How Do I Choose Off-Road Lights? Mudding 101

Light is important for your safety because it promotes road visibility. In bad weather or dim lighting, lights show approaching obstacles and indicate your location. When choosing off-roading lights, you need to consider the type of off-roading that you will be doing.

As you might know, the lights for moderate speed off-roading in the forest are quite different from lights for high-speed desert driving. Here are some things to consider when it comes to speed:

• Low speeds (0 to 15 MPH) – If you prefer rock crawling and other challenging trails, you need to invest in short-range lights that illuminate the peripheral areas fully.
• High speeds (50-plus MPH) – For people who prefer high- speed off-roading such as desert off-roading, lights that shine on far away objects distance are ideal. Opt for lights that illuminate objects in short, mid, and long range distances.
• Moderate speeds in between – Do you fall between the two categories above? You are in the group of people that prefer overlanding and Forest Service trails. If you are in this group of off-roaders, you need lighting that falls between short and mid-range.

Should I Get LED, Halogen, or HID Lights?

If you are wondering which of the three lights to choose, here are the pros and cons of each:

Halogen

Pros:

1. Can de-ice themselves in colder temperatures.
2. Highly affordable.
3. Gives you the best value for money.
4. Offers warm color temperature, which means better visibility in most rainy, snowy, and foggy weather.

Cons:

1. It is an old technology.
2. Offers low power efficiency because most energy goes to heating rather than lighting.

LED

Pros:

1. No warm-up time needed.
2. Offer a good balance between power efficiency, cost, and light output.
3. Great power efficiency that results in bright lights.
4. Durable and long-lasting.

Cons:

1. Cannot de-ice themselves in cold temperatures.
2. As the color temperatures go up, it leads to lower visibility in fog, rain, and snow.
3. Produces heat, which means that the light needs a thermal management system.

High Intensity Discharge (HID)

Pros:

1. Can de-ice themselves in colder areas.
2. Most balanced between power, technology, cost, and output.
3. Offers the best light output in all off-road lights, especially long distances.

Cons:

1. Require ballasts to multiply the voltage required to run the lights – this can give off EMI if the manufacturer of the light did not plan for it.
2. Needs a short warm-up time.