Light Bar for Truck: Choosing Size, Beam and DRL Modes

The right light bar for a truck earns its place twice. It lights the trail once the sun is gone, and it pulls the guy across the parking lot over to ask what kit that is. XKGLOW built the XKmax Dual-Mode LED Light Bar for both jobs. Light Bar mode runs a driving beam. DRL mode turns the strip along the bar into a color-chasing show you design in the XKmax app.

How the Dual-Mode Bar Splits the Work

The two modes take turns. Light Bar mode is the working half, and XKGLOW rates its driving beam for "superior distance and wide-angle coverage." Rated output climbs with every size, topping out at 33,102 lumens on the 50 inch.

DRL mode is the show half, an addressable strip along the bar that chases color in patterns you pick. Addressable LEDs can be lit one after another, which is what lets color travel along the strip. Switch between the two in the XKmax app, with a sensor wire, or on a manual switch.

Fitment is universal for trucks, Jeeps and UTVs, and the housing carries an IP67 rating. Thinking about a roof mount? XKGLOW shaped the front panel to minimize wind noise.

Sizing: Match the Length to Your Span

Where the bar goes sets how long it can be. A roof line, a front bumper and a grille opening each give you a different span. If you haven't settled the spot yet, read up on the best place to mount a truck light bar, then come back with a tape measure.

Measure the straight run between the points your mount will bolt to. XKGLOW sizes this bar by length alone and prints no housing width. Its instruction sheet bolts an angle bracket to each end of the bar. Leave room for both when you measure.

Then pick the longest length that fits. List prices are at the time of writing.

The 7 and 10 inch bars earn their keep on spans too tight for a 20, or as a second bar on the same controller. Output climbs with every step up: XKGLOW rates the 10 inch at 7,386 lumens against 4,931 for the 7 inch.

Beam or DRL: Decide Which Mode Leads

Out of the box, the bar powers on in DRL mode. The app's Default Mode setting lets you change that, and it is also where you set the DRL color. Set it up around how you use the truck:

• Show first: keep DRL mode as the default, and the strip comes up in your DRL color every time the bar powers on.
• Trail first: make Light Bar mode the default, and the beam leads at power-on.
• Both: use the yellow sensor wire. It comes preset to Light Bar mode, and XKGLOW suggests running it to your high beams, so the beam comes on with your brights. Paired with the DRL default, that gives you color at power-on and the beam whenever your high beams are on.

Rules for light bar road use vary from one state to the next, and XKGLOW's instruction sheet asks owners to look up the local and state laws that cover it.

Controls: The XKmax App, a Sensor Wire or a Switch

The XKmax app does the heavy lifting. It pairs over Bluetooth with the controller on the back of the bar and comes loaded with at least 28 pre-built chasing themes. Each theme's colors, pattern, speed and brightness are yours to edit, with 16 million colors on tap. You can also start from scratch in the DIY builder.

Turn on Music & Speed Sync and the chase keeps time with your music, your speed or your acceleration.

The sensor wire and the manual switch change modes without your phone. The sensor cable also carries two optional leads that can take a turn-signal or reverse-light feed. The harness drawing on the instruction sheet pairs a mode switch with an inline fuse and a relay. Our LED light bar wiring diagram walks through that hookup step by step.

This bar's product page offers no key fob.

Add-On Bars: Light More of the Truck From One Controller

One bar can grow into a set. The product page sells extra XKmax bars in all six lengths under "Make It Even Brighter," and they ship without a controller. Each add-on plugs into your first bar and runs off the XKmax controller mounted on its back. An XKmax output plug on the back of the bar handles linking bars in series.

That keeps a two-bar truck on one controller and one app. Add-ons list from $191.98 for a 7 inch to $719.98 for a 50 inch.

When a Different XKmax Bar Fits Better

Planning a grille build where a daytime running light and a turn signal matter more than a driving beam? Look at the XKmax RGB LED Grill Light Bar. It comes as a pair of strips in 6, 9 or 14 inch lengths for truck, car and UTV grilles. The kit mixes a white DRL, a sequential amber turn signal and addressable color chasing, all controlled in the XKmax app. Like the Dual-Mode bar, it carries an IP67 rating, and a key fob is an add-on at $16.79. A pair lists from $179.99 to $239.99 as of this writing.

The Dual-Mode bar takes an 11 to 14V input. For the Cybertruck, XKGLOW makes a dedicated Cybertruck roof light bar with native 48V input and a 304 stainless steel bracket shaped to the truck's roofline.

Install Time and Warranty

XKGLOW lists the install at 1 to 2 hours. If you'd rather hand it off, the product page points you to XKGLOW's dealer locator. The bar carries a five-year limited warranty, and XKGLOW asks you to register the bar to activate coverage.

Want more than a bar? XKGLOW's overview of truck LED lights maps out the rest of the build. Build yours today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best light bar for trucks?

For a truck that needs a trail beam and a color show, the best pick is XKGLOW's XKmax Dual-Mode LED Light Bar. Use the driving beam on the trail and the color-chasing DRL at the meet. It comes in six lengths, 7 to 50 inches, all run from the XKmax app.

Why do people put light bars on their trucks?

For more light and a bolder look. A bar adds light ahead of the truck on dark trails, and a color bar gives the front end a look of its own. The XKmax Dual-Mode bar covers both, switching between a driving beam and a color-chasing DRL from the XKmax app.

What size LED light bar do I need?

The longest one that fits the span you're mounting to. Measure between the mounting points, leave room for the end brackets, and match the result to XKGLOW's six lengths: 7, 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 inches. Want more light than one bar gives? Add a second XKmax bar somewhere else on the truck.

How much does a light bar cost?

At the time of writing, the XKmax Dual-Mode LED Light Bar lists from $191.99 for the 7 inch to $719.99 for the 50 inch. An add-on bar for a second spot lists a cent under the matching size and shares the first bar's controller. Install is listed at 1 to 2 hours.