The future of lighting doesn't involve bulbs, instead, it involves semiconductors. Yes, LED lighting is a collection of semiconductors that produce light by having a certain voltage sent to them. Because of this, LED lights are both highly efficient and long-lasting. They use less power and generate less heat without much power loss.
Also LED lights are not as easy to break and can have good effects on your health. For example, you can reduce headaches with LED lighting and the lights themselves can help align your circadian rhythm. LEDs also help decrease stress and anxiety and increase focus and productivity. The same can be said for 4WD lighting.
Types of 4x4 LED Lights
Light Bar
While interior 4x4 lights can also be LEDs when it comes to illuminating the road ahead there are two types with light bars being the wider option. By wider. I mean according to the roof of your 4x4. These 4x4 LED lights are able to provide a wide light since they cover the width of the roof of your 4WD vehicle. This is why they also go on the roof and can be quite useful when you want to illuminate more of what's around you. These can also be paired with 4x4 driving lights.
Driving Lights
4x4 driving lights are regular headlights that can be mounted alongside the OEM headlights. These do not replace your current headlights, instead, they help them in illuminating objects that are far away. Driving LED lights are usually mounted on the front bumper or o the wheel arches. You can also place them into the grill if it's wide enough.
What to Look for in a 4x4 LED Light
Beam
There are two different types of beam patterns 4x4 LED lights can have spot and flood. Spot beam patterns provide a light with a small beam angle and thus are able to illuminate further away than lights with a flood pattern. A flood beam pattern may have a wider beam angle but it's not able to cast the light far. Instead, a flood beam pattern is able to illuminate more of what's close around you. You can also find lights that have both beam patterns which are known as combination LED lights.
Lumens
The number of lumen an LED 4x4 light is able to produce, determines its brightness level. The more lumens a 4x4 light has the brighter it is but also the more power it draws from the battery. Usually higher lumen lights are heavier too.
IP Rating
Since 4WD LED lights are going to be exposed to all kinds of weather conditions, it's important to have them protected. If you think you need to put nylon bags over them then you're wrong. All you need to do is look for a pair of lights that have the correct IP rating. This rating has two numbers. The higher these numbers are the better the protection the lights have from water and solids. Of course, the higher this rating is the more expensive the lights are.
Colour Temperature
The colour of the light is expressed in K (kelvin). This measurement determines if the light you're getting is going to produce a bright white light, a yellow one or a neutral light. A candlelight-like colour is at around 1900 K while daylight colour temperature lights have 5500 K. If you want a light as blue as the sky then go for 10000 K LED lights but this is not good for your eyes. Usually LED lights between 4500 K and 6000 K are ideal for off-roading.
Mounting Spot
The place you want to have your 4WD LED lights also matters. No matter where that place is your unit needs to have the correct brackets and needed hardware in order for you to be able to mount it. Also, the installation process itself shouldn't be too complicated as usually the simpler it is the more secure your lights will be.
Wiring 4x4 LED Lights
1. When it comes to wiring 4WD lighting you need to first choose a place to install the switch. This needs to be on the dashboard where you won't have to reach that far in order to turn on the lights. Then mount the relay that came with the lights in the engine bay in a way that is as close to the battery as possible.
2. After that's done, make sure to run a ground wire from the relay to your vehicle's earthing point. Next, run a wire from one terminal on the dashboard switch. This wire needs to go through the firewall and to the high beam wire on your vehicle's headlights.
3. Make sure to then run the correct wire from the relay to the lights and have each light connected with a wire to an earthing point. Once all this is done, you should just run the battery wire from the relay to the battery itself and place a fuse between the two points. All that's left for you to do is test the lights and adjust them.
