Best Offroad Lighting || White vs Amber

We'll help you light up the trail - bit.ly/3IoxrH0
What is the best offroad lighting? When taking a look at white vs amber lights, it's important to know how the different color of light actually performs in different situations. Check out the full video to see why you may want to swap out some of your lights for amber-colored ones. If you guys have amber lights, let us know what you have and how you and liking them!
Footage credit to some of the best lighting companies in the industry:
KC HiLites: / kchilites
Baja Designs: / bajadesigns
Rigid: / rigidindustriesmedia
#offroad #offroadlights #jeeplights

[@austinwelsh8655]

So I'm just an engineering student that happened to get interested in the topic of light "penetrating" suspended particles better at lower frequencies a few months ago. I had heard it before and read about it on forums and wherever else, but while it sure would be nice to just slip that yellow light right through the fog, unfortunately it just isn't true. That said, amber and selective yellow lights are still better in fog and dust. But it's because of our eyes, not the fog or the dust. I'll try to summarize what I found, and I'll include some links to studies done to back it up. Basically, suspended particles do not play favorites with light frequencies unless the particles are VERY small, much smaller than what makes up fog, clouds, or dust. An example of this (and usually the source of the myth) is Rayleigh scattering, which happens when the particle is significantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. That's very small. Rayleigh scattering is why the sky is blue, because more of the blue light gets scattered (not reflected), but the yellow doesnt. But, when we look up to the sky, we can also see what happens when the particles get a little larger like in a cloud, we see white light instead of blue. The same is true for fog. This demonstrates that the light isn't playing favorites in the same way as the particle size increases. BUT, that does not mean amber lights don't help. Amber lights help for two reasons. The first is that we don't process high frequency light quite as well, so it tends to make things appear a little more fuzzy. More importantly, blue light is more irratating to our eyes, so when a bunch of it is reflected back at us by snow/fog/dust/whatever it makes it more difficult for us to see into the darkness beyond the glare. With that in mind, this is also why fog lights are not only usually yellow, but mounted low, and aimed below level. This minimizes the light reflected back at the driver's eyes by the fog, and still illuminates the road. The example shown in the video here demonstrates this here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZojdgmCEqs2afNU. Both the yellow and white lights from the light bar on top are reflecting a bunch of light back at the driver, but the lights on the bottom are illuminating the road with less reflection back to the driver. Anyway here are some links for more (better) reading on the topic, and some dense stuff if you're really interested. If you disagree, I would be interested if you have some kind of data or study or anything concrete to back it up. To be honest, it seems pretty cut and dry. Rayleigh scattering only works when the wavelenth of the light is nearly 10x the size of the particle it is passing through. -Accurate, and has citations to back it: www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/light_color/light_color.html -Accurate, but no citations or testing to back statements: blog.autointhebox.com/yellow-vs-white-fog-lights.html Relevant studies and testing: deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/49444 www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/transportation/pdf/SAE/2001-01-0320.pdf web.njit.edu/~alvarez/conference/Transmission%20of%20Light%20in%20a%20Synthetic%20Fog%20Medium.pdf

[@phild9813]

I think what you’re saying seems correct, anecdotally. It’s the reason why your house is full of more amber light and your office has more white light.

[@georgesebastian6306]

Spoken like an engineer!

[@taraaaron1242]

Thank you. That explains a lot for me. It's funny how all these mounts for our off road vehicles are high.

[@ildefonsogiron4034]

Thanks for the explanation and the links!

[@Flash1857]

Thanks for the links and explanation

[@shaynelhta]

I've never liked light bars for the reason of being too white. I always found my much dimmer halogen old kc lights actually allowed me to see definition better. Although not nearly as bright, the kc lights were much easier to spot things.

[@thorpe31]

I run the stock "white" fogs, then aftermarket amber fogs, plus white high power off-road spot lights with an optional amber lense filter/ defuser covers. With those 3 and headlights, I can come up with any combo needed for street and offroad. Using the right temp light and throw pattern makes a huge difference

[@TopHatGent]

always loved yellow for night vision. In the snow storms it can make a world of difference.

[@Blazer-fp8fo]

I build custom flashlights as a hobby. While it is not exactly the same, it does make for very easy demonstrations of the basic usefulness of cool white vs warm or even amber lights. On a dry dusty or foggy night, a well focused (spot beam) 6500K cool white light will show a "light saber" beam a long way out there. Problem is, while you can see the beam, you cant really see what it is hitting on the other end. The beam that you can see is ' in the way' for lack of a better way of putting it. Now, same light, but with 4000K or even better 3500K LED. You will still see a bit of a light saber effect, but more of an outline of it. Suddenly you CAN see what is in that tree line on the other side of the field/lake/river. Not just a beam of white shooting off into the dark. The biggest reason "cool white" LEDs are so popular is they have a slight advantage in output. And of course everyone knows more is better always and forever. At least that's what the marketing people want you to think. Realistically, you will never notice the difference between 700 and 1000 lumen in the same flashlight. Even side by side it is almost imperceptible. Flood vs spot, and how well or bad the output if focused out of the optics makes a much more noticeable difference.

[@taraaaron1242]

Just experienced the condition of poor visibility from dust and night. A guy with 20$ amber lights from Amazon had better visibility than my 300$ kc amber lights. I was so disappointed. .

[@GetOutSmore]

Both amber?

[@oo5779]

u only need 20 bucks to change this situation. Not bad

[@Aceman597]

Your lights maybe too bright?

[@TheRealMikeWilly]

The wavelength of the light temperature and light refraction is only 10% of the problem. The 5000k and up lights are also closer to the top end of visible light so it's actually harder for us to see. The 3000k lights are smack dab in the middle of visible light so our eyeball can pick up more of what's produced.

[@Moto_Mo13]

This question has been unanswered for me for about a month now so thank you for sharing this information

[@stevog44]

Once you go Baja designs you never go back👊🏻🇺🇸

[@stephenautopsy6246]

im a doordash driver in the central valley. its gets so foggy out you cant see anything. time to strap some amber lights on my xb

[@anthonygallo3576]

Great video, really tells the story . I was driving my jeep home in a blizzard years ago and i did feel like i was in space. After that all my trucks got amber and downward facing lights. Looking for a set for my bronco now .. any suggestions??

[@ski5350]

I run black lights

[@willyb507]

Great explanation...almost believed you paid attention in science class 😂... Good job!

[@TrailBuilt]

What's Science class?

[@hakan525]

This was all the info i was looking for .

[@TrailBuilt]

Glad we could help!

[@o2boutdoors]

Excellent video...because (practical) science! Subscribed because of it.

[@TrailBuilt]

Welcome aboard!!!

[@Matt-nr3nx]

Questions: If I were to upgrade all my lighting (2012 F150), should I look use amber (2700 k to 3000k) lighting in the fog lights (example is the Diode Dynamic SS3 pods)? Bright white for headlights (Example: Either GTR LED replacement bulb in stock bezel or Morimoto XB LED)? What color should the ditch lights (mounted on hood brackets) be? Not looking for covers because they cut the output and I'd likely lose them.

[@ItsMeGiga]

Not an expert but what you mentioned is what I would do/did to my gmc. As for the ditch lights, my suggestion would be what do you do spend most your time in? Foggy or rainy weather or relatively clear weather? If you're more often in the fog or falling snow, I'd go ambers, if you do mostly clear I'd do whites. OR you could do whites and get a pair of those nighttime amber driving glasses.

[@missingremote4388]

Headlight should stay halogen. If that's how the OEM headlamps where from factory

[@br00klyngreek13]

For the DDs what a lot ofndudes are doing (including myself) , is to get the amber colored lights (less lumens) , then get the clear replacement lense....it ends up being a warmer light and not so intense, plus you have the amber cover if you want to switch back depending on driving conditions on a trip

[@NigelNaughton]

Perfect topic for the upcoming snowy winter.

[@zachwoelfel]

I neeeeeeeed that KC light bar

[@johnpauljomin]

How do I select the fog lights for winter season in New Zealand. Should I use Amber or White lights?

[@TrailBuilt]

I would say yellow, just because it cuts through rain, fog, and snow better than white or even a blue colored headlight!

[@mtnbikehead]

I added 2 LED ambers to the front of my Jeep. Omfg, they light up the trail. They were not blinding at all to anyone else in my last after dark outing.

[@big4g63t]

I've got LED fogs in my Monty that change from white to Amber with the click of a button..... you can immediately see the difference in fog

[@fredmertz3837]

Many years ago Road and Track did an article on which is better in the fog amber or clear lights. They discovered that white was far superior in fog, freezing rain, rain, ,snow, and fog. I have had fog lights from Hella and Cibie etc on my vehicles since 1978 and white has always provided the best visibility in fog, rain, snow etc and in many cases this is on road at above the speed limit. Amber has never worked as well. Look at what they run at the Monte Carlo rally or at the 24hrs of Le Mans. What do they run at Baja? I believe most vehicles run clear fog lights etc.

[@ickess]

I do a lot of driving and was always under the impression that this also speaks to not putting on your brights in fog cause it bounces back to you. That’s been my experience too. It’s brighter but right in front of you and not further ahead where you need it. Now I feel like I need both on my truck so I can turn them on and off while driving in different conditions. My light bar (small one) always did well on the streets at night but never really well on the beach. Always assumed cause there were no trees or anything to light up. And again, it’s about 13 inches so not really big

[@Agent.K.]

@@ickess I changed my halogen bulbs to led and noticed the same. On the beach and open space the high beam is useless. In the city and in front of tall objects they perform well.

[@Georgia4Low]

great information guys!!! Thank You

[@TrailBuilt]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@kryptek829]

As an offroad racer nothing cuts through the thick dust like a good set of amber HID's

[@georgesebastian6306]

Well put and very useful!

[@TrailBuilt]

Thanks so much George!

[@dawabbitt3079]

3:27 "Science! - Fuck yeah!" 🤣... Did any of you catch that?

[@mountaincrawlers8]

I did I had to replay it twice just to make sure that’s what he said 😂

[@jonnyhalo1041]

Science "Fuck Yeah!" 🤣👍🏽

[@28TrucksTravel]

Thanks for helping make sense of what the differences are! We need to get a 2" amber light pod for out 589Fab bumper.

[@350zKiller]

Can you cover amber vs the yellow ish looking lights you see on some off road vehicles.. I’m currently trying to figure out how to setup my lights for any weather as I see all the seasons and I’m not sure if I should put amber or yellow cube lights on my hood latch mounts.

[@TrailBuilt]

Ahhh that is a good suggestion! I can add it to the list!

[@350zKiller]

@@TrailBuilt Thank you! Definitely looking forward to it as there aren’t any videos or much information on the comparison, however whenever you look up the benefits of either color lights they’re the exact same benefits.. one of my theories is that amber with be best in sandy/dusty conditions as well as in rain and yellow with do better in snow.

[@TrailBuilt]

I could see that, especially if the amber is more visible in hazardous conditions like fog. You would think it would be more beneficial in those conditions!

[@alice20001]

I'd love to hear about wattage.

[@ItsMeGiga]

In a nutshell wattage is a measurement of power consumption and doesn't directly relate to light output. Meaning a 60w incandescent produces about 800 lumens (measure of light output) while a 8.5 watt LED may produce the same 800 lumens. These are mostly ballparked numbers but you get the idea. Watts more refers to the draw on your electrical system IE a 240watt light bar pulls 20amps through your system.

[@yzrippin]

Ok so you want 4420 kelvin lights all around and yellow ditch and foglight lens covers to slap on in the fog.

[@gurkhaman]

Why do cars from the factory come with white lights and not amber instead?

[@JarradShaw]

Wish I could find a big amber only fog light instead of one with a cover. Anyone know of a company that makes a larger amber fog light?

[@ubermcexplosion97]

Baja Designs has some

[@KMW63]

Great informational video, Science fuck yea!!!

[@UniquelyUsAdventures]

Yellow lights also dont attract bugs.. so work lights on the truck are all yellow..

[@VideosOffRoad]

With the exception of the KCs across the top, it appears to me the vast majority of the non-white light shown in this video is actually selective yellow, not amber. My understanding is that selective yellow does better in fog/snow/dust than amber, but only white and amber are legal for street driving. My fog lights are amber for that reason, but I'm thinking about getting selective yellow pod lights for off road use only.

[@jake-mv5oi]

Anything is better than stock XJ sealed beam headlights. A $40 Amazon special light bar made a world of difference for night runs.

[@bamb5232]

Thank you!

[@TrailBuilt]

You're welcome!

[@tbatkins1]

Great informational video. Fuck Yeah!

[@JT_Adventures]

Two thumbs up.

[@TrailBuilt]

Thanks Tony!

[@officialWWM]

This is why leds are illegal for on road use in a lot of countries.

[@outbackwack368]

I want to run amber lights purely for visibility by OTHERS. Probably going to replace the bulbs in my driving lights.

[@ItsMeGiga]

Check your local laws when replacing the bulbs in your driving lights. I know here there's a minimum temp your headlights must be.

[@a64738]

"They" say blue light (high color temperature) is bad when it is snowing but the strange thing is that the orange street lights is absolutely horrible when snowing with all the snow in the air lighting up in the orange color and you can`t see anything, while the old gas lights with blue light shine right trough the snow almost like it is not even there...

[@chief5845]

Aislighting??? Projector light bulbs ?

[@billroach2393]

This is why I have gone back to halogen lights for all forward facing lights, except for my fog lights...where I use a pair of el cheapo LED light bars BUT I've changed the clear lenses out for orange lenses. Where I live in Australia, we don't get much fog anyway and no snow etc. There is an Australian made brand of halogen lights called FYRLYT and these are 250 watt output each. They are far better FOR MY 66 year old eyes and I won't ever have LED or HID forward facing lights ever again. LEDs are great for camping, side lighting etc.

[@bloodstriper3649]

After skipping through this video I'm going to get the amber lighting I can afford.

[@J.Young808]

Aloha first from Honolulu

[@TrailBuilt]

Aloha Justin, thanks for watching!

[@anthonyplzr]

Science….. hell yea

[@Jenny-ji9qh]

Amazing offroad lights, looking for cooperation, This is Jenny from Sammoon, China

[@oliverohnemus1511]

Bluntly 99% of factory lights are already to damn bright…. Then some numbnuts puts extra weight in the rear and points the damn things straight up into the sky… spend more time aiming and adjusting what you already have before adding more

[@terryseppola3034]

I find that white don’t work for me as well as amber in Bad weather or early dusk due to my colour deficiency. To off set this issue I find blue works quite awesome. Just thought I’d share

[@cenccenc946]

small point of order, "natural philosophy" = science, before science was recognized as a separate field. or to put it another way, philosophy traffics in "oughts", as in how the World ought to be, should be, etc. science, traffics in how the world "is". scientists investigate how the world is and report on what they find. For several thousand years, people did both science and philosophy. It only recently split in the last 200 or 300 years in to specializations. so a lot of famous philosophers were scientists, and the other way around.

[@MrLundefaret]

Not exactly right as many scientists are still philosophers as they develop for the future.

[@ateshwlf]

You have some ketchup on your cheek bro

[@TrailBuilt]

😂

[@thehoofersclub]

People who drive with LED lights/headlights are going blind! I travel Eastern Sierra and Death Valley every month, motorist with LED headlights driving from the opposite direction drive with their high beams on and even big rigs too, there's no reason for it their low beams are sufficient with that technology. And in Death Valley I car camp on Scotty's Castle Road just past Daylight the road that leads to Beatty Nevada, at night I have witnessed plenty of 4x4's driving up from the 190 lit up with a grip of LED lights drive right past Daylight road, there is No Way in Hell anyone can miss the sign and road unless you have serious eye problems or you are in the process of going blind.

[@Be_Good_Do_Good]

Can you imagine your grandfather putting their life’s energy talking about the colors of headlights? I enjoyed and took good info from the video so good job. The point is…humanity has fallen off the cliff and we are simply waiting to land on the jagged rocks.

[@davidhuebner4027]

Um… ok so you talked about all the benefits of amber lighting but never once addressed why one would go with white. This leads me to assume there is no need for white lighting at all and that we should only run amber. 🤔

[@ramoncote1620]

You will need a lot more lights in amber or yellow to equal white lights. We race off road trucks and most of our lights are white except for one yellow Baja designs bar for heavy dust. White when usable is multitudes brighter per watt

[@qouavang3646]

@lastlineofdefense look your tacoma

[@peruser155]

Awesome, professional explanation from a quality company. Right up until it turned scummy trailer park. Fuck yeah.

[@virgilpalmer2427]

Brighter isn't better.. when you have the wrong colors..

[@ScantmanTV]

Yellow ≠ amber

[@everyonedeservestosparkle3603]

🇱🇰❤

[@rickjames5998]

God, the way he said "science, fuck yeah" was so cringey. ughh...

[@Bikinbri]

Science F*ck yeah!