Suburban Lightbar Installation and Advice

[Stoichiometric]

Hello everyone.

I am looking for guidance on installing lighting equipment on a Chevrolet Suburban. I want to understand wiring methods, power management, and the best mounting positions for long term reliability.

Roof and grille setups often perform differently, and I would like real world comparisons. Many users suggest that Suburban lightbar installations vary depending on off road use, emergency style visibility, and daily driving needs.

I am especially interested in durability, battery load, weather resistance, and trusted brands that hold up over time.

Any installation tips, safety considerations, or legal restrictions would also be appreciated.

 

[Stoichiometric]

Hello everyone.

I am looking for guidance on installing lighting equipment on a Chevrolet Suburban. I want to understand wiring methods, power management, and the best mounting positions for long term reliability.

Roof and grille setups often perform differently, and I would like real world comparisons. Many users suggest that Suburban lightbar installations vary depending on off road use, emergency style visibility, and daily driving needs.

I am especially interested in durability, battery load, weather resistance, and trusted brands that hold up over time.

Any installation tips, safety considerations, or legal restrictions would also be appreciated.

thanks in advance for any help

 

[NLD79K10]

Just my two cents:

Wiring wise I tend to feed any off-road lights right off the battery with a fuse and a control relay in between to ensure basic electrical safety. Last time I wired up a lightbar was on an old Land Rover Discovery II and used a momentary switch fed by a wire coming off the main beam to toggle the lightbar on and off so I could only use it when I had mains on and it would reset to default off when the mains were switched off. This way I wouldn't accidentally turn on the lightbar whenever I used mains to signal someone. I had a similar setup for the rear spots and the reversing lights. This also meant that I could never accidentally leave them on and come back to a drained battery.

Whatever wiring you intend to do, use solder and heat shrink for the connections rather than spade or butt connectors, if you do need to use any sort of connector to make stuff removable ensure that they're waterproof and, just like the wiring itself, rated for the current required which can run up to 20 amp on a decent sized lightbar.

Your location says that you're in the UK, which means that by law any off-road lights may only be on whenever main beams are on. Wiring in a relay switched by the main beam feed to ensure that power is only available to the lightbar when mains are on is definitely a recommendation to get through an MOT without too many questions and advisories.

Placement is really up to you and depends on how you use your vehicle, the kinds of areas you drive through and the aesthetics you're going for. Roof mounted allows for a bit more "reach" on the lights and works well when you need that extra light when winching in the dark, but can cause a pretty bright reflection on a light coloured bonnet when using a lightbar. Routing the wiring is also a bit trickier than with grille mounted lighting and the extra height can be a pain when you're driving into a parking garage with a low clearance, especially if your truck has been lifted. Some people choose a compromise by mounting a lightbar on the rear end of the bonnet, but personally I find that the worst of two worlds because it tends to reduce the reach of the light and can exacerbate the reflection off the bonnet.

Pretty sure other people are happy to throw their experience and advice in here as well.

 

[bucket]

If you are installing a light bar, you will hopefully not be using it when on the road and other vehicles are present. Therefore, best placement for on or off the road would be the same. Roof mounted will give the best results.

 

[Rustisbest]

Starts a thread, then replies thanks in advance for any help then disappears, lather, rinse, repeat. Their other replies read like AI.

 

[Turbo4whl]

If you are installing a light bar, you will hopefully not be using it when on the road and other vehicles are present. Therefore, best placement for on or off the road would be the same. Roof mounted will give the best results.

Pennsylvania had a law, any overhead lights needed to be covered and the fuse removed on the highway or road. Don't know if it is current, or just not enforced.

Any overhead or auxiliary lights should have parking lights on too. Can wire them like @NLD79K10 stated, or use the parking light power to feed the trip-on in the relay. Yes the relay power to lights new full amp fused feed.

 

[bucket]

Pennsylvania had a law, any overhead lights needed to be covered and the fuse removed on the highway or road. Don't know if it is current, or just not enforced.

Any overhead or auxiliary lights should have parking lights on too. Can wire them like @NLD79K10 stated, or use the parking light power to feed the trip-on in the relay. Yes the relay power to lights new full amp fused feed.

Lol, that's backwards from Ohio. Any light that is installed, whether it's required by law, a factory optional light, or an aftermarket light, is supposed to be functional.

 

[NLD79K10]

@bucket it's pretty much the same over here: if it's on the vehicle it must be functional unless clearly for show purposes only and not not to be used on public roads, in which case it must be covered or have the bulbs removed. This is most often old emergency services vehicles in private ownership where the emergency beacons need to be covered if they are functional.
I had to remove the bulbs from the front bumper fog lights on one of my cars to show that they were "aesthetic" only and non-functioning because there was no switch for front fogs. Vehicle road safety tests can be pretty strict in the Netherlands and some people doing the tests definitely err on the side of caution when there is any doubt so they don't get their test license revoked.

 

[bucket]

@bucket it's pretty much the same over here: if it's on the vehicle it must be functional unless clearly for show purposes only and not not to be used on public roads, in which case it must be covered or have the bulbs removed. This is most often old emergency services vehicles in private ownership where the emergency beacons need to be covered if they are functional.
I had to remove the bulbs from the front bumper fog lights on one of my cars to show that they were "aesthetic" only and non-functioning because there was no switch for front fogs. Vehicle road safety tests can be pretty strict in the Netherlands and some people doing the tests definitely err on the side of caution when there is any doubt so they don't get their test license revoked.

I bought 4 retired ambulances last year and still have two of them. The lights, sirens and all still work. One of them is driven daily.

I haven't looked up the laws on leaving everything installed. I figure ignorance is better than intentionally violating any laws, lol.

 

[Grit dog]

I’d consult any of the numerous available online sources for understanding wiring and current draw, relays, switches etc.
wiring up a light bar is pretty basic but the explanation is long and available without us typing books of directions.
Difference in mounting locations? I don’t really see that as a question as much as a personal preference.