LED lights are slowly taking over the automotive industry

Just like your home, there are many benefits to LED

LED stands for light emitting diode, they are extremely small semiconductor diodes that are capable of creating light. LED lights work very similarly to standard lights except for the fact that LEDs are much smaller and contain no filament. Instead of a filament, an LED creates light using nothing but the movement of electricity along the path of its semiconductor. As the electrons stream across the semiconductor, they create electromagnetic radiation. Some forms of this electromagnetic radiation can take the form of light. Now that you have this information here is how it applies to the automotive world.

LED lights are becoming increasing popular these days on trucks. Gone are the days of putting the highest wattage sealed beam lamps you could find, often referred to as airplane landing lights, on your bumper or roll-bar to light up the night sky to enjoy some extended off-road driving hours. LED lights not only give you incredible light but they draw so little amperage. This is a real advantage over adding a second alternator or constantly having to jump start your dead battery. Off-road LED lights come in many different shapes and sizes. This helps with the many different sizes of grill openings or bumper light locations. Rigid industries are a pioneer in this new off-road light technology. They offer many different kinds of lights.  The dually light is a small 3” x 3” cube that has 1300 lumens of light that has the same output as a 50w light while only drawing 15 watts. A pair of these lights cost $219.00.

E-series lights are LED light bars that come in various lengths. The 4” E-series light is available in a flood or spot pattern that has an amp draw of 1.18 and a life span over 50,000 hours. Cost is $258.

The 6” E-series light is available in a flood, spot, or a combo. It also has a 50,000+ life span and draws 1.77 amps.

For some serious amount of light there are the 30”, 40” and 50” light bars that have an unbreakable

polycarbonate lens and are available in a spot, flood, or a combo. The 50” light bar gives off enough light to reach distances of 1497 meters. Theses price from $1099 to $1759. Now finding a place to mount them to your truck can pose a challenge. There are some mounting brackets that are universal and some vehicle specific brackets but generally you have to make some up. The front bumper usually is a great place to start. The OEMs are great for providing spots to mount their optional lights. You can also purchase bumper mounted light bars that can hold one long light bar or two smaller ones. Make sure the location you choose is not lower than the bumper or your expensive new lights may get knocked off your first trip out.  If you own a Jeep there are mounting brackets available to attach to your windshield pillar or just above the windshield.  Rigid now offers for 2014, curved lights that will fit across the top of the windshield and have mounting brackets for most trucks. Check out the entire line up of lights and brackets available at www.rigidindustries.com website.

Article written by: Ian Harwood - "The Truck Guy"

Corporate Sales and Operations Manager for Custom Truck Parts

Fog lights will have you beaming

Installation: Here’s the best way to pick them, place them and protect them

Weather can make a difference in our ability to drive safely on the road, and being able to see the roadway better in inclement conditions makes for peace-of-mind driving.

Fog lights are basically an improvement over your vehicle’s low beams, and really help your road visibility in bad weather. a good pair of fog lights has a narrow vertical beam, meaning they illuminate the roadbed in front of your vehicle in a tight pattern. a wider vertical beam would just reflect glare off the fog, rain or snow back into your eyes, making a bad situation even worse.

Fog lights should be mounted as low on the bumper as is practical, and often you’ll see fog lights mounted below the bumper. this is fine as long as the driver has some guarantee the vehicle will never be in a situation where the unprotected lights are smashed against a curb or other obstacle.

Take into consideration the ride height of the vehicle when determining where to attach fog lights. if your sports compact has been lowered, installation below the bumper is a risk. But a 4x4 with a lifted suspension or an oversized wheel/ tire package that rarely sees severe off-road conditions may be able to get away with tucking a set of lights below the bumper.

The best spot, obviously, is to mount fog lights as low on the bumper as possible, but where they will be protected as well. traditional fog lights are usually mounted under the front bumper about 25 to 60 centimetres from the ground.

There are two important issues to address when installing fog lights. the first is to minimize the amount of return glare into the driver’s eyes; while the other is to minimize glare cast into oncoming drivers’ eyes. in addition, both these issues must be accomplished while putting as much light as possible on the road. aiming the lights is vital for proper performance and for safety on the road.

Most fog-light kits are designed with the do-it-yourselfer in mind, and quite often for an individual with little to no vehicle wiring experience. as such, kits are designed to be plug and play and will come with pre-assembled wiring harnesses. Following the instructions, connect the hot side of the harness to a 12-volt source such as the battery or power point and to the corresponding relay point. Connect the light side of the harness to the lights and to the relay marked for the light or load side. in some cases it might be necessary to connect a ground wire.

The last step involves running the wiring to the switch inside the vehicle.

To do this, follow the path of other wiring through the firewall. Make sure all connections are secure and that all wiring is either taped or ziptied to ensure it does not interfere with any moving parts. turn on power to the lights and now it’s time to adjust the beam.

The top of the beam 10 centimetres below the lamp centre at a distance of eight metres from the front of the vehicle with the lamp facing straight forward. however, some modifications may be necessary to minimize glare.

As to choosing which fog lights are right for your vehicle, the old saying applies; you get what you pay for. a good quality set of lights make all the difference. Piaa has been a leader in the automotive lighting industry for decades, and they have many fog light models to choose from.

The 520 series, one of the best fog lamps on the market includes all wiring. Check out www.piaa.com for the complete line of fog lights or ask a CTP sales team member today.

Article written by: Ian Harwood - "The Truck Guy"
Corporate Sales and Operations Manager for Custom Truck Parts