The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review

Correct on it being specific to the test results of replacement LEDs in halogen assemblies. As this doesn't pertain to LED assemblies or LED fogs, I've moved the response to this to the 3rd Gen headlight thread in post #4281 here.

 

Thanks guys!

I guess to weigh in here - there is no difference of "throw" when it comes to halogen or LED. "Throw" is not a measurement. Candela is candela, whether it comes from a halogen, HID, or LED source. It's just total light energy, in photons. You should always get the same candela value no matter how far or close you are from the source. That's why we use candela - it is a measurement that is totally independent of distance. 20,000 candela from a lamp, with identical beam patterns, will shine the exact same distance whether it is halogen, HID, or LED.

That said, generally you do want at least 50 feet, ideally 100 feet, to test headlamps. From my understanding here, this is because the light needs to integrate fully (blend together, and reflect the correct beam pattern). You can imagine how silly it would be to try looking at your headlight pattern if you are parked 5 feet away from the wall. Same idea.

Finally, just a guess - LEDs, especially in reflectors, are less homogenous (smooth) of a pattern than halogen, so it is possible that crash was getting "inflated" LED values with closer tests, because he was finding more peak areas of candela values with his light sensor, because the LED wasn't as smoothed out as halogen at that distance (something that is easier to correct for in a lab setting).

In any case, in general, further is better when taking measurements for larger optical systems like headlights, because you want to get the measurements at the relative distance it's designed for.

Paul

 

"Throw" is certainly not a technical term, and not one coined by me, I'm not sure where it came from on the forum. Organically on the forum it has come to mean the reduced focus of replacement LEDs (typically in a projector) don't usually project as far as halogens or HIDs. So while replacement LED products may produce more foreground light many lack the distance light, aka focus intensity, aka candela. On the forum this shift has become to be know as "throw". Of course many factors affect this, including the LED used as well as the lamp it was tested in. Perhaps people can watch the video and use the more appropriate term candela.

Edit: For clarity I second everything in this post.

 

@Diode Dynamics

Paul, given the NHTSA order for stateside businesses to stop selling LED replacement bulbs for halogen headlights, do you find that your business will pivot away from these products indefinitely? Or do you plan to keep development on the back burner in hopes that standards (and technologies) will be improved as to make them viable in the future?

Don't mean to pry, just curious. Personally I find your foray into off-road and SAE supplementary lighting to be much more exciting. The shakeup in the industry has been awesome to see.

 

Asking for a friend... in your opinion, which is a better fog lighting option?


AMBER SQUADRON SAE FOG LIGHT vs.
AMBER SQUADRON SPORT WC

 

If you want to use them on the street, for actual poor weather conditions, you need an SAE fog light that has the correct beam pattern and cut offs. If you want them for trail use off road only, then the wide corning is a better option but should't be used on the street due to lack of cut offs and blinding glare to other drivers, as well as poor performance in actual fog conditions. Note that while Baja calls their lights amber, they are actually yellow. For SAE street fogs, Diode Dynamics SS3s are significantly higher output intensity with better cut offs than Baja's current SAE light.

 

Throw is a pretty common term used in discussing the light distance of flashlights, particularly tactical ones. Definitely not a technical term, but it generally has a common understanding of what it means among users.

 

All the distance

 

I think I may have been the first to use the term "throw" here in TW, so blame me. It's a term I heard used (and used myself) going way back to describe how far down the road a given light source shed light. Although it has no unit of measure and is thus very hard to quantify, almost everybody who heard me use it immediately knew what I was talking about. Kind of like the term "blower lope" when describing supercharged engines that are a bit lean at idle. Almost everybody can immediately understand that the engine alternately surges, then dies.

In the spirit of continuous improvement though, I'll try to use Candela in the future.

 

https://i.giphy.com/media/FNJjBAaz0mOAg/giphy.webp

Fog lights? SS3 max, pro, sport. If your friend is the kind to ask this question, he sounds like the type that would run wide cornering lights 24/7. Get something street friendly.

 

LOUD NOISES! lol good movie

 

Hate to rob you of the title, but I think it may pre-date you. I engaged in some really ugly lighting holy wars breaking into the 3rd Gen forum for headlights, combating the ridiculous threads that promoted LEDs were universally better, and the term was already used in those toxic threads. I was thread banned several times, those were dark days. But I was persistent that science would prevail. Now TacomaWorld is cited by Stern in magazine interviews. Science wins.

 

Hi again from Northwest AR, @crashnburn80!

In my world of overthinking things, I was wondering a few things with the DD SAE Max Yellows that are out now:

(Answered by @blur) >> (1) I didn't see on here that you evaluated them yet, but have you tested and verified the color temperature to be around 4000K with the darker lens? If so, any of the other specs - filtration losses in the "mid/high teens" as you expected and higher lens temperature?
(2) With the temperature of the MAX bodies of these pods over 200⁰ F, won't this affect product lifespan and (worse) break down/premature fatigue of wire insulation?

Thanks again for all your dedication to your craft - we all obviously really appreciate it!

 

Check out the last post on page 221. The max color temp is 3100.

 

Thanks for that reference, @blur - this rabbit hole of a thread is difficult for old guys to navigate. Is anyone on here concerned about the body of those pods getting to 211+ degrees and the long term effects on product longevity and accompanying wiring insultation? Or am I just being a worry wart as usual?

 

Assuming the light is designed to take those temperatures, which it should be, my only concern is the surrounding plastic or the brackets the light mounts to.

With that said, I figured those living in warmer climates (Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc.) would be reporting problems if there was a known problem or weak point with this light in the oe mount location. Since I haven’t seen anything, including a warning or disclaimer from DD, I feel confident in the set up and plan on ordering a pair of the selective yellow max’s in a few weeks.