Anyone Use The Baja Designs Squadron Sports Driving/Fog lights?

[slopoke]

I'm upgrading the stock factory headlights to H9 bulbs and high beams to Philips X-treme Vision +130% bulbs. I want more light from the fog lights and doing my research and found the popular ones, Morimoto's and Luxeon. But then I came across the Baja Designs Squadron Sport lights sold by Rally Innovations. Yes they cost a bit more than the other two lights, but I want more of a fog/driving light combo. Has anyone here installed the Squadron Sports? If so what are your thoughts and any pics of how they light up the road. Thanks in advance.

 

[Woods247]

I have the exact setup your considering. I do not have any nighttime photos but the light output is considerably better than stock. The driving beam Baja Designs Squadron Sport are plenty bright for street. The Pro version would be too bright. The city I live in has a lot of elevation change and many curves so we expect temporary blindness from oncoming vehicles. Perhaps that’s why I never get flashed because the Baja fogs are extremely bright in every direction. In fact, the main reason I bought them is for daytime running. With them on during the day, I almost never get cut off in traffic. If I leave them off, my car becomes invisible, similar to a moto.

 

[slopoke]

I have the exact setup your considering. I do not have any nighttime photos but the light output is considerably better than stock. The driving beam Baja Designs Squadron Sport are plenty bright for street. The Pro version would be too bright. The city I live in has a lot of elevation change and many curves so we expect temporary blindness from oncoming vehicles. Perhaps that’s why I never get flashed because the Baja fogs are extremely bright in every direction. In fact, the main reason I bought them is for daytime running. With them on during the day, I almost never get cut off in traffic. If I leave them off, my car becomes invisible, similar to a moto.

Thanks for the info! Seems the installation is straight forward. But is adjusting the light beam difficult?

 

[Woods247]

Thanks for the info! Seems the installation is straight forward. But is adjusting the light beam difficult?

Installation is simple if you buy the bracket. Mine sit flush against the fog light bezels. I didn’t have to aim them. Another cool thing about these is you can swap the lenses for around $25. I’m considering the yellow driving pattern for actual fog usage this Fall.

 

[Woods247]

 

[A7xogg]

Those look pretty cool, but i wouldnt swap out my morimotto fogs for these. idk how wide these are but my morimotto fogs are insainly wide and amazing in rain/fog

 

[JDG]

Your car looks fantastic!


I used to run a single squadron pro driving pattern on my supermoto as a headlight before I sold that bike. I used a Skene IQ-175 dimmer to run it at 40% brightness for low beam and 100% for high beam (http://skenedesign.com/lights/IQ_175.shtml). At 100%, it is ridiculous. I used to run the high beam during the day (because people are blind to motorcycles) and people would often flash me because it was so bright.. I plan to get a second one eventually and run them through the Skene dimmer switch on my fiesta at 40% for fog and then add an external switch to run them at 100% for driving in the middle of nowhere. I have the diode dynamics fog light assemblies now and am not terribly impressed.

 

[slopoke]

Thanks for all of the info. Looks like I'll be getting the Squadron Sport series driving/fog combo. Again thanks a lot!!

 

[Clint Beastwood]

bajadesigns stuff is legit - I think they're located in San Marcos, CA (I've seen them ask people to bring in various motorcycles there before to design kits) - their stuff is fantastic, at least for bikes.

 

[Woods247]

bajadesigns stuff is legit - I think they're located in San Marcos, CA (I've seen them ask people to bring in various motorcycles there before to design kits) - their stuff is fantastic, at least for bikes.

Yep. I’ve ran them on enduro and supermoto bikes for many years. I’ve never had an issue with one. The dimmer switch JDG mentioned sounds like a great idea for the Squadron Pro. He has me looking haha.

 

[slopoke]

Just ordered the Squadron Sport driving/fog combo from Rally Innovations. Will post thoughts when they are installed.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Do the switches allow you to have them all on at the same time (to use the fogs as a sort of 'cornering light')?

BTW; YES, your car in that pic above, all hunkered down on a road course, in the rain, with those Leggendas on it looks WICKED!!

 

[mindmaster]

Night pics!

 

[mindmaster]

Any night pics from driver side?

 

[Woods247]

Sorry, I don’t have any nighttime pictures. About the only time I drive when it’s dark is early in the AM on the way to a trackday. I couldn’t see shit before I installed the Baja Designs driving lights and converted my H11 low beams to H9. During the daytime I leave them on with my parking lights and use them as DTRLs. They definitely help make car visible to minivan Beckys high on Starbucks and medication.

 

[slopoke]

I got my Rally Innovations light kit that uses the Baja Designs Squadron Sport lights a few days ago. Going to install them in the A.M. Will take photos of the light pattern at night when I get the chance.

 

[slopoke]

Installed the Rally Innovations driving/fog combo lights that use the Baja Designs Squadron Sport lights. It doesn't take long to install, it's just two screws that hold the light in place in the opposite corners. The other corners have pins that slide into the bracket holes.

There is no adjustment screws or adjusters with these lights. Proper aim is a must because it's a fog/driving combo. The upper two led's are the driving and the lower two are the fog/cornering lights. When I installed them, I looked into the front cutout for the lights and saw that they were flush with the opening. I thought, ok they should be aimed correctly, I was wrong. After dark, I took it out to a very pitch black road and took pictures. First thing I noticed was that the driver side driving light beam was pointed too far left and the passenger side was pointed to the right. Took it home and the only way to adjust them was to shim the inner attach points of each light. One side took a 1/8" spacer, the other took a 1/4" spacer.

Overall, I like them. The fog/cornering puts out a very wide beam with a medium throw. The driving has a moderately wide beam with a throw similar to a low beam.

The photos with the low beams on are not a true low beam. Today I also upgraded the low beams from H11 to H9 bulbs. H9s are 65 watt and simple to install and put out a lot more light. To install them, you just have to shave off a ridge off of the inside of the bulb side connector and snip a section of metal tab on the bulb that fits into the headlight housing slot. Takes 5 min per bulb.


Low beams only.

Fog/Driving lights only.

Low beams and fog/driving lights.

 

[JDG]

Installed the Rally Innovations driving/fog combo lights that use the Baja Designs Squadron Sport lights. It doesn't take long to install, it's just two screws that hold the light in place in the opposite corners. The other corners have pins that slide into the bracket holes.

There is no adjustment screws or adjusters with these lights. Proper aim is a must because it's a fog/driving combo. The upper two led's are the driving and the lower two are the fog/cornering lights. When I installed them, I looked into the front cutout for the lights and saw that they were flush with the opening. I thought, ok they should be aimed correctly, I was wrong. After dark, I took it out to a very pitch black road and took pictures. First thing I noticed was that the driver side driving light beam was pointed too far left and the passenger side was pointed to the right. Took it home and the only way to adjust them was to shim the inner attach points of each light. One side took a 1/8" spacer, the other took a 1/4" spacer.

Overall, I like them. The fog/cornering puts out a very wide beam with a medium throw. The driving has a moderately wide beam with a throw similar to a low beam.

The photos with the low beams on are not a true low beam. Today I also upgraded the low beams from H11 to H9 bulbs. H9s are 65 watt and simple to install and put out a lot more light. To install them, you just have to shave off a ridge off of the inside of the bulb side connector and snip a section of metal tab on the bulb that fits into the headlight housing slot. Takes 5 min per bulb.


Low beams only.

Fog/Driving lights only.

Low beams and fog/driving lights.

Any chance you can provide some more detail as to where you shimmed these to get the aim you wanted? I just bought these and would like to pick up materials before I get started on the install...

 

[slopoke]

Any chance you can provide some more detail as to where you shimmed these to get the aim you wanted? I just bought these and would like to pick up materials before I get started on the install...

I am assuming that you ordered the kit from Rally Innovations with the attach brackets. The lights are mounted with two screws at opposite diagonal corners, the other corners just have pins.

If you need to adjust the beam inwards, loosen both screws, remove the inside screw and pull the bracket back, reinstall the screw into the bracket, install the spacer between the bracket and bumper and reattach the lamp. You will create a gap at the opening when you do this. If you need to go outwards, do the opposite side. The stock screws are too short, so you need to source longer ones. This is a horizontal adjustment only.

If you need to adjust them up or down, you will have to loosen the screws that mount the bracket to the lamp and adjust the beam that way.

I had the spacers in my spare metric hardware bin, that has been accumulating for over 30 years. If you don't have the spacers, Home Depot should have something that will work. https://www.homedepot.com/s/spacer?NCNI-5

 

[JDG]

I am assuming that you ordered the kit from Rally Innovations with the attach brackets. The lights are mounted with two screws at opposite diagonal corners, the other corners just have pins.

If you need to adjust the beam inwards, loosen both screws, remove the inside screw and pull the bracket back, reinstall the screw into the bracket, install the spacer between the bracket and bumper and reattach the lamp. You will create a gap at the opening when you do this. If you need to go outwards, do the opposite side. The stock screws are too short, so you need to source longer ones. This is a horizontal adjustment only.

If you need to adjust them up or down, you will have to loosen the screws that mount the bracket to the lamp and adjust the beam that way.

I had the spacers in my spare metric hardware bin, that has been accumulating for over 30 years. If you don't have the spacers, Home Depot should have something that will work. https://www.homedepot.com/s/spacer?NCNI-5

Thanks, I had some washers ready to go and got it installed. I used the OEM hardware and it works OK. I like the beam placement now and they are fairly sturdy. I think when I have more time I will remove the bumper, drill out the molded pins and add two more bolts to firm up the mounting.. I went with amber squadron sports (fog pattern) and they are bright! I started with the driving pattern and they are way too bright to run on the street as fog lights. I am going to be adding the squadron pro eventually with the driving pattern to be used in conjunction with the high beam on back roads to spot animals. Obligatory rallycross photo below: