]

19 minutes ago, Andrew John Melvill said:

Hi All

I have been looking at fitting some off-road lights to my Pajero, but the more I research the more confused I get! So, any advice would be welcome.

I am looking for a set up that will allow me to bring a convoy out of the desert if we get stuck until after dark, as well as for camping trips, joining a night drive as support, etc. So not for dedicated hard core night driving. My eyesight is affected by glare so a set up that prevents any glare off the bonnet will be preferred.

Current thinking is as follows:

1. Bumper mounted spots or short light bar - which would work best and mounting options?

2. A pillar mounted ditch or side shooter light pods - size, light color, how to prevent glare, etc?

3. Rear mounted work light for vision during night recoveries, camping etc.

4. Wiring and switch panel in the cabin?

5. Trying to keep the budget within reason, hopefully within 2000 aed all in? Will this be possible while still using half decent options?

6. ADIHEX starts this weekend, so there might be some good deals available?

Cheers

Andrew

Hey @Andrew John Melvill

I think we all went through the same confusion at one time. There are so many options. The good thing is you can do this project incrementally. There is a difference between leading a Fewbie Plus at night versus joining/supporting a night drive, or just navigate at night to go camping.

Which type of lights?

You will generally see two types of lights: Spot and Flood.  A spotlight focuses straight up ahead with a narrow beam, which is good for long visibility up ahead, but unfortunately these are narrow. A flood light achieves a more broad/wider view which is great for desert driving and navigation at lower speeds. The good thing is that many light bars are "combo" so they consist of a spot and flood light section inside.

My personal preference is flood lights, as i don't need to see 500m up ahead but rather a wide view of what's happening around me (dune shapes and formations, vegetation, animals, etc..)

Mounting and location

Mounting on the front bumper is an easy option, but if you find yourself regularly in a ditch somewhere they might get damaged. Be careful not to block the front grille too much as this might affect your cooling.

Side-shooters are great as flood lights. You can aim them exactly to get a nice lateral view.

I would recommend the following:

* Phase one: get some good quality bonnet mounted ditch lights only (auxbeam is indeed great, agree with Luke). Hella, Capra are also good.

* Phase two: get a Led bar in the front or a double round spot light setup. 

* Phase three: lights in the rear. Requires a bit longer wiring which can be a bit of a hassle. Nice to have but not critical.

Colours

You will find white or yellow ones. White is generally brighter but Yellow is much better for dusty/sandy driving conditions. 

Installation

If you have the time, definitely do it yourself. If you purchase for example the Auxbeam switch panel, it really is not that difficult:

Example:

Auxbeam 6 Gang Switch Panel BC60 Universal Circuit Control Relay System Automatic Dimmable LED Switch Pod Touch Control Panel Switch Relay Box for Car Truck Pickup Boat UTV SUV-Blue, 2 Year Warranty : Amazon.ae: Automotive

This panel can also be used to control your auxiliary cooling fan

 

If you only plan to install side shooters, this would suffice:

Nilight - Ni -Wa 06 Led Light Bar Wiring Harness Kit - 2 Leads 12V On Off Switch Power Relay Blade Fuse For Off Road Lights Led Work Light, 2 Years Warranty: Buy Online at Best Price in UAE - Amazon.ae

 

Just make sure to select the wiring harness that can carry enough amps. 16 or 14AWG could be suitable for ditch lights but not for powerful models. 

 

Feel free to share some ideas and amazon links before buying so we can help to double check.

[_luke_]

yeah agreed about doing it in phases @Frederic .. car already has high-beam on the front for decent lighting, so A Pillar lights would be the priority for me as well to spread out the beam.

[Andrew John Melvill]

Thanks @_luke_ and @Frederic for the prompt and great advice. Have a bit more direction now. Still have to make the final calls! 

Cheers

Andrew