Hella Micro DE Fog lights vs water

[duffbeer911]

Hey all,
I've been looking into the Hella Micro DE fog lights for my 1998 4runner but have read a few posts about problems with water and moisture. I'm in Sierra Leone and rainy season is very wet ... tropical storms and regularly 1ft or more fast flowing water across the roads.

I'm guessing this could be a problem with the Micro DEs? Would it be better to mount them higher up on the bar rather than down low?

thanks

 

[quicksilvr]

The Micro DE's can be made waterproof pretty easy. If you have serious water that you know is going to be coming at them, seal the rubber backing cover on with silicone or RTV. Then the only thing that needs addressed is the breather tube. The breather can be extended as far and as high as you want with some tubing. Most people simply need to extend it a foot or so towards the midline of the vehicle, so that spray from the wheel doesn't hit it. But you could extend it all the way up into the engine bay if you wanted to.

With mine, I simply extended them about 16" and zip tied the tube to the back of the front bumper. I didn't seal the rubber covers or anything....mine shouldn't see any more than normal driving in the rain.

 

[duffbeer911]

thanks for the reply, helps a lot ...

just looking more into mounting - where would you suggest I mount these on a 1998 sr5? I don't have the space on the bumper like the '99+ sr5 does ... so just low down on the bull bar?

cheers

 

[quicksilvr]

I personally would make the cutouts in about the same place the factory does on the newer bumpers.

 

[duffbeer911]

ok, thanks again for the advice.

Would you think that the Micro DE fogs are better than mounting a pair of normal fogs on the bull bar? (maybe something like the Hella Comets)

I'm mostly fine with electrics, but want to avoid too much cutting and fabrication. And I really just want better light on the road - not so worried about how it looks on the vehicle.

Cheers for the help

 

[Fishwerks]

Have you looked at the Rigid LED Duallys? I don't have them but I have to imagine they light the road up better than the Micro DEs or halogen fogs. A bit pricey, but could be worth it.... :hungry:

Just trying to make your decision harder! I have the Micro DEs and they are pretty good, I made some splash guards out of aluminum or something to protect them from the tire spray.

The Dually's do come in amber so that could be a good fog light option.

 

[duffbeer911]

thanks, I will check those out. I don't specifically want the fogs for driving in fog or snow ... more that the roads here (Sierra Leone) are treacherous and the standard low beams don't show me the bumps, holes, open sewers, dogs, etc etc etc !

And I thought fogs rather than spots because I want to have them on even when there is traffic around.

Cheers

 

[Fishwerks]

I would say you will be satisfied with the output from the Micro DEs then. And you could always get brighter bulbs.

The only drawback is that you will be driving through a lot of water, it could be hard to defend them. quicksilvrs advice on sealing and extending the breather seems good though!

I guess it really depends on if you want to go through cutting up the valence on your bumper and all that or just tossin some hellas on your bull bar, that might be the easier (and cheaper?) option.

 

[duffbeer911]

hmmm, looks like I may have done a full circle and be looking at hellas for the bull bar. Not so keen on the cutting and mounting just to get the Micro DEs in. ...

Bull bar hellas will definitely be easier and cheaper ... will a decent set be as bright as the Micro DEs?

thanks