Fog Light Options

So I am sure this has been debated to death, but I recent tried the Lamin-X fog light covers just to see if I liked the output and change in color. Honestly glad they weren't pricey (didn't see much change).

I want to go with more of an amber color output with the AG, but wasn't sure if I should update to a brighter bulb then get new amber Lamin-X covers or upgrade fog light to just an amber fog light? Preference on brand? I have seen Lasfit talked about a lot in both fog and headlight upgrades.

I don't want to spend crazy money but we get rain and fog here (not including when we go adventuring) so figured upgrading the fogs would help. But, then you hear yellow works better than amber?

 

I had the Lamin-x on an halogen fogs (Honda Pilot)... Got burnt brown color in slow moving traffic.
Removal left behind a nasty residual despite using solvent.
Customer service was very good sending replacement to mask the defects

 

Selective yellow is good stuff.

https://www.diodedynamics.com/elite-series-fog-lamps-for-2014-2023-toyota-4runner-pair.html

 

I actually started thinking about this the other day after I put them on. 100 degree heat in Oklahoma and light on.

 

I know Diode Dynamics has good products, just debating if the expense is worth the need? Just spent $250 on Schrockwork rock sliders and Rago Fab dash mount.

 

Buy once, cry once. Don't don't be a Chad and use them all the time.

Personally I went with OEM LED replacements to use as diving lights and I will get real fogs or a light bar behind the lower grill.

 

I personally prefer Baja Designs and there true yellow. I got a set of BaJa SAE's but a lot of people really like there Diode Dynamics, and they can be had at a much lower price than Baja, but I don't think they do true yellow? Seems you want amber anyway.

You can always upgrade your bulbs/LED's and just get true yellow lamin-x film to make it true yellow. I actually did this to split my fogs 1/2 yellow 1/2 white:

 

My goal is to eventually get ditch lights but I haven't determined if I will do light bar or fog lights behind the grill. So I was trying to go a little cheaper before I pulled the trigger on the pricier lighting. But maybe I am overthinking the OEM fogs?

 

Yeah the Baja Designs make me feel like I have to sell a kidney! But I get what you are saying. I like the combo, its a different look!

 

The OEM fogs suck, and getting a better fog helped with my 2019 regular head lights a ton. Plus its street legal to use, where ditch lights and bars are not.

The key is having the long term vision so all your lights match in color if you go yellow or different brands. My Baja lights were purchased a few years apart, but i knew i was going to stick with Baja.

 

i recently bought fogs so i think the r&d is still fresh enough in my mind.

Diode Dynamics - selective yellow
Baja Designs - amber

 

I think that's reversed?

 

Fantastic point! Again not even thinking that (I am a rookie here). Christmas light bother me on other people houses that don't match "whites" let alone a vehicle I would be driving!

 

The OEM LED replacements are cheap and will go right in without trouble. I don't want super bright lights for daily use because I have high beams when I need them and I want more coverage directly in front of my Runner.

I would buy what you really want the first time around instead of spending over and over again. That's like adding a spacer lift but then you want Kings in the end...just buy the Kings.

I'm not a fan of ditch lights and to me they don't do anything.

 

It's pretty well established that the diode dynamics SS3s are the best available. Get the yellow.

 

Nope. DD does selective yellow. Those half white half yellow BDs won’t be selective yellow. Also BD’s original design failed to meet SAE standards. The updated design had horrible output. Their brand new design looks promising but still doesn’t have the output of the DD Max.

 

words to live by

 

I think it comes down to what you use them for.

I have Rigid D-SS pods in a driving pattern. It's like having daylight for maneuvering through the woods at night. I think a light bar in a spot pattern is better for long range night vision, though.

 

I ordered the Sport version of those and the Morimoto LED plug and play kit to replace the rest of the OEM front end lights. I thought people here were perhaps exaggerating about how bad the stock halogen lights are and found out otherwise. It's a lot more than I wanted to spend but I didn't find any cheap options that gave me a lot of confidence so decided to just do it once and be done with it, with everything street legal.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-led-sae-j583-fog-pod-fog-light-review.554813/

There’s a lot to read but worth it. Personally run DD elite in selective yellow and very happy with them.

@memario1214 will take care of you if you decide to purchase some lights. Top notch customer service

 

By the way, for anybody potentially interested in the DD SSD's, I saw a video where one of the lighting companies tested their 3 different models (sport, pro and the highest priced one, I think extreme) and they found that after being on for an hour the sport and the pro put out exactly the same amount of light and are basically at the same temperature. The pro puts out more lumens initially, but apparently can't sustain it without overheating. That helped me decide to go with the sport ($280 without backlighting). On the Morimoto kit, their all white one is slightly discounted right now and they have a rebate program that will give you $100 credit if you return the 5th Gen OEM halogen lights to them in decent condition.

 

Care to share a link? The sport and pro models use different emitters if I remember correctly so I find that claim to be suspect. What that claim is suggesting is the pod is limited in the thermal dissipation capacity (it is) and the higher performing pros exceed the cooling capacity of the pod. If that’s the case, the even higher performing max model should also be thermal limited and theoretically reduce performance down to that of the sports

 

I made them half white and yellow. I did this to provide more white light to the ground and yellow to cut through fog and better up hi contrast, its not something BD makes.
I definitely think the yellow BD uses looks more yellow. Yeah, I saw that test and still went BD lol. BD provide plenty of light for me plus a like there over all compact size and build quality.

 

I'm heading out the door for a few days, so I don't have time to check and make sure, but I think it's this video. If not, it's in another one done by the same guy. I'm not making it up. Maybe it was a fluke or there was something wrong with their testing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8kjUzNSlnc

 

He's misremembering, it's this video with 2-light pods (and it's Baja with the heatsoak issue). Skip to the 4:50 mark.

The pro S2 starts at a higher wattage but drops significantly as it heats up.

The comparison work has been done, and Diode SS3s are the best option at all 3 power levels (sport, pro, max). Even the new and improved Baja SAE fog lights can barely match the DD sports, and they're nearly twice the price. The Morimoto HXBs have a slight intensity edge over the SS3 max, but at a severely reduced pattern width. All fog lights are required by SAE J583 standards to be "selective yellow", no matter which company calls them amber (they're not amber). For a more OEM appearance with similar performance to the SS3 sport, the DD elite fogs are a great option too.

OP, I don't recommend installing LED bulbs into your halogen reflectors (poor optics) or adding films (reducing intensity with no benefit other than neato colors). I also don't recommend installing random pods into your fog pockets, as they will be useless during actual inclement weather and you're doing them a disservice anyway by mounting them so low in the bumper (they won't reach as far as they would if mounted properly, you're just wasting valuable pattern). Fog lights are fog lights, they have a specific mounting location, pattern, and function.

If you're serious about fog light upgrades (and not just aesthetics), go with Diode Dynamics. They're light years ahead of the competition.

 

Thanks for the information! To my understanding 2022 models have LEDs, but maybe I am mistaken? So I figured a LED upgrade was the "cheapest" option. I am leaning towards upgrading the fog to DD and upgrading the headlights with better LEDs.

 

i don't remember where i read it. it may have been on TW where a build quality assessment was done and the DD units were found to be top notch.

 

If you have a 2022 4Runner with factory LED fogs, you can't really "upgrade" them because the LED chips and optics are one, non-serviceable assembly. This isn't like halogen bulbs, where there are more performant options that can be easily swapped in. The only way to upgrade is putting in new entire assemblies.

The same goes for your 2022 headlights. There aren't any " bulbs" to swap. You'd have to break open the plastic shells to get into the guts of the healthy assemblies, then very carefully pry the chips out with a hot air soldering gun, then install new (better than OEM?) chips and power supplies, etc.

I'd recommend keeping your OEM headlights, as they are the most compliant and performant options available for the 4Runner. Only the Morimoto V2 headlights are brighter, but personally I do not recommend them as their reliability and quality is extremely variable.

 

All of that seems so easy WELP the more you know!

 

... and it brings you all the way back to square 1!

diode dynamics elite or ss3 are a tough value to beat in the aftermarket pocket fog light market esp if you compare them to bajas.