Adding off road LED light bar in bumper.
09-11-2018, 10:35 AM
#1
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2011 E-350
Adding off road LED light bar in bumper.
I want to add a LED light bar to my car. I have a hunting camp in the middle of Arkansas, it’s a 2 hour drive on back roads from my home. I have the p1 headlights. Completely regret not getting the better lights. So now I am stuck driving with weak lighting. I understand that I could easily add the off road bar with a switch but I want to tie the bar into my high beams. I don’t want to add any switches in my car. I also am concerned with blowing the electronics out or something. I am wondering if I could use the 2 wires that come off the high beam light and tie them between the battery and the led light bar turning my high beam switch in the steering wheel into the switch.
I am open to any suggestions and advice.
White 2011 E350 with panoramic with amp appearance package.
I am open to any suggestions and advice.
White 2011 E350 with panoramic with amp appearance package.
09-11-2018, 11:28 AM
#2
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2016 E350 Sport
I would call around to local salvage yards to find some Mercedes OEM LED foglights. You'll have a better chance integrating them within the bumper AND the MB electronics, and they will appear more appropriate than an add-on light bar, which I can barely imagine attached to a bumper on a Mercedes sedan.
On the other hand, If you absolutely, positively, gotta have bumper mounted lighting, I suggest looking at this platypus front license plate holder that fits into the towing pintle hole... for ideas.. You can mount a couple of LED lights on that, and at least it would be removable, when you are not in "Deliverance" mode...
Just to show I'm not being a Benz snob, I'll empathize... Back when, I drove my Nissan 300ZX into the woods on Turkey hunting expeditions in the Missouri Ozarks. On one trip, I busted a tire... in the woods (how does that happen?). On a subsequent trip, I skidded off a highly crowned, rain soaked, 2-lane back woods paved road into a ditch, bending the unibody and buzzing the motor. I came to realize that I should not drive my favorite vehicle -- and an inappropriate vehicle at that -- into the Turkey woods. Nowadays, I use a beat-up, old Ford Ranger for that silliness. Just a thought...
On the other hand, If you absolutely, positively, gotta have bumper mounted lighting, I suggest looking at this platypus front license plate holder that fits into the towing pintle hole... for ideas.. You can mount a couple of LED lights on that, and at least it would be removable, when you are not in "Deliverance" mode...
Just to show I'm not being a Benz snob, I'll empathize... Back when, I drove my Nissan 300ZX into the woods on Turkey hunting expeditions in the Missouri Ozarks. On one trip, I busted a tire... in the woods (how does that happen?). On a subsequent trip, I skidded off a highly crowned, rain soaked, 2-lane back woods paved road into a ditch, bending the unibody and buzzing the motor. I came to realize that I should not drive my favorite vehicle -- and an inappropriate vehicle at that -- into the Turkey woods. Nowadays, I use a beat-up, old Ford Ranger for that silliness. Just a thought...
Last edited by DFWdude; 09-11-2018 at 12:15 PM.
09-11-2018, 02:54 PM
#3
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There's no doubt a light bar will give a huge increase in light output. I added one to our truck but I used a relay with separate dash switch and all was on a separate fused circuit. I really don't like to piggyback feed power off of an existing circuit. If you added a light bar I would urge you to run it as a separate protected circuit with relay. Further, if you really wanted to activate with hi beams you could use the hi beam activation voltage to also energize the led light bar relay at the same time. Relays just take milliamps to energize so you would not overload any circuits. Power for the light bar would be sourced from the battery with fuse to the relay then thru the relay to the light bar.
One option to maybe consider is installing an hid kit into the existing lo beam projector housings. I used a Morimoto 35w 6k CANBUS kit from the retrofit source and it has been great for several years now. Light quality is perfect and cut off is where it should be. I get what you're saying about looking at an auxiliary hi beam lighting system but I'm really not sure how you could incorporate a light bar into the front of this nice car without it looking goofy. The foglight idea above is good I think, I would use hid in them.
One option to maybe consider is installing an hid kit into the existing lo beam projector housings. I used a Morimoto 35w 6k CANBUS kit from the retrofit source and it has been great for several years now. Light quality is perfect and cut off is where it should be. I get what you're saying about looking at an auxiliary hi beam lighting system but I'm really not sure how you could incorporate a light bar into the front of this nice car without it looking goofy. The foglight idea above is good I think, I would use hid in them.
Last edited by Mud; 09-11-2018 at 03:07 PM.
09-12-2018, 06:55 AM
#4
You can conceal an LED bar behind the upper or lower grill just fine. I would recommend going with a quality unit. I’ve seen very good results from Baja By Design. A good friend of mine has their single row dual control unit. I have a preference to LightForce which both my Land Cruisers have different models, none are LED.
The wiring is simple, use a relay with switched power going to your high beams and constraint and ground direct to the battery.
Its worth noting, LEDs don’t give off enough heat to melt ice/snow off the lens in the cold, which is why it’s worth using a reputable maker who takes this into consideration.
The wiring is simple, use a relay with switched power going to your high beams and constraint and ground direct to the battery.
Its worth noting, LEDs don’t give off enough heat to melt ice/snow off the lens in the cold, which is why it’s worth using a reputable maker who takes this into consideration.
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