Top 8 Fog Lights for the 5th Gen 4Runner

LED Bulbs, Projectors & Reflectors – KC HiLiTES, Xenon Depot, Lamin-X or Baja – Which Fog Light is for you?

Aftermarket fog lights are a great addition to the 4Runner. They are simple to install, and can drastically improve your daily driving experience.

There are quite a few options out there to choose from, though. We wanted to cover a few of the most popular options available along with highlighting their features and benefits.

I also wanted to do a quick breakdown of the Baja Squadron Ambers Vs. White (scroll to the bottom for that).

Baja offers many different options when it comes to their squadron lineup so hopefully, we can clear a few questions up. Before you look directly at the Baja Squadrons, you have other options to consider.

Some of these alternatives may actually be a better fit for your truck, all while being a little more affordable.

#1 – Lamin-X protective film covers

Features & Price:

• Multiple color options
• Universal application
• Easy install
• Protects lights
• Check Today’s Price

I wanted to highlight Lamin-X films first because they are so versatile.

With Lamin-X protective film, you can go for many different looks. The most notable of looks is the “yellow fogs” look. This is very popular in the European car market and has increasingly grown into the off-road market.

Lamin-X offers more than yellow, though. The company also offers Amber, Blue, Tint, Gunsmoke, Green, Pink and Clear. If you are looking to blackout your fogs, go for the gunsmoke. If you are just looking to add a layer of protective film, go for the clear.

Clear is a great protective addition to the factory housings as well as many aftermarket fog light options below. Going beyond projecting different light colors with their film, Lamin-X can also act as a protective shield against rock chips, and light cracks.

Regardless of which fog light you choose, Lamin-X can be a great addition to many set-ups.

#2 – Philips H16

Light Specs & Price:

• 6000K – Pure White: Check Price
• 840 lumens per light

Probably the cheapest LED introduction to your factory fog light housing is the Philips 12834UNIX2 X-treme Vision LED Fog Light.

This was one of the first mods we added on one of our old 4Runners and it was a huge difference from the factory halogen bulb.

These bulbs are plug-n-play. Just unplug the factory halogen fog lights and twist these new bulbs into place. As long as you are someone handy with a screwdriver, you can pull it off.

The bright white 6000K color combined 9.3W of power and 840 lumens almost washed out the orange hue from the factory H11 low beams. If you are looking for a simple yet effective upgrade, the Philips X-treme Vision fogs will not let you down.

#3 – Xenon Depot H16

Light Specs & Price:

• 5500K – Pure White: Check Price
• 1900 lumens per light

If you are new to the Xenon Depot brand, let me just tell you, they kick serious ass and they are backed with excellent customer service. Xenon Depot makes a supreme set-up for the 5th Gen 4Runner. They offer all the LEDs you need to get your front-end shining bright.

Their line is Xtreme LED Pro, offered in H11 (low beams), 9005 (high beams), and of course the H16 (fog light bulbs).

At just a step above the Philips X-treme Vision LED fogs in price, the Xenon Depot shines light-years beyond boasting 1900 stable lumens (not inflated lumen hype) and 5500k pure white color.

If you want to spend a little extra, keep your factory fog housing and be blown away by the result, go with Xenon Depot.

Depending on the time of year, you can actually get the Xtreme LED Pros for a great price. Be patient, sign up for their newsletter and wait for a sale.

#4 – Xenon Depot H16 Yellow Bulb + Lamin-X film

Pictured: Xenon Depot H16 Yellow + Lamin-X Yellow Filters with Xenon Depot H11 Low Beams

Light Specs & Price:

• 2700K – Yellow
• 1150 lumens per light
• Yellow Fog Light Bulb Front (H16/H11)

DAMN. Such a good look. I have seen many different light patterns over the years and WOW, this is an awesome combination. It’s not going to win the “lumen of the year award” but this is a great combination of lighting.

If you are looking for a yellow fog light without overspending, the Xenon Depot yellow H16 bulbs would be my go-to option. Then, adding Lamin-X film over them if you are going for the “yellow fog” look while adding to the yellow intensity color output.

The XD H16s and Lamin-X film are a great combination.

#5 – Morimoto Type T XB Projector LED Fog Light

Light Specs & Price:

• 5500K – Pure White
• 1200 lumens per light with three LEDs
• SAE Street Legal
• Check Today’s Price

For those that are unfamiliar with projector-based headlights, these are projectors, just like our low beams. Projectors have either an HID bulb or an LED bulb inside the “projector bowl”. These are similar to our high beam reflector as they “reflect” the light towards a magnified projector lens in the housing. The light then hits a piece of metal that is shaped like the intended beam pattern that will be projected onto the road.

If anyone in the projector-based lighting market has done their homework, its The Retrofit Source (TRS). TRS offers a very wide range of lights, including the popular Morimoto line. Morimoto makes a pretty impressive lineup of LED and HID projector-based headlights. They also make LED bulbs and many other automotive lighting options.

The type T XB Projector LED fog light is a direct replacement to our factory fog housing.

The first thing that stands out is their blackout housing, which will make for a really clean look. With a cutoff line built into the housing, these projectors will have a sharp cutoff with concentrated light focus.

With a strong cutoff line and that blacked-out look, the Morimoto’s shine (pun intended) in many automotive circles.

Add some clear Lamin-X protective film over the front to keep these looking nice.

#6 – KC HILITES Gravity G4

Light Specs & Price:

• 5000K – Pure White
• 866 lumens per light
• SAE Street Legal

Find it online: 

• Check Price

KC HiLiTES is one of the longest-standing off-road/automotive lighting companies around. Your dad’s dad was probably rocking a set of KC HiLiTES in high school trying to get into your grandma’s pants behind gym class. Ok, seriously though KC has some serious heritage in the off-road lighting scene with more than enough lumens to back it up.

KC offers the Gravity line in many shapes and sizes, but the Gravity G4 is made for the 5th Gen 4Runner fog pocket. The Gravity G4s are a direct replacement for the factory fog housing.

The lights come in both white/clear and amber options. Amber will give you greater visibility through fog, mist, rain, snow and dusty conditions. Their “fog beam” pattern is low and wide which increases your short-range visibility.

One notable feature is their durable self-contained IP69 (what does that mean) rated light housing. You can put KC housings through the paces (wind, water, sand, snow), and they will always hold their ground. KC makes some of the best products out there in terms of features and functionality.

With the G4, you get a street-legal fog light that won’t blind oncoming drivers but will perform when you need it while off the road.

#7 – Baja Squadron-R Yellow/Amber

Squadron-R Sports Yellow/Amber Wide Cornering

Squadron-R Pros Yellow/Amber Wide Cornering

Light Specs & Price:

• 5000K – Pure White with Amber Lens Covers
• 3150 per light with 4 LEDs
• Not Street Legal
• Check Today’s Price

The Squadrons are a staple in the 4Runner community.

We have covered the squadrons throughout the blog a few times. Installing the Baja Squadrons is a pretty straightforward process. Running the Baja Squadrons is another story.

Baja Squadrons (sports and pros) are not street legal. You may have a hard time running squadrons as normal, everyday fog lights, especially amber. Because amber is not common on most vehicles, the lights will stand out. The lights will stand out both in the amber color and actual light intensity. This will cause oncoming traffic to repeatedly flash you.

After running both white and amber squadrons (pros and sports), I was flashed by oncoming drivers more with the ambers (so much that I stopped running them at night on the road).

If you are looking for pure off-road lights then the amber squadrons are great. If you are looking for daily driving fog lights, you may want to look another direction.

The time where ambers shine most is increasing visibility through fog, mist, rain, snow and dusty conditions. Driving through rain storms with amber fogs had a drastic increase in visibility over white.

If you are set on the ambers, a great addition would be wiring them to a switch pro SP 9100. From there, you can control the light intensity. That is how Max (an author on the blog) has his wired up.

#8 – Baja Squadron-R White

Squadron-R Sports White Driving/Combo Lens

Squadron-R Pros White Driving/Combo Lens

Light Specs & Price:

• 5000K – Pure White with Clear Lens Covers
• 4900 per light with 4 LEDs
• Not Street Legal
• Check Today’s Price

If you are looking to use the white squadrons as daily driving fog lights, you will get flashed but nowhere near the ambers. I had the Squadron pros spot/driving lens installed for about a year and had them on for most of that time. I got a flash from oncoming traffic here and there but nothing that would make me want to turn the lights off, like the ambers.

The amber Squadrons are intense when they are coming at you. The white lights still have the same intensity but white is a normal color to see on the road, and that is why (I think) that we get flashed less.

I personally like the white Squadrons as daily driving fog lights. They are very powerful, bright fog lights, that can function both on and off the road.

If I had a choice between the two, it would be white in a wide cornering lens. Then I would buy a set of amber lenses also in a wide cornering lens for winter driving.