Auxiliary Lights in the Grill - High Power LED light upgrade without any cutting (now available on the Forum Store)

[Migs]

great. thanks!

 

[saltet fynbo]

That looks really clean. Those brackets are genius. Which switch did you end up wiring them to? I assume the 25amp under hood ? Ext5?

Please keep me in mind if you are looking for testers.

I've attached a few more pics below showing:
- the various LED lights I experimented with (mostly PAR46 and a few pods)
- some install details
- the tight fit inside the grill light bucket
- the intensity of these new auxiliary lights compared to the headlights (hi beams)

I plan to install the next proto tomorrow then order a batch of brackets to send out. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to test them. I will DM people probably next week to figure out who is serious. I will ask you to source the lights yourself (~$80) and commit to installing the kit within a week of receipt. Your thoughtful feedback on the install process and any possible improvements is requested.

If anyone finds a good pod light candidate from a high-end light manufacturer, please message me. It would be great for people to have some choices.

@Stu_Barnes I wonder if you are following this. I think a bracket kit would be a great product for forum members, as it seems like there is a demand out there for a cost-effective upgrade path. Power(ful aux lights) to the people!

Wow this is fantastic..sign me up for a pair of those brackets.

 

[BoiseIdaho]

I have a few questions:
For those considering the Dixi’s, are you going with spot, combo or fogs? Will you mount the toggle switch or wire directly to Ext5? Where are you planning on mounting the dimmer control?
Has anyone had any experience with the Exzeit’s lights? Can’t beat the price. Thanks for everyone’s help on this, especially Ben!

 

[anand]

I have a few questions:
For those considering the Dixi’s, are you going with spot, combo or fogs? Will you mount the toggle switch or wire directly to Ext5? Where are you planning on mounting the dimmer control?

My choice would be spot, bypass dimmer control, and wired to my Switch Pros SP-9100

 

[ZEN_OWT]

My choice would be spot, bypass dimmer control, and wired to my Switch Pros SP-9100

i would aslo bypass dimmer control. and then somehow figure out a relay to utilize the existing on/off OEM switch.

 

[parb]

i would aslo bypass dimmer control. and then somehow figure out a relay to utilize the existing on/off OEM switch.

Thats exactly what i would do. Find a way to use the switch in the high load panel as a switch for the extra headlights directly and bypass the offroad mode. Probably need to use a relay for it. I would also add in a second relay so they only come on with the high beams. I don't need dimmer.

 

[ADVAW8S]

Thats exactly what i would do. Find a way to use the switch in the high load panel as a switch for the extra headlights directly and bypass the offroad mode. Probably need to use a relay for it. I would also add in a second relay so they only come on with the high beams. I don't need dimmer.

That is game plan as this thread the amps are to big, so we are connecting them to ext 5.

 

[ADVAW8S]

@BenTN is it to late to throw the Baja Designs XL-r 80 into the mix?

 

[Xrford]

@BenTN can you provide how much room/space there is around the Dixi light circumference and the plastic grill shroud? I am considering moving my vote from the Super Sevina to the Dixi but I want to be able to utilize the optional slip on covers and I am concerned that they will not clear the plastic grill light shroud. I am estimating the optional slip on covers that can be added will add an extra 2mm to the circumference or 4mm to the overall diameter of the light bezel. Also is the plastic grill shroud able to be ground to get more clearance? I do not have my Grenadier yet so I cannot get these dimensions my self. Your help would be appreciated.

 

[BenTN]

@BenTN is it to late to throw the Baja Designs XL-r 80 into the mix?

This is a light that I did not look at closely until now. There is a lot to like about this option and I think it would mount well.

The only downside I see is that the depth (3.65in) is going to push the face of the light out forward of the round bezel. This is not a functional problem , but it might not look well integrated. It's hard to be confident about how far it will stick out since the published drawings/dimensions are not super clear. It might be possible to tuck it back inside the bucket, which would result in it sticking out of the bezel only partially. Without precise geometry I can't tell.

Might be worth trying, and if someone would like to send me a light for test fitting, I will fit it up and post photos. I am confident that a bracket can be made.

 

[BenTN]

@BenTN can you provide how much room/space there is around the Dixi light circumference and the plastic grill shroud? I am considering moving my vote from the Super Sevina to the Dixi but I want to be able to utilize the optional slip on covers and I am concerned that they will not clear the plastic grill light shroud. I am estimating the optional slip on covers that can be added will add an extra 2mm to the circumference or 4mm to the overall diameter of the light bezel. Also is the plastic grill shroud able to be ground to get more clearance? I do not have my Grenadier yet so I cannot get these dimensions my self. Your help would be appreciated.

I think the slip-on covers will fit with no problem.

Clearwater did not provide a slip-on cover for evaluation, but I am aware of how they work based on some conversations. The key detail here is that the outer diameter surface of the LED light that retains the covers lies completely outside (forward of) the round bezel smallest diameter.

Here is a cross-section view looking down into the light from the top (front of car is bottom of image). The LED light is shown black and the mount bracket and bezel are shown gray. You can see that the forward portion of the LED lies in front of the minimum diameter of the bezel.


FYI I believe this is the slip-on lens cover in question:

Dixi Slip-on Cover Set

We have come up with a great way to have the selective yellow lens, which many of you request, in an easily installed and removed version! The black slip-on covers will come with a set of both clear and selective yellow colored lenses for you to choose from. This eliminates the possibility of...

www.clearwaterlights.com

You also asked "...is the plastic grill shroud able to be ground to get more clearance? "

You can cut/grind the inside of plastic bezel as much as you want to gain clearance. Worst case you buy a new bezel if you aren't happy with it. The stock aux. lights are retained (in part) by the inside rim of the bezel, so removing this material could make it impossible to go back to stock lights without buying a new plastic bezel. I don't think this is much of a factor but my original goal was a "no-cut" install so I have tried to avoid clearance cuts. Personally I would not hesitate to cut here if it enabled a light that I wanted to mount.

 

[parb]

I like that Baja light a lot. Following this development.

 

[Oelprinz]

Well look at this:

Shadowmarq Industries LLC - Home

Shadowmarq Industries is excited to bring the latest performance products to the INEOS Grenadier 4x4 vehicle. This new adventure vehicle is purpose built for off-roading and overlanding.

www.shadowmarq.com

Shadowmarq has just updated their website and will start this Friday with the pre-orders for their KC highlights set for the IG!

 

[BenTN]

Update:
Initial metal samples for mount brackets showed up (early) from the vendor! They look fantastic though I have not done any test fitting yet. The final production parts will be powder-coated matte black for corrosion and aesthetics. I ordered these bare to save time.



Shown is steel bracket for KC Hilites FE4 and aluminum bracket for Exzeit pod lights. The Clearwater Dixi metal bracket testing is waiting for some final details from Clearwater.

I plan to start test fitting these tonight so we can get them approved for production batches asap.

 

[ECrider]

Dixi Slip-on, sounds like someone Trump may have paid off.

Taxi

 

[grenadierguy]

Does anyone have any expereince with JW Speaker lights?

Auxiliary Lights – Product Categories – J.W. Speaker

Choose these LED auxiliary lights, LED headlights and off road lights for their superior light patterns that provide optimal visibility and safety.

www.jwspeaker.com

The reason I ask is they make heated lights for Jeeps, if we made a bracket for the auxiallry lights using a JW Speaker maybe we could convince them to make heated lights for the Grenadier!

 

[Steve350f]

Just ran thru this thread. How do I get a set of the KC Era 4 brackets?

 

[Cheshire cat]

Just ran thru this thread. How do I get a set of the KC Era 4 brackets?

Hi Steve
You can't, just yet. Keep following this thread for more info as and when.

 

[BenTN]

Just ran thru this thread. How do I get a set of the KC Era 4 brackets?

Sorry for the lack of updates since my post on May 1st above.

The initial metal samples from manufacturer were spot on. I fit them up in the Grenadier grill (pics below), made a few dimensional tweaks, and ordered a pilot batch of fully-finished production parts for both the Exzeit (Option 1 in poll) and the KC Flex Era 4 (Option 2 in poll) options.

These pilot batch parts have made it through cut/bend and are in the finishing process now. They will be coated in a matte black powder-coat for aesthetics and anti-corrosion. This will take another week or so then I will have the parts in hand for final checks.

Unfortunately I have some travel coming up that is going to mean these pilot kits don't ship to our pilot testers until the 1st week of June. I will write another post soon outlining the process for choosing pilot test installers. Basically I am seeking a few people to buy the lights and commit to installing the kit quickly so that I can get any final feedback before full roll-out. Realistically we are probably looking at 2nd half of June before these first two kits are in stock in CA and available openly for purchase on the forum store.

The Clearwater Dixi light kit (Option 5 in poll) is moving forward every day but at a slower pace due to some product adjustments being made by Clearwater. They have been fantastic to work with and are very supportive of developing a great product specific to the Grenadier. More on that in the coming weeks.

 

[crashnburn]

They are
I am beginning to like the KCs too...