[zachjowi]

I'm getting my brush guard mounted soon so that I can have a place to add more lights. Almost all of my driving is on the road so I want some kind of lights that will be leagal to use, but still have a purpose. I'm planning on getting a set of bling lights to use as my fogs so I'm looking for a light that will be a different kind. Also I'm only looking to spend around $100 or less if possible. Another feature I'm looking for it that they look good, I really like the PIAA's that are 6", but they are out of my price range it seems.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[E_Causatum]

"Looks good" can bring the price up. But you can check the Hella and Dick Cepek brands. Most if not all driving lights are just high beams and in coming traffic will not like it at all because it can blind the driver.

 

[chesterspot]

Here in TX we can only legally have 4 lights on at a time.

Low beam / fogs
low beam / driving
high beam / fogs
high beam / driving

My driving lights are HID spots that I'll only use while on dark roads with no one else around as they would surely blind oncoming traffic.

I have some nice hella look a likes that I think came from Harbor Freight on my volksrod. They put a nice beam down the road.. more of a spot than wide angle so they'd work as your high beams.

 

[psschmied]

Since you are in Wisconsin, for on-road operation you should look for auxiliary lamps with SAE/DOT numbers molded into the lenses.

 

[nacranym]

here in California, the "high beam / fogs" combination is not allowed.
unfortunately, that doesn't mean it doesn't occur.

 

[zachjowi]

I've been looking around and have found a few that I "could" get potentioally, just wondering what you guys think of these. Thanks

Hella 500 light kit, but I want it with the wiring and everything else
http://www.autoanything.com/lights/65A1325A0A0.aspx

my best option so far
KC Hilites daylighter 100Watt in black, I think it has everything I need.
http://www.autoanything.com/lights/65A3224A0A0.aspx?mybuyscid=8200940493

 

[chesterspot]

here in California, the "high beam / fogs" combination is not allowed.
unfortunately, that doesn't mean it doesn't occur.

Technically it's not allowed anywhere as they are supposed to switch off when using highs. I've never quiet understood this. The fogs will give you light out to 30ft and then your high beams take over from there. I want to see in front of me as well as far away. I use my fogs as driving lights because they supplement the headlights.

 

[Bowzer]

Technically it's not allowed anywhere as they are supposed to switch off when using highs. I've never quiet understood this. The fogs will give you light out to 30ft and then your high beams take over from there. I want to see in front of me as well as far away. I use my fogs as driving lights because they supplement the headlights.

The whole theory on fog lights is that you are needing short distance illumination that would otherwise become just a reflection of the fog itself. Same reason you don't turn on high beams in foggy conditions...they only produce glare vs penetrating any further. This is also why they are mounted low and closer to the road surface. If you are traveling over 40 mph, fog lights are really not necessary to keep on at all.

 

[zachjowi]

I'm mostly going to use these on the back roads where there tend to be deer and the occational cow on the road....on the highway I just stick to low beams

 

[nacranym]

the real problem w/ fog lights is that they are only intended for operation in fog! and it's a problem because most people don't know that, based on my observations.
fog implies low visibility which implies slower speeds which implies "focus the light close in to the vehicle to pierce this stuff". fogs should not be used at >40 mph because they provide too much light close-in. the human eye tends to look at the brightest area, so when you're traveling >40 mph w/ your fogs on, your eye is focused too close to the vehicle. the eyes should be looking further ahead as speed increases. so it's a safety issue and that's why fogs are not allowed w/ high beams, because the fogs would trick the eyes into focusing too close to the vehicle instead of where the high beams are illuminating further down the road. at higher speeds, you don't want/need "fill" lighting to the sides that is so close to the vehicle that if something appears there you won't have time to do anything about it anyway. get that light out there in front of you where you'll have time to respond to whatever shows up!

 

[chesterspot]

With fogs on I can see from 0-50ft with the same illumination on my Durango. My fogs give me about 160deg of illumination. I'd rather have the same lighting 0-150+ft with high beams on, not just 50-150ft. With just the high beams on there might have been rock that didn't get picked up on those lights..

Also most of my driving is an avg of 35mph...

 

[psschmied]

Originally Posted by nacranym
here in California, the "high beam / fogs" combination is not allowed.
unfortunately, that doesn't mean it doesn't occur.

Technically it's not allowed anywhere as they are supposed to switch off when using highs. I've never quite understood this.

The rationale behind this is simple. Foglights aren't driving lights.

1. If you are driving in fog, having your high beam lamps on would create backglare for you, reducing your forward vision. :-( It would also blind oncoming traffic. :-(

2. If you can't see forward on a clear day, Fog lamps aren't the solution; you have a vision problem. See (sic) an ophthalmologist. :-o
3. If you can't see well enough with headlamps to avoid obstacles on a non-foggy night, you are driving too fast. :sw004:
4. If you aren't driving in fog, you shouldn't need fog lamps. :060:

 

[chesterspot]

110w of extra light is still 110w of extra light, regardless of how you slice it. Granted they aren't focused spots. Maybe I should also let you know that I run yellow fogs which give really good contrast on the road. The driving lights that I have are 6000K HID driving lights which I will only use with my high beams because I want to put as much light forward as possible but not on a normal basis because they will blind on coming traffic. Really i need two sets of driving lights, one aimed low and one aimed high, but I already have the fogs so there we go. Sit behind my durango with low beams and fogs and then sit behind the element and you will notice that there is a decrease in lighting.

 

[zachjowi]

Can anyone help me with this?

I've been looking around and have found a few that I "could" get potentioally, just wondering what you guys think of these. Thanks

Hella 500 light kit, but I want it with the wiring and everything else
http://www.autoanything.com/lights/65A1325A0A0.aspx

my best option so far
KC Hilites daylighter 100Watt in black, I think it has everything I need.
http://www.autoanything.com/lights/65A3224A0A0.aspx?mybuyscid=8200940493

 

[nacranym]

personally, i prefer the Hella brand over the KC brand. maybe because i've seen so many KCs on jacked up pickups. in your case the Hella choice is less expensive. the Hellas are offered in parabolic and free form, i don't know what the free form is. i hope it isn't the result of the lamp reflectors having been overheated. <grin>
so, pick whichever you like. since they have covers, you probably won't actually use them much, unless you leave the covers off and risk breaking a lens w/ a stray rock or a careless parking job.

 

[chesterspot]

Free Form allows the light to be shaped where as a parabolic reflector focuses the light into a circular beam.

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/lighting_tech/techpage.jsp?techid=134

That's a good article. I've heard good things about the Hella FF 50's. You can purchase either the driving or fog version of those. They are calculated by computer to make the most efficient use of light. Parabolic works well (its been around forever) but FF is really cool.

 

[E_Causatum]

Another way to put it is that, parabolic reflectors tend to use the lens as a means of directing the beam pattern and a good example of this is those old sealed beam headlights. If you open them up, you will just see a one piece reflector. If it burns out, you have to replace the whole headlight housing - it is costly. Free form reflectors use clear lens but the reflectors are made in such a way that they are focused to different points of the lighted area. So the reflector is in many shape and form(little rectagular areas as seen in your headlights). This is what you see in most of the vehicle's headlights. The light has a better cut off beam than the parabolic reflectors.

Always buy free form type of auxillary lighting because they work better and is more effecient when itcomes to lighting.

 

[ORANGEE]

On non paved backroads @ night I have the better half hold the 5 million candle power spot light, if you can't see down the road with that you are blind
and they are only 39.95 @ Wally world

 

[Ranger]

Can anyone help me with this?

I've been looking around and have found a few that I "could" get potentioally, just wondering what you guys think of these. Thanks

Hella 500 light kit, but I want it with the wiring and everything else
http://www.autoanything.com/lights/65A1325A0A0.aspx

my best option so far
KC Hilites daylighter 100Watt in black, I think it has everything I need.
http://www.autoanything.com/lights/65A3224A0A0.aspx?mybuyscid=8200940493

If you're leaning toward the Hella, I'd check to see if they have them in stock HERE.
It'll save you some coin.

 

[ReaperZune8]

Just ordered my yellow fogs from topgear autosport... YAY!