Top-Rated LED Light Bar Options for Sprinter Vans

Aftermarket lighting can be one of the best sprinter van accessories, and these products can provide value no matter how you use your van. Whether you like to off-road on dusty roads and in foggy valleys or you just want to feel more comfortable at night, a lighting upgrade can make a world of difference to your travels.

When it comes to Sprinter van LED light bars, Triple-R products stand out for their performance and versatility. Let’s break down the differences in models, what to look for in your own application, and what other lighting options are available.

Why You Need Sprinter Van Light Bars

Exterior lighting plays many roles in an adventure van, including enhancing road or trail visibility, making your vehicle more visible to others, and improving the ambiance of your campsite. Plus, it looks pretty dang cool, too.

Here are a few use cases for when LED light bars for vans can be most beneficial:

1. Off-roading

LED light bars are especially useful for off-road trails because they provide wide-angle illumination that standard headlights do not offer. This improvement to visibility is crucial for dirt roads, rocky trails, and Forest Service roads because it makes it easier to see obstacles like big roots, potholes, and jagged rocks.

In addition, extra lighting can be a huge safety feature in off-road environments. It’s important that you make yourself visible to other vehicles in the area, especially when there are lots of bends and dips in the road.

2. Driving in Bad Weather

Poor weather conditions can creep in at any moment. Fog and rain can significantly reduce visibility, forcing you to slow down and white knuckle the steering wheel. Sprinter van LED light bars help cut through these visible obstructions, keeping your adventure moving forward.

3. Setting Up Camp at Night

One of the most practical reasons for installing an LED bar is that it does a great job of lighting up any campsite. We all know that sometimes plans go awry and you’re forced to arrive at your site at night. 

A properly placed light bar can illuminate the entire spot for you, making it easier to situate the van and set up everything you need outside of it.

Key Features to Consider When Choosing LED Light Bars for Vans

All LED light bars for sprinter vans have different specifications and features. Understanding the difference between them can help you decide which product is right for you. In general, there are four key considerations to make:

• Brightness: Measured in lumens, it’s important to know the different ratings offered by various light bars. While super bright lights might be great for off-road trails, they can be terrible around a campsite. 

• Size: Light bars come in all sizes, allowing you to place them in a variety of different locations on the van (above the windshield, above the sliding door, near the steps, etc.).

• Color: There is a range of LED light bar color options. White is the most popular for driving, and yellow is common as a supplementary foglight. Reds and blues also exist, but they are often not street legal and can only be used at camp.

• Energy Consumption: Power draw should be considered so that you don’t put too much wear on your electrical system. This is measured in watts.

Best Lighting Bars for Sprinter Vans

Triple-R has consistently proven itself to be a leader in LED light bars, with a devout following in Europe because of their commitment to quality and long LED lifespans (50,000+ hours). They make a variety of off-road and Sprinter van lighting options, but their flagship light bars are the Linear Elite and Elite+.

Linear Elite

The standard Linear Elite provides long-range, white-light illumination, carefully chosen at 5000K to reduce driver fatigue and maintain alertness. This light features Dynamic Control Modulation to safeguard against damaging environmental and thermal conditions. Additionally, it’s only 2” tall, allowing it to be installed nearly anywhere on the van.

Linear-18 Elite+

The Linear-18 Elite+ takes the standard model a few steps further. It has more lumens at the same wattage, producing brighter light without needing more electrical draw. This relationship between lumens and watts is referred to as luminous efficacy. The primary difference between the models is that the Triple-R Linear-18 Elite+ has supplementary yellow LEDs, perfect for low-vis conditions like snow, fog, and dust.

Drivers can also switch between four lighting modes: 

1. Boost (only white)

2. Combo (white and yellow)

3. Snow/Fog/Dust (only yellow)

4. E-mark (reduced white for street legal use)

Other Sprinter Lighting Options

Light Pods and Driving Lights

Light pods and driving lights are single-unit lights that are placed in various spots around the van to provide focused, powerful illumination. They are much more compact than light bars and typically come in a round or square housing with a mount that has adjustable angles.  

Some products, such as the Triple-R Sentinel, have more lumens than entire light bars. They’re used as spotlights, as rock lights, and for supplemental lighting. Many van owners install a chain of them above the windshield on the roof rack.

Sprinter Headlights

Upgraded Mercedes Sprinter van headlights provide a dramatic change in appearance over stock headlights. The AlphaRex NOVA-Series lights are plug-and-play and add modern curb appeal to any 2019 Sprinter or newer. Besides the boosted aesthetic, they also enhance visibility on and off the highway.

Vent and Grill Lights

Many Sprinter owners choose to install supplemental lighting on their grills and in their vents. Grill lights add illumination at lower points on the vehicle, ensuring that you can easily see your next move on the trail in front of you.

Vent lights can be installed on the two hood vents of the Sprinter. The passenger one is actually fake and is completely wasted space. Vent pod lights replace these plastic vents with something more useful. However, air can still enter the engine bay as intended through the driver’s side vent.

Why the Right LED Light Bar Matters

LED light bars can transform your experience with your van. Choosing the right product is essential for getting the type of illumination that you need for your next adventure, whether that’s rock crawling or camping out in the desert. 

Triple-R LED light bars have continuously impressed our team at Owl and we proudly install them on all of our own vans. This brand’s meticulous product engineering is evident in every part of the light bar, from the slim construction to the interchangeable lighting modes. Curious what options exist for your van? Check out our complete lighting inventory here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lumens are ideal for a lightbar?

Anywhere from 6,000 to 15,000 lumens is ideal, depending on whether you need basic trail visibility or extreme off-road lighting.

Are expensive light bars worth it?

Premium light bars have longer LED lifespans, wider beam angles, thermal management systems, and more robust color ranges.

Why do offroaders use yellow lights?

Yellow lighting cuts through dust, snow, and fog better than white light. It has a longer wavelength, causing it to scatter less as it bounces off particles.

How to install an LED light bar on a Sprinter van?

LED light bars for Sprinter vans come with an installation manual, allowing you to do the job yourself. You can also hire professionals at an off-road shop.