Installing HID in fog lights...

Don't bother with drop-in LED bulbs for anything other than cosmetic lighting, they are a waste of time and money. If you want a true performance upgrade, get the Diode Dynamics SS3. Both sport and pro models have a wide beam pattern and excellent optics that do not allow undue glare above the cutoff.

 

I had a thought tonight on the way home from dinner about some higher output HID/Halogen lamps for low beams. Any comments on that idea?

 

Get H9 halogen bulbs for $8 each and trim them to fit. Call it a day.

 

Still waiting to do that, not sure why...

Are the Toyota oem LED fogs worth the $100 cost vs. the Diode Dynamics SS3?

 

I don't have any experience with Toyota LED fogs, so I can't offer any advice there. I know the SS3 fogs are the top of the class. Wait for a sale (labor day) and you can get a pair of SS3 sports for $140. The pros are worth the money too.

 

I will look for the labor day sale if it happens, and pick those up, thanks. How is the sale usually communicated?

edit: currently backordered, maybe they'll be back in stock around LD...

 

Through email, and usually the website header will announce the coupon to use for 20% off.

 

Bought the Sylvania high performance low beams and installed them yesterday, not much improvement over stock for sure!

 

Diode Dynamics responded to say they usually have a Labor Day sale, as well as black Friday, but no details yet as to if/when that might be happening this time. If no sale is forthcoming for Labor Day, I'll go with the oem LED fogs for the price.

 

Is anyone else not satisfied with the OEM led fogs? I think they look amazing with the blacked out bezel. Makes the 4Runner look like a luxury vehicle.

But I tried drop-in led bulbs in the halogen fog housings and they are fantastic, albeit probably a bit blinding to other drivers from certain angles. I’m debating whether to switch permanently to the halogen housings with led bulbs.

TBH I live in a well lit suburb, so it’s not like I really need the extra light output, but still, the oem led fogs are noticeably weaker than drop in led bulbs into the halogen housings.

 

I went with the Diode Dynamics SS3 Pros in amber. Absolute beasts.

 

Yeah I think amber is probably is the most important aspect. I estimate the oem led fogs to have a color temperature of about 6500k. They are a very bluish white, which removes too much contrast on the ground in the dark.

 

I recommend the Toyota OEM High Performance LED Fog Lights. They're only about $100 online, or $140 from your dealer ($240 installed). They work well and no worries about not being legal, annoying other drivers, warranty issues, poor quality control etc. You could spend a lot more money and be less satisfied.

Edit: That said, I'm sure there are brighter options out there that are also good quality. I think Toyota has put Rigid LED fogs on the TRD Pro, so that might be a brighter if more expensive choice.

 

This is the move. No better fog light on the market, period. The sport version is also a phenomenal value. Wait for the Labor day sale to score them for $160 a set.

 

No notification as of yet from DD as to a Labor Day sale for the SS3 Sport...

 

How does the sport differ from the pro?
I assume there’s an advantage to one over the other?

 

Smaller/less powerful LED chips. Lower overall output but still fantastic pattern and intensity. Since they are smaller, the focus is actually better than the Pro. All of that is covered here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/posts/22622437

 

Just heard from Dakota @ Diode Dynamics - Labor Day sale running 9/3 - 9/8. 15% off. That puts the SS3 Sport fog lights at $170.00...

https://www.diodedynamics.com/ss3-led-fog-light-kit-for-2010-2020-toyota-4runner.html

Bad news is, backordered. 3-4 weeks out per the site.

 

Order them during the sale, they're worth the wait. I recommend the yellow. If you're interested in a warmer white to match halogen lighting more closely, you can swap in clear lenses for a 4000K color temperature. I did that with my auxiliary high-beams and I thoroughly recommend it, as I found the 6000K a touch too blue for my taste.

 

Is there a side-by-side comparison of the white & yellow fog lights? Also, where do you find the clear lenses?

 

The optics (lenses) are sold by Diode Dynamics as well, look in the accessories tab. If you look at the Tacomaworld thread linked above, you'll see all of the colors compared in photos.

 

@mynameistory, thanks for the information. It turns out the yellow are in stock, as well as the clear lenses. So if I order today, they should ship right away. While it's a bit more than I wanted to spend, they're still 15% off, and I do like the 4k color as opposed to the 6k white, which has some blue in it. Just for confirmation, can you verify this is what I need to order to accomplish the 4k color:

https://www.diodedynamics.com/ss3-led-fog-light-kit-for-2010-2020-toyota-
4runner.html


https://www.diodedynamics.com/clear-lens-for-ss3-pod-lights.html Qty-2 SAE Fog


Thanks.

Gary

 

Yep that's all you need! Good luck with your install and I hope you're impressed.

 

Just curious - what makes the yellow fogs yellow? Is it just the lens, or are the LEDs different than the white fogs?

 

I was about to pull the trigger on some OEM high performance LED fogs. Do you guys think the SS3 sports are worth the $70 price difference?

 

The lens is chiefly where the yellow color comes from. However, the emitters are different as well. If you were to put the yellow lens onto a 6000K lamp, you would get a very greenish yellow. You can see this greenish tint on other lights by Baja and Rigid because they use the same color LEDs for white and yellow, but the Diode lights are a true deep golden yellow. The SS3 lights are actually more efficient because of that as well. By starting with a warmer-colored light source, their yellow lenses are several shades lighter than other manufacturers, so it has fewer wavelengths of light to filter out (filtered light is wasted as heat). Baja/Rigid yellow lights are much dimmer than their white lights, as their dark amber lenses filter out a lot of output. The yellow SS3 lights are much closer to the white in terms of output.

 

Yes, absolutely. But I am biased.



Everything is DD with the exception of the Baja S2 ditch lights on the roof rack. Roof rack is offroad only lighting, while everything in front of the hood is road legal. Fog lights are SS3 SAE fogs, auxiliary high beams are SAE driving pattern in 4000K. Technically it's not road legal to have both lit at the same time like in this photo(which is why your fog lights turn off when your high beams go on). I have a rocker switch controlling the relay. Middle position is off, LOW is anytime on (offroad etc.), HIGH is tapped into the high beam circuit so they go on and off with the high beam stalk (road legal configuration).

 

Hmmm.. What to do, what to do...

 

You can't take it with you.

 

SS3 Sport fog lights & clear lenses ordered this morning, already received shipping/tracking number confirmation.