Help me decide, pods?

[Mud80]

Help me decide, pods?

Alright folks, some input/advice needed. Long winded but bear with me.

A little background: I live and work in TX, traveling 300 miles to/from work in the oilfield every two weeks. My hitch rotation has recently changed, requiring me to drive overnight through heavy deer country.
This past week was the first time traveling overnight and the amount of deer in the ditches had me worrying, passed three dozen in the span of an hour. I only have stock lights in my 2014, and while clenching sphincter I began debating on an upgrade.
I had planned to do this at some point, but the new travel times plus an upcoming trip back home to the mountains of Wyoming have moved this mod up on the priority list.

So...
I have brackets and tow hooks that I'll be installing on the sport at some point (so that mounting location is out), plus a Westin contour bull bar I'd purchased to eventually mount a light bar to. The catch is TX requires me to display the front license plate, so I've got the Westin plate mount for that. This will take up two out of the four mounting points on the bar.
I've been looking at some good options from Baja Designs, Rigid, and VisionX; thinking I'd mount a large pod on each side of the license plate bracket.
OR
Debating on the bracket set up with two 3" pods in the fog light pockets. And getting around to the bull bar install at a later date.
I've got up to about $1000 in the piggy bank, definitely don't want to skimp out and get lower quality, whichever way I go. Although spending only half that would be nice

What would you do?
I'm curious to hear from everybody, especially guys with the fog replacement. Easy install? Other ideas?
Thanks




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[Litew8]

Rigid Industries 50481 D-Series SAE Fog Light Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q1RS83M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oyaFzbFA71W1Y
Use these. I'm using them as headlamps. Very wide low beam.

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[ramportin1]

The rigid industries D- series spot lights are what I have and the light output is amazing for little pods. Got mine for $150 so definitely under budget for you, a couple people make a direct bolt up mounting kit for your trucks fog light area for the D- series for around 80 bucks and that's everything. Other options are a roof mounted light bar, lots of companies make brackets like rigid, N-FAB, rough country etc and now days you can get a great quality light for around 150-200. A roof mounted light bar will turn night into day, then of course you can do HID's, add projectors to really bring out the beam. Retroshop.us has great plug and play HID kits and harnesses for our picky trucks. I can take a pic of my D- series tomorrow at night if you wanna see what they can do, just let me know

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[Mud80]

Rigid Industries 50481 D-Series SAE Fog Light Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q1RS83M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oyaFzbFA71W1Y
Use these. I'm using them as headlamps. Very wide low beam.

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Thanks. I'll look those up

 

[Rzrman328]

For your requirements, I'd definitely go with some rigids.

 

[Mud80]

The rigid industries D- series spot lights are what I have and the light output is amazing for little pods. Got mine for $150 so definitely under budget for you, a couple people make a direct bolt up mounting kit for your trucks fog light area for the D- series for around 80 bucks and that's everything. Other options are a roof mounted light bar, lots of companies make brackets like rigid, N-FAB, rough country etc and now days you can get a great quality light for around 150-200. A roof mounted light bar will turn night into day, then of course you can do HID's, add projectors to really bring out the beam. Retroshop.us has great plug and play HID kits and harnesses for our picky trucks. I can take a pic of my D- series tomorrow at night if you wanna see what they can do, just let me know

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Thanks. Yes, pics would be great if you get a chance. How's the install with the brackets? I imagine I can access everything from under the wheel well?
I'm leaning away from the roof mounted bars, just don't like the looks much.
So you got the D series spot pattern? How's the spread to the sides? I was looking at the "driving" pattern and wondered if that would be better for my application

 

[ramportin1]

Thanks. Yes, pics would be great if you get a chance. How's the install with the brackets? I imagine I can access everything from under the wheel well?
I'm leaning away from the roof mounted bars, just don't like the looks much.
So you got the D series spot pattern? How's the spread to the sides? I was looking at the "driving" pattern and wondered if that would be better for my application

Yeah I'm not huge on the look of roof mounted bars either although they work wonders. Definitely I'll take a picture tonight when it gets dark out so you can see them on. Brackets LOOK like a extremely easy couple minute job to install though I've never done them, mine are mounted to a tubed N-FAB bumper. They do make rigid dually D-series in a flood pattern as well but I've never seen these at night in person

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[ocwill1]

I have a 16 2500 with the horizontal fogs.. I just ordered the rigid bracket with cube spots and cube amber fogs.

fog light mount kit - holds 2 cubes on each side:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K883IRQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

spots (white)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H33ZU6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

amber fogs:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006H340VY/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3RUXZUN4T0R6J&colid=21SKHQ67XVW81

adapters:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HE3PHKI/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2M8822VTDV41&colid=21SKHQ67XVW81

 

[Mud80]

I have a 16 2500 with the horizontal fogs.. I just ordered the rigid bracket with cube spots and cube amber fogs.



fog light mount kit - holds 2 cubes on each side:



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K883IRQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



spots (white)



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H33ZU6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



amber fogs:



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006H340VY/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3RUXZUN4T0R6J&colid=21SKHQ67XVW81



adapters:



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HE3PHKI/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2M8822VTDV41&colid=21SKHQ67XVW81

Thanks. Unfortunately it seems rigid doesn't make the brackets for a 2014 Ram 1500. I'm looking at other bracket options. How are the amber fogs?


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[ocwill1]

Thanks. Unfortunately it seems rigid doesn't make the brackets for a 2014 Ram 1500. I'm looking at other bracket options. How are the amber fogs?


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haven't gotten them yet, just ordered. won't get until next week some time....

Since they are Rigid, I am expecting nothing but the best...

 

[WilliamS]

2014 Ram Fog Lamp bracket

ICI Fog Light Brackets - Best Price on ICI Fog Light Mounts for LED Lights

 

[Funkbass]

OP, I understand your situation. Living in NYS, and traveling through hilly retired farming territory, we have an gargantuan deer population. I'd see deer daily on my night time drives from work. The best thing I ever did was buy a set of GTR Lighting Gen 2 LEDs for my fogs. They shine brighter than my Gen 3 Ultras in my headlights. Combined, they turn night into day with a bright and very wide beam pattern.


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[ramportin1]

Ok so these are terrible pictures but I'm just opening my garage doors and turning the lights on so you can see the output. I didn't think about it before but my Dually spots are kinda a bad example simply because I have mine pointed pretty much directly down in front of my truck. I do extreme enduro riding so all the places I ride are DEEP in the woods and the "roads" to get there are all deep rutted out trails that have tree stumps and logs everywhere and a lot of times I end up leaving at night so, I have em pointed like that so I have crystal clear view of in front of my tires basically. But I suppose you can kinda still see how bright they are and id imagine the floods are just as bright. Second pics are of no lights on vs 35W HID's in projectors out of my girls 4runner, which you can do to your headlights for fairly cheap, retroshop.us has many great lighting options. again bad pics kuz of street lights and my garage slopes downhill a bit so her lights are aimed more at the street as opposed to out, believe me on a dark backroad the 4runner turns night into day, so do my spots but like I said I have a specific thing I use them for so mine are pointed way down. I'm in the process of retrofitting projectors into my headlights now kuz the lighting is great

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[ramportin1]

Another option would be (if your BB wouldn't block it) a hidden style behind the grill mounted spot/ flood combo light bar

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[Mud80]

Another option would be (if your BB wouldn't block it) a hidden style behind the grill mounted spot/ flood combo light bar

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Thanks!
I'd thought I'd made the decision to go ahead but can't find the brackets in stock anywhere. Except for Baja designs for $150 or another brand that sells cheap pods included. I might go for the cheaper brand, and save their pods for some flood reverse lights, then buy two sets of rigid d series to put in the brackets.
Did you wire up a separate harness or get the adapter to plug into OEM fog light wiring? I like the simplicity of that


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[Mud80]

I'm also debating on that idea to hide a bar behind the grill. Decisions decisions...


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[Mud80]

OP, I understand your situation. Living in NYS, and traveling through hilly retired farming territory, we have an gargantuan deer population. I'd see deer daily on my night time drives from work. The best thing I ever did was buy a set of GTR Lighting Gen 2 LEDs for my fogs. They shine brighter than my Gen 3 Ultras in my headlights. Combined, they turn night into day with a bright and very wide beam pattern.


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Thanks
I'm looking at GTR too. Did you find the LED upgrade in the fogs to throw or spread further? I'd read some reviews saying only the brightness had improved but reach had not


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[WiSH2oo0]

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[ramportin1]

Thanks!
I'd thought I'd made the decision to go ahead but can't find the brackets in stock anywhere. Except for Baja designs for $150 or another brand that sells cheap pods included. I might go for the cheaper brand, and save their pods for some flood reverse lights, then buy two sets of rigid d series to put in the brackets.
Did you wire up a separate harness or get the adapter to plug into OEM fog light wiring? I like the simplicity of that


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I ran em separate with the relay harness they came with. I am in the process of many things, trucks under construction lol. One of them is 2 light bars in my bumper which I already have just haven't mounted yet, but when I do I am going to swap the D series relay harness out and use adapter or splice because no way do I want two relays running around my bay lol

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[Funkbass]

Thanks
I'm looking at GTR too. Did you find the LED upgrade in the fogs to throw or spread further? I'd read some reviews saying only the brightness had improved but reach had not


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I have a 2011 ram with the fogs in the horizontal orientation. I found them to be incredibly bright. A vast improvement to anything else I had in there before. The fogs surpassed my headlights for width and distance illuminated. For $99, I kinda felt stupid spending $199 on the gen 3 ultras I was using for my headlights.


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