You read that right,
its a ProRunner lightbar, not a PreRunner lightbar.
Pro-Comp is going to be releasing this lightbar for sale to the
public soon, and we were the first to try it out. This piece of
metal is a great option for those who are looking for a relatively
discreet method of mounting your aftermarket lights. As you will
read in the review of the Hella Ralleye 4000 lights, well, the
entire concept of auxillary lights is a very necessary
upgrade.
We ran into one problem almost
immediately. The 9" Hellas didn't fit with the stock brackets. We
could have slotted out the original tabs, but that is always hit
and miss. So we decided to head over to our friend's shop (Eric
Lane of Laneco Racing), to complete the modifications. Eric gave us
a welcome invitation to come over and use his shop to get the job
done (Eric is the guy that races the Lightforce Class 8 truck in
BITD off-road events).
After cutting off
the original tabs, it became evident that a new location for the
lights was going to be necessary. The replacement mounting tabs
were welded on the upper, outside edge of the bar, allowing for
placing the lights above the bar, instead of the intended
position of below the bar. The higher and more spread apart the
lights can be mounted, the better the lighting.
The stock brackets would easily allow for the mounting of
nearly any 6" light, as this lightbar was intended to be used in
conjunction with the Pro-Comp 6" lights.
After cutting the stock
mounts off, we broke out the Miller welder to bond on some new
tabs.
First step of
installation, is to remove the grill.
Next we loosened the
skidplate to allow drilling of the holes making way for the upper
braces.
Place the ProRunner lightbar
in its intended location. You should be able to see where the upper
braces will mount right into existing holes within the bumper. Set
the lightbar aside. Now grab your cordless drill (just out of
convenience), and simply drill a small starter hole up through the
bracket and out the plastic bumper cover.
More than half way there.
While using the two existing upper tabs built into the OEM bumper,
the installation process goes quickly.
Bolt up the upper braces to
the bumper with the provided hardware. This will tell you exactly
where the lower braces are going to rest on the bumper. Now make
punch marks to ease the initiation of drilling. Take a deep breath,
and armed with the drill and a 1/4" bit, drill a pilot hole for the
braces. We went all the way up to a 7/16" to allow for the
bolts.
Once all four holes are
drilled, bolt everything up and mount your lights!
Pre Runner/Pro Runner/Lightbar?
Many people like the look of a pre-runner bumper,
but lets face it: unless you're driving a full-on off-road race
truck, you will not ever use the prerunner bumper for its intended
purpose. On top of that, some people are just concerned with
function over style. For those who are looking for something no
more than necessary, then the Pro-Comp Pro Runner lightbar is a
good idea. Its small, relatively light weight, and serves its
purpose well. In stock form, it has the ability to mount 2 lights,
up to approximately 8" in diamter. But if you have the equipment
and are creative, the bar has the ability to hold at least 4
lights. The Pro-Comp Pro Runner lightbar comes in either black or
their signature gray powder coated finish.
We were satified with the overall functionality of the bar. It
mounted easily, although we would have liked to have seen slightly
different design engineering to alleviate the need to drill holes
in the bumper (although, most lightbars of this nature require that
task). The welds are solid (yet production line-like), and the
tubing is a good, durable gauge. We did however have to modify the
unit to accomodate for the 9" Hellas; if you do not have the
necessary tools for that job, then maybe you need to research local
welding shops, or different lightbars to cater to your specific
needs.
If you are in the market for a
lightbar, and the search criteria demands a discreet, durable and
well crafted piece of tubular steel, then the Pro-Comp Prorunner
bar is a a good option.
The Good
The Bad
Solid lightbar
Good welds
Great, durable finish
Comes with high quality hardware
The mounting process was easy.
Could be mounted more solid (our lights jitter
a little in rough driving)
We weren't a big fan of the drab gray color
(black is our choice, and yes it is available in gloss
black).
Holes need to be drilled into the bumper
(theres no turning back!).
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