The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review

Just when you thought LED pods couldn't get ANY UGLIER... Well, just wait. Q4 2021.

Hey @memario1214 how come you can share distributor literature for Morimoto but we can't get anything on the big boy pods from DD?

 

I don't think Colton owns a collared shirt like Paul from DD likes to wear, so he doesn't have a pass to share the whitepaper

 

At least the Riversmith 4 Banger has 4 slots instead of 3...

 

Also, new actual SAE fogs coming:

 

That made me actually laugh out loud, thanks.

There's quite a few pods coming out of China now that match the SS3's spec sheet. Whether you use 3 chips or 4, it's trivial for someone to go down the list and copy the optics, use the same LED chips, etc. However, build quality counts in long-term reliability, and also consistency with optical performance. To that end, I'm very excited about the new Elite fog light. We stepped everything up across the board, with OE design techniques and materials, in-line with our Elite Series focus. This thing is so sharp, the casting looks almost CNCed for goodness sake. The total output is similar to SS3 Sport, which is still a huge upgrade from factory. But if you're looking for something that's more factory in appearance, with a sharp OE-style F3 beam pattern, I hope you'll consider it!

I'm sorry if I missed any questions here recently, please feel free to tag me in your posts. This is a busy thread!

Thanks,
Paul

 

Following for update

 

I may have to revisit aiming. Driving home in a downpour I noticed the road signs and even the overhead signs had a yellow glow to them. Pretty sure it was reflection off the very wet road.

 

It is a pretty cool product and addresses the group of folks who like the performance of the SS3 but for whatever reason, don't like the "look" of a pod style light.

 

Love the subtle branding and DRL accent too. Not in your face like other brands. I wouldn't be surprised if dealers start offering the Diode Dynamics Elite LED Fog as an option.

 

Probably reflection off the road - this is one of the main reasons the ECE (F3) standard calls for a lower bound maximum, but that doesn't eliminate the problem. It's definitely something to consider in terms of when fog lights can and should be used.

That's fair, and that's exactly why we decided to offer two different products. The opinions are very split. We have people tell us they HATE the pod look, including Tacoma owners. This provides a much different appearance for those guys who don't want the fog lights to stand out too much in terms of styling.

Very good point regarding newer fog light designs. The circular fog is going away, and like everything else, vehicles are getting harder to modify. But there's still a surprising number of new vehicles with it, and TONS of vehicles on the road from the last 20 years, where this light is a great upgrade.

Paul

 

Or some F150 owners

 

I originally wanted a very OEM look. I would have been very interested in this new product back then. Went with SS3 sports b/c they seemed like the best value. Then MAX arrived and was a must-have. An OEM look with SS3 MAX level output would definitely get my attention.

The backlight stuff, I'm not as sold on. I like grille lights b/c lights there seem to be expected. DRL in the mirrors I'm skeptical of (but will try out). DRL in the fogs seems like another thing where it may confuse other drivers. But, my ssc2's (if they show up) will have it so I'll get a chance to try it out and see how I feel about it.

DRL taps are not a big problem for me, I can crank them out.

 

Hmm...not sure how to take that one. I still HATE the way they look every time I see the front of the truck but there's no denying that they work. Was camping with our friends last week and we jumped in the truck for an ice cream run. Very dark but didn't want to blind people so I just ran the fogs through the campground. Buddies response was those little yellow lights are that bright. Since my wife was sitting there I'm sure glad he didn't ask how much they cost.

Might have to change hate to seriously dislike. If I keep saying I hate them then will have no choice but to remove the bumper, swap to the clear lenses and go through the ACC reaming process.

More questionable testimony

 

@memario1214

Here's one for every time we talk

 

I do indeed know that, sarcasm is hard to convey in messages. Still love it here. But gotta run, have to try helping another f150 owner who won't search on the other 5000 of my posts on how to wire up his tailgate light bar so the truck doesn't think it has a trailer attached.

 

Howdy Tacomaworld friends!!1

The last few rounds of testing went well but we didn't feel that the redesign was worthy of coming to market quite yet. We are working on some changes, but as I am sure you are all aware of, we have our hands full just trying to keep up with building product to fulfill backorders. With many enthusiasts pleased with the current Squadron SAE output and philosophy of use, we couldn't justify taking attention away from all the other projects that we have been working on. We'll continue to work on this as time permits and I'll let you know if anything changes on the timeline. Talk soon!