How to Select the Best Truck LED Lights

Due to their energy efficiency, brightness and durability, LED lights have become very common in the automotive lighting world. Whether you want to replace your headlights or taillights, add underglow lighting or interior lighting, or even install off-road lights, the best truck LED lights can transform the appearance and performance of your vehicle. This guide will take you through everything you need to know to make an informed decision.

1. Various kinds of LED truck lights

When it comes to your truck, there is a wide range of LED lights to choose from. First, you need to decide whether you want to improve your truck's lighting capabilities or make it stand out in the parking lot. To improve performance, you can use LED headlights, tail lights, truck tailgate light bars, bed lights or off-road cube lights and light bars to enhance forward visibility. Alternatively, to add style, consider options such as rock light kits, interior lighting or accent lights, which will make your vehicle stand out on the road.

2. How to select LED headlights and fog lights on your truck

LED headlights and fog lights are a significant improvement on your standard halogen bulbs, but with so many options available, how do you choose? How do you choose the right ones? When choosing LED headlights for your car, consider the following:

Compatibility: truck headlights come in a variety of sizes. Make sure that the LED headlights you choose fit your car.

Lumens: This is the amount of light emitted by a bulb. The higher the lumens, the brighter the bulb, though manufacturers can increase this. For example, a bulb may have 3,000 lumens at start-up, but this could drop to 1,500 lumens after 30 minutes of driving. Therefore, it is important to consider the cooling systems and beam patterns of LED headlight bulbs when making a decision.

Colour temperature: The colour temperature of truck LED headlight bulbs is usually between 5,000 and 6,500 K. 5,000K light bulbs have a warmer yellow colour, while 6,500K bulbs have a cooler blue colour.

Beam pattern: This is the spread of the light output. The beam pattern is directly related to the brightness of the LED headlight bulb and is achieved using a reflector. It is advisable to choose bulbs with a similar low and high beam pattern to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) bulbs.

3. Different types of off-road lights

When it comes to off-road lighting, there is a lot of variety, including cube lights, round lights and light bars. While they look different, they are all used in the same way. So, what is the best option? The key is understanding the various beam patterns available, as these determine the light's performance. The four main types of beam are as follows:

Flood: This beam has wide area coverage at short range, making it suitable for illuminating large nearby spaces.

Spot: This pattern has a concentrated beam that covers long distances and a laser beam type light output.

Driving: These lights have a beam pattern similar to a large rectangle with a faded cut-off, offering plenty of light on the road ahead.

Fog: Fog lights are usually SAE-approved, with a sharp cut-off line similar to driving lights, and are ideal for upgrading OEM fog lights.

These beam patterns can be found in various off-road light styles, allowing you to choose based on appearance and suitability. For example, cube lights are small and flexible enough to be mounted in various places, unlike a 50" light bar. Also take into consideration whether certain brackets are necessary, as these can increase costs and even require vehicle alterations, such as drilling. Armed with this knowledge, you can make an informed decision about the most suitable off-road lighting system for your vehicle.

4. Commercial lighting for trucks

If you use your truck for work, improving its safety and functionality can make a big difference. When near roads, it is important to have more than just hazard lights. You can also install LED strobe light kits, which are available in pod or tube style with a variety of colours, as well as a controller with emergency strobe and traffic directional patterns. Such lights greatly enhance visibility and safety on the roadside. Running board light kits can also be fitted to provide additional light. These kits provide running lights, turn signals, and emergency strobe patterns to increase safety. Working at night in the field may require more than just the headlights of your truck shining on your work site. LED area lights can provide significant additional lighting for a job site, and some models can be mounted on your vehicle to illuminate the surrounding area. LED truck bed lights are also a useful addition as they make it easier to find tools and equipment in the back of your truck. A portable LED work light is another useful tool to keep in your truck cab. Some of these portable lights even have built-in strobe patterns to provide additional visibility and safety if you are pulled over on the side of the road. Whether you use your truck for work or as a hobby, there are many LED lighting solutions that can improve the safety and functionality of your vehicle.

5. Various methods of LED truck light control

When choosing LED truck lights, it is important to consider how they will be used. This may seem straightforward, but there are a number of choices to consider. Previously, installing lights involved purchasing rocker switches and finding somewhere in the truck to install them, as well as connecting them to the battery. Today, however, switch panels or switch packs make this easier. These switch packs consist of a dashboard-mounted controller and a hub mounted under the bonnet. The benefit of switch packs is that the controller generally has 6–12 buttons that can be wired to various accessories, which connect to the hub under the bonnet and then to the battery. This arrangement provides simple, neat wiring. Some controllers even provide Bluetooth connectivity, enabling you to control the lights with your smartphone.

For those who want colour-changing lights, there is a dash-mounted controller that allows you to change the colours and patterns by pressing the buttons. Alternatively, you can have smartphone-controlled lights with extensive customisation options for underglow and accent lighting. Addressable LED light kits can be controlled by a smartphone or key fob controller, giving you plenty of customisation options. Some smartphone-controlled LED light kits even have sensor wires that can turn the truck's underglow lights into extra turn signals or brake lights.

6. Installation

When you are thinking of installing LED lights on your truck yourself, you need to pay a lot of attention to the requirements of the installation process when selecting the lights to buy. Learning about these requirements will not only allow you to choose an easy to install kit but also will guarantee durability and maximum light performance. Other color changing LED light kits employ a "daisy-chain" wiring technique, in which lights are linked in sequence out of the controller. Otherwise, some kits have custom electrical connectors to provide waterproofing and reliability. Such kits normally provide easy installation and increased life span. Alternatively, some kits can just come with lights and wires and need special tools, connectors or soldering to install, which can be time-consuming and create potential weak points in the lighting system. To have an easy installation and a reliable LED light system in your truck, focus on kits with daisy-chained lights and particular electrical connections on lights and wiring.

7. Want to be different?

So, suppose you're designing your dream truck and want it to be visible from space. This is what you need! Rock lights will fully illuminate the underside of the truck, giving it a UFO-like appearance. Wheel ring lights are fitted behind your wheels and illuminate the area around them. Interior light kits come with flexible strips that can be used to illuminate footwells and the space under seats. You can even get LED bulbs that fit right into your dome lights and connect to your phone so you can change the colours. Fibre optic kits are worth considering if you want to make the interior look more luxurious. Do you drive off-road often? Then check out cube lights, round lights and light bars to illuminate the trails!

When choosing LED lights for your truck, whether for the interior, underglow, headlights or tail lights, it is important to strike a balance between style, functionality and legality. Different types have different uses for improving aesthetics and safety. Depending on your goals, you may want vibrant underglow to turn heads on the road, bright headlights to ensure clear visibility, LED tail lights to improve safety, or ambient interior lighting to create a comfortable driving environment. Whatever you choose, consider your personal preferences and practicality. Take your time to research and find LED lights that suit your needs, preferences and vehicle specifications.