New guy here... needing some advice on wiring/relays for five Rigid LEDs please!

[Crispy]

Hey guys! I've been lurking for a few months now, and finally joined after pulling the trigger on a new TRD Pro.

I have a Gobi Stealth rack arriving in about a week, and along with it a Rigid E2 40" for above the front fairing, two Rigid SR 6" for the rear tabs, and two Rigid D2 lights that I plan on mounting in front of the side view mirrors.

I'm planning on doing all of the wiring myself, and I've been reading a ton of the installation threads on here to get an idea of what I'm going to do.

So, I need to ask you guys for some friendly advice!

What do you recommend for type/gauge/total length of wire?

Am I going to need supplemental power (second battery)?

I saw a really nice relay set up that one of the users on here was producing, anyone know who I'm talking about? I'm planning on using at least three relays (one for the 40", one for the two 6", and one for the two cubes).

I also don't want to drill into my new baby, so I'm thinking of the best direction to go in terms of cable routing...

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! So stoked to finally be a member of the Yota fam :banana:

 

[kittyhawksurf]

Ahhhhh, you went with the white... Sorry I can't help with an answer, but welcome to the forum anyway.:mod:

 

[jicko]

Hey guys! I've been lurking for a few months now, and finally joined after pulling the trigger on a new TRD Pro.

I have a Gobi Stealth rack arriving in about a week, and along with it a Rigid E2 40" for above the front fairing, two Rigid SR 6" for the rear tabs, and two Rigid D2 lights that I plan on mounting in front of the side view mirrors.

I'm planning on doing all of the wiring myself, and I've been reading a ton of the installation threads on here to get an idea of what I'm going to do.

So, I need to ask you guys for some friendly advice!

What do you recommend for type/gauge/total length of wire?

Am I going to need supplemental power (second battery)?

I saw a really nice relay set up that one of the users on here was producing, anyone know who I'm talking about? I'm planning on using at least three relays (one for the 40", one for the two 6", and one for the two cubes).

I also don't want to drill into my new baby, so I'm thinking of the best direction to go in terms of cable routing...

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! So stoked to finally be a member of the Yota fam :banana:

Look into getting a SPOD, that would be the cleanest solution:
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LH5YSSW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00LH5YSSW&linkCode=as2&tag=jickrevi-20&linkId=IU2N4QG4CVJYIJUC">sPod 900-00-200-B - 6 Switch and Source System Includes Switches NO Bezel for 07-14Toyota Fj Cruiser - All Blue</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jickrevi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LH5YSSW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

If not, you can piece them all together.

You can ground all the lights to the rack.

Your front 40" is 1 wire, and your 2 rear lights can be another wire. So only need to route 2 wire from the rack down. Probably on the side of your windshield (use black, nicer; the one that comes with your lights should be good enough).

The rest is relays inside your engine compartment, and then switches inside your cabin.

You can use AOB switches, they are nice:
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-brandtextbin=AOB&linkCode=ur2&node=15684181&tag=jickrevi-20&linkId=2WCGU34GENBO5QCU">AOB switches</a><img src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jickrevi-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

 

[Jono.ful]

the lights will come with relays for sure, figure out what the amp draw on each light is, then you can select the appropriate size wire. you are not running a long enough distance that you have to worry about up-sizing the wire:

P=I*V*pf, solve for I

P=power in watts
I=amps
V= volts, 12 in this case
pf=power factor, this is largely a resistive load, so use 1

<15A, 14 gauge
15 to 20A 12 gauge
20 to 30A 10 gauge

your best bet is to run the ground back to the body instead of using the rack. using the rack may work, but you are relying on the screws holding the rack to your roof to maintain the ground path (screws which should have lock tight on them and silicone caulking under the head to seal out the leaks, DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP). go directly to the frame or the body.

 

[Kotrin]

I don't have pictures of how i routed my wiring (still need to do it and update my build thread), but I ran it from my engine compartment through my frame all the way back to my rear axle. Came out the holes so conveniently placed and then ran up the side of my hatch to my roof. When you look at it, you can only see 4" of wiring and that's if you physically hunt for it =). Very happy with how mine turned out. I also ran two wires (hot/ground). All relay's in my engine compartment and switches on my dash..

 

[Crispy]

Ahhhhh, you went with the white... Sorry I can't help with an answer, but welcome to the forum anyway.:mod:

I really wanted a Stormtrooper... but I still absolutely love the Inferno! Thanks, congrats on yours! :cheers:

Look into getting a SPOD, that would be the cleanest solution:
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LH5YSSW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00LH5YSSW&linkCode=as2&tag=jickrevi-20&linkId=IU2N4QG4CVJYIJUC">sPod 900-00-200-B - 6 Switch and Source System Includes Switches NO Bezel for 07-14Toyota Fj Cruiser - All Blue</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jickrevi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LH5YSSW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

If not, you can piece them all together.

You can ground all the lights to the rack.

Your front 40" is 1 wire, and your 2 rear lights can be another wire. So only need to route 2 wire from the rack down. Probably on the side of your windshield (use black, nicer; the one that comes with your lights should be good enough).

The rest is relays inside your engine compartment, and then switches inside your cabin.

You can use AOB switches, they are nice:
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-brandtextbin=AOB&linkCode=ur2&node=15684181&tag=jickrevi-20&linkId=2WCGU34GENBO5QCU">AOB switches</a><img src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jickrevi-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

Thanks for the advice!

Based on what I read in some other threads, I bought my switches directly from AoB last week! I was planning on mounting them in the empty OEM slots by the Windshield De-icer/Power control switches.

the lights will come with relays for sure, figure out what the amp draw on each light is, then you can select the appropriate size wire. you are not running a long enough distance that you have to worry about up-sizing the wire:

P=I*V*pf, solve for I

P=power in watts
I=amps
V= volts, 12 in this case
pf=power factor, this is largely a resistive load, so use 1

<15A, 14 gauge
15 to 20A 12 gauge
20 to 30A 10 gauge

your best bet is to run the ground back to the body instead of using the rack. using the rack may work, but you are relying on the screws holding the rack to your roof to maintain the ground path (screws which should have lock tight on them and silicone caulking under the head to seal out the leaks, DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP). go directly to the frame or the body.

That's really great info, thank you! I will definitely be sure to loc-tite and silicone the screw heads, good call.

The lights will be drawing 17.54, 2.2, and 2.5 amps, respectively. Would using the 12 gauge wiring for all three lights for the sake of simplicity be alright? I'm still pretty green to electrical work.

I don't have pictures of how i routed my wiring (still need to do it and update my build thread), but I ran it from my engine compartment through my frame all the way back to my rear axle. Came out the holes so conveniently placed and then ran up the side of my hatch to my roof. When you look at it, you can only see 4" of wiring and that's if you physically hunt for it =). Very happy with how mine turned out. I also ran two wires (hot/ground). All relay's in my engine compartment and switches on my dash..

Nice, thank you! That sounds like the route I'm going to go with for the rear lights as well. I had read that I could remove the tail lights and route the cables through behind them, but that sounds like a more difficult route.

If you get those pictures up in the next week or two, let me know please! I would love to see how your job turned out.

 

[Jono.ful]

...

The lights will be drawing 17.54, 2.2, and 2.5 amps, respectively. Would using the 12 gauge wiring for all three lights for the sake of simplicity be alright? I'm still pretty green to electrical work.
...

sure, its just more expensive than using the appropriate gauge for the appropriate load. though, I guess if you just wanted to buy one roll of wire, get 12 gauge.

 

[Moto69Joe]

SPOD it up and use AOB 900 series switches. Trust me this is the way to go. Checkout my build thread in sig block and feel free to PM me any questions.

 

[Kotrin]

I'll get some pictures tomorrow before I go into work and post them.