Top 5 Fog Lights for the 5th Gen 4Runner in 2021: Light Output, Ease of Installation & Overall Comparison
Fog lights might not be in the forefront of your mind, but don’t be too quick to look over them.
Not only can they add a great look to your 4Runner but they can also dramatically improve visibility with their improved light output. Fog lights especially increase visibility, especially when the color is yellow or amber.
Top 5 Amber/Yellow Fog Lights 2021
In this review, we will look at aspects such as price, ease of installation, SAE compliance, and light output. For fun, we will do a ranking system of each category on a scale of 1 to 5. One being cheapest or easiest and five being most expensive or most difficult to install.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I will also say that I have personally purchased myself the SS3 Pro fogs from Diode Dynamics. However, I will make this review as unbiased as possible.
Diode Dynamics SS3
Diode Dynamics 3000K (yellow) in an SAE fog pattern
Light Output and Price
Diode Dynamics has been gaining a lot of popularity within the 4Runner and off-road community for their great customer service, quality lights, insane light outputs while still being SAE compliant. For the Diode Dynamics SS3 fog light you have three different options, all with different light outputs and price tags:
These three different tiers of fog lights come in a variety of light output and price ranging from the lowest being Sport and highest being Max. Something that is very important to consider with all three strengths of the Diode Dynamics Fog lights is that all three, Sport, Pro, and Max are all SAE compliant, which is insane. That being said, the question you have to ask yourself when it comes to choosing a Diode Dynamics is which one is in your budget as they do range in price between each strength class.
Ease of Installation
Installation of this kind is quite easy and will take about 20 mins.
The hardest part is getting the fog box off of the passenger side fog light. To get this off, you just need to depress the tab on each side of the fog box with a long flathead screwdriver and pull the fog box off. Since the Diode Dynamics fogs are plug and play, the only thing you need to make sure to do is, when plugging in the fog, just test them before you put your fender liner back.
If they don’t work, disconnect the harness flip it to the other side, plug it back in, and then it should work.
Find them online:
- Fog Lights White (SAE/DOT): Check Price
- Fog Lights Amber (SAE/DOT): Check Price
How They Rank:
- Light Output Score: 5 (for the different options available)
- Pricing Score: 4 (for different options available)
- SAE Compliance Score: 5
- Ease of installation score: 3
- Diode Dynamics SS3 Fogs Score: 17
Baja Designs SAE Squadron
Squadron-R Pros Yellow/Amber Wide Cornering
Light Output and Price
Baja Designs is one of, if not the biggest name, in offroad lighting in the world next to KC HiLiTES and Rigid Industries. Their signature fog light is called the Squadron and is known throughout the offroading community as the best in the business. Many people trust their rigs with Baja Designs because of their reputation for quality and durability when it comes to performance offroad lighting. However, they are more expensive than most offroad lighting companies out there.
When you compare Baja Designs to Diode Dynamics, you lose the option of different pricing tiers and light outputs. There is just one SAE Squadron and it is $100 more than the not street legal Squadron. This for me is one of the main reasons I did not buy the Baja Designs SAE Squadron.
Also, note that this is significantly less bright than the Diode Dynamics SS3 Sport. That being said, all Baja Design users will attest to the increase in price which provides a superior build quality and durability, and they might be right. As someone who has not owned Baja Designs, I cannot personally attest to this but based on a few of my buddy’s rave reviews of Baja Designs, they are definitely worth checking out.
Ease of Installation
The installation of these will be the exact same as the Diode Dynamics. It should take no more than 20-30 mins to do and it is really not hard to do. It isn’t as easy as other options we will look at in this write-up but nevertheless, they are still relatively easy to do.
Find it online:
- Squadron SAE (Street Legal Fog Light Kit): Check Price
How they rank:
- Light Output Score: 5
- Pricing Score: 1
- SAE Compliance Score: 5
- Ease of Installation Score: 3
- Baja Designs SAE Squadron Overall Score: 13
Xenon Depot H16 Xtreme LED Pro
Xenon Depot H16 Yellow
Light Output and Price
The Xenon Depot H11 Fog light bulbs are a great option for someone who wants to keep their OEM housing but want a better light output. These will not give you as much output as the Diode Dynamics or the Baja Designs, but they are obviously brighter than the OEM bulbs that come from Toyota.
There are a couple of different colors when it comes to white. One of the options is the 5000k CMB (color match bulb) of the stock OEM fogs light as well as a 6000k bulb which would add a bit of subtle blue hues to the color of the beam. These are an excellent option for anyone who wants to upgrade the light output of their fog lights, keep the color the same as the OEM fogs, and not break the bank.
For yellow, Xenon Depot makes a killer 3000k yellow output. If you are looking for a simple drop-in bulb option on the market then look at the Xenon Depot Xtreme LED Pros. There is no arguing with the beautiful light output and beam pattern that the Xenon Depot Xtreme LED pros H16 fog light bulbs produce.
Ease of Installation
The first step of the installation is the same as with the Diode Dynamics and the Baja Designs fogs. But after removing and pulling back the fender liner, you just twist and pull out the existing light, unplug it, plug the new one in, and put it back into the OEM housing. Simple and easy but you still get a nice upgrade over those very dim and boring OEM fogs.
Find it online:
- Xenon Depot H16 Yellow: Check Price
How they rank:
- Light Output Score: 2
- Pricing Score: 3
- SAE Compliance Score: 5
- Ease of Installation Score: 4
- Xenon Depot H11 Fog Light Overall Score: 14
Lamin-X Fog Light Covers
Xenon Depot H16 Yellow With Lamin-x Fog Filters
Light Output and Price
The Lamin-X fog light covers do not upgrade your OEM housing in terms of light output as it is just a cover for your fog light but it does add a great look and upgraded functionality to the fogs lights. Not only does the Lamin-X protect your fog light from rock chips but it is also the most affordable option on our list. These fog light covers come in a variety of colors including yellow, amber, gunsmoke, blue, green, and pink. This could add a very cool and personalized look to your rig without breaking into the wallet too hard.
Some guys apply a layer of Lamin-X over housings with upgraded bulbs and even cover pod-style lights as well. Lamin-X can be added to just about any fog light housing or pod light out there. It’s cheap insurance to enhance the look of your fog lights and protect them as well.
Ease of Installation
With the Lamin-x fog light covers, installation couldn’t be any easier. If you are curious to see what it takes, Brenan wrote a post on the full step-by-step application process for the Lamin-X fog light film. You prep the fog light and stick it on the fog light like a sticker and poof you are done. I would say, for the ease of installation. I would give this a score of 5.
Find it online:
- Lamin-X Yellow: Check Price
- Lamin-X Amber: Check Price
How they rank:
- Light Output Score: 0
- Pricing Score: 5
- SAE Compliance Score: 5
- Ease of Installation Score: 5
- Xenon Depot H11 Fog Light Overall Score: 15
Special Lighting SL – X9 Laser Light
Light Output and Price
Finally, we have the new X9 from Special Lighting. This is a very interesting light reminiscent of that Baja Designs / pod-style look. It comes in at a common 3.5″ in diameter light and although it looks like a BD light at first, it’s not just another 4 LED light that took inspiration from the Baja Designs Squadron series. It incorporates a laser diode with four LEDs to deliver a unique light that offers three different beam patterns; driving, cornering, and spot.
You can read the full review of this new light here where Jensen puts these up against the Baja Designs pods.
At the price or near the price of a Baja Design squadron though, these do seem pretty high up there for what they are.
Ease of Installation
The same process for just about all pod-style lights. Again, check out that install/review guide that Jensen put together for these for the overview.
Find It Online:
- X9 from Special Lighting: Discontinued
How they rank:
- Light Output Score: 5
- Pricing Score: 3
- SAE Compliance Score: 0
- Ease of Installation Score: 3
- Special Lighting X9 Laser Lights Overall Score: 11
Final Thoughts
Squadron-R Pros White Driving/Combo Lens
Whatever you are looking for in a fog light (bulb or upgraded housing), there is something out there for everyone on any budget looking.
To recap, the overall scores were:
- Diode Dynamics: 17
- Baja Designs: 14
- Xenon Depot H11: 14
- Lamin-x Covers: 15
- Special Lighting X9 Laser Lights Overall Score: 11
There are many other fog lights on the market, this is just a few of the recent ones.
This is not to say that Diode Dynamics is a better light than Baja or vise versa. This is just my honest opinion and perception of fog lights in general.
This was my way to put hard numbers on what each fog light upgrade offers. Some scores might be more important to you than others and that why you decided to go with Baja over the Diode or the Lamin-X over any of them. It is all about modding your rig for what you need and want, after all, you drive it every day, so you should be happy with it.
If you can afford the best, go with Baja. If you’re looking for a Baja-style pod without the inflated price, look at the Diode Dynamics SS3. If you want a laser-style light, definitely look at the new X9s from special lighting.
Finally, if you want an affordable plug-and-play yellow/amber fog light bulb without changing housings, check out the Xenon Depot Xtreme LED pros.
Hey! Love your website btw, this is my first comment.
First thing I did on my ’20 4R was swap the highs/lows with LEDS and I bought the Diode Dynamics SS3 Fog kits. And boy do I love them!!! They look awesome at night, but even better during the day when the sun shine on them. I will say though, in city driving I do not turn them on because I’ve notice that the super bright yellow freaks out normal drivers around me. Therefore, I only use them when i head out the city or when the weather is bad. Which during the Texas snowpocalypse last Feb came in super handy! Finally, i will say the worse part of the install, was in fact the passenger side plastic fog light housing thing. It took me forever to find the front clips to pop out and it was very difficult overall, so i didn’t even put that stupid piece of plastic back on. I saved it incase i need it some day, but it appears to me to be a useless/pointless part that Toyota put there. Can’t even figure out the reason why its only on the passenger side. So ya, buy the Diodes is what I’m saying!!!
100% agree with you on the ranking. I have the Diode Dynamics on my 4R and they are fantastic for $200 literally plug and play. I helped my buddy install his baja’s and I’ll say the bajas are a little bit more finicky when it comes to the install. You have to do more work with the wiring harness and it doesnt help the instructions are B&W not color. Additionally you have to cut a rubber spacer and the adhesive is kinda poor on it. After that I was glad I went with diode’s ss3’s. Seriously just get diodes, the baja designs name isn’t worth it.
I appreciate it! Thank you for reading!