The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review

Can’t say I’ve ever seen condensation in any of my lights OEM or aftermarket. I don’t think it’s a normal thing to happen.

 

I'm no expert either, but I did not run into condensation issues with the KC G4 fogs that these replaced. Those were used in the same conditions for two years. I had my fogs running for two hours at a time getting over the pass and back and these Rigids run hot so I was very surprised to see condensation.

 

dang lol. maybe the rigids need more venting?

 

I'm hoping these were just a bad pair. I've had condensation issues with cheap eBay and Amazon lights and over time they look like shit inside.

 

i should take back what i said. im thinking it shouldn't happen to small housings at all

=(

 

A quality sealed light shouldn’t get condensation inside, definitely not normal. Rigid had an issue with that years ago but I’m surprised it still happens, especially considering what those cost.

Their warranty should take care of you no problem, back in the day when this was happening they swapped lights out without a problem but after a few sets with the same issues they went to a different brand.

 

I had same problem with an OEM Rigid fog, I had to fight with the dealer to replace it.

 

o god that's a nasty one!

 

Yea Florida is full of rain and the replacement held up luckily

 

The outer lens appears sealed separately from the rest of the light. You shouldn’t be getting condensation in there. Makes me curious if there is any venting into the light body of that intermediate chamber, as that could be problematic if not.

 

I just purchased a 2020 tacoma TRD Off-road Double cab. So far the only upgrade I’ve made is installing a beautiful set of KO2’s in a bigger size. It looks amazing!

The one negative is my 2020 didn’t come with the upgraded LED headlights nor the fogs. I’ve been reading and researching for the past 2 weeks to which direction I want to go. I’ve decided not to purchase new OEM LED Housings from Toyota and instead change the bulbs to LEDs.

Initially, I was going to run Morimoto 2.strokes on hi’s/lows. and then the XB LED Fogs… but after a lot of research this is the route I’m leaning towards for my hi’s/lows.

1. GTR Ultra Series 2 GTR Ultra Series 2 H11 for both Hi’s / Lows
2. Fog lights… I’m stuck from this thread between three options.
   1. KC G4 LED Fog - These are my #1 choice for the Lux it produces and feel these will offer the best performance. These are the most expensive of my options, but leaning towards this.
   2. $124 Toyota Genuine Parts - Led Foglight Black (PT413-42191)
      PT413-42191- I saw the thread Crashnburn did on the OEM ones here. I saw these were Chinese and cheaper than the Japanese. The lux or output isn’t as good as the KC G4. What is the main difference between the Chinese and Japanese version?
3. Any recommendations on reverse lights?

This is the direction I’m thinking to go? Do you guys have any feedback or advise? I really appreciate that a lot before I pull the trigger and get these today or tomorrow!

Btw... anyone know who or where the best place is to purchase all of this? I live in TN.

 

1) For the headlights, few drop in LEDs perform well at distance. Most do not have adequate focus and while many advertise crazy output improvements, that doesn't mean they project distance well, which translates to significant increases in foreground light and loss of distance light, which is not what you want in a headlight. A full headlight replacement is a better option. The only drop in LEDs I have tested as solid improvements over stock are the Hikari Ultras (see the link below). I have not tried the GTRs, it can be difficult to judge in phots but the emitters look large, which will lead to poor focus and poor distance projection. And the Morimoto 2.0s are not a product I would recommend. One other option to consider is the Morimoto complete replacement LED assemblies. See the links below. Note that performance halogens will outperform all the drop in replacement LEDs in a halogen assembly.

Hikari Ultra "Eyes of Megatron" H11/H9 LEDs (recommended best performing replacement LED)
See the original review in post #1608 here.

Morimoto 2.0 Stroke 12/5/19
See the review in post #2120 here

Morimoto XB LED Headlights - 3rd Gen Tacoma
Original review posted here.

2) As for the fogs, I'm not sure what you mean by Chinese vs Japanese. Valeo (Toyota OEM fog supplier) makes their LED fogs in China. Maybe you meant compared to their halogen fogs? The KC G4s are a far superior product to the OEM Toyota LED fogs. The pattern is much larger, the output intensity higher and the color temp far better. Ultra high color temps are not what you want in a foglight. If you can swing it I would definitely get the G4s over the Valeo OEM units. The cost savings of going with the Hikaris over the GTRs should about cover the difference.

3) For reverse this is what I recommend. Far brighter than LED and costs less.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gy6-35-hir-921-reverse-light-upgrade-vs-high-power-leds.474996/

 

Figured I’d share this. I emailed BD to express my feelings about their sae lights and the hack fix in hopes they revisit them, this was their chief executive officers response. They must not do many comparisons if they think those lights outperform DD and rigid in any way.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to share your thoughts on our SAE Squadron.


I can assure you if the bottom line was our main priority a recall would have been a far more cost effective solution. Enthusiasts are our number one priority and an insert guarantees customers who previously purchased our SAE Squadron still experience the great features that separate Baja Designs from the competition. Our insert solved the upward glare issue while still outperforming the competition. For new customers even with the insert installed, our revised SAE Squadron offers a better color temperature greatly reducing eye fatigue in addition to a smoother pattern than the competition.


Best Regards,

 

crashnburn80 thank you. Do you plan on testing the GTR Series 2 anytime soon?

 

Hi Yeos. Sorry to hear about this issue! The lens is sealed to the body and that trim ring is just for looks. The lamp has a vent on the side to equalize pressure and allow moisture to be expelled - but that vent also allows water vapor to pass into the lamp body in humid environments when the lamp is turned off. The fog on the lens should dissipate pretty quickly when the lamp is powered on. If it doesn't go away after like 30 minutes powered on, then there could be a leak causing excessive moisture in the body. Rigid customer service will get you a replacement set if that is the case.

 

Again. You guys are expecting way too much from a company like BD. I wouldn't expect any other response from a company who advertises their offroad lights as street friendly. Just a no brainer. They care about money. And only money.

 

I don’t believe that to be true at all, they make a quality product no one can argue that. Just because one shithead rep on one forum says guys run their squadron sports on the streets doesn’t mean they advertise them as street friendly, people are supposed to be smart enough to make their own decisions we’re all big boys and girls.

When guys purchase a fog replacement kit that includes a non sae light they should know they’re giving up street legal fog lights for offroad lights.

Their sae situation is a mess no doubt about that but the rest of their product line is solid. A company that’s replaced very expensive lights due to crashes and other non quality related incidents doesn’t only care about money.

 

I have no plans to at this time, they are rather expensive at $200 for the set of drop in LEDs for what appear to have rather large (non-focused) emitters. I'd be happy to review them though if someone lent them to me. With some exceptions, I try to focus on products I think will work well, rather than ones that I think won't. With the case of replacement LEDs this means good beam focus with proper hot spot location, and appropriate distribution of pattern intensity, not just simply greater output.

The statement isn't entirely inaccurate per say. I measured their color temp of their white lights at 4800k, which is currently best in class on the lights I have tested for 'white', though it will be interesting to see Diode Dynamics selective yellow lights with the white (clear) lens swap for 4000k. The color temperature statement doesn't apply to the selective yellow version of the lights though. And smoother pattern is a nice way of saying soft cut offs that maximize glare. I certainly wouldn't call them higher performing.

 

Anyone? I’m looking to buy from Lightwerkz.net before midnight tomorrow to get the discount.