Light bar that's low profile, discreet?

[Tom Jensen]

Folks - I’m looking for a high quality low profile white LED light bar for the roof of my 2023 Lariat. I want it to be no higher than the height of the two antenna cases so that it doesn’t add to the overall height of the truck. I live where parking garages are old with low clearances and, true confession, I’m just not into the tacticool look with lights and other add-on stuff bulging and flexing all over the vehicle. I’ve had no luck finding a product that fits the bill. Any recommendations? Thank you.

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[Runaway Tractor]

Finding a low profile lightbar is easy. Rigid Industries radiance series, and Diode Dynamics stage series, and Morimoto 2-banger bars are examples of low profile single-row LED bars. $600-$1000 price tag on these bars. The cheap Amazon brands like Aux Beam are tempting but please remember they are chinesium garbage that will fail.

The complicated parts is now you will need to drill multiple holes in the roof of you $75k truck. If you've done this kind of work before and know what you're getting into, this might be no issues for you. But if you've never done this, now is probably not a good time to learn.

Ditch light pods are a much less intrusive way to mount lights on the front. Diode Dyanmics ditch light brackets are the best. Wiring in the avionics bay behind the frunk is easy to access as well as a grommet through into the cab.

Link in my signature for my thread where I installed these and others.

 

[Firn]

Can I ask the purpose?

In general good pods are a greatly superior light for most uses.

Light bars have their place but unless it's close in flood lighting for workers, or you are dropping a LOT of money, a few leds with good optics will give you more useful lightning for driving

BTW, if you have not done the glare free lighting it is an AMAZING upgrade.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

Concur. One of the things I dislike about roof mounted bars is the light that bounces back in your face off the hood. This is not good for road use since that light hitting your eyes is going to be detrimental. When you turn it off, your eyes will have a hard time coming back to darkness. It's also useless in rain/snow/fog since all the light is bouncing back into your face. This is less of a problem off-road since the bar is basically always on along with lots of other lights.

BTW, if you have not done the glare free lighting it is an AMAZING upgrade.

Yes x10! Worth all the time spent punching in the numbers to Forscan to get it right.

 

[Tom Jensen]

Concur. One of the things I dislike about roof mounted bars is the light that bounces back in your face off the hood. This is not good for road use since that light hitting your eyes is going to be detrimental. When you turn it off, your eyes will have a hard time coming back to darkness. It's also useless in rain/snow/fog since all the light is bouncing back into your face. This is less of a problem off-road since the bar is basically always on along with lots of other lights.


Yes x10! Worth all the time spent punching in the numbers to Forscan to get it right.

Gentlemen - Thank you very much. First, my purpose is to help my aging eyes handle the spray and mist along the main road through the Outer Banks of N.C. Night driving is always difficult there due to blowing sand and lots of sea mist. But add a storm and it gets pretty brutal, with wave spray, splash from other vehicles, and blowing sand. In addition to the highway driving, I use the truck on the beach for nighttime fishing and camping, when being able to see soft sand, turtle tracks, and the guys who’ve had too much sun and beer is a real benefit. I welcome your advice. Thanks, guys.

 

[Firn]

Gentlemen - Thank you very much. First, my purpose is to help my aging eyes handle the spray and mist along the main road through the Outer Banks of N.C. Night driving is always difficult there due to blowing sand and lots of sea mist. But add a storm and it gets pretty brutal, with wave spray, splash from other vehicles, and blowing sand. In addition to the highway driving, I use the truck on the beach for nighttime fishing and camping, when being able to see soft sand, turtle tracks, and the guys who’ve had too much sun and beer is a real benefit. I welcome your advice. Thanks, guys.

For spray and sand get some LOW mounted lights. A top mount light bar gives a LOT of backscatter.

I would maybe get Diode Dynamics yellow fogs with a proper fog pattern if you need to cut through crud.

For beach crawling I could maybe see a light bar, but with the glare I would rather have my eyes not hurt. Here pod ditch lights would probably be one of the best.

Fwiw be wary because what "feels" like more light is usually backstatter or glare and it isn't useful light. You are reflecting off the stuff around you, or on the ground nearby, and it makes it seem like there is a lot of light but it's all lost close in and worse closes down your eyes. True quality lighting PROJECTS out a far distance. It doesn't feel like you are getting more light because it's not "bright" around you, but that nearby light isn't as useful as distance projection.

This isn't a "you" thing, it's most people. Not until you really go down the rabbit hole do you get a sense for it.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

Definitely recommend against a roof mounted bar. Foul weather and blowing sand would made worse with an overhead bar.

Look at that dog and ditch lights I did on my truck. That will be your best options. You don't need the fancy controls if simple on/off switches will do.

Concur with everything @Firn said

 

[Tom Jensen]

Definitely recommend against a roof mounted bar. Foul weather and blowing sand would made worse with an overhead bar.

Look at that dog and ditch lights I did on my truck. That will be your best options. You don't need the fancy controls if simple on/off switches will do.

Concur with everything @Firn said

Thank you. I looked at your install and concluded that the best thing to do is to have you swing by my place and duplicate your hard work. Very clean. Very nice. I’m impressed. I really appreciate the advice. Dinner is on me.

 

[Tom Jensen]

For spray and sand get some LOW mounted lights. A top mount light bar gives a LOT of backscatter.

I would maybe get Diode Dynamics yellow fogs with a proper fog pattern if you need to cut through crud.

For beach crawling I could maybe see a light bar, but with the glare I would rather have my eyes not hurt. Here pod ditch lights would probably be one of the best.

Fwiw be wary because what "feels" like more light is usually backstatter or glare and it isn't useful light. You are reflecting off the stuff around you, or on the ground nearby, and it makes it seem like there is a lot of light but it's all lost close in and worse closes down your eyes. True quality lighting PROJECTS out a far distance. It doesn't feel like you are getting more light because it's not "bright" around you, but that nearby light isn't as useful as distance projection.

This isn't a "you" thing, it's most people. Not until you really go down the rabbit hole do you get a sense for it.

Understood. I didn’t take it as a “me” thing. I truly appreciate the guidance. LEDs have changed our options so dramatically in such a short time. I have several sets of Black Oak lights on my boat and just love what they do for me at night and how they’ve held up to several years of salt spray and salt air. I’m grateful for the advice on terrestrial applications of the tech.

 

[csukoh78]

Folks - I’m looking for a high quality low profile white LED light bar for the roof of my 2023 Lariat. I want it to be no higher than the height of the two antenna cases so that it doesn’t add to the overall height of the truck. I live where parking garages are old with low clearances and, true confession, I’m just not into the tacticool look with lights and other add-on stuff bulging and flexing all over the vehicle. I’ve had no luck finding a product that fits the bill. Any recommendations? Thank you.

I would avoid a light bar. They are horrible aerodynamically and greatly disrupt the airflow over the truck which would reduce efficiency.

A better bet would be to get a single pod or even better, graft a large light bar into the center of the otherwise useless front plastic grill. Not only would that look cool, it would preserve your aerodynamics.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

An 18" light bar can fit below the front license plate in the area with the active shutters.

 

[Tom Jensen]

Finding a low profile lightbar is easy. Rigid Industries radiance series, and Diode Dynamics stage series, and Morimoto 2-banger bars are examples of low profile single-row LED bars. $600-$1000 price tag on these bars. The cheap Amazon brands like Aux Beam are tempting but please remember they are chinesium garbage that will fail.

The complicated parts is now you will need to drill multiple holes in the roof of you $75k truck. If you've done this kind of work before and know what you're getting into, this might be no issues for you. But if you've never done this, now is probably not a good time to learn.

Ditch light pods are a much less intrusive way to mount lights on the front. Diode Dyanmics ditch light brackets are the best. Wiring in the avionics bay behind the frunk is easy to access as well as a grommet through into the cab.

Link in my signature for my thread where I installed these and others.

Thank you. I've gone ahead and arranged to have the same DD set up that you've done -- minus the PhD-level circuit design. You must be an electrical engineer. That's quite the arrangement. Impressive.

 

[Ish]

I have the green/amber version of these installed, works great and little to no flashback. Plug and play from an electrical standpoint and can use suction cups or more permanent tape that is included if preferred.

https://www.grainger.com/category/f...ior-vehicle-lighting/vehicle-dash-deck-lights

 

[Tom Jensen]

I have the green/amber version of these installed, works great and little to no flashback. Plug and play from an electrical standpoint and can use suction cups or more permanent tape that is included if preferred.

https://www.grainger.com/category/f...ior-vehicle-lighting/vehicle-dash-deck-lights

Thank you.

 

[Tom Jensen]

Concur. One of the things I dislike about roof mounted bars is the light that bounces back in your face off the hood. This is not good for road use since that light hitting your eyes is going to be detrimental. When you turn it off, your eyes will have a hard time coming back to darkness. It's also useless in rain/snow/fog since all the light is bouncing back into your face. This is less of a problem off-road since the bar is basically always on along with lots of other lights.


Yes x10! Worth all the time spent punching in the numbers to Forscan to get it right.

With excellent help from 21st Century Truck I now have glare-free lighting enabled. I gave it a good trial the other night on a long dark two-lane beach road with lots of mist and blowing sand on the road along with a steady stream of oncoming traffic. I love the glare-free! Great illumination, nobody flashing their headlights at me. This option should be standard and it’s nuts that it isn’t yet.

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