Aftermarket Lighting?

[trox88]

Good morning everyone. I looked around a bit but decided to come to the enthusiasts and experts for the best recommendations.
I live outside the city and regularly have to drive on some roads with no lighting except those of us on the road. With this, I am looking to install lighting myself to allow other drivers to see me better/ from further away. While front and rear lighting are a must, I'm also looking for side lighting ideas for when I come to intersections and all. With all the recommendations, I'm hoping to not have to drill holes into the body unless I have to.
What are some recommendations you have that I can look into?

 

[Bigburb3500]

Side and rear? I don’t have anything but for front lighting I installed two Rigid fog lights that I also built a custom harness that connects them directly to the factory fog light switch. They sit behind the front grill.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I put GTR Ultra 2 LEDs in the front, and I am happy with the extra illumination. They are expensive, but they are adjustable to obtain perfect light beam alignment, and they are warrantied for life.

I put 2 8" LED bars on the rear, since IMO the OEM backup lights are next to worthless. They are located under the bumper (pretty well protected against road hazards), and they are wired to light when shifting into reverse.

 

[trox88]

Side and rear? I don’t have anything but for front lighting I installed two Rigid fog lights that I also built a custom harness that connects them directly to the factory fog light switch. They sit behind the front grill.

I love this idea! I forgot to mention that I have a bull bar on the front and mounted a light bar on it. These still definitely would help. How did you mount them?

 

[trox88]

I put GTR Ultra 2 LEDs in the front, and I am happy with the extra illumination. They are expensive, but they are adjustable to obtain perfect light beam alignment, and they are warrantied for life.

I put 2 8" LED bars on the rear, since IMO the OEM backup lights are next to worthless. They are located under the bumper (pretty well protected against road hazards), and they are wired to light when shifting into reverse.

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That is incredible lighting! Do you have the link to where you got them?

 

[Bigburb3500]

I love this idea! I forgot to mention that I have a bull bar on the front and mounted a light bar on it. These still definitely would help. How did you mount them?

I had two leftover L-brackets from another project that I drilled two holes into the radiator support (I think that’s what it is at least) the. With a nut and bolt, mounted it up.
Not a great pic but you can see where I sprays a bit of black paint to seal it up after drilling.

 

[trox88]

I put GTR Ultra 2 LEDs in the front, and I am happy with the extra illumination. They are expensive, but they are adjustable to obtain perfect light beam alignment, and they are warrantied for life.

I put 2 8" LED bars on the rear, since IMO the OEM backup lights are next to worthless. They are located under the bumper (pretty well protected against road hazards), and they are wired to light when shifting into reverse.

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Also, on my Tahoe, the reverse lights activate when I remote unlock the doors. It would just be a nuisance if not, but do you have a way to wire them to illuminate into the reverse shift but not when unlocking the doors?

 

[Bigburb3500]

Also, on my Tahoe, the reverse lights activate when I remote unlock the doors. It would just be a nuisance if not, but do you have a way to wire them to illuminate into the reverse shift but not when unlocking the doors?

I THINK you can program that in the infotainment system.

 

[trox88]

I had two leftover L-brackets from another project that I drilled two holes into the radiator support (I think that’s what it is at least) the. With a nut and bolt, mounted it up.
Not a great pic but you can see where I sprays a bit of black paint to seal it up after drilling.

Very nice! I have two small square lights leftover after removing them from near the windshield. I'm definitely going to try this idea if they fit the clearance. Thank you very much!

 

[trox88]

I THINK you can program that in the infotainment system.

I wish I had that option. 2005 LS without one Thank you though.

 

[Bigburb3500]

Very nice! I have two small square lights leftover after removing them from near the windshield. I'm definitely going to try this idea if they fit the clearance. Thank you very much!

Good luck! There should be PLENTY of room. There is gobs of space behind the grill.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

That is incredible lighting! Do you have the link to where you got them?

They are Rough Country brand LED bars, which you should be able to easily find. I purchased them from my local audio dealer, who sells other items such as lighting, as a side business.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Also, on my Tahoe, the reverse lights activate when I remote unlock the doors. It would just be a nuisance if not, but do you have a way to wire them to illuminate into the reverse shift but not when unlocking the doors?

Activate these LED bars through a relay, which gets its trigger voltage from being connected to the OEM backup light connectors.

 

[trox88]

Activate these LED bars through a relay, which gets its trigger voltage from being connected to the OEM backup light connectors.

Nice! I wasn't even thinking of this.

 

[Jxp62]

I put 2 8" LED bars on the rear, since IMO the OEM backup lights are next to worthless. They are located under the bumper (pretty well protected against road hazards), and they are wired to light when shifting into reverse.

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I agree with you on the backup lights, nearly useless…

I added these…. Super bright and not super visible….

 

[trox88]

I put GTR Ultra 2 LEDs in the front, and I am happy with the extra illumination. They are expensive, but they are adjustable to obtain perfect light beam alignment, and they are warrantied for life.

I put 2 8" LED bars on the rear, since IMO the OEM backup lights are next to worthless. They are located under the bumper (pretty well protected against road hazards), and they are wired to light when shifting into reverse.

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I know that this is an older comment on an older thread, but I was wondering if you had photos of where and how you mounted these? I finally found lights I want to mount like this.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I know that this is an older comment on an older thread, but I was wondering if you had photos of where and how you mounted these? I finally found lights I want to mount like this.

Sure do.

The mount design was easier for me than it will be for you, as I don't have a spare tire (dual exhaust sacrifice), I was able to use a single piece of angle metal stock to hang both LED units. You may need to design two independent hangers for your setup.

 

[trox88]

Sure do.

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The mount design was easier for me than it will be for you, as I don't have a spare tire (dual exhaust sacrifice), I was able to use a single piece of angle metal stock to hang both LED units. You may need to design two independent hangers for your setup.

Thank you. I was actually contemplating this option, but I was factoring the spare tire. Two separate mounts might work perfectly.