LED Light Bars & Pods

The most important reason to run off-road lights on your vehicle is safety. They allow you to clearly identify mountain bikers, trail runners, hikers, and other motorized vehicles on the path while helping them see you. The proper lighting allows you to quickly identify potential hazards such as rocks, trees, shrubs, animals, and ditches, so you have time to safely navigate around them. Off-road lights also provide you the ability to easily follow abrupt changes in the path ahead, so you don’t risk accidentally driving off that cliff ahead of you. Even though the primary function of off-road lighting is safety, they also have a great secondary purpose: after hours accessibility.

By equipping your multi-terrain vehicle with off-road lights, you secure the ability to hit the trail long after daylight has vanished. Whether you are running late to your campsite or are on a midnight adventure, the proper trail lighting ensures that the road ahead and all of its obstacles are illuminated. Even when the sun is high in the sky, unexpected cloud coverage or dense foliage can hamper your visibility making supplementary lighting necessary. When off-road, you never know what lies ahead, so it’s always best to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. Running off-road lights on your rig helps ensure that you are ready for any visibility hindrances and that you don’t put you or others in dangerous situations.

There are three lens types for off-road lights: flood, combo flood & spot, and driving. While some of these lens’ functions overlap, each type is designed to handle specific lighting needs. 

Flood

This lens type produces a wide and uniform beam for illuminating a broad field of view. Flood lights are most beneficial when you need to keep an eye out for obstacles such as animals and ditches that lie beyond the sides of the trail. Flood lenses are most prominent on light pods which can be mounted to compatible ditch light brackets, front bumpers, rear bumpers, chase racks, and other light mounts. Overall, flood lights are most useful for low-speed driving on rough terrain where you need to keep a watchful eye for hazards on and off the trail. 

DV8’s Elite Series LED Pod Lights feature a flood light pattern.

Combo Flood + Spot

With a comb flood and spot light, you obtain a wide flood pattern for general visibility on the trail with an added spot pattern for long-range illumination. This specific lens is perfect when you require a mix of short and long-range visibility. It allows you to identify hazards that may be present along the sides of the trail while also providing you the ability to keep a close eye on what lies ahead. This type of lens is commonly found in light bars that you can run on compatible front bumpers, chase racks, roof racks, bull bars, and other light bar mounts. 

With a combo flood and spot light, such as our Elite Series LED Light Bars, you can quickly identify your immediate surroundings while preparing yourself for the terrain that lies ahead.

Driving

Driving lenses offer a focused high-intensity beam that is designed for long-range visibility. These types of lights are perfect for high-speed trail racing where you need to see far beyond what is directly in-front of your rig. Driving lights are also beneficial for technical trails where the path features sharp unexpected turns or dramatic changes in terrain that you need to identify ahead of time for a safe trail run. These lenses are normally found on round lights which can be mounted to compatible front bumpers, bull bars, roof racks, chase racks, and other round light brackets. When you need bright long-range lighting, driving lights are the best tool for the task.

Off-road lights are commonly found with either a clear or amber lens color. These different colored lenses are designed to provide optimal lighting for different trail conditions.

Clear

Off-road lights that feature a clear lens are designed to produce the brightest possible lighting when you hit the trail on a clear day. The lens minimally obstructs the light beam, so obstacles are properly illuminated. With DV8’s Elite Series Light Bars and Pod Lights, you can safely navigate the road ahead.

Amber

Amber colored lenses are perfect for illuminating the path ahead when your visibility is hindered by dust or fog. Clear off-road lights can produce a glare when they reflect off of dust or water particles in the air. With our Elite Series Amber Lights, you can minimize this glaring effect, so you can maximize your visibility when hitting dusty trails or going off-road on a foggy day.

Combo Amber + Clear 

DV8’s Halo Elite Lights offer a combination of amber and clear colored lenses for proper lighting capabilities in different off-road conditions. The halo effect also enhances your rig’s exterior styling for a sleek look. By running a Halo Elite Light Bar or Halo Elite Round Lights, you secure the best of both worlds.

Once you have decided what type of lights you need for your individual off-road style, it is important that you have the correct provisions to mount the lights. The following off-road light brackets are designed to mount your lights in different positions for specific lighting capabilities.

A-Pillar/Ditch Brackets

By installing light brackets to the corners of your hood, you can mount pod/cube lights to enhance your front-facing lighting, or you can even angle the brackets towards the sides to function as ditch lights.

Fog Pocket Mounts

With Fog Pocket Light Mounts, you can supplement your rig’s primary lighting or add fog lights for illuminating the trail when in unclear conditions.

Front Bumpers

Most after-market front bumpers offer light mounts for enhancing your forward-facing lighting. These can come in the form of light bar, pod/cube, or round light mounts.

Rear Bumpers

Off-road rear bumpers can also provide pod/cube light mounts that improve your rear facing lighting.

Bull Bars

Bull Bars are a great addition to your off-road bumper for adding supplementary lighting options. Different bull bar variations can run light bars or round lights that not only provide extra lighting, but also enhance your rig’s exterior styling.

Roof Racks

Adding lighting to your roof rack is a great way to improve visibility around your off-road vehicle. Some racks feature integrated mounts where you can run light bars or pod/cube lights for additional forward lighting. You also can add rock light mounts to the sides or rear of your rack for additional lighting options.

Bed Racks/Chase Racks

Adding a chase rack or bed rack to your rig can provide you the ability to run a light bar or pod/cube lights for supplemental front or rear lighting.

No matter where your visibility is lacking on your rig, there are lighting provisions available to help you illuminate what lies ahead, behind, and around you.

Lighting zones help you identify what type of lighting you need to appropriately illuminate different areas around your vehicle when off-road. When you know what zone you are trying to target, you are more prepared when choosing the correct lights and lighting provisions for your rig.

Zone 1 - This covers the area ahead of your vehicle. Driving and combo lights that can be mounted to front bumpers, bull bars, and roof racks are perfect for targeting zone 1. A-pillar brackets can also be configured to target this area.

Zone 2 - This is the rear side of your vehicle that becomes important to illuminate when in reverse. Rear bumper light mounts and chase racks are designed for zone 2.

Zone 3 - This zone covers the front corners of your vehicle. Proper lighting in this area is important for identifying ditches and large obstacles that are present on the sides of the trail. A-pillar lights/ditch light brackets are perfect for covering zone 3.

Zone 4 - Whether you require additional lighting at your campsite or need to keep an eye on the sides of your vehicle when navigating narrow trails, adding lighting to this zone can be very useful. Roof rack or bed rack side lighting hits zone 4.

Zone 5 - When in dusty or foggy conditions, properly lighting-up the area directly in-front of your rig is vital for identifying obstacles that become hard to see. This is where fog lights come into play. Fog pocket mounts are designed specifically for illuminating zone 5.