LED Off-Road Fog Lights - Beat The Terrain!
The best time to go off-roading is during the seasons. Everything seems more enhanced. The downside is that the weather tends to fluctuate without warning. This here is exactly why if you are a fan of off-road driving, you need a set of lights that will cater to any weather. After all, when the sun goes down and the temperatures drop, fog can quickly change to snow.
Off-road driving is nothing easy. Even with the sun overhead, you can still find yourself stuck in difficult terrain. The risks are further enhanced when the light goes down and the visibility drops. But what exactly are off-road fog lights and what is the difference between the regular fog lights? Well, while the regular fog lights are designed to be placed much lower on the car such as at the front bumper, off-road fog lights are set much higher up such as on the A-pillars, the roof, the hood or even on the rear of the car.
The best type of LED off-road fog lights will allow you to control them without having to exit the car. Imagine if you are stuck in a ditch and the door simply cannot open. Being able to focus the lights on the terrain ahead will help you make the right decisions on how to best come out of your current predicament. And when you need to use that winch, moving the LED off-road fog lights will help you find a good sturdy tree that can take the weight.
But higher up on your truck is not the only place you can put your LED off-road fog lights. You can also place them at the level of your headlights to work as a back-up.
Why Choose LED Off-Road Fog lights
Initially, before the development of LEDs, the options that were available to off-roaders were limited. However, with advanced technology, drivers can now choose between halogen and HID off-road fog lights. While the right technology will depend on personal preference, there is a reason LED off-road fog lights to stand out from the rest.
Halogen off-road fog lights consist of a filament that heats up once an electric charge passes through it creating light. They are the most affordable. However, they are not as durable as the LEDs. Once the housing is breached, that often means the end of its life. Considering off-roading comes with plenty of hazards such as low-lying branches that can get to high placed lights, you need something that can withstand the pressures.
And then there are the HID xenon off-road fog lights. They are more expensive than both the halogen lights and the LEDs. They do not come with a filament but rather xenon gas is contained in a tube and a charge is run between two tungsten electrodes resulting in bright light. HID off-road fog lights may score top marks as far as the quality and brightness of light goes, but they are also susceptible to damage.
This is where the LED off-road fog lights truly shine. Their design includes a charge passing through diodes that emit bright light. They are thus able to withstand outside pressures found in off-road driving making them more durable than both halogens and HIDs.
Beam Types for LED Off-Road Fog Lights
To pick the best off-road fog lights for your vehicle, one of the most important concepts to understand is the beam type. There are basically two main types; spotlights and floodlights.
When there are fewer obstacles to deal with while off-roading, you will likely be driving at a higher speed. For this, you need LED off-road fog lights that are capable of throwing light quite a far distance ahead.
On the other hand, the terrain that you are driving on may be full of trees, hills, ditches and other obstacles. For this, you need a light source that is capable of projecting light over a wide area to enable you to make those turns better. This is where floodlights prove useful.
And if you normally find yourself doing a bit of both…well, then it doesn’t hurt to do a bit of a mix and get both types of LED off-road lights.