Expert Review: Quadratec Stealth Slimline 50-Inch Light Bar

by Cristofer Maximilian
Special to Torque

I grew up riding in the back of a CJ-7 and have pretty much loved Jeeps ever since. These days, I’m on my eighth Jeep (fourth Wrangler), and I’m sure this one won’t be my last.

Just like I love Jeeps, I also love all the products I can put on them. Recently, I tried out the Stealth Interior Light Bar on my JL Wrangler, as well as the Carnivore J-Series Auxiliary Pod Lights on my Gladiator.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved both, but I was looking for something different for this build. Something more understated than a row of spotlights that would still look good and be highly functional.

So I decided on the Quadratec Slimline 50-inch Light Bar.

This bar fits right in on my four-door 2018 JK. It’s subtle but visible enough to be cool, has both white and amber daytime running lights, and is shockingly bright. It isn’t too bulky, either, which makes installation easy.

If you’re looking for an external LED light bar, there are tons of options to choose from, but this one stands out for a few reasons.

The first is right there in the name: ‘Slimline.’ True to its name, this light bar is very slim and sits just 1.5 inches above the vehicle. Most other light bars I’ve seen are quite large, and even many single-row LED light bars still take up quite a bit of space. While they provide plenty of illumination, the two downsides of that large size are wind noise and reduced fuel economy.

This version is different. It is truly low profile, which means I didn’t notice any hit to my fuel economy, and there was no additional noise — even driving around at highway speeds.

Next is build quality. Besides utilizing a sleek design, the bar’s 6063 aluminum housing is built for durability and superior corrosion resistance, while its IP69K weatherproof rating ensures it is ready to function flawlessly in the harshest of environments.

Now, let’s talk about the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs). This is another feature that sets the light bar apart from others. Despite its slim shape, it still features both amber and white DRLs. These running lights are very useful for improving your Jeep’s visibility at night and in less-than-ideal weather conditions. I primarily used the amber DRL while driving at night during snow and fog.

Installation was very straightforward. It’s a 50-inch light bar, so it fits right onto a windshield/A-pillar mounting bracket. I just bolted up the bracket, and then all I had to do was run a single wire up through my cowl to the A-pillar, plug it in and it was all set.

One thing to note is that every Jeep and mounting bracket can be a little bit different. I ended up using slightly longer bolts, and including rubber washers between the light bar and the bracket, to make the angle of the light bar adjustable without needing to loosen bolts.

Now, there are many opinions when it comes to Jeeps and lighting modifications. I’m a big fan of keeping things practical, and this often causes people to ask me why I bother adding light bars to my Jeeps.

And sure, most modern headlights are plenty bright to keep you safe on the road, but once you start heading off-road at night, you quickly realize your headlights are not designed to illuminate everything around you.

That’s where a good light bar comes in. It helps you see things you would have missed with just your headlights or high beams, and lets you react faster to changes in terrain or even just animals that jump in front of you.

The Quadratec Slimline LED light bar isn’t the biggest, baddest light bar out there; it doesn’t attract a lot of attention. It’s just a clean, simple, highly functional light bar that’ll help you see better at night — and be seen better when you’re using the DRL feature.