Brite Box Anytime Fog Lights

Today, I installed the Brite Box. This allows the fog lights to be on by themselves or with the high beams.

I have been disappointed with the headlights on my 4Runner since I bought it 7 1/2 months ago. I swapped bulbs and they still suck. On the 2 Tacomas I have owned, making the fog lights able to be on with the bright lights or on by themselves was easy. Not so much on the 4Runner.

The instructions stated it was plug and play which is true. It also states install time was 30 minutes which may be true for someone who is mechanically inclined (I am not). A couple of hours and a few expletives later, voila. Anytime fog lights.

I waited until dark to take it out and drive it. HUGE improvement. I still may do something different with the bulbs but for now, the lighting is MUCH better since I can run the high beams and fog lights together.

Another cool thing about it is that itdoes not affect how the stockheadlight/fog light switch works. If Ichoose to operate the lights in OEM mode, I can still do that, not that Iwould want to now.

The pics are not great but I thinkyou can get the idea.

 

Thanks for the post. Was just thinking about doing it too.

 

Very cool I might do this as well

 

This seems like an excellent mod. I've been frustrated with not being able to operate the fogs independently with Toyota's vehicles. Spent a lot of my life in MT & WY blizzards where the only way to see at night during a blizzard is using fogs only to prevent glare. Does the manufacturer website/ Utube have a full install video. I did view the fogster model video. Is the anytime model install the same?
Thanks.

 

I'm also thinking amber fogs might work better for blizzard at night conditions.
Thanks

 

I see there is slight damage to the switch housing. What's the best way to pull the switch blank?
Thanks

 

I bought lasfit LED’s for my 4Runner and my wife’s van. HUGE difference over stock!!! I went a little overboard on lights after that and bought a bunch of off-road lights, now I am cranking over 30k+ lumens… still have 2x 10” lightbars to install.

I feel sorry for the next sucker that tries to play games and keep their brights on when driving by me. <<< this being my light beams.

jk I couldn’t pull myself to possibly cause someone an accident but the brights on the new LED bulbs are way brighter than stock as well so those work pretty well.

 

I really like this mod

Did the additional fog switch not fit well ? Why not use the oem fog switch knob? Does the dash indicator still light up ?

 

I didn’t find a video that showed much detail. I just followed the directions in the kit. I am about the least mechanically inclined person I know and I was able to install the kit so it should be pretty easy for most anyone else.

 

That damage occurred before I realized that you have to pull the entire panel to remove the switch blank and install the switch, which is super easy, even for me. You just pull on the sides of the panel and it pops out. It is only held in by clips at the top. I’m not sure how it is held in at the bottom. I just pulled the panel out far enough to fit my hand in.

 

I didn't have to pull the dash. Just reached in from under the dash and popped the blank switch from the back. There's 2 clips (top and bottom) that you squeeze and it comes right out.

 

Thanks for sharing. My 2 cents, I didn’t like the 20’ lights either. I got Diode dynamics fog lights installed. Super easy and plenty of light

 

Where did you get the unit? Weird when you go to thebritebox.com as shown on the unit it redirects to some aspireauto site.

 

Does it enable the fog light indicator on the dash when turned on?

 

The website descriptions of the britebox operation are incomplete and confusing.
https://www.aspireautoaccessories.com/product-page/the-brite-box-for-toyota-4runner
Please clear up these questions. Did you get the Anytime version?

How do you operate the extra push button switch in combination with the OEM stalk switch? What are the states of the two switches for these scenarios:
- OEM mode (fogs on only with low beams, fogs off with high beams)
- Fogs only mode (LB and HB off)
- Fogs plus high beams
- Fogs plus low beams

- What is the state of the Fog indicator light in the dash during each of these modes?

- Can you post a pdf or photo of the installation instructions?

Thanks.

 

After researching this product....I disconnected mine, and installed bajas straight to a switch pro. Super simple, and I can make them do whatever I want ...dim, strobe/pulse, on/off, etc

 

I watched this guys video for the anytime box for a tocoma and he describes the functions really well. So my interpretation:

1. There’s new push button switch to activate anytime mode.

2. Once in anytime mode, fogs on the stalk turns on the fogs in high beam mode and if the headlights are off.

3. If anytime mode is off, fogs function like oem.

@Vito Corleone can you confirm

https://youtu.be/2zEzTOVOLyU

 

Thanks for that.
Now that I’ve looked at the 4R fog lights wiring diagram and from what I can deduce from the vendor documents and this video I think I know what’s going on.

Since there’s no connection to battery ground that I can see, only a power connection to +12V, there’s no relay inside the box switching the power to the fog lights. The relay coil would need a power and ground to activate. Therefore I suspect the 12V is directly switched inside the cabin with that pushbutton switch.

The activated On position of the switch connects +12V to the fogs and the normal Off position re-connects the fogs back to the OEM power feed from a relay that is controlled by the Main Body ECU.

Maybe the switch contact rating is high enough to last for several hundred operations but that’s a cheap unreliable way to do it.

Toyota’s OEM approach is to switch the relatively high headlight and foglight currents through relays. This britebox design doesn’t.

Unless I’ve missed the ground wire connection somewhere. @Vito Corleone can you confirm that there is no ground wire and you do not hear any relay clicking from the britebox module when you press the button?

BTW, the Foglight On indicator LED on the instrument panel will not be illuminated when fogs are On with this product.

 

Sub'd

 

Can we get a SITREP on this mod? Have you noticed any negatives? Any interference with radio or other electrical gizmos?

 

The only negative is that there is nothing (warning chime, etc.) to remind you that the fog lights are on after you turn off the vehicle. Since the fog lights on the 4Runner basically suck (brightness level), I have accidentally left them on a couple of times. It wasn’t for long and it was not enough to drain the battery.

There has been no electrical interference with the radio or other electrical devices on the vehicle.

Overall, I am very happy with the mod and I may be trading for a 21’ or 22’ in the near future. I will swap the kit over to the new vehicle when I get it, providing that everything is compatible.

 

Did the box have a connection to the battery negative terminal (or chassis ground)?

 

Ground if I remember correctly.

 

I just received mine and installed it yesterday but something isn't right. The only connections I had were for the fog light, the button, and the cable that goes to the battery. Should there be a ground? And when everything is hooked up the button is always lit but it doesn't even turn on the fogs. I watched the video above and did all of the same steps. What did I do wrong?

 

If you have something going to the positive side of the battery, I certainly hope there's a fuse in-line somewhere.

 

Indeed there is.

 

Excellent instructions here: https://trail4runner.com/2021/11/24/brite-box-4runner-install-review/

 

I did look at their install but I don't have a ground cable. Only the cable to the battery

 

Me too. I just installed it yesterday and apparently it doesn't need a ground wire. It seems to work fine without one.

 

Hmm.. Maybe something is wrong with my unit then? I have everything connected correctly, but the button is constantly lit but doesn't turn on the fogs