Fab Four Bumper Lights (Buying Guide 2022)
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Offroading is fun, but have you tried it under the light of the moon? This opens a new level of adventure, pumping your adrenaline like never before. If you are down for it, it’s important to prepare. This includes installing new bumpers on your Jeep or truck and upgrading your lights. The lights ensure that you are safe and find maximum enjoyment navigating the trails at night.
As you prepare to get some for your truck, you’ll notice an overwhelming array of options. While this is great, it can be confusing for first-timers. So to ease the process, we’ve prepared a quick Fab Four Bumper Light buying guide.
Why Fab Fours?
Fab Fours Inc. is one of the world’s leading bumper and bumper light manufacturers. They consistently push design boundaries and are dedicated to producing quality bumper lights. Their interest in outdoor fun and trucks shines through the products they deliver to clients across the globe.
Fab Fours Bumper Lighting Buying Guide
Before purchasing anything for off-road use, you must read, research, and learn about the product. This is essential because what is great for your friend or colleague isn’t necessarily great for your needs. This rings true with Fab Fours bumper lights.
You should take a deep dive into bumper light technologies paying attention to the different types of bulbs used in the industry and their pros and cons. You’ll also have to consider the ease of replacement and cost to make an informed decision that won’t fail you on the beautiful trails at night.
Different Types of Bulbs
Generally, there are three types of bulbs FAB Fours bumper lights feature LED, HID, and halogen.
- HID (High-intensity discharge) bulbs – these are gas-filled bulbs that shine a brilliant white light. Their light is twice as bright as that of halogen bulbs. HID bulbs are highly efficient and draw little current from the vehicle’s battery. As you prepare to purchase HID bulbs, the brightest option on the market, be prepared to spend a steep amount too. Moreover, HID bulbs are short-lived and are more fragile than the other two requiring frequent replacement.
- LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs – these are believed to be the newest technology on the market for off-road lighting, which comes with many benefits. Generally, LED lights are more compact and run on a tenth of the energy of halogen bulbs. Fab Fours offroad lighting is available in many different styles and sizes and gives off more light than halogen bulbs, but not as much as HID lights. Although LED lights are the most expensive of the three options, they are long-lasting and durable when installed correctly.
- Halogen bulbs – these are the most commonly used and also the most cost-effective bulb in the automotive lighting industry. They shine a bright, white light and are available for quick replacement. They are the ideal choice for beginner offroaders on a limited budget. On the downside, they are highly inefficient. Only 3.5% of their energy is used as a light; the rest is lost as heat.
Beam Patterns
Beam patterns refer to the light style. Aside from standard driving lights, you can choose from the three beam styles below based on what you need to do when offroading at night.
- Floodlights – these lights produce a wider beam of light that floods the area before your vehicle. Floodlights can be mounted in different places on your truck, including the bumper. They don’t give a lot of distance like high beams and are often used as backup lights. If you also intend to use these on highways, make sure they are street legal.
- Fog lights – these are usually designed to be mounted below or near the headlights and work together. A Fog light will shine the path in front of your truck during heavy rain or fog. They don’t have a lot of distance.
- Spotlights – these types of lights have a narrower focus and shine farther ahead. They function more like spotlights in stage shows. Since they are focused, they don’t do much of lighting the area outside their focus.
So which type of beam is best for you? To make this decision, you should consider your offroading needs, although you may eventually install all of the above.
But for starters, you should have a set of fog lights if you don’t have these. They come in handy when the other beams fail on or off the trails. If you intend to stick to trails, spotlight beams are best, and floodlights are ideal if you drive in open fields.
Color Temperature
Not all Fab Fours offroading bulbs have the same color. Color temperatures range from pure violet to amber. The temperature the bulb burns determine the color of the bulb. The temperature ranges are as below:
- 12,000K – Pure violet
- 10,000K – Blue
- 6,000K – Pure white
- 3,000K – Closer to yellow
- 1,000K – Pure Amber
Many offroaders prefer using white or amber lights. The color you choose will depend on your driving plan.
White
Fab Fours white lights feel brighter compared to amber lights and are ideal for a range of offroad conditions. However, they have poor contrast and hence don’t do well in bad weather. This is because white light bounces off rain, dust, and snow, making it difficult to see. It’s more like using high beam lights in fog. A white light will give you the best visibility if you frequent trails during good weather.
Amber
Amber is the direct opposite of white light. Amber light has a dulling effect, making it harder to differentiate between animals and trees. However, it does a good job of reducing rain and dust to minor inconveniences. If the trail you’ll travel on has a lot of dust, amber is the best.
Note: if you can decide on which one to get, opt for Fab Fours Bumper white light and then purchase an amber filter. The brightness output will reduce, but it’ll save you the cost of purchasing new amber lights.
Light up the dark with Fab Fours Bumper Lights
Now that you know what to look for, you should go shopping. Fab Fours offers a range of bumper lights to choose from, so you are bound to get what you need. If you can’t decide, you can go for all three lighting styles and be ready for any type of off-road adventure.
I’m Ruiru Kibet, an avid writer and techie that has taken a keen interest in offroading. As I explore nature and troubleshoot with different offroad products and techniques, I’ll share them with you. The goal is dumb it down and help you experience the best of nature.