A Road Legal, Super Bright Fog Light Upgrade For Your Truck
Baja Designs just updated their SAE fog lights which are an awesome upgrade over OEM and also a solid accessory light to consider if you don’t have a road-legal option. Baja Designs has become one of the best in class when it comes to performance and off-road lighting. After the initial release of their SAE fog lights, they’ve made some adjustments and are currently offering an exchange program to get the current model free of charge.
With some new upgrades, these have over a 50% increase in visibility than the previous generation with output ratings of 2,420 lumens per light and 15,800 candela at 29 watts. When compared to my OEM fog bulbs which were sitting between 900 and 1000 lumens I’d say this is a serious upgrade.
Features & Specs
The designation on these lights means they are street legal and are within the output threshold established by the Society of Automotive Engineers and DOT. Generally speaking, it means these are tuned and adjusted so they won’t blind other traffic on the road while still covering the designated lighting zones. Most importantly, it means you can safely and legally run these while driving on the road.
- Billet Machined Aluminum Housing
- Fully Compliant with on-road regulations
- Updated with aspheric projector optics
- Efficient LED Technology
- Built in voltage protection
Kit Overview
In the kit you get everything you need for a seamless, plug and play install. Baja Designs offers these in several different options including a universal fitment, and a pair with a bezel that fits right into the OEM fog pocket. Aside from the universal set, the wiring kits are vehicle specific so you can plug them right into your OEM fog light harness if desired. If you’re familiar with Baja’s auxiliary lighting sets, you’ll notice the biggest change on the business end of these lights. They’ve swapped out the powerful LED internals for their newly engineered aspheric projector optics and an updated lens to match. I went with the clear lights to match my other aux lights on the truck, but Baja also offers these in their signature amber color and the lenses are easily swapped.
Designed for off-road use, these lights are on the heavier side for their size. They feature a machined aluminum housing and bezel which has a nice solid feel to it. I will say, I’ve experienced some issues with fog lights and water-crossings, even after only having the lights for a couple weeks. Not sure if there was a part failure or I just cooked them – but Baja honored their warranty and got me a new pair with no hassle and haven’t had any problems with them since!
Install Notes
To install, there’s really not much to it. First, locate and disconnect your OEM fog lights from the wiring harness and bracket if you still have them installed. Next, find your desired mounting location – I have an aftermarket bumper and ended up using the bracket provided in the kit to slot right into a mounting point but you could mount this just about anywhere.
Once you’ve found a good spot, plug these into the OEM wiring harness or an auxiliary switch if desired and make sure they in working order. Before giving these a final tightening, you’ll want to spend a couple minutes getting the beams aimed properly for the best performance…. and make sure you’re not blinding oncoming traffic.
Aerial Output Shots
We took these photos in the same conditions, with the same settings, and the same simple edits to make them as true to life as possible. It’s tough to find somewhere with ZERO ambient light, so you can see some light in the top left that’s coming from a street light about 100 feet away.
OEM Halogen Headlights
Baja SAE
OEM Headlight + Baja SAE
Ground Level Output Shots
Same concept as above, just on a garage door for a different perspective.
OEM Halogen Headlights
Baja SAE
OEM Headlight + Baja SAE
Output Analysis
Drone Photos
First off, the stock headlights aren’t the greatest. We already know that much. But it’s a good reference point to compare to.
You can see that the SAEs are very concentrated, and when aimed correctly, not blinding traffic whatsoever. If you look at the image with both on, you can see that the Bajas complement the headlight beam pattern pretty well.
Ground Photos
Same sentiment for the headlights here. But the SAEs once again show a concentrated pattern. One thing to note, they seem to “lose” some put near the bottom of the garage door. Looking back, that shot could be better. The driveway has a small hump in it, but on this angle it was enough to cut off some light output. You can see the top of the light on the bottom of the garage door.
The SAEs have a very sharp cutoff, with a good looking tricolor beam pattern towards the edges. They do exactly what they’re designed for. The complementary overlap is seen again with both on, where the beam patterns mate into a high visibility zone.
Final Thoughts
Shot above is the same set on Konrad’s truck. He tested them out for a month before I did on his bumper.
Overall, these lights have performed awesome both on and off-road. If you’re like me and have the OEM halogen headlights you know there’s much to be desired when it comes to driving at night, having the ability to throw these on for a bit extra is definitely a bonus. With the added peace of mind that these are “street-legal” you can confidently run these without having to shut them off in fear of getting a ticket or irritating other drivers.
After adding these, they’ve quickly become the most-used accessory on my truck. Whether its on the highway for some extra light during a long haul home or using these with the others I have off-road, I always find myself popping these on. They splash outward really nicely and illuminate a lot of those dark side areas that a hard to see at night. I can’t say enough good things about these lights and can’t wait to see some of Baja’s next updates.
