About a year ago today, Morimoto released a new LED pod that took the world by storm. This little LED pod was called the 4Banger and completely changed the game when it comes to offroad pods. The 4Bangers featured updated technology, a better look, and a much smaller size compared to other LED pods on the market. They grew in popularity and demand thanks to Morimoto’s universal and vehicle-specific applications. A year later, and Morimoto now introduces 3 more LED pods to their Banger series lineup. Now offered are the 1Banger, 2Banger, and BigBanger LED pods. Morimoto’s new lineup offers more than just pods – you’ll also find heavy-duty wiring harnesses, brackets, and linkable light bars for custom applications.
The new Banger series from Morimoto is the most versatile range of LED pod lights available. If you have a smaller application, you’ll easily be able to fit the 1Banger or 2Banger LEDs. If you want something a little bigger that packs a harder punch, the 4Banger and BigBanger pods will be for you. Morimoto made the process of picking your perfect pod light as easy as possible.
First – Pick what size is right for your application. In a range from smallest to largest, the 1Banger comes in with the smallest overall footprint. The 2Banger follows as the 2nd smallest, then the 4Banger, and finally the BigBanger.
Second – Pick what power level you’d like. The Banger series pods are offered in the NCS entry-level, or the HXB top-of-the-line, the brightest option available.
Third – Now it’s time to decide which color is best for your application. The Banger series pods will be available in both white and amber color options.
Lastly – It’s time to pick your beam pattern! The Banger series will be available in spot, wide, combo, or flood beam patterns.
Morimoto has been paving the way for automotive lighting since 2008. Now in 2022, they’ve brought us offroad re-invented. Morimoto’s LED pods are built with more performance, style, reliability, and fitment in mind. The 1Banger and 2Banger ultra-compact footprint mean it’s ideal for small usages. This could be in tight spaces or auxiliary lighting, such as additional reverse lights. They can also be used with a wide range of A-Pillar brackets, though we suggest something bigger like the 4Banger or BigBanger for those applications. The entire Banger series was designed, engineered, and tested in the US. Every aspect of this pod light lineup is made to change the game in the offroad market. Morimoto knows that power is nothing without control, and the Banger series compromises nothing.
For Morimoto, their optical refinement is the real secret recipe that separates them from the rest of the competition. Each lens of the Banger pods is made with TIR-based optics – which means that engineers have manipulated both horizontal and vertical distribution of light through ESC and HSC. ESC stands for exit surface control which allows us to manipulate the distribution of light throughout the beam pattern. This is incredibly valuable for enhancing width and foreground illumination.
HSC, also known as hot spot control, optimizes the vertical location of the hot spot. This is ideal for maximizing your long-range visibility.
Using such precise engineering within the Banger series ensures you get the most intensity and distribution for optimal visibility.
Despite this being the smallest pod light offered by Morimoto, the 1Banger still packs a huge punch. This small LED pod was carefully crafted with coated aluminum, stainless steel hardware, and a single LED chip that blows the competition out of the water.
As most offroad enthusiasts know, small singular LED pods can be dim and worthless most of the time. Morimoto decided to completely change the standard for the 1Banger. It’s offered in 8 different variants, with spot, combo, wide, and flood beam patterns available. Unlike the other pods in the Banger series, the 1Banger is only available in the HXB version. While that doesn’t make this the cheapest pod light on the market, it does make it the most capable. When you purchase a new set of Morimoto 1Banger LED pods lights, expect to receive 1x pair of pods, 1x set of u-brackets for installation, and the coordinating hardware. You’ll benefit from Morimoto’s heavy-duty wiring, plug-and-play with the Banger series pod lights. Despite this being the smallest pod available from Morimoto, it is the brightest single-chip pod light on the market.
Compared to the SSC1 pod light from Diode Dynamics, the 1Banger blows the competition out of the water. The spot beam pattern is 30% brighter than the SSC1, and the wide beam pattern is 20% brighter when compared. This performance gap only increases when compared to other brands on the market like Baja or Rigid.
As mentioned earlier, the 1Banger is offered with 4 different beam pattern options.
SAE Wide Beam: Offers a tight beam pattern with minimal glare. The SAE wide beam also passes SAE 19 regulations for street-legal fog lights. This is the most common beam pattern that is used.
Spot Beam: This is the perfect companion for high-speed driving. ESC and HSC optics manipulate the location of the hot spot to project the brightest part of the beam pattern furthest down the road. Thanks to Morimoto’s incredible engineering, this can be achieved without compromising the surrounding illumination.
Combo Beam: Engineering to cover the full width of the road. The combo beam offers ample light with a central intensity hot spot. This beam pattern is a perfect mix between the spot and wide beam pattern, combining a bright hot spot with illumination to the left and right too.
Flood Beam: This covers light in every direction. It will be perfect for low-speed driving, rock crawling, or even reverse lights. This beam pattern does not project lights far into the distance, instead, it will comfortably illuminate everything in your space. Perfect for camping or even a worksite.
Morimoto is no longer a stranger in the offroad market. Instead, they’ve made themselves very well-known by refining what they know and continuing to improve. The 1Banger is made with the best quality, is highly optimized for a range of beam patterns, and outperforms the competition while looking good at doing it.
Morimoto 1Banger LED Pods
$185.00
Like the 1Banger, the 2Banger LED pods are also small in size. Despite the small size, they are still the best dual LED pod on the market. The 2Banger is offered in 16 different variations with spot, combo, wide, and flood beam patterns available. They will also be offered in both white and yellow light outputs so you can pick the perfect color for your application. Unlike the 1Banger, the 2Banger will be available in both performance tiers – NCS and HXB. NCS is going to be the best bang for your wallet with a more than impressive light output. The HXB takes it to a whole new level being the brightest LED pod offered by Morimoto.
When you purchase a new set of Morimoto 2Banger LED pods lights, expect to receive 1x pair of pods, 1x set of u-brackets for installation, and the coordinating hardware. You’ll benefit from Morimoto’s heavy-duty wiring, plug-and-play with the Banger series pod lights. Unique to Morimoto’s pod lights, the 2Bangers can be linked together to create a custom light bar – width, color, optics, and radius is completely up to you. Despite this being one of the smaller pods available from Morimoto, it is the brightest dual-chip pod light on the market.
When compared to the SSC2 from Diode Dynamics, you can clearly see the advantages of the Morimoto LED pods. The spot beam is 44% brighter than the SSC2, whereas the combo beam is 91% brighter than the competitors. That is a huge improvement and proves why Morimoto is King of the Hill.
As mentioned earlier, the 2Banger is offered with 4 different beam pattern options.
SAE Wide Beam: Offers a tight beam pattern with minimal glare. The SAE wide beam also passes SAE 19 regulations for street-legal fog lights. This is the most common beam pattern that is used. The fog light beam pattern is designed to cut through the fog and supplement your headlights to get the most visibility from left to right.
Spot Beam: This is the perfect companion for high-speed driving. ESC and HSC optics manipulate the location of the hot spot to project the brightest part of the beam pattern furthest down the road. Thanks to Morimoto’s incredible engineering, this can be achieved without compromising the surrounding illumination. This is the brightest beam pattern due to the condensed beam pattern and should be used to supplement other auxiliary lighting.
Combo Beam: Engineering to cover the full width of the road. The combo beam offers ample light with a central intensity hot spot. This beam pattern is a perfect mix between the spot and wide beam pattern, featuring a condensed hot spot but enough width to act as a standalone pod light if needed.
Flood Beam: This covers light in every direction. It will be perfect for low-speed driving, rock crawling, or even reverse lights. This beam pattern does not project lights far into the distance, instead, it will comfortably illuminate everything in your space. Perfect for camping or even a worksite.
Morimoto 2Banger LED Pods
Starting at $185.00
If you want the biggest, the best, and the brightest, the BigBanger pod light is what you’ve been looking for. This is the newest pod light from Morimoto that will truly blow your mind. The BigBanger is available in 8 different variants with only the spot and combo beam patterns available. They will be offered in both white and yellow color options like the rest of the Banger series. Both NCS and HXB power levels will be available for the BigBanger. The NCS version is the best bang for your buck with more than adequate light output. The HXB is the top-of-the-line performer being the brightest pod light available from Morimoto.
The BigBanger is unique in its own kind as it is the only pod light from Morimoto that features a dual-intensity amber backlight. When driving around with your headlights off, these pod lights have a super bright amber backlight. When you turn your headlights on, the backlight on the pod immediately dims. This unique technology is a game-changer for Morimoto’s Banger series. When you purchase a new set of Morimoto BigBanger LED pods lights, expect to receive 1x pair of pods, 1x set of u-brackets for installation, and the coordinating hardware. You’ll benefit from Morimoto’s heavy-duty wiring, plug-and-play with the Banger series pod lights. Unique to Morimoto’s pod lights, the BigBangers can be linked together to create a custom light bar – width, color, optics, and radius is completely up to you. This is the most capable offroad pod in the world – period.
When compared to the SS5 Pro from Diode Dynamics, you can again see why Morimoto takes the crown. The HXB spot beam is 30% brighter meanwhile the combo beam is 80% brighter than the SS5. This performance gap only increases when you start comparing it to other similar lights, such as the LP9 from Baja or the 360 from Rigid.
As mentioned earlier, the BigBanger is only offered with 2 different beam pattern options.
Spot Beam: This is the perfect companion for high-speed driving. ESC and HSC optics manipulate the location of the hot spot to project the brightest part of the beam pattern furthest down the road. Thanks to Morimoto’s incredible engineering, this can be achieved without compromising the surrounding illumination. This is the brightest beam pattern due to the condensed beam pattern and should be used to supplement other auxiliary lighting.
Combo Beam: Engineering to cover the full width of the road. The combo beam offers ample light with a central intensity hot spot. This beam pattern is a perfect mix between the spot and wide beam pattern, featuring a condensed hot spot but enough width to act as a standalone pod light if needed.
The BigBanger pods are only available in two beams because they’re specifically designed for huge light output situations. You don’t need a wide beam when you have this much light! The BigBanger is the perfect mix of lightweight and high-quality construction, giving you the brightest 6-inch pod light in the world by a long shot.
Morimoto BigBanger LED Pods
Starting at $325.00
We’ve anticipated Morimoto to expand on its offroad lineup since the introduction of the 4Bangers last year. Now that it’s finally here, we’ve been blown away with respect to their quality, design, and performance. It’s clear why Morimoto is crowned King of automotive lighting. With the introduction of the 1Banger, 2Banger, and BigBanger LED pod lights, we can’t wait to see what drivers create over the coming years. From custom reverse lights to linkable light bars, Morimoto should be your one-stop shop for all things automotive lighting.
Our team here at The Retrofit Source is dedicated to helping you find the best automotive lighting upgrades for your vehicle. If you are more of a visual learner, check out our YouTube channel where we test and review new headlight upgrades. While you are there, do not forget to like and subscribe to our channel for the latest lighting upgrades for your vehicle.
Have any questions about any of the products we mentioned? Contact us today, and our customer support team will be happy to help.
Morimoto's 1Banger Video
Morimoto's 2Banger Video
Morimoto's BigBanger Video