EXTREME LED 44” X6S AMBER/WHITE LED LIGHT BAR REVIEW & INSTALL ON FRONT RUNNER RACK

By Steve - @kcSNOWrunner kcSNOWrunner



EXTREME LED 44” X6S AMBER/WHITE LED BAR ON THE FRONT RUNNER SLIMLINE II ROOF RACK FOR THE 5TH GEN 4RUNNER

LED light bars, whether mounted on your 4Runner’s roof, bumper, or elsewhere, provide that extra boost of lighting on the trail, off-roading, or even in utility situations like setting up camp after dark.

There are so many options of sizes, mounting positions, manufacturers and types of beam patterns that it can be a bit overwhelming just getting started.

INTRODUCING THE EXTREME LED 44” X6S ON FRONT RUNNER SLIMLINE II ROOF RACK



Today we’ll be looking at the very recently released Extreme LED 44” X6s Slim LED Lightbar installed on the full-size Front Runner SlimLine II Roof Rack of a 5th Gen 4Runner.

THE SETUP

• Extreme LED 44” X6s Light Bar: Check Today’s Price

• Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack: Check Today’s Price

I previously used the Extreme LED 38” X6s LED light bar for about a year on my Front Runner Slimline II roof rack in the front under-mount position. I originally purchased a light bar from Extreme LED for several reasons and when I decided to upgrade to the 44” I, once again, went back to Extreme LED for the following reasons:

LIFETIME WARRANTY
COMPETITIVE PRICE

Extreme LED has some really competitive pricing compared to Baja Designs, KC HiLiTES, Rigid Industries.

All this info is public of course so you can compare and contrast the many options out there. I found that typically speaking a 40”+ light bar from Baja or Rigid usually runs around $1000-$1800.

The Extreme LED X6s 44” runs $400.

30-DAY RETURN POLICY
USAGE OF CREE LEDS
Learn More About Cree LEDs:

• Cree

• CreeLEDRevolution

COMMON USAGE AMONGST THE 4×4 COMMUNITY

It’s no secret that Extreme LED light bars and many of their other LED lighting products have been and continue to be used far-and-wide across the Toyota 4×4 community.

Even C4 Fabrications a popular bumper and body armor fabricator sells Extreme LED light bars with their hybrid metal bumpers for the 4Runner. The sheer volume of off-roaders using Extreme LED products has certainly provided some credibility and instills confidence in the product itself.

After all, at the end of the day, everyone wants a product that works well and doesn’t fail or break!

FREE SHIPPING

Pretty straight forward here.

Any order over $50 from Extreme LED ships free to the lower 48 states…simple enough and it’s nice to save $20-$30 on your purchase!

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I personally used the 38” Extreme LED X6x light bar for almost a year before switching to the 44” model.

I had absolutely zero issues with the 38” light bar and had no concerns about sticking with an Extreme LED product after a year-long, 4-season usage including 0° winters and 100°+ summers—yes, we have insane weather in Kansas City where I live.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE 44” X6S AMBER/WHITE SINGLE ROW

44” X6S SPECS & FEATURES OVERVIEW:

• 21,600 Lumens

• Super Slim, only 1-5/8” Tall

• 5W Cree LEDs – 210W Total

• 2 Banks of Amber LEDs with Flood Beam Pattern

• 5 Banks of White LEDs with Spot Beam Pattern

• Waterproof

• Wireless Remote On/Off (Optional)

• Lifetime Warranty

LET’S INSTALL THE 44” X6S AMBER/WHITE SINGLE ROW



Tools Needed For Installation:

• 2x M8 x 16 Bolts

• 2x M8 Nylon Locking Nuts

• 13mm Socket Wrench for M8 Nuts

• Extreme LED provided hardware

• Drill w/ 17/64th drill bit (for metal drilling)

I ended up hooking it up to my Switch Pro system after installation. I will not be covering wiring or harness choices in this article or Switch Pro installation or hookup.

Overall, this product came packaged well and included all the necessary parts for installation, minus some tools that were easily found at my nearest hardware store.

Included in the package are two brackets and the hardware to mount the actual light bar onto the brackets.

Extreme LED does include a wire harness that can attach directly to your battery and a wireless remote for on/off is an optional $28 upgrade. I already had the 38” X6s installed, so I did not need to use the included wiring for this install.

For installation of this LED light bar onto the Front Runner roof rack system, you may need to purchase a pair of M8 bolts and nylon nuts. That’s only if you don’t have any extra laying around from other Front Runner accessories.

This is because the provided mounting bolts from Extreme LED are too small for the M8 sized Front Runner slat/rail channels.

Also, you will need a pair of M8 bolts with match nylon nut which can usually be found at any local hardware store.

I AM INSTALLING THIS LIGHT BAR IN WHAT’S CONSIDERED THE UNDER-MOUNT POSITION.

This means the light bar actually hangs underneath the roof rack nestled between the roof, itself, and the roof rack. This is a great space-saving solution compared to top mounting because top mounting will take up the whole front slat of the roof rack which could obviously be used for other gear, such as a rooftop tent, Maxx Traxx, or storage boxes.

Once complete the light bar will sit just in front of the Front Runner’s wind fairing slightly poking out in front of the leading edge of the roof rack rail.

NOTE: Drilling is required if you are going to mount it to the Front Runner using M8 bolts. The provided mounting bracket hole sizes are too small but are easily enlarged.

Also, due to the width of the light bar and the shape of the Front Runner support rails, you’ll have to drill out the hole of the passenger side mounting bracket.

This is necessary in order to bump the bracket far enough forward to clear the support rail.

Okay—let’s get started!

HOW TO INSTALL EXTREME LED BAR ON THE 4RUNNER ROOF RACK

• Drill & Enlarge Passenger Side Bracket Mount Hole

• Secure Positioning of Mounting Brackets

• Attach Brackets to LED Light Bar

• Tighten M8 Bolt To LED Bar + Mounting Bracket

• Replace Corner Caps + Reinstall Wind Fairing

STEP 1. DRILL INTO PASSENGER SIDE BRACKET MOUNT HOLE



Since we are going to use M8 bolts for the Front Runner, both mounting brackets need to be drilled out so that:

• The larger M8 bolts fit through the holes.

• The passenger side bracket can be pushed forward past the roof rack support rail.

Drill and enlarge the passenger side bracket mount hole so that it is about 3/8” longer than it is—this will allow the bracket to fully slide as far as possible towards the edge and clear the support rail.

This is 100% necessary as the 44” light bar will not fit unless the passenger side bracket is pushed as far as humanly possible towards the edge. It has to clear the support rail or the light bar simply will not fit.

STEP 2. SECURE POSITIONING OF MOUNTING BRACKETS



Uncap the Front Runner corners and position the mounting brackets and also remove the wind fairing if you have it on.

Pro Tip: Lay a large towel across your roof to avoid scratching the paint with the light bar.

STEP 3. ATTACH BRACKETS TO LED LIGHT BAR



Attach both the mounting brackets onto the LED light bar. Then, install the driver’s side (the side with the cord) into place on the Front Runner rack.

The light bar should be fastened fairly tight onto the bracket, but do not 100% tighten up the M8 bolt and nut at this point.

You may need a little “play” in the mounting to get the passenger side on properly.

STEP 4. TIGHTEN M8 BOLT TO LED BAR + MOUNTING BRACKET



Set the M8 Bolt in position on the passenger side and gently raise the LED Bar and mounting bracket to slip it onto the bolt.

Holding the Bar/Bracket in place, hand-tighten the Nylon nut onto the M8 bolt as far as it will go towards the edge of the rail.

STEP 5. REPLACE CORNER CAPS + REINSTALL WIND FAIRING



Once the bar is mounted, button up the nylon nuts on both sides, replace the Front Runner corner caps and reinstall the Front Runner wind fairing just behind the light bar.

Re-installing the wind fairing will actually help with wind noise even though it only sits a centimeter or so behind the light bar.

FINAL THOUGHTS & CONCLUSION



I’m really happy with the Extreme LED 44” X6s light bar.

The fit is extremely tight, but it fully fills the under-mount space of the roof rack…something the 38” literally came up short on.

Aesthetically speaking, the 44” X6s is the perfect fit and look for the Front Runner roof rack. The 38” always looked a bit too small in my opinion.

I’ve had it installed and have been using it for about 2 months now both on and off road. The light bar withstood a full day and a half of constant knocks from branches on super tight Ozark trails this past week during an off-roading trip. Its also stayed spot dry through a very very verrrrrry wet Kansas City spring!

Functionally, I love the dual color option too.

I certainly plan on using the 30” X6s along with my upcoming C4 Fabrication Lo Pro hybrid metal bumper for the perfect combo of functional amber/white lighting and matched aesthetically.

I recommend the Extreme LED 44” X6s Light Bar…especially to anyone who is using the Front Runner Slimline II roof rack.

Questions or Comments? Leave them below!