HID's in Fogs......Good idea?

[paraordnance]

When it comes to legality retrofitting doesn't make it any more legal, but is it safer? Yes, of course if done right you won't be blinding anyone. But when it comes down to it, aftermarket HID kits are illegal in every single state because they are not D.O.T. approved but then again siome cities & states enforce illegal HID's strongly and others don't give a damn... but yeah I'd say HID fogs is a major plus!

Any modifications to the headlights are illegal. Even properly done retrofit. But your photo just another perfect example of how much glare reflector housing gives compare to projectors. Dont you see it?? Your fogs in a photo look twice brighter compare to lows because of glare from reflector bowl

 

[scottm]

They look cool, might damage your housings, are illegal, irritate other drivers, and aren't good in fog/snow. Anything else?

 

[Merlin]

They look cool, might damage your housings, are illegal, irritate other drivers, and aren't good in fog/snow. Anything else?

some of the ballasts in the cheaper units burn out or cause the lights to flicker as well. real PITA when you're driving down a dark country road and your lights decide to go out on you.

also, depending on your state, different colors may or may not be legal.

at least here, any color other than white for headlights will get you stopped. 8k and up is definitely going to get you a big ticket, esp. if the officer wants to write you up for impersonating an officer or something to that effect.

this was a big, big issue about 20 years ago, when young women were getting pulled over, raped/killed, and their bodies dumped out on deserted roads by somebody impersonating an officer (blue lights hidden in car or behind grill).

ever since then, esp. so with the popularity of HID lights with a bluish tint, local PD has been cracking down on cars with any sort of blue light displayed from the front, including blue alarm LEDs and blue/purple city lights (when those were popular).

dunno about the laws in other states, but here, getting a ticket for that will guarantee you a big fine and court appearance.

 

[midnight runner]

They look cool, might damage your housings, are illegal, irritate other drivers, and aren't good in fog/snow. Anything else?

This sounds like all the drug commercials. Possible side effects are headaches, nausea, rash, vomiting, diarrhea, and acne.

I'm so sold!

 

[pmrowczynski]

For the last couple of years, I've had HID's in my 2008 4Runner. Everynight, I run them, both in CA and NV. I can count, on a single hand, the number of times I've been "flashed", and it's 4. Funny though, it was twice in the last month too but it may have been me coming down a hill compared to the person doing the flashing.

So yes, they can cause glare and it seems if you're at a higher angle than an approaching vehicle, you can blind them.

These aren't the 'super cool' blue ones, but the low end of the spectrum yellow's.

 

[blkexp98]

What are the good options for a bulb swap that are functional? Lets just say the OP decided they wanted to go that route, What should he and others look for?

I personally HID for my headlights but wouldnt do it on the fogs because of glare. If my 07 had projectors i may but it doesnt.

On the issue of temperature the 4300k looks better to me but on a fog i would choose functionality and go 3000k. So what that basically translates to is a bulb that has a yellow color over a white to help see better in fog.

 

[scottm]

So what that basically translates to is a bulb that has a yellow color over a white to help see better in fog.

Piaa makes an Ion Crystal bulb that gives a nice amber light without much loss of intensity.

High frequency (blue) light scatters more easily in fine particulate or vapor, that's why the sky is blue and the sun appears yellow. The picture of Fo_SheeZy's 4R shows a lot of scattered blue light around the light beams and blue glare in the camera lens. Longer wavelength (amber) light doesn't scatter as easily, and is better in fine fog. To get the maximum benefits from amber fogs you have to turn off your white headlights, not something most people feel comfortable with, and not possible with factory wiring. I prefer white fogs and amber glasses for fog, but I'm a little weird that way.

The most important factor in fog lights is a sharp cutoff, not allowing stray light above the light. When you shine your lights on a blank wall you need to see a sharp cutoff, I've not found any fogs that really do that well. US DOT headlights are required to send some light upward to light up overhead signs, that's bad for fog and snow. The best lights I've ever seen were the German market headlights I imported for my Audi years ago. German specs required a sharp cutoff, I'm not sure if they still do. My 80-Watt low-beams never blinded oncoming drivers, and the four 100-Watt high-beams turned night into day. I get to Germany a few times a year, will see what I can find out about importing some headlights.

 

[Uneek]

3000k fogs

 

[MercuryEvo]

some people need to drop their pants, squat down and remove their tampons, seriously.

 

[Rez90]

some people need to drop their pants, squat down and remove their tampons, seriously.

Manpons.

 

[HOJeepster]

Adding HIDS is usually the first mod I do to all my cars. I always prefer doing both the low beams and fogs at the same time, using the same temperature bulbs. I've had bulbs from 8k to 4300k...I have to say, I like the 4300k output the best.

 

[scottm]

some people need to drop their pants, squat down and remove their tampons, seriously.

Manpons.

 

[endosj3]

I've got 6000k in the lows and 3000k in the fogs and it looks awesome...The yellow doesn't really overpower the white, it just has a horizon between the two. I like the look of it though and as said before, yellow fogs are actually functional not just pretty