The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review

I wonder what it would look like without that separator? It is removable

 

I wasn't too keen on the bar in the middle in addition to all the bolts around the outside. But I think it looks fine once it's in the Tacoma fog light pocket.

 

@crashnburn80 do you think with the 360 beams being so wide the extra overlap in front of the truck might help make up for some of the reduced intensity compared to the duallys?

It'd be interesting to measure once you get both mounted up and aimed properly. My connectors come Thursday so I might have to borrow the lux meter from work and see for myself

 

While I mentioned earlier that Rigid pods have removable lens (though not supposed to be self service), the domed outer lens on the 360s does not appear removable. I'll take a 2nd look when I swap the other side.

The answer varies somewhat but in my case yes! In my 2015 the D-series Rago fog mounts point out to the sides, helping give a wider beam but little overlap in forward beam projection. In the 2005-2011 Tacomas the D-series mounts point straight ahead, meaning more center overlap and higher intensity, but much less shoulder/ditch illumination. In my 2015 going to the 360s mounted forward facing (vs side pointing) will actually reduce some shoulder intensity, but likely increase forward intensity due to far more center pattern overlap. In a forward mount of the 360s in the earlier trucks, I think you'll likely see lower forward intensity compared to the D-series significantly better shoulder/ditch illumination due to the wider beam. If that all makes sense. The 360s are not offered in a 2005-2010 capable mount, so it would have to be an off road bumper or custom mount.

 

Here is the cause of the tilt issue when installed on a 2nd Gen. The tabs are too close together for the 2nd Gen mount and while things flex to fit, it makes the light not sit level.



Measuring the OEM mount spacing.


Measuring the Rigid mount spacing.


Approximately 4mm needs to come off the mount. Question is, is that ~4mm off one tab, or split between both tabs...

 

The good news, I’ve got my foglight assembly uninstall time to less than 30 seconds... Getting close.

 

Yeah, I’ve thought of that. 2nd Gen has 2 screws on the side. I’ve been alternating which one I use for beam level testing. Worst case I’ll have to go to a slightly more aggressive screw.

 

Fogs saved my bacon the other night, couple of bucks spilled out into the road in front of me, fogs illuminated far enough out for me to hit the brakes and not re-profile the front of my truck. pretty sure i wouldn't have seen them without the additional side illumination. So thanks for convincing me to throw some fogs on Crash

 

Well, I went with what I thought was conservative by splitting the cut between both tabs. Turns out that was the wrong answer. In addition to other complications modifying the mount, it looks like my driver side 360 mount may not be salvageable, which is always a gamble when pioneering retrofitting of parts. (These were for 3rd Gen, I'm modding for 2nd Gen) Good news though, is while I ruined one mount, now I'm confident I know exactly what needs to be done (and not done) to modify the other mount to make it successfully work as I was able to get the beam to level correctly. I'll attempt the other mount and thoroughly document the process for reference to others wanting to install on a 2nd Gen.

 

Too bad I didn't get time to reply before you split the difference. I was going to advise you to only trim one in order to level the beam pattern. Now I'm struggling with modifying the wrong mounts or waiting for the inevitable 2nd generation complete kits.

 

Big unknown if/when they'd release a revised mount for late 2nd Gen. Since it is a new product, they are launching new mounts for many vehicles. Modding the 3rd Gen mount for 2nd Gen shouldn't be difficult once I've finalized and documented exactly what to do. I believe it will involve something like the following steps:

1) Fill in the upper inside tab mounting hole with epoxy and let harden overnight (this gives you a solid tab with no holes)
2) Using a Dremel, trim 3.8mm off of the bottom side of the upper mounting tab
3) Use only 1 screw for the install (like 3rd Gens) rather than the 2 used on 2nd Gens

The beam should then sit level and the rest of the kit is compatible. I'm starting with step 1 tonight and should have the install test tomorrow.

 

Now to spend days reading and try to understand this! Love it! Thanks for your great work!

 

Hope to get the updates on this soon!

 

360 Series SAE forward facing OEM mount vs D-Series SAE Rago side facing .

This isn’t the most direct comparison as late model 2nd Gen’s Rigid Rago mounts aim the fogs to the side of the truck, vs the 360 mounts are pointing straight ahead.

360 left vs D-series right


You can see the taller pattern of the 360s here, as the D-series pattern on the right starts further away from the truck.

Left 360 only


The tall pattern and wide projection provides outstanding best in class coverage area. The staggered upper/lower output intensity is cleaver to reduce the foreground light and put more light near the cut off for better distance intensity. While it might look odd on a wall shot, in the real world application it appears seamless. The minor break to prevent overlap in the center of the pattern is also not noticeable in the real world application.

Right D-series only


Thanks to the side pointing Rago mounts, these illuminate further to the side than the 360s in the forward facing OEM mount. But if you used a forward facing mount for the D-series like early 2nd Gen, that would not be the case as the 360s have a wider angle pattern. The output intensity is higher in the D-series but has a smaller area illuminated and the light starts further away from the truck. However the dark area between the truck and starting edge of the light pattern is hardly visible from the driver seat. I’m running a mild 2.25” lift and tire upgrade.

Headlights only


Headlight shot to establish a pattern baseline. Note I am running ultra high performance 85/80w Osram Hypers, so the fogs will not appear as bright by comparison.

Headlights w/ fogs


The 360s blend into the headlight pattern very nicely and their large coverage area fills in closer to the truck. Thanks to the side pointing Rago mounts the D-series provide good punch to the outside of the headlight pattern area for good wide shoulder illumination.

Note these photos are not exposure controlled. For intensity rely on the earlier posted 360 review for comparative intensity measurements. I should have also used my tripod to better standardized the shots, but did not bring it with me to the photo location.

 

@Kidwidataco @White lightning boosted

 

Hmmm, that's interesting. Seems like almost the rago mounts with the d series is the way to go in my opinion. Ya it's a little less of a performer, but for almost 200 bucks less it's a deal. I dont see the need to spend 500 bucks for a light that really doesnt provide enough advantage over its "lesser" counterpoint. However, my rago mounts for a true second gen (2005-11) are directionally straight. Which means I would benefit from the 360 series beam width.... hmmmmm.

 

Yeah there is no cookie cutter best solution for everyone. I try to provide the data for people to make informed decisions on what is the best solution for their specific use case. The 360s provide vastly superior area coverage, but the D-series provide higher intensity. Depending on the application, maybe the less area coverage is a good enough trade off for the increased intensity. Or if you have forward facing fogs, maybe the the wider area projection of the 360s for improved shoulder illumination would be more helpful in poor weather conditions than more forward intensity.

 

Not sure, I wish my rago mounts were like the ones you have. A more side facing mount would help cover area where my headlights dont. Even though my headlights have an extremely wide beam pattern, they lack the further out you go