The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review

4B HXB will be too bright and still very loose cutoff. If you are using Pro, 4B HXB has far tighter beam, yet, 4B is off-road wide beam primary, OK to use as fog on road is proper description. It satisfy minimum required quality as fog lamp usage, but heavily bright.
4B NCS has somewhat tighter beam than HXB but not as refined as any of F3 class fog lamps.
All Pod type of fog lights are not really good for actual fog use in my opinion.

If 3” size is only option for you, 4B NCS ( still plenty bright as fog lamp use) is better than HXB for beam control level. ( they aren’t exactly 3x3 tho, vertically considerably smaller than SS3

Both 4B HXB and NCS have brighter band at upper portion of the beam but band itself also is pretty thick, with proper aim as fog lamp, you won’t see much of gradient benefit at typical fog lamp installation height.

That vertically asymmetrical beam composure was primary given for off-road application for more balanced uniformed ground coverage when for wider mounting height adoption.



yes you are aware of you maybe looking for something more like AUX low beam
Or high beam. Fog light will not reach in distance. Many misuse fog lamp as if it is low beam helper, but fog is designed NOT to reach in distance.
F define cutoff at 0.75D F3 define cutoff at 1D.
Maximum allowable headlamp mount height group require largest aim down requirement, which is still 0.57D(lamp height upto 1m, required aim is 0.38D)

This simple fact shall highlight the reason fog is surely designed for short distance reach only.




About SS3 max laser, it will have tighter laser created skinny band up upper center portion of the beam, but main wide flood is still resemble to Max like vertically symmetrical beam. Cutoff itself likely won’t be any sharper than Max is my observation so far.

Color of the laser excited white is pretty blueish end too, something to remember if you want your lamp for wet road.


in summery, if you need your lamp for wet road line detection,
Look for AUX low is first effort you shall make.

If it must be 3” ish pod fog, I would say try 4B NCS to see if it serve purpose or not. Beam should be tighter than most others with ample power.
But remember, 4B NCS still require 3.5~4 degree down aim to use as fog light. Pretty conservative aim. Cutoff is soft, some allowable spillage may help light up line bit.

 

I hate to say this, but I use my SS3s for this reason on top of fog. And, during rain storms, I feel as if the SS3s provide some last minute awareness to distracted drivers who don't turn on their lights. And yes, my SS3s are adjusted.

While I opted for white, the recent heavy morning fog during my commute made me wish I had selective yellow. And that rear fog lights should be mandated (though missuse would still happen).

 

Have you measured the clearance around the fog bucket on your slee surround? You might be able to use the elite type M if you're willing to put 4 mounting holes in it.

 

It looks like I have about 4 1/4" vertical clearance total, so drilling holes for the Elite might be possible. It'll end up a little walleyed, with the fogs pointing outwards from the direction of travel, but I don't see that being a huge problem. The ability to easily fine-tune the elevation would be worth it alone.

I need to revisit @crashnburn80's review to verify that the Elite fog lamps have a light intensity gradient, and not just a color temperature gradient.

I know fog lights are meant for a specific purpose, but I have to agree that they work well for my needs too. I'll take whatever help I can get staying in my lane, and maybe lighting the way so adjacent drivers stay in theirs.

It looks like these have been discontinued, just as every other aux low beam/SAE J582 product I've found. A shame, since I think there's still a valid case for their usage.

 

What function is the other light in the surround? You might be able to use a snowplow light like JW speaker for a true low beam. But as much as I looked into the 9800 and 9900lp I couldn't find any output shots.

 

It's a combination turn signal/side marker light. I have looked at other lights to use in that location, but have come up dry.

I just took additional measurements for the fog light insert. The square cutout is 3.4" tall, which won't allow the 3.6" diameter Elite foglights to clear. Looks like those are off the table as a minimum-modification option.

 

I may have missed it but since you already have pros why not just switch them for SS3 maxes?

 

I'd really like to have an intensity gradient, peaking right at the cutoff and tapering down. This should minimize the perception of near-field washout. I don't think SS3 Max fog lights have any sort of gradient like this.

 

SS3 ice chips melting away

 

Thanks to all great post.
I ordered and received a set of elite 3000k fogs and will install this weekend. They appear to be high quality except for the pinch a wire tap for back light. I know it serves no practical purpose but I think it will look super cool when wired properly.
Will try to add photos when done and in some Canadian snow.
Thanks again for all of the research!

 

Maybe the crew at FBC has something to help you avoid those vampire taps.

 

I withdraw my HXB suggestion for this use case, fogs are not intended to be used at highway speeds. Ultra high powered fogs are not going to be doing you any favors in that scenario as they will certainly blow out your foreground light and limit your distance vision which is critical at highway speeds. You already have substantial headlight output running RX350 retros, you shouldn't need more light. It could be your 4500k Nightbreaker laser HIDs are a bit reflective off wet surfaces reducing the visibility of the surface. If wanting more light output in a fog to run in non-fog conditions, you shouldn't be looking at something as extreme as the Max/HXB/Lasers. The F3 selective yellow elites are likely the best bet, because they are an F3 fog, they have a gradient, they are selective yellow and they are not ridiculously overpowering like the Max and HXB which will work against your distance visibility in high speed conditions.

I can tell you from extensive experience that wet sheen surfaces are not an issue for halogen upgrades like they are for higher color temp HID or LED, since the longer wavelength light source is not reflective. While I am sure it isn't something you want to hear with nice RX350 retros, if seeing the road in the wet is a real issue and running fogs at highway speeds is needed as a questionable bandaid at the very best, it might be worth reconsidering your headlight technology to one where that is a non-issue.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

 

@crashnburn80 and I are hacking out a lot of the details via PM. I'm copying some of the conversation here in case others are in a similar situation.

I believe part of the issue I'm experiencing is due to the road surface itself. I'm not very familiar with road construction terminology, so bear with me while I try to explain:

The section of highway I'm primarily worried about has recently been re-surfaced in some slick, black (asphalt?) material. The road seems to retain a uniform thin coating of water across most of its surface, resulting in significant difficulty identifying lane markings when wet. This would be less of an issue if embedded reflectors were present in the road surface, but they are not. My perception from the driver's seat is similar to when my headlights illuminate a puddle: lots of light reflected back at me off the water's surface.

I have noticed that, for whatever reason, I get less of this wet surface reflection when utilizing my fog lights. It almost seems that light sources coming from a lower position (closer to the roadway) illuminate through the water to show the lane markings underneath, rather than bouncing off it. This may be some angle-of-incidence optical engineering phenomenon, but I cannot say for sure.

While my DD SS3 Pro fog lights perform adequately in this role, I feel that there is room for improvement. Sharper cutoffs would definitely be appreciated, if for no other reason than ease of aiming. An intensity gradient would be a welcome addition as well, since this should reduce the perception of near-field washout.

 

I know exactly where you are coming from with the black top surfaces and the pebbled type road surfaces, not sure the technical term for that. I also have an RX350 retrofit. I have both Osram Nighbreaker Laser (NBL) and Osram Cool Blue Intense (CBI) on 35w Hella Gen 2 ballasts. I like both bulbs, but I prefer the CBI surprisingly. They are fantastic projectors, no question! But I notice the same thing you do. The gradient for that projector is optimized for a vehicle where the headlights are close to the same mounting height as the Tacoma's stock fog light. So they do work great for illuminating far and wide, but there is little light within probably 25-30ft in front of the vehicle. I have found the OEM h11 Halogen lights to work very well when combined with a performance bulb like the Tungsram Nighthawk Platinum to fill that gap on crappy weather days. I have DD SS3's in selective yellwo on 2 other vehicles and SSC2's on my motorcycle, so far I haven't found that the need to swap the OEM H11 fog lights out on my Tacoma because they do great to fill that area.

I don't know how the fog lights mount on your ARB bumper? If the Elite would fit, that would be your best bet for what you are wanting as far as gradient goes. But Either way you go, I would highly suggest selective yellow over white. I have selective yellow on all of my SS3's and it's a huge improvement on the black top surfaces over a white LED fog lamp. A sharp cutoff is nice, but there are downsides which I am sure you have found with your retrofit. Lack of up-light. While I agree that light bleed even from the HXB or SS3 Max may be an issue when aiming, it is nice to have a smidge of light bleed that isn't offensive to other drivers but allows for a little light to see reflective bits like signs or critters eye. This is less offensive in selective yellow too.

I would be very curious what you and Crash find for Auxiliary Driving light solutions since I have been looking for one of my other vehicles. While not really "proper", a fog light housing retrofitted with another projector might be a solution for your situation. I know this next suggestion may not be recommended by people on here. But taking a D2S 5.0, 5.0 micro or MH1 8.0 and filing down the step on the shield to be flat would likely work well in this application and provide additional high beam. I have modded a D2S 4.0 by reducing the step on my motorcycle and it works very well. Using the Osram NBL for the D2S projectors would be a great option for this setup too to reduce glare from the road. H1 bulbs are available in 3000k, though it's not quite a yellow like you are used to seeing in this thread.

 

I feel that the near-field illumination provided by my headlights is more than adequate in most conditions. Really, the headlights are outstanding all-around performers, as should be expected from such a high-end product. The only time they seem lacking is with wet pavement on a specific stretch of highway, where the aforementioned reflection issue is present. At all other times, they meet or exceed my performance expectations.

The lack of up-light hasn't been an issue for me, although I was convinced that it would be:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...clear-lens-mod-and-distance-blindness.689892/

There's just enough high-angle spill from the reflector bowl to slightly illuminate retroreflective surfaces, like road signage.

The Slee foglight surrounds I have in my ARB bumper are designed to accommodate a standard ~3x3" LED pod, mounted via a single bolt through a U-bracket. I'm willing to hack them up if I find a truly outstanding fog light that is otherwise not compatible, but I'd like to exhaust my LED pod options first. Link to Slee's product page:

https://sleeoffroad.com/products/sok0049/

An interesting idea that I'll certainly keep in mind, but it will be pretty far down my list of options due to the time- and cost-intensive nature of getting the work professionally done. I don't think I'll ever be brave/drunk enough to attempt a retrofit myself.

 

Asphalt (hot bitumen and crushed stone aggregate) is a very common road surface. When first laid down, it is very, very dark and absorbs light. In fact, without reflective road markings - especially in the rain - it's pretty easy to lose your way. That said, the top surface will oxidize pretty quickly with exposure to the sun's UV rays and lighten up in color, increasing reflectivity and lessening your problem.

As for lights of any kind that will help you on a fresh asphalt surface, I highly doubt you're going to find any. The surface is just too black and absorbs too much light. On the other hand, a good fog pattern light that illuminates the edges / shoulders of the road will help keep you centered. Based on personal experience with the DD SS3 Pro and Max lights in selective yellow, I'd recommend the Pro over the Max, but give serious consideration to the Elite to save some coin.

 

Same here for the light spill on the reflector bowl. It certainly helps with light fill for signs without being distracting to other drivers.

As for mounting if you wanted to go with the Elite. It looks like a Type-A or Type-M bracket would potentially be wide enough to allow you to use bolt and nut to secure it to the Slee fog light surrounds. The bracket would sit either on the face or on the back side depending on fit of course. Maybe if crash still has his set he can measure the width of the bracket mounting holes. My paint edit work work isn't great lol, but I hope it gets across what I'm trying to explain.



Retrofitting isn't difficult. But a project like the one I described wouldn't be easy for a 1st time.

 

Not to derail the fog light thread, but is the trade off worthwhile? When I had my assemblies retrofitted, I was adamant about keeping the squirrel finders, while swapping out to polished lenses (which does reduce uplight).

Going back to fog lights, I am curious to know if, driving on the highway under rainy conditions during the day with headlights AND fog lights on really help other drivers see you. This is one of the few times I use my SS3s outside of their intended purpose. For regualar night driving, the my RX350s are more than adequate. Though I am tempted to swap out the the Osram CBN to the NBL for outputs sake.

 

In rainy conditions, I have found that I am able to spot other drivers with yellow fogs much easier than just headlights or white fogs. And on the subject of bulbs, I just switched to NBL's from CBI's and the color temperature is so much nicer.

 

I'm not sure what you're asking. Yes, the RX350 retrofit was absolutely worth it. It's in my top 3 favorite and most useful mods, and I don't regret spending a cent of what they cost.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/a-non-enthusiasts-tacoma-build.667560/page-5#post-24859943

We can discuss specifics via PM so we don't clutter up the fog thread any more than I already have.

I can't say I've ever used my fog lights during the day. If someone can't see you with your headlights on, I doubt adding fog lights will make any difference. This is with the exception of extreme weather conditions (like hurricanes or white-out blizzards), where visibility is reduced to the point where driving is unsafe regardless of what lights you have.