Are Baja Designs lights worth it?

I just bought Diode Dynamic Max fog lights. I’m going to re wire it so I can turn them on without the headlights being on. Also have LasFit ditch pods which I’m actually very impressed by. They’re bright. Now I’m thinking about adding two Baja Design LP6 lights behind the grill. All in it will cost about 1k. And that’s just for the lights.
Are they worth it?

 

Depends on your use. Baja is leader in OffRoad lightning…but if you’re just looking for extra lighting, it’s a bit overkill.

my 12” diode stage series bar works great for behind the grill.

 

Definitely can’t disagree with you about it being overkill. Plus the wife still hasn’t seen the credit card bill for the Diode Max fog lights.

 

What are you looking for the LP6's to do? What pattern are you considering? BD makes some really great lighting products, but they are pricey.

If you're looking to add some distance lighting behind the grill like I was, you could do something like I did. Diode Dynamics SS5's (similar to BD LP6's) in a spot pattern. And yes, those are DD Max fogs too.

 

That’s beautiful. How did you mount those? Did you have to get the Rago Fabrication Cross bar? I’m looking at the BD LP6 in driving/combo pattern in Yellow. I got the diode dynamics max in yellow. I’m looking to take the bumper cover off once and get the lighting all done at the same time. Did you install yours? Any tips or tricks you can recommend me.

 

Yes, I used the Rago Fab mounts with cross bar. I started with driving pattern lenses, but didn't like the amount of spill to the sides and wanted more pure distance. I swapped to spot lenses and couldn't be happier.

The big hint I would offer is that placement behind the grill is critical to light output. For instance, here's a shot (when I still had the driving lenses) showing how I found the perfect placement behind the grill. Note that I did have to use a .250" spacer to get it right. I would also offer that the spot lenses are probably less affected by the grill than wider pattern lights.

 

Hey thanks for those tips. I’m brand new to owning a Toyota so I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos and coming here to pick the brains of 4 runner experts. Hey quick question about the diode dynamics max. Are those insanely bright? The look I’m going for is yellow fogs in the front then hood and roof rack will have the white light. For the LED bars I may just go with LasFit. Like I said in my original post I’m actually really impressed with the build quality and light output. I do think I’m going to go with the BD LP6.

 

Yes, the DD SS3 Max units are insanely bright. More importantly, they're very well focused with a nice, tight horizontal beam pattern in the fog units. This is one reason why proper aim is so important with them. The driving beam is pretty impressive too.

As for going with "white" lights for other purposes, that's a good choice. Remember, selective yellow is used because it cuts through inclement weather better than white and way better than higher color temperatures which start to look like blue.

If I could offer some advice, think about what you're trying to accomplish with any additional lighting, then match beam patterns with that need. If you want pure distance, it's hard to beat a spot pattern. A compromise of distance and breadth would be a driving beam. A flood pattern is the other end of the spectrum. Baja Designs has a nice representation of what their different beam patterns look like on their web site. I will caution you that a driving beam from one manufacturer is not always the same as a driving beam from another manufacturer though.

One final caution. Although it's true that generally speaking, the further you want to reach with a light, the farther up (to a point) you want to mount it, there is a downside or two. First, roof mounted light bars - particularly those with poor beam discipline - can cause massive glare off of your hood. Second, many of them will give you a nasty wind whistle at normal road speeds.

 

Excellent advice. 3 years ago I would just buy a light bar from harbor freight and slap it on my Honda. Then I started reading about the different patterns and now with my new 4Runner I’m doing exactly what you’re saying. Matching the installation point with what I want to accomplish (fog,spot,driving). I’m also willing to invest a little more for quality. We live in the Midwest so a lot of snow and fog so I definitely want quality yellow fog lights. I really appreciate the time you took to educate me further. Happy Holidays to you.

 

Hey Derek,

all our lights are made with the best components in the market and the best technology that is around. We are always looking to innovate to make the best products that you can find. We also offer lifetime warranty in all our lights. In the event of you wanting to return them you will have a 30-day money back guarantee.


Here are a couple of things that make us different from our competition.

uservice/https://www.bajadesigns.com/uservice/

We provide products that are uservice friendly that provide the ability to be able to change lenses while on an adventure or at the comfort of your garage without compromising the performance on your lights.

5000k Daylight/https://www.bajadesigns.com/5000k-daylight/

With safety and the driving experience in mind our lights have a natural color temperature of 5000 kelvin. This helps with driver fatigue when out on long trips and helps increase terrain recognition.

Moistureblock/https://www.bajadesigns.com/moistureblock/

With our moisture block technology we ensure the lights will work no matter the conditions where you are at. From heavy rain to being submerged in water, to dust storms or snow storms the lights can withstand the elements that get thrown at them. To make sure they never leave you behind.

Clearview/https://www.bajadesigns.com/clearview/

Having the correct lens pattern is vital for when you are out having fun or racing the Baja 1000. Being able to have the correct lens pattern makes sure you are hitting the correct zone and that you are running the ideal lens for your application.

Copperdrive/https://www.bajadesigns.com/copperdrive/

Copperdrive management system uses copper instead of aluminum to help transfer heat more efficiently for the LEDs to the thermal gap pad. It uses next gen circuit boards and driver technology to safely run high power LED’S at 100% power.


DD is a great candidate if your adventure involves driving on a flat and narrow surface. If your adventures involve elevation change and prefer to drive a lit bit more aggressive the sharp and vertical cutoffs will leave you wishing, you had a Baja Designs light. We would love to work with you on getting some Lp6's for your vehicle. Just sent you a pm .

I would also recommend checking out our Effective Lighting Score (ELS) to help see how we stand up to the competition. https://www.bajadesigns.com/els/

Here are also some photos that help see the differences on our products.
Baja Designs S1



Diode Dynamics SSC1



Best,
Brahian Herrera

 

What do you want the lights for? If looks, no need to spend the extra money. Baja Design is an awesome brand, but many of the products are not street legal. So if you’re mall crawling they’ll probably never be turned on.

So base your selection on the intended use, and enjoy them!

Cheers
Mike

 

Thank you everyone for the help. I ended up changing my plan. I bought 5 Baja Design LP6 lights to mount on my Sherpa Roof Rack. After doing all the research, Baja Design is a top rated company for lighting and I even had a person from Baja Designs reach out to me. I am going with 3 White Lights and 2 amber lights on the Sherpa. I really appreciate everyone giving me their thoughts and ideas. I am new to this community and am amazed what a tight nit community it is.

 

I'm late to the conversation, but just want to throw in my $.02. I think quality lights are definitely worth the money. I have Rigid ditch lights and a Rigid light bar, and haven't once regretted spending the extra money. I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything from Rigid, Baja Designs, or Diode Dynamics.

Enjoy your rack light! Post pictures after the installation.

 

Thank you. Definitely will posts pics. I’ve spent hours upon hours just looking at different builds. Finally decided to go with the Sherpa and BD LP6 lights. Up after this is the Eibach Pro Lift. I’m fortunate because I have a wife who says I don’t care what it costs just make it look bad ass. She is a keeper. I’ve spent probably 6 months just doing research and mapping out how I want the rig to look.

 

Awesome! Sounds like you found a good one!

Looking forward to seeing the progress on your build.