2005 Liberty Sport

[livewire_48529]

Hello,

I have a 2005 Liberty Sport with low miles for the year. It was mainly used as a tow behind for winter Texans from Michigan, so the body is in excellent shape and 100% stock. Since I will be utilizing it as my daily driver now here in MI, I was wondering if anyone had an real good ideas to beef up the fog lights or replacement ideas? I work second shift and have a nice long country drive home and have found that the stock lights do not really afford much illumination. I drive through a hilly area and run into fog often during the fall and spring months. We do get some decent snow accumulations in the winter time and blowing and drifting is common so I'm not sure if I want to add anything that will hang down from the bumper. Any ideas or fixes that members have in place would be a great help. Thanks!

Gary

 

[turblediesel]

If you still have the tow bracketry installed make a bracket to go between the two bracket recievers and mount lights on it. That's my plan... someday.

 

[livewire_48529]

Hey Turblediesel,

That's exactly what I was thinking too. I just didn't think many would pick up on the 'tow vehicle' and figured it might be hard to explain. I've looked online for some examples of what others may have done but I have not seen anything at all. Have you found anyone else that has fabricated up a light bar utilizing the holes in the old brackets? I appreciate Your response. If I find any pictures I will post them as well.

 

[turblediesel]

I haven't scribbled up a plan yet. Basically angle or box steel crossmember welded to two 1.5"(?) square tube pieces that fit into the tow recievers bolted in with large button head allen bolts and nylock nuts with LED yellow foglights on the outside and better highbeams in the center and towpoints. Maybe push points although airbags have changed that whole concept. I don't have a welder yet so there's plenty of time to scribble a plan or borrow your fine design.

 

[Deb'nKJ]

I'd be inclined to improve the headlights 1st. The later ones are supposed to be better, but I imagine the export ones offer more scope, as they use H4 bulbs so you can do the, now traditional, thing with uprated bulbs (I'd be cautious about old school high wattage ones in those plastic enclosures) relays & proper gauge wire.

Can't imagine the fogs being up to much (I think I've only turned mine on to see if they worked) but the WJ trick of adapting headlight bulbs might be an option. Then again, re-purposing them as DRL's & installing decent quality aftermarket fogs, as you are considering, is probably the better bet.

 

[Liberty For All]

Hello,

I have a 2005 Liberty Sport with low miles for the year. It was mainly used as a tow behind for winter Texans from Michigan, so the body is in excellent shape and 100% stock. Since I will be utilizing it as my daily driver now here in MI, I was wondering if anyone had an real good ideas to beef up the fog lights or replacement ideas? I work second shift and have a nice long country drive home and have found that the stock lights do not really afford much illumination. I drive through a hilly area and run into fog often during the fall and spring months. We do get some decent snow accumulations in the winter time and blowing and drifting is common so I'm not sure if I want to add anything that will hang down from the bumper. Any ideas or fixes that members have in place would be a great help. Thanks!

Gary

Brighter LED bulbs first, then you can buy a short LED bar that can be fixed onto the top of the front bumper between the headlights.

 

[KJowner]

The only led headlight bulbs I've seen are terrible, they don't focus the beam, just throw light everywhere except into the distance where you need it.

 

[nbas]

As fog lights, I use the Diode Dynamics H10 SL1 LED bulbs which have enough light, but I use them only off-road. I have also upgraded my headlights with the Morimoto 2Stroke 3.0 LED bulbs which are great! Beam pattern is perfect, only issue I had is that the Morimoto PWM module didn't work with my Jeep and they sent me the GTR PWM module which works fine! I have them for 2 years.

 

[budget76]

Due to having 20 year old wires, I wonder what is the voltage at the bulb. Please measure if bulb voltage == battery voltage, or is there a drop.
If the bulb voltage is lower, that helps explain poor lights and you should install a relay taking the power off the battery directly. Fuse this work for safety.

Second very good bulbs make a huge difference. This may be easier and less cost.
If this is not for you, ok, listen to the other replies.

 

[Deb'nKJ]

The only led headlight bulbs I've seen are terrible, they don't focus the beam, just throw light everywhere except into the distance where you need it.

I found LED bulbs to be very, very bright, but completely lacking in providing illumination (the only exception being some reversing light specific ones.

As for using an LED light bar in fog, I'd imagine that could only reduce poor visibility to nil - but I'd be interested in others' experience of that.

 

[Deb'nKJ]

Due to having 20 year old wires, I wonder what is the voltage at the bulb. Please measure if bulb voltage == battery voltage, or is there a drop.
If the bulb voltage is lower, that helps explain poor lights and you should install a relay taking the power off the battery directly. Fuse this work for safety.

Second very good bulbs make a huge difference. This may be easier and less cost.
If this is not for you, ok, listen to the other replies.

Never mind 20 years old, JK wiring had inbuilt voltage drop from new. XJ's had a reputation for under-spec'd wiring, but instead of learning from that, Jeep went for the weight - & money - saving option of using wiring I'd only previously seen in stereo installs & behind instrument panels.

 

[jdlavin]

My thoughts and experiance: don't switch entirely to led bulbs. Here in Palmer Divide area of CO, winter weather is an issue just like MI. LEDs don't create enough heat to melt ice/snow from lights. You end up stopping every so often to scrape off yr lights. I've switched back to halogen bulbs in my headlights and a very white spectrum led bulb in the factory fog light. These are deer detectors more than anything, the actual hole in the grill impedes the spread. Used the tow mounts to build up a cross bar. Everything from tow hooks to bull bars mount up in the same area. I've added 2 amber led pods for blowing snow/fog etc. The more orange the better but need to mix w some yellow for distance. When the visibility *****, ill use the amber's with the running lights on my secondary roads. Just like ski goggles, it fills the flat light reflections.

 

[nbas]

My thoughts and experiance: don't switch entirely to led bulbs. Here in Palmer Divide area of CO, winter weather is an issue just like MI. LEDs don't create enough heat to melt ice/snow from lights. You end up stopping every so often to scrape off yr lights. I've switched back to halogen bulbs in my headlights and a very white spectrum led bulb in the factory fog light. These are deer detectors more than anything, the actual hole in the grill impedes the spread. Used the tow mounts to build up a cross bar. Everything from tow hooks to bull bars mount up in the same area. I've added 2 amber led pods for blowing snow/fog etc. The more orange the better but need to mix w some yellow for distance. When the visibility *****, ill use the amber's with the running lights on my secondary roads. Just like ski goggles, it fills the flat light reflections.

Try the Morimoto 2Stroke 3.0 LEDs. They have an internal sealed fan, and therefore heat is generated inside the headlight. I do not know however whether this is enough for your climates...