The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review

@t2c for DD SS3 sport and pro in a fog pattern you have these choices:

Yellow SAE/DOT Fog -- These use 4000k emitters
White SAE/DOT Fog -- These use 6000k emitters

Then you have one remaining option for Amber Backlight yes/no.

For MAX you have similar choices on color but while the pro and sport use different emitters, the MAX only comes in one emitter hence the only difference for the MAX lies with the optics.

Crash recommends Yellow and calls the color "selective yellow" as it's the official terminology for the color as opposed to amber.
Crash's second choice is buying Yellow and installing clear optics which yields a 4k color, warmer than 6000k. So the purchase preference is clear (buy yellow) but the optics can be swapped if you decide later on that you prefer a whiter fog light.

The MAX only comes in one emitter which is good because it's pricey but bad because 4k emitters would be preferable. The optics for the max apply more filtering to get the emitters to produce a selective yellow color.

The backlight is fun but costs more, and requires some way to trigger it. I make some parts to help with that but if you'd rather not spend the money on a backlight don't feel compelled to do so. Some use it as an aux marker light and it can be done as a little flashy for turn signals but it's not a significant amount of output so shouldn't really be used for anything important.

 

I would be in for these if they become a thing. The SS5 being larger and square is what has kept me from getting cross links so far

 

Note that the Max and Pro are the only SS3s sufficient to melt snow if that is a factor. The Max is higher output intensity, better cut offs with less light spill and run hotter, than the Pro hence the recommendation. If used in actual poor weather conditions as a fog should be, selective yellow output will be more beneficial than white. However, if wanting white the 4000k option @daveeasa mentioned will be better performing in poor weather than 6000k. For reference, 6000k is the slightly blue-ish color of factory LED headlights, 4000k is a little whiter than a performance halogen bulb, or about the color of a sylvania silverstar bulb product.

 

Impressed on the review

 

Circling back to the backlight question- they are only aesthetic. However, the SS3 Max backlit model is higher-performing than even the regular Max. This was due to retooling needed on the circuit boards in order for the backlight LEDs to work nicely with the boost HX chips. While they were redesigning, they decided to tweak the performance up a notch.

We are still waiting to see data from @Diode Dynamics and Crash's independent review on what that performance bump looks like.

 

Thank you sir! I ordered SS3 Max with the yellow and backlight, so I would be interested in the parts you make for the backlight if you could point me in the right direction, that would be great!

 

I like your style, go big up front!

One of these
https://fbchs.square.site/product/diode-dynamics-fog-light-backlight-plug-and-play-harness/12

Plus I believe you were halogen so a pair of halogen T harnesses per side, one driver one passenger.

Admittedly it’s not the most frugal way to feed the backlight. A cheaper option is just a sidemarker T harness feeding the backlight off parking light circuit. I can put together a listing for that. I’ve heard that the backlight isn’t very visible in daylight so there may not be a great reason for it off the combo of DRL and parking lights vs direct off parking lights.

I haven’t done my own backlight wiring yet as it’s all for my ‘02 which is still getting new gears done.

Perhaps I’ll revise the plan based on feedback.

 

Yes sir! That's how I roll! Lol.

Thanks again for all of your help. I just ordered a T Harness for Halogen for Driver Side & 1 for Passenger side, as well as the fog light backlight plug and play harness you linked!

Now hopefully once everything arrives, I won't be confused AF when it comes to installing =D

edit: For the backlight, do I have to buy anything else? I believe someone said something about I need a switch to wire it to? So that I can actually click them on but I'm not sure if I understood correctly.

 

If you're a performance fog light enthusiast, you'll want to spend some time reading the full SAE J583 test report attached here. We just finished working with Calcoast to perform full J583 tests on the industry's most popular "SAE Compliant" LED pods from Rigid Industries, Diode Dynamics, and Baja Designs, as well as the new Morimoto 4Bangers. While the report breaks down the highlights from each individual test that J583 covers as a whole, you can download each report in full detail using the hyperlinks on the third page. On behalf of the Morimoto team, we welcome and appreciate any/all questions, comments (and complaints) from the group.

 

Matt,

First of all, welcome to the forums. Second, thank you for sharing your study. Very interesting results.

Before I run out and buy a set of your products to replace my Diode Dynamics Max fogs though, I'm going to wait for a truly independent study though. You see in 36 years spent in manufacturing; I learned a few things. One of those things was that one could pretty much know who would "win" a given study based on who funded it - no matter who did the testing. Even "independent" labs know that pissing off a paying customer is a recipe for losing their repeat business.

I also hope your manufacturing process control has improved on these new products. My experience with your previous LED fogs in my Tacoma was not good. Sure, you folks cheerfully replaced them several times, but the same problems kept coming back time after time. In my book, a great warranty does not make up for a poorly designed and manufactured product.

As for who might be a good candidate for a truly independent study, I'll nominate our very own @crashnburn80.

 

Thanks for the feedback - Ill be the first to admit that some of our earlier products werent great, but they were a springboard to what we're capable of today. Old LED fog lights, HID kits, were primarily designed / sourced from Asia under our name...but most of that materialized a decade ago. These days, most all of our products, including the 4Bangers are 100% designed, engineered, validated in house by a team of amazingly talented engineers. As the report shows, the thermal characteristics on the 4Banger are actually quite well engineered, allowing the junction temp of the LEDs to run cool, safe, reliable. Outside of that, they're also backed with a lifetime warranty.

That said, Calcoast isn't to be bought. They are one of the most highly-regarded independent labs in the world, and wouldn't risk their reputation over $8000 worth of lab testing (I'd bet, anyways)

Like you, we'd welcome @crashnburn80 to carefully review the results. Calcoast still has the parts too....maybe if the group thinks its necessary, we can have them forward the shipment straight to him to re-validate their findings.

 

How did you guys run the test in the future?

 

Matt,

As a fellow professional, I think you know and understand that for a truly independent test, one needs truly independently procured samples. This avoids any possibility of "juiced" samples - which I also experienced in my career in manufacturing.

Tom

 

Tom - absolutely. We purchased the test samples from distributors, and had them drop shipped directly to Calcoast. Diode Dynamics shipped the Max backlit sample to Calcoast directly.

 

After significant testing over the course of the last few years, we are confident in the legality of our products for on-road use, where designated.

I would also remind consumers to use judgement in reviewing marketing materials that are created and paid for by a company to sell their own products. (ourselves included)

Thanks,
Paul

 

Paul, it seems you're insinuating that the results of the testing are somehow skewed in our favor. Calcoast is an independent lab with no skin in the game, and their figures generally line up with the numbers Diode claims in your own materials. If you study the report carefully, Morimoto didnt come out on top in every category either, in fact, the 4Banger really only "won" one category by a long shot (max cd) but fared well across the board. The results are purely objective, based on each models' results from the various SAE J583 tests - and if (for example) a consumer could care less about SAE compliance or thermal characteristics and simply wants the best combination of intensity and width, well, in that case the SS3 Max would be a top pick. This data is purely intended to better educate consumers on whats what, and why. Though competitors may not like the results, they are indeed factual. Notwithstanding, I would encourage readers/consumers to decide whats really most important to them when shopping for a "wide" or "SAE" LED pod, and refer to the specifics in that/those categories to help them make a choice. If you like Baja because it looks cool, generally well regarded, and your friend has em, buy em. If you want a SAE compliant pod with what is hands-down the best cutoff characteristics, go Rigid. If (like I said) you want the most width and could care less about other categories, go SS3, and if you want a solid all rounder, consider the 4Bangers.

 

Matt, I think what Paul is referring to is that the test data from Calcoast is one thing; the assembly, interpretation, and summarization of results on behalf of Morimoto is another. I haven't had a chance to fully dig into the info but it is appreciated that you are providing it for review. Thanks!

 

I understand, and I appreciate that. I'd also recommend that consumers choose the best lamp for their needs - there's much more to compare than beam pattern alone. But quite simply, our own test results just don't quite match what you've published. Intensity values are actually very similar, I will definitely give you that. But aiming, test points, and gradient values are off just enough to swing the results from that "pass" to "fail." According to these test results, there is only one lamp that shows a very clear inability to meet performance standards. But whether it's aiming, exact environmental conditions (as we've discussed at length), or more likely, individual sample error, there are a number of reasons that the results could vary slightly in any test.

So at this point, I remain confident in the legality of Diode products for on-road use, where designated. To support that, we will be conducting third-party testing of our own in the future to verify this and compare. If those tests do confirm that there is a concern with our products, we will take steps to address it. Another opinion, and testing of additional samples, is merited before any conclusions are drawn.

Paul

 

Thanks, yes and no. I do agree that the data collected is valid. It represents accurate tests of the exact samples of products.

However, the presentation of the data in such a "pass or fail" context doesn't really tell the whole story. Legally, a product must either pass or fail, but practically speaking, it could either be definitively and unequivocally compliant, or nowhere close to compliance. Neither Diode or Morimoto lamps fall into either category. All of the Morimoto and Diode lamps are right on the edge of compliance - to the point that different samples would probably lead to different results. Just as an example, if the Morimoto HXB gradient value was not rounded up (which I didn't know was permissible), it would also result in failure.

You would expect that these numbers get very tight when we're trying to push the boundary within the legal requirements. Personally, I feel that these numbers are way, way too close to draw immediate conclusions from a single sample tested. To be safe, we'll be doing additional testing to re-confirm our stance regarding legality of our products, including a number of samples. If there's a higher sample deviation than we expected, for example, we'll take appropriate steps to address it. But more testing is the only reasonable action at this time.

Paul

 

@mynameistory that makes sense - we tried to be as objective as possible when summarizing the results, but needed to provide some written explanations along with each report, as generally speaking, these reports are difficult to understand for anybody whose unfamiliar.

@Diode Dynamics there is no doubt that results may vary depending on samples. In fact, if you sent in 100 4Banger HXB's I'd bet a few of them would probably fail on J583 cutoff characteristics because the sample in this test barely passed (only by rounding error, actually) ....with that said, maybe its possible a "perfect" SS3 Max could pass. SS3 Pro, probably not though.

Paul and the Diode Dynamics team set a new bar in this space with the release of the SS3, there is no question, it was, and still is a great product in many ways, and we hope to work together WITH them to continue raising that bar for the betterment of this industry, to ultimately benefit enthusiasts who support it with amazing lights that are safe for use on and off road.

Paul, if in your future testing you do find that the current SS3 optics wont actually pass, we can advise. Throughout development and additional study, we've become quite intimate with the platform, and think we can help you sharpen things up a bit without changing tooling. Attached a picture here...if you know what it means, you'll know where to start. Happy to sidebar & discuss in more detail though. Call me -