The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review

Ok boys and girls, let's get a few things straight.

- Proper aiming is critical with all lighting
- Most folks (unfortunately) have no idea how to properly aim any kind of light
- The more powerful the light, the more critical proper aiming becomes
- The more powerful the light, the more critical beam pattern becomes
- Too many folks confuse brighter lights with more effective lights
- No amount of re-aiming will stop a non-compliant light from bothering oncoming drivers

I could probably go on and on, but I'll stop here so I can go to bed.

 

yea, i just felt like i was the only one complaining about it. thank you

 

When taking pics of the light's aiming against a wall, pics taken from that close have more to do with where the various lights are mounted on the nose as they do where the lights are aimed. You need to back off a bit (ideally 25ft for aiming clarity and consistency), to really see what effect an adjustment is having. What looks like no change from a lot of cranking on the adjuster up close, at 25+ft there are big changes you can see and adjust with accuracy.

 

I've had my SS3 Pro yellow's for a few months now, you never 2nd guess whether they are on or not! It took some getting used to using them in urban settings, as they are so intense you'd think they were like staring at the sun, but I've only been flashed once in use and I think that was on a curvy 2 lane and it startled the guy more than anything, lol. They nearly overpower my HID low beams, and the fill to the sides in the ditches is unreal. They are my preferred lights over running my H11 high beams on the highway at night.

 

You mean to tell me it’s NOT cool to shine bright lights up into people’s faces while they’re driving?! JK, of course.

 

The truck is actually sitting a good foot higher than the road and with the front sitting higher because of the ground so lights are angled up a bit in the pic.
I didn't have a chance to get a pic against a wall yet but the fog lights are well under the low beam.

 

I agree, I've only had them for a few days and they are incredible. The side lighting is fantastic and I no longer have to wonder if someone is hiding in the crosswalk. I can see them.
While they are bright the cutoff is great and if adjusted correctly don't blind the oncoming drivers.

 

If your "fog lights" are providing illumination above 4" drop at 25', they aren't aimed as fog lights. In many places, "fog lights" can't be used with high beams. If you're using them as "auxiliary driving lights" in conjunction with your high beams and are in a jurisdiction that requires SAE-compliant lights, an SAE F or F3 fog lamp is likely not permissible (not compliant as an "off-label" use).

Edit:

I don't have the mounting height of the Tacoma, but judging from the photos and a 30" overall tire diameter, I'd estimate it to be between 24" and 30" above the ground.

• 24" mounting -- 150' aiming limit intersects with ground
• 30" mounting -- 175' aiming limit intersects with ground

Lux at a distance is candela ("candlepower") / distance in meters squared. 50 m is about 164'. Assuming I read and interpreted it correctly, the fog-beam Diode Dynamics 4" pods put out 9,050-12,000 cd according to their website (amber Sports lowest, white Pros highest). Call it 10,000 cd per lamp. Two lamps ~ 20,000 cd. 20,000 cd / (50 m)^ 2 ~ 8 lux at 50 m, peak.
8 lux is right around the limits of usable light (studies suggest somewhere between 3.3 lux and 20 lux as a minimum).

 

As discussed earlier in this thread, you are attempting to use Driving lights as fog lights on your vehicle. This is not at all recommended. Driving lights serve a completely different purpose than fog lights. This thread is for discussion of J583 fog lights, not Driving lights.

Both power options we offer will not blind other drivers when installed and aimed in accordance with the provided instructions.

Paul

 

Last time you were discussing aiming issues it was driving lights in the fog location, so it is a bit difficult to follow. Did you follow the instructions I posted? I actually think mine are aimed too low and need to be raised, and there is still room to aim them lower. Did you mount your lights in the center of the mount? (Not all the way forward or all the way back, both of which will limit aiming ability). Does your truck have the factory rake? As that would affect the tilt required of the lamp.

 

Hayrider- are you now running SAE Fog pattern SS3 lamps? You are still being vague about your statements and your setup.

I believe at this point you are just attempting to disparage the product because I am unwilling to attempt to solve your unique aiming concerns (mounting Driving lights as fog lights). The Driving lights are not designed to be used that way. If you truly have a fog lamp setup now, I would recommend that you review the aiming procedure to aim your fog lights at an appropriate angle, which is not extremely challenging.

Threatening us with negative feedback via PM and email is not exactly encouraging that you are attempting to use our product in a manner as directed.

Paul

 

I really like my DD fog sports. They are more than bright enough and work like a charm on or off the trail. Over the hills and through the fog to the log cabin I go.

Nice product @Diode Dynamics

 

So simple a cave man could set them up. But for a bro?

 

Purchased DD ss3 pro amber fogs for my 2nd gen .Was a bit skeptical at first not having a crisp cut off like the sports but man they totally surpassed my expectations coming from a full on baja designs Squadron pro setup that says a lot .The output and coverage from these are amazing. I drove through oregon during a rain storm and i was never high beamed once even on the dark windy coast roads.

Customer service from DD has been top notch too. i bought my fogs from prolightz and had some miscommunication for my setup but in the end DD set my straight . i recommend these fogs to all my friends now instead of the baja designs.

 

Just finished installing DD pro yellow fogs. I look forward to checking them out this evening to see how big of an improvement they are. Install was easy and straight forward. I have a 2019 Tacoma and found the fogs needed to be set all the way back in the mount and aimed all the way down. I marked where the factory fogs cutoff was on the wall and then installed the new fogs. When the DD pros where aimed all the way down, they cutoff pretty much exactly where the factory fogs did.

 

Weird flex but ok

 

@Hayrider Kudos on the L33. I had a cammed L33 in a 65' Buick and it was extremely strong. Would run in the high 12's with 3.08 gears and still get 27 MPG on the highway.

 

Cute

 

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

Hey @Diode Dynamics, any update on the release of the 05-11 brackets?

 

Delayed with the global supply chain slowdown, but we test fit them here and they're looking great! Hoping to get them released in the next few weeks.

Paul