Can't Decide! (Yellow fogs)

[Corny357]

Hey everyone - first poster here. Been lurking around for the past few months, just haven't posted anything.

 

Anyway, I need some help here. Can't decide whether to go yellow on the fog lights or not. I'm just worried they might look, well..ricer-ish. If I do it, I don't want to do a film cover over the OEM bulb or anything, I'd want to do a selective yellow. I also cannot decide which bulb to go with. I'm actually looking for the LEAST yellow. I'm between the PIAA, the Hoens, and the CPI gold bulbs. I've seen pictures and have read that the Hoens are the most yellow of the group. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but if it is, I'd probly go with something else.

 

Thanks in advance

Brandon

[TSiWRX]

^ In order to achieve "selective yellow" with traditional incandescent halogens, you're going to have a "film" over either bulb or over the lens - it's unavoidable.

 

Yes, this will mean a reduction in total light output, but that can be compensated for with a bulb that "burns hotter" - which trades-off its bulb-life for brightness - or, alternatively, you can use a higher wattage bulb (cross my username, using the search engine, while searching for the term "outahere" - outahere authored a great walk-through in showing you what wiring that you'd have to upgrade, specific to the '05s, to truly take good advantage of 85W H3 alternatives for the OEM H3-fitment fogs, in the '05-'07s; in the '08s, IIRC, you guys use a 9006 bulb, so you should be able to use a 65W HIR1 cross-fitment to gain best light output...then, if you want yellow, go with a RockBlocker [or other similar] film over the exterior of the lens) to-compensate.

 

Yellow fogs shouldn't appear "ricerish" at all.

 

Selective-yellow has been shown to increase subjective driver comfort under foul-weather conditions.

 

But don't read that for any more than just what it is.

 

Remember, subjective is subjective: you'll "feel" like you can see better, when the truth is that your eyes are just tricking you. Slow down and drive at-pace for the conditions, not what your eyes are tricking you into believing.

[Strizzy]

I have a set of Toshiba HIRs in my fogs and will be using yellow film. The light output from HIRs is much greater than standard halogens, but without the increased heat.

You will want a pair of HIR9012 to replace 9006 bulbs. You will also have to trim a small portion of one of the mounting tabs to make it properly fit.

 

http://www.hirheadlights.com/

 

You can get them from eBay, or if you have a local John Deere dealer, ask for part number AH 211917. They come individual, so you will need to order two.

[TSiWRX]

You will want a pair of HIR9012 to replace 9006 bulbs.

 

^ If, for some reason, the HIR2s are hard to source (recent - within the last 2 months - postings on SubaruForester.org has it that John Deere dealers are having a hard time sourcing the bulb, too ), you can indeed go with the 65W HIR1 (9011).

 

In what's commonly called the "high/lo mod," trimming a few tabs will convert the 9011/HIR1 capsule-and-base assembly compatible with those originally intended for the 9012/HIR2 (9006/HB4-fitment).

 

You'll also gain the extra 10 watts, 2350 lumens at 3600K color temperature, versus the 9012/HIR2 at 1875 lumens.

 

I like MaxLumens (which, IIRC, is his screen-name on eBay), aka FineMotoring. Ordered the entire conversion for my wife's '09 Forester XT (short of the H9 bulbs for the low beams) from him.

 

It was actually through Max that I learned that the HIR1/HIR2 cross-fit was rather easy to do, and was a quick way to gain some additional lighting. To pay him back for that little nifty trick, I decided to order another two sets of HIR1s from him, so that we'd have spares (my '05 LGT also uses 9011s, albeit for high-beams, replacing the factory 9005 capsules).

 

Given the low-cast of the factory fogs, glare to oncoming drivers as well as back-scatter should not be an issue. This is also as-judged from my wife's '09 FXT, which uses the HIR1 replacement for the standard 9006 fog.

 

Here's the explicit instructions from MaxLumens/Finemotoring -

 

To do the hi-lo conversion, there are three steps-

1) Trim the top tab to fit in a low housing socket - refer to your current 9006 low bulbs and trim the new ones to match. 2) Cut the double guide rails out of the plug section of the bulb. Dremel, utility knife, soldering tip all work well.

3) Double up the o-ring, putting your old o-rings on the barrel of the 9011 bulb behind the existing ones. This centers the bulb and keeps it watertight.

 

 

http://shnu.us/HI-LO2.htm

http://shnu.us/HIR%20Trimming%20Stock.htm

http://shnu.us/Bulb%20test%20and%20pix.htm

[choppedair]

Buy some nokya brand yellow fog lights. The are only 55 watts in the 9006 so no worries about wiring.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Nokya-Arctic-Yellow-Headlight-Stage/dp/B0013JG0FQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1255314878&sr=8-2]Amazon.com: Nokya Arctic Yellow 9006 Headlight Bulb (Stage 1): Automotive[/ame]

 

I used some of these in the fogs on my F150 for a while (I have silverstars in the head lights) and they do seem to help on wet roads. especially making the lines easier to pick up on. They whiter silverstars don't seem to reflect light back at you as well on wet roads, but the yellow does.

I just put the 9006's in the legacy, but the fog lights are aimed so poorly from the factory you can't even tell when you turn them on/off. The yellow light hits the ground only a couple feet from the bumper. I need to get under there and adjust them. I don't have any good pictures of them yet. Nice thing is they appear normal with them off (I hate the look of the yellow film).

 

Here they are on my F150. Silver star head lights and Nokya yellow fogs.

http://www.rotor-heads.com/images/f150/lights/18.jpg

http://www.rotor-heads.com/images/f150/lights/16.jpg

[Corny357]

Ok thanks for the responses guys.

 

Just to make sure I'm clear on this...even if I get, say, the PIAA Ion Crystals, I would still need a yellow film over the cover? I don't want the light to look yellow when it's off, only when it's on.

[Strizzy]

Ok thanks for the responses guys.

 

Just to make sure I'm clear on this...even if I get, say, the PIAA Ion Crystals, I would still need a yellow film over the cover? I don't want the light to look yellow when it's off, only when it's on.

 

No need for the yellow film for the foglight cover. The bulb already has the yellow coating on it.

[Corny357]

Oh ok, just wondering, 1st poster said I did. Thanks.

[TSiWRX]

choppedair - Be careful with the cross-comparison....the F150s optics are different, and you also sit much higher up.

 

I think that - given how much you prefer yellower light - you'll still like the yellows you're going to go with, for your LGT, but even with a re-aim of the fogs, I don't think you'll see anywhere approaching the output of your F150's.

 

 

----

 

Corny, like Strizzy said, it's either/or.

 

If you buy a yellow bulb, the light that's coming out will be yellow, but when the light's not on, cosmetically, no-one will be able to tell that you've got a yellow bulb in there.

 

With the yellow overlay film, obviously, the outer lens surface will look yellow when inspected from the outside, during daylight.

[choppedair]

choppedair - Be careful with the cross-comparison....the F150s optics are different, and you also sit much higher up.

 

I think that - given how much you prefer yellower light - you'll still like the yellows you're going to go with, for your LGT, but even with a re-aim of the fogs, I don't think you'll see anywhere approaching the output of your F150's.

 

My only reason for posting the pictures was to show the light color of the Nokya bulbs, nothing to do with the light output, FYI.

 

You definitely won't see anywhere near that light output from the stock LGT fogs. I have a feeling that even after re-aiming them, they will be almost useless due to the reflector optics being so poor. I'm pretty sure that the fog lights on these are not good for much more than looks, based on what others have posted in other threads. Although the projectors for the low beams seem to make up for it.

[Strizzy]

Don't forget that the LGT foglights are just that. They aren't meant to project light as far as driving lights. They are made to project light a short distance in foggy or inclement weather (when you should be going at a slower speed anyways).

That said, after I re-aimed my fogs, I am quite impressed at how well they perform. Especially after the independent foglight mod, where I can use the fog lights as they are supposed to be used. Headlights off, yellow foglights on. Incredible difference it makes.

[TSiWRX]

My only reason for posting the pictures was to show the light color of the Nokya bulbs, nothing to do with the light output, FYI.

 

Ah, gotcha. Good.

 

I just didn't want you to have gotten your hopes up, that's all.

 

I've driven a number of full-sized Ford trucks/SUVs in the past (for about a one to two week stretch, each time), and the one thing that's always impressed me is the output of their factory fog lights.

 

In one case, I even accidentally only engaged the fogs, mistaking them for the headlamps.

 

You definitely won't see anywhere near that light output from the stock LGT fogs.

In the '05-'07, you're absolutely correct. I've never had seat-time behind the '08-'09, though, but if what I see from my wife's '09 FXT (which also uses the 9006 application) is any indication, I'm inclined to agree.

 

I have a feeling that even after re-aiming them, they will be almost useless due to the reflector optics being so poor. I'm pretty sure that the fog lights on these are not good for much more than looks, based on what others have posted in other threads. Although the projectors for the low beams seem to make up for it.

With the '05-'07s, we have projectors for the fogs, too - but even then, it's still very, very low and diffuse, which, as Strizzy pointed out (and also Gire, in a similar thread running parallel: http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122009), is a "true fog" pattern.

 

I'm not sure what a re-aim will do for the '08-'09 LGTs, as I do not have intimate experience with them (and I cannot draw any conclusions from my wife's '09 FXT, for I have yet to attempt to re-aim those), but as with Strizzy, I found a lot of utility with my re-aim.

 

My specific aim (no pun intended ) with the fogs was to help with close-in lane and curb delineation, to both better "find" them, buried under the dirty slush that our winter road-treatments tend to bury them in, as well as to add a bit of extra depth-enhancement to my close-in view as well as my own visual preference (thus the selective yellow; I'm one of those people who "takes better" to yellower light: sometimes called hay-amber or "firelight") - and my re-aim, which was achieved purely via trial-and-error on-road, specifically biases towards this type of use. [ And yes, my re-aim definitely compromises the utility of these lamps as true-fogs, but since we rarely see dense fog in our area, and my vehicle is used, 99% of the time, for local commuting and errands, that was not my primary concern. ]

 

To me, that was simply all about enhancing visual comfort.

 

But like Strizzy said, we've all got to remember that just "thinking' we can see better doesn't necessarily mean that we actually can, and that our eyes (and brain) do play tricks on us, and this post by outahere really kicked my ass into high gear, to get rear fogs done up for the wifey's then WRX, and my LGT, too:

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1584162&postcount=17

 

[camflan]

Osram All-Seasons. best fog bulbs out there -- get on ebay or powerbulbs.co.uk

[Strizzy]

BTW, I have a 2008. The fogs are reflector housings, rather than projectors. After my re-aim, they fogs are about 100 times more useful. Unlike most drivers on the road, I only use my fog lights when they are needed, as in when I can barely see and need the headlights off.

Rear fog lamp would be nice here in the states, but the drivers would have to be aware of the feature and how to properly use it. It is VERY annoying driving during a clear night only to come up behind a European car with its rear fog light on, blinding drivers from behind.

[TSiWRX]

BTW, I have a 2008.

 

^ Oops - I didn't notice.

 

The fogs are reflector housings, rather than projectors.

^ That I knew - I just didn't realize that you're also a 2008. I should've looked at your Avatar or at least read your vehicle description.

 

After my re-aim, they fogs are about 100 times more useful.

^ That's good to know.

 

Unlike most drivers on the road, I only use my fog lights when they are needed, as in when I can barely see and need the headlights off.

So your re-aim is specifically for fog circumstances, correct?

 

Rear fog lamp would be nice here in the states, but the drivers would have to be aware of the feature and how to properly use it. It is VERY annoying driving during a clear night only to come up behind a European car with its rear fog light on, blinding drivers from behind.

Exactly.

 

People have to be aware of the dangers of using a rear-fog - it's not just an annoyance, but can truly lead to dangerous situations, particularly with a bilateral setup.

 

That old Top Gear bit was really hilarious, but really got the point across.

 

For me, auxiliary lighting is just that - auxiliary.

 

I think I used my fogs all of four times last year, and my rear fog, only twice.

 

Here in the States, drivers need to realize that proper light discipline not only helps other drivers be safer and more comfortable, but that those results translate to their own safety as well.