I am looking to see what you all are using for upper grill lights. Because the 2021 4Runners have the sensors in the lower grilles, it kills our ability to run larger light bars. So i am looking for lights that can be run in the upper grille. I would like to use them in a driving/spot/combo pattern to augment the headlights and high beams.

Here is what I have seen as potential options so far:

Diode Dynamics SS6 light bar kit: Search results for: 'stage...ightbar kit for 2014 2021 toyota 4runner'

or

Baja Designs S8 Light bar kit: Baja Designs - Toyota, 4Runner TRD (14-18) Dual S8 Mount Kit, 10" S8

Are there any other options you all are using?

any single row will work, the logo will block some of it though.

i ran 2 BD s2's but they were more for dust lights, output is meh since theyre the poor man sports. but they bolted up to the stock cross bar behind the grille

Would you recommend that set up with the S2 Pro?

I run a single BD 20' S8. You can also get 2 10". Thread here.

New!!! Baja Designs - Dual 10" S8 - Behind The Grille Kit

this.

I would recommend a 20 inch over 2 x (10 inches) mainly for ease of wiring.

Ok. That’s a possible option but I’m afraid I’d get pulled over if I used it as Aux highbeams connected to my headlights…

Here is another option. I have also come a cross the VisionX Kit. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Vision X 4Runner Grille LED Lighting Kit (2014-2021) — 4Runner Lifestyle

It looks like it could be a good alternative…

IMHO, any after market aftermarket offroad lights tend to attract cops like flies to poop. I personally use them only as offroad lights or I use them to serve as "fck you" lights to people who try to kill me on the road late at night. Also any LED light in the upper grill area, tends to light up street signs and road reflectors to the point that it kind of ruins your own night vision.

I still like a single row light bar up there mainly because thats what I run. Seriously get what looks cool to you (its very noticeable on and off), because they all function about the same in that area (blinding high beams that is aimed at most car's rear view mirrors because of where the upper grill sits"...lol. Also, there is not alot of adjustability in that area. A light bar and pods fits in that area, but there is little to no room to really adjust where the light is pointing.

Honestly, a more useable place to put a light bar is in the lower grill area. It may not look as cool but its more functional in the lower grill. I live by the beach, so when the weather/beach gets fogged in, i can get away with the lower light bar (illegally of course) and it works flawlessly (it cuts through the fog better without ruining my vision). My upper grill light just tends to blind me (either through reflection off street signs, or light scatter by the fog).

My use is mostly for long dark roads, and I travel a lot. I plan to hook them in with my factory high beams which are connected to an auto system as to not blind oncoming drivers or those ahead of me on those long roads...

As for using the lower grill, I have those sensors in my 2021 so I can't get a bar down there... that I know of.

That's what I use my light bar for - early trips in the mountains and coming down trails at night from fishing and hiking trips. It works very well for both of those. I aim it with the high beams, so it is like having high beams x 10.

And you want the throw up higher to see animals, etc.

A picture of the throw from the Alvord Playa ...



I'm a believer in getting quality stuff. It's the BD 20" light bar with one of their extensions hooked up to a Switch-Pros. It will last the lifetime of the truck. SDHQ makes a pair of $20 mounts that make the whole thing a no-drill completely reversible install.

(It has a third wire that gives it backlighting if you hook it up to a power source if you want markers up there a la Raptor lights.)

I'd recommend the Diode kit frankly because it's the best bang for the buck and they're street-legal to use. SAE J581 allows you to mount 2 lights and use them as auxillary high beams, provided that the lights meet the pattern and intensity requirements. Lights that meet these requirements are marked, so you have something to show LEO in case they decide to pull you over.



They're also less than a third of the price of the Baja kit. Baja makes nice lights but I doubt they're 3 times as useful.

I made my own auxiliary driving lamps using their Pro SS3 lights and some custom brackets. If the 4Runner kit had been available at the time I might have gone that route.

oh okay, so upper grill it is.


You have a lot of options from cheap to expensive.

Just know..whatever light you put in the upper grill will be seriously bright, you won't outrun your beam pattern...lol.

Thanks! I am definitely looking forward to the pics! That being said, with this use of the SS3’s, do you have to cut the grill? Or can you use them behind the grill like other lights?

You can run any light behind the grill, but you will lose / block some of the light output. The advantage of the DD pods is that they put out so much light, most folks won't notice. If you look closely at a T4R grill, you will see that there are better and worse places to put lights depending on the pattern in the grill if you don't want to cut it.

The other thing you might want to think about is the pattern of the light(s) you place behind a grill. A fog pattern light will have more of its output blocked when set back in or behind a grill than a driving or spot beam for instance.

Yep cutting the grill is a personal choice. Don't need to but the output will have some loss with grill in the way.

my three XL pro's mounted in front of the lower grille look dope. get outta here with that not as cool!

Minivan slowrunner “””build””” | IFS OFFROAD