For some it could be quite intimidating to spend a night in the woods let alone to venture into the wild for a whole week. Although there are certain risks, the pros of adventure travel are greater and better for your health. For example, adventure travel, however difficult it might seem, can improve your mental health as well as your physical health.
Physical activity can help you become part of a community and take part in a more meaningful travelling experience. Even if you are going to explore the Outback with your 4×4, you’re still going for an adventurous trip across a widely unexplored terrain. In this case, you should invest in proper automotive lighting for your rig.
Types of Lighting Solutions
Driving Lights
With 4×4 driving lights, you can aid the headlights with some added brightness and throw. These types of 4×4 lights are usually round and go on the bumper or bonnet, depending on your vehicle. Driving lights for your car are some of the simplest and best solutions to safer nightly adventures.
Light Bars
If you want a more versatile lighting solution then you should consider going for a light bar. Light bars are mounted on either the roof of your rig or the bonnet. They allow for a wide beam of light or a narrow one but they are mostly used for close-quarter illumination. They are far better at keeping your vehicle safe from what’s right in front of it rather than what’s far away.
Spotlights
Auto lights that will allow you to see things from a distance are spotlights. They are extremely bright and have a long throw which means you have more of a focused beam of light. They are not used for every day or rather night, driving and are mainly useful when you are searching for a path out or a way into an area.
Fog Lights
No matter if it’s day or night, fog lights can help you see better when it’s hazy outside. That’s their only use and if your vehicle didn’t come with fog lights from the factory, you can easily add them as usually there are empty spaces under the headlights.
Types of Light Sources
Halogen
A pair of halogen lights is going to have the shortest lifespan while being the most affordable solution. Keep in mind though that halogen bulbs are also quite an old invention in comparison to some of its more powerful counterparts. With halogen auto lights expect moderate performance and an easy-to-replace bulb.
HID
With HID or high-intensity discharge lights you will get brighter illumination as well as a longer-lasting pair of lights. HID driving lights for your car are able to generate more power than halogen ones without experiencing huge power loss. Therefore they are the proffered solution for more and more off-roaders. Remember though, HID lights take time to show their full brightness as they need to be hot enough to reach their peak brightness.
LED
What has become a true breakthrough in 4×4 automotive lighting in recent years is the introduction of LED lights. LED lighting solutions are much more powerful than both HID and halogen lights while being more efficient and longer lasting. They’re the future of illumination not just when it comes to 4x4s but also in most industries.
Important Factors of 4×4 Lights
Pattern
Although some lights can only produce a certain type of beam, others can alternate between different ones. For example, you can find driving lights that can produce both a flood and a spot-beam pattern. This way you have yourself a more versatile solution which can save you a lot of money since you won’t need another pair of lights in order to get a different beam.
Lumens
The number of lumens a 4×4 light has determines how bright it’s going to be. The higher this number is the brighter the light. But keep in mind that there is such a thing as too bright of a driving light especially because you’re driving in complete darkness.
IP Rating
Since 4×4 auto lights are found on the outside, instead of being housed in your vehicle like headlights, they need to have a certain level of IP rating. This type of rating refers to the protection level of the light from dust, solids and water jets. Again, just like with lumens, the higher the number of this rating the better as it means it has a greater level of protection.
Mounting Position
The place you want to put your driving lights at will determine the type of hardware and especially brackets you’ll need for its installation process. Some types of lights have a less cumbersome installation while others can be quite tricky even with a helping hand. Just make sure that whichever light you go for, it comes with less hardware and a simple step-by-step instruction manual.
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