Which DD SS3 lights

[GroovyGeek]

I am normally a budget LED kind of guy, but feel that for something with critical functionality such as fog lights it is worth paying up a bit. Have decided that next time DD runs a 20 off promo will get SS3 amber SAE pods with a fog pattern.

However I am unclear if there is any point in buying more than the sport pods for fogs. These will be angled down and are intended for close range illumination. Feels like the pros and/or the max will actually be counter productive for a fog light, as the higher power output will just produce more scatter.

Thoughts and advice appreciated.

PS not going to be buying any kits, just the SS3 and wire them with a DYI harness and a generic Chinazon bracket. So surprised that DD hangs Deutch connectors right off the body, feels like such a poor design decision.

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[Biff]

I went with the DD SS3s in Sport shortly after installing Body Armor’s front steel bumper and am very satisfied with the the light out as well as the wide angle beam. If you already have the oem fog light wiring, 4x4truckleds makes installation a breeze with their harnesses. I went with the white w amber backlight, but ended up getting the yellow covers from DD and it’s still plenty of light and helps immensely with side visibility on backroads.

 

[mikec426]

I just went to 4x4truckled’s website and read about their setups. They’ve got a few combinations ranging from completely legal to the power of 1000 suns and also their own recommendations.

I went with a mostly legal setup. I figure nothing I’ve driven from the factory in the last 10 or so years has disappointed me when it comes to fog lights so a mostly legal setup should be good enough.

I’m also going to add 2 pair of Pro level lights for A-pillar / ditch lights if I want more light.

 

[GroovyGeek]

Don't have factory wiring on the BD with the HD bumper (apparently HD bumper + mid package = no fog wiring. Why so many dumb decisions @Ford Motor Company, why? ) but I have the aux switches so running the wiring is trivial.

The 4x4truckleds kits are too much. Only a single fog light per side is legal in CA and after recently getting ticketed for uncovered ditch lights by an ultra-bored cop I am a bit paranoid. Will just buy a single pair of SS3 Sports in SAE fog, wire them with a generic bracket from Amazon and call it a day for under $200 (once the DD discount kicks in).

Are the amber backlights worth it? I can't quite get the point of having them. Seems that when the pods are on they give them a more amber color.

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

I am normally a budget LED kind of guy, but feel that for something with critical functionality such as fog lights it is worth paying up a bit. Have decided that next time DD runs a 20 off promo will get SS3 amber SAE pods with a fog pattern.

However I am unclear if there is any point in buying more than the sport pods for fogs. These will be angled down and are intended for close range illumination. Feels like the pros and/or the max will actually be counter productive for a fog light, as the higher power output will just produce more scatter.

Thoughts and advice appreciated.

PS not going to be buying any kits, just the SS3 and wire them with a DYI harness and a generic Chinazon bracket. So surprised that DD hangs Deutch connectors right off the body, feels like such a poor design decision.

What kind of bumper do you have?

What do you mean by "DD hangs Deutch connectors right off the body" im not sure I understand?

Our "Kits" for the modular bumper are 2 or 3 pairs of lights. But you can also do an ala carte and just buy one pair of lights, the brackets and our harness and save $$ that way as well. We have a lot of customers who do that because they only want 1 pair of lights.

 

[GroovyGeek]

What kind of bumper do you have?

What do you mean by "DD hangs Deutch connectors right off the body" im not sure I understand?

Our "Kits" for the modular bumper are 2 or 3 pairs of lights. But you can also do an ala carte and just buy one pair of lights, the brackets and our harness and save $$ that way as well. We have a lot of customers who do that because they only want 1 pair of lights.

With most other pods the wire harness connects to a female Deutch connector that hangs on a foot long pigtail. This allows for better installation options in tight places, visually cleaner install, and better shielding the connection point from the elements. With DD the harness plugs into a Deutch female receptacle directly in the body of the pod. That is, IMO, sub optimal but since nobody than me is complaining about it I am willing to assume that I am an outlier. Not a big deal for bumper mounted fog lights which are not directly exposed to the full force of mother nature.

I have the mod bumper. When the next sale comes I will just be buying a single pair of DD SS3, in SAE fog yellow. Pretty easy to run 14 AWG wire back to the aux switches and solder joint to the DD provided pigtails.

In the mean time I need to figure out whether the backlight serves any useful function to justify a 20% mark-up.

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

With most other pods the wire harness connects to a female Deutch connector that hangs on a foot long pigtail. This allows for better installation options in tight places, visually cleaner install, and better shielding the connection point from the elements. With DD the harness plugs into a Deutch female receptacle directly in the body of the pod. That is, IMO, sub optimal but since nobody than me is complaining about it I am willing to assume that I am an outlier. Not a big deal for bumper mounted fog lights which are not directly exposed to the full force of mother nature.

I have the mod bumper. When the next sale comes I will just be buying a single pair of DD SS3, in SAE fog yellow. Pretty easy to run 14 AWG wire back to the aux switches and solder joint to the DD provided pigtails.

In the mean time I need to figure out whether the backlight serves any useful function to justify a 20% mark-up.

Morimoto, Diode Dynamics, Rigid Industries and tons of other lights don't have a pigtail hanging off. In fact, Baja Designs is one of a few companies that has a pigtail hanging off. It's the norm. to actually have the connector molded into the housing of the light.

We just had our father's day sale this past weekend, and we do have 15% off our triple fog kits utilizing coupon code JUNE15. As for an "ala carte" system, simply add what you want to your cart on our site and submit it to us for a quote.

If you want to make your harness by all means, but we have pre-made harnesses that cover 1 pair of lights or 3 pairs of lights. Wrapped in a protective sleeve with weather proof, heat shrinkable connectors on the other end to go right to your upfitters.

We do have 4th of July sales coming in a few weeks so check out our site at that time to see what we have to offer.

The brackets we offer are made right here on Long Island from stainless steel and feature a lifetime warranty. Powder coated black as well. The "Chinazon " as you put it are just made out of cheap steel and will rust within a year. That's why our brackets cost a bit more, because we're using stainless steel to ensure they never rust.

 

[Bill K]

I am normally a budget LED kind of guy, but feel that for something with critical functionality such as fog lights it is worth paying up a bit. Have decided that next time DD runs a 20 off promo will get SS3 amber SAE pods with a fog pattern.

However I am unclear if there is any point in buying more than the sport pods for fogs. These will be angled down and are intended for close range illumination. Feels like the pros and/or the max will actually be counter productive for a fog light, as the higher power output will just produce more scatter.

Thoughts and advice appreciated.

PS not going to be buying any kits, just the SS3 and wire them with a DYI harness and a generic Chinazon bracket. So surprised that DD hangs Deutch connectors right off the body, feels like such a poor design decision.

I'm budget minded too and ordered and installed the sport light package. Fog lights for this intenisty are fine for me and the off road lights saved my bacon in the snow on unplowed county roads in Colorado at night. Although I don't do alot of off roading, the one time I needed the lights sport intensity worked great for me...

 

[GroovyGeek]

Morimoto, Diode Dynamics, Rigid Industries and tons of other lights don't have a pigtail hanging off. In fact, Baja Designs is one of a few companies that has a pigtail hanging off. It's the norm. to actually have the connector molded into the housing of the light.

Surprised to learn that the molded connector is the default choice. I am sorry, but this is plain fugly

Source:

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

Surprised to learn that the molded connector is the default choice. I am sorry, but this is plain fugly

Source:

No different then having a pigtail off the light... Also that's not our harness. That's a splitter cable which is why it's so beefy.

Can't even see the wire on this SS5. Granted it's from the front but still...

Not havnig a pigtail on the back makes for an easier installation. I'm a big Baja Designs dealer and fan but sometimes that pitail gets annoying and in the way. The connection is usually burried somewhere under the cowl that can be tricky to get to. And with the fog lights it's extra wiring we have to hide. Compared to just plugging the harness right into the light.

It allows the end-user to have a harness that is the perfect length and doesn't have extra connection points as well.

 

[ProdigyJKU]

I went with the pro version, and have been extremely happy with them. But honestly if I did it over again I would probably just go with the sport instead. I feel like the sport would still have been more than adequate for my purpose, which is aimed down and slightly to the sides to aid in cornering at night. The sport has a slightly more crisp pattern cutoff, as the shear intensity of the pro's light output "overwhelms" the light patterning a bit.

Anyway, the lights are awesome and routinely save me in the winter as they run hot enough to keep the lense free of snow. The factory headlight easily get caked with snow and becone virtually useless, while there won't be a speck snow on the DD lights.

I made simple brackets for mine out of a piece of aluminum bar. They bolt right to the frame.

 

[GroovyGeek]

I went with the pro version, and have been extremely happy with them. But honestly if I did it over again I would probably just go with the sport instead. I feel like the sport would still have been more than adequate for my purpose, which is aimed down and slightly to the sides to aid in cornering at night. The sport has a slightly more crisp pattern cutoff, as the shear intensity of the pro's light output "overwhelms" the light patterning a bit.

Anyway, the lights are awesome and routinely save me in the winter as they run hot enough to keep the lense free of snow. The factory headlight easily get caked with snow and becone virtually useless, while there won't be a speck snow on the DD lights.

I made simple brackets for mine out of a piece of aluminum bar. They bolt right to the frame.

Yes the pros run hotter and can melt snow. I don't think the Sports do.

Great DYI solution with the aluminum brackets, they look like 3" arms about 1/4" thick, do you have a good source for these or did you also cut them to length and width for an angle bar? Perhaps something like this

https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Extrusion-Profile-Connector-Bracket/dp/B0C2BJZGLF/

 

[ProdigyJKU]

Yes the pros run hotter and can melt snow. I don't think the Sports do.

Great DYI solution with the aluminum brackets, they look like 3" arms about 1/4" thick, do you have a good source for these or did you also cut them to length and width for an angle bar? Perhaps something like this

https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Extrusion-Profile-Connector-Bracket/dp/B0C2BJZGLF/

I just used some aluminum bar stock that I found laying around, and bent it 90°.

Something like this, https://www.amazon.com/Evecad-Alumi...rds=aluminum+bar+stock&qid=1718694093&sr=8-11

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