Xenon Depot H16 Yellow Fog Lights for the 5th Gen Toyota 4Runner

H16 Xtreme Led Pro Fog Light Bulb – Yellow (2700K color) Fog Lights for the 5th Gen 4Runner

In many automotive circles, the question always arises, are yellow fog lights really better?

Well, we know they are typically better in poor weather but are they the best application for you personally?

History of yellow lights?

In the 1930s, many automobiles were running yellow(ish) lights. Yellow lights were believed to be the easiest on the eyes and the most universal in an all-weather headlight.

In some countries like France, it was actually required by law that you were to have yellow headlights. Since then much has changed in LED advances and now, many kelvin temperatures (colors) of headlights are accepted. Today, many automotive companies are equipping vehicles with pure white (5000K) LEDs because they are often brighter than yellow lights.

Yellow light cuts through rain, snow, and fog better than white or blue light. Yellow lights do not reflect off moisture as easily as blue/white lights. Blue and white lights have a tendency of reflecting/glaring off moisture thus reducing visibility.

Because of this, some cars run yellow lights as fog lights.

Just check out this awesome old-school Top-Gear video for reference.

Baja Designs Squadron-R Pros to Xenon Depot Yellow Xtreme LEDs?

I have had the Baja Designs Squadron-R Pros in white driving/combo as fog lights for the better part of a year. I have run the squadrons through many types of terrain, all four seasons of weather and of course on the road.

I purchased the Squadrons driving/combo lens because I was going for the brightest light possible with a high and wide pattern. Yeah, they are freaking bright and have a spot-like pattern. But, Baja makes a wide cornering lens that is specifically designed for cornering, dust and/or foggy conditions which is closer to a fog light. The driving/combo lens is closer to a spot pattern.

If you are going for a more traditional fog light pattern, choose the wide cornering lens. If you are looking for a bad-ass off-road fog light with a big spread, look at the driving/combo lens.

NOTE: The entire Baja Squadron line-up is not street-legal or DOT-approved. So if you are looking for something off-road only, look at the Squadrons.

If you are looking for something that can handle both on and off-road applications, all while being close to street legal, take a look at the yellow H16 LED Bulb from Xenon Depot.

Winter is Coming…

As winter is coming, I wanted to switch to a yellow or amber fog light to better adapt to rainy, foggy, and snowy conditions.

White vs. yellow/amber lights:

• White light features distance and performance, natural clarity, and great on/off-road performance depending on the weather.
• Yellow light cuts through rain, snow, dust, and fog better than white or blue light. When harsh conditions are present, yellow may help you navigate more efficiently.

I like the idea of having a white light through spring and summer and then a yellow/amber light through fall and winter.

Let’s look at two somewhat common options now for yellow or amber fog lights on the 5th Gen 4Runner.

Xenon Depot 2700K Yellow or Squadron Amber?

Pictured above XD 2700K yellow fogs and XD 5000K HIDs

Today, we are talking about the XD 2700K Yellow Xtreme LED Pro. The next upgraded option, in my opinion, would be a yellow/amber Squadrons or the KC HiLiTES Gravity G4 led fog light kit.

For the sake of argument, let’s focus on the Squadron-R sport.

• Squadron-R Sports Amber: 3150 lumens with 4 LEDs – Check Price
• XD Yellow Xtreme LEDs: 1150 lumens with two LEDs –Check Price

While the yellow Xtreme LED Pro does not boast comparable lumens as the yellow Squadron, it may be the better option depending on your needs.

Xenon Depot Yellow Xtreme LEDs

I wanted to install the new yellow Xtreme LED Pro because I know and trust the XD brand. They are also less than half the price of squadron sports.

On a side note, if you are looking for the installation on H16 bulbs, check out our other post highlighting the step by step installation process.

The XD Xtreme LEDs in Yellow are around $120 while the Baja Designs Amber Squadrons are around $350. These lights are plug-n-play bulbs with more than enough output to cover the road and what’s in front of the 4Runner.

I currently have the XD HIDs as low beams and LEDs as high beams.

The yellow Xtreme LEDs (2700K) and pure-white (5000K) HIDs make a very nice pattern together.

The combination is powerful, smooth, dynamic and useful. Instead of only using your fog lights off-road, this setup allows you to run your fogs closer to full-time. Although they are not technically street legal, they are more mellow than Baja squads which may ease your mind on-road.

If you are doing 90% on-road and 10% off-road, this might be a good option for you.

Squadron-R Sports Amber Wide Corning

XD 2700K yellow fog passenger, XD 5000K HID Low Beams and a BD Squadron Pro Driver

With the Squadron-R Sports in wide cornering and amber, you are going to get a brighter light output and LED bulbs alone. Your beam pattern radius is going to increase dramatically as well.

Instead of having a subtle factory-style beam pattern, your light output will essentially overpower your low beams. White HIDs or LEDs are going to be washed out with your yellow/amber hue (See image above of a white BD Squadron Pro for example). Granted, they are white but hopefully, it will give you a better idea of the difference.

If you are running Squadron Pros Amber in your fog light housing, just make sure you are cautious of other drivers. Those Amber lights are bright and rarely seen on the road that bright, so your truck will stand out noticeably more than a powerful white light.

They are also illegal, but it is highly unlikely you are going to get pulled over.

Amber Light Vs. White Light

Staring into a bright pure white LED is almost normal these days (look at the 3000+ factory lumens on a Tesla). With the Squadron-R Pros in white, its almost as if oncoming traffic can handle it. But, with Squadron-R Sports or Pros in Amber, oncoming traffic is going to see this a little different.

Have you ever stared into the eyes of two Squadron-R Pros in Amber? It’s not easy, let me put it that way.

Are yellow fog lights for you?

If you answer yes or agree to the following, then yellow/amber fog lights are probably for you.

• You live in or drive through climates where conditions can be harsh
• You live in or drive through areas that can be very dusty
• You are looking for better vision in rain, fog, and snow
• You are looking for more visibility at night
• You are looking to remove blue/violet colors

If you rarely find yourself off-road or in extreme weather conditions, yellow fogs (2700K) might not be for you.  If you are a normal to moderate-weather driver, then maybe a 5000K LED will work just fine.

It might depend on the look you are going for as well. If you just want the Yellow fog look, then you can look at a set of Lamin-X filters you throw over the top of your factory housing.

We will do a follow-up post on those and compare.