What are the best fog light bulbs out there?
- Thread starter sant6236
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Several of the guys on here have Hoen Endurance Yellow fogs and like them.
lawwailok has some pics posted of his 07 here with Hoen Endurance Yellow fogs.
lawwailok has some pics posted of his 07 here with Hoen Endurance Yellow fogs.
sant6236 said:
Most people don't quite get the concept of a fog light, anyone that uses HID for it is defeating the purpose. Unfortunately, Toyota also missed the mark with fog lights on our 4Runners.
A true fog light is intended to be aimed low at the road directly in front of the vehicle and spread out wide and not used in conjunction with normal driving lights. When used this way, they decrease the amount of glare from fog, rain, or falling snow in bad conditions, and allow other drivers to see you (this is where I should say HID fogs are way too bright and increase the glare). Since we can only use them in our 4Runners when the headlights are on, they are truly useless, and are only there because people expect a well equipped car to have them.
They are very dim in comparison to your low beams, so they don't add to the illumination, all you notice is its a little brighter on the road to the left and right of your bumper.
The yellow Hoen bulbs are a step in the right direction, yellow is a good color to cut glare. But, since they won't really help you, just get what you think looks the best. Yellow, blue, super-white, it doesn't matter too much. I use stock Sylvania bulbs for my fogs.
Put quality bulbs into your high and low beams.
Here, from wikipedia:
Front fog lamps provide a wide, bar-shaped beam of light with a sharp cutoff at the top, and are generally aimed and mounted low.[10][11][12] They may be either white or selective yellow. They are intended for use at low speed to increase the illumination directed towards the road surface and verges in conditions of poor visibility due to rain, fog, dust or snow. As such, they are often most effectively used in place of dipped-beam headlamps, reducing the glareback from fog or falling snow, although the legality varies by jurisdiction of using front fog lamps without low beam headlamps.
Use of the front fog lamps when visibility is not seriously reduced is often prohibited (for example in the United Kingdom), as they can cause increased glare to other drivers, particularly in wet pavement conditions, as well as harming the driver's own vision due to excessive foreground illumination.[13]
The respective purposes of front fog lamps and driving lamps are often confused, due in part to the misconception that fog lamps are necessarily selective yellow, while any auxiliary lamp that makes white light is a driving lamp. Automakers and aftermarket parts and accessories suppliers frequently refer interchangeably to "fog lamps" and "driving lamps" (or "fog/driving lamps"). In most countries, weather conditions rarely necessitate the use of fog lamps, and there is no legal requirement for them, so their primary purpose is frequently cosmetic. They are often available as optional extras or only on higher trim levels of many cars. Studies have shown that in North America more people inappropriately use their fog lamps in dry weather than use them properly in poor weather.
Don't ask why I'm so insistent on these things, I just hate it when people do dumb stuff.
Front fog lamps provide a wide, bar-shaped beam of light with a sharp cutoff at the top, and are generally aimed and mounted low.[10][11][12] They may be either white or selective yellow. They are intended for use at low speed to increase the illumination directed towards the road surface and verges in conditions of poor visibility due to rain, fog, dust or snow. As such, they are often most effectively used in place of dipped-beam headlamps, reducing the glareback from fog or falling snow, although the legality varies by jurisdiction of using front fog lamps without low beam headlamps.
Use of the front fog lamps when visibility is not seriously reduced is often prohibited (for example in the United Kingdom), as they can cause increased glare to other drivers, particularly in wet pavement conditions, as well as harming the driver's own vision due to excessive foreground illumination.[13]
The respective purposes of front fog lamps and driving lamps are often confused, due in part to the misconception that fog lamps are necessarily selective yellow, while any auxiliary lamp that makes white light is a driving lamp. Automakers and aftermarket parts and accessories suppliers frequently refer interchangeably to "fog lamps" and "driving lamps" (or "fog/driving lamps"). In most countries, weather conditions rarely necessitate the use of fog lamps, and there is no legal requirement for them, so their primary purpose is frequently cosmetic. They are often available as optional extras or only on higher trim levels of many cars. Studies have shown that in North America more people inappropriately use their fog lamps in dry weather than use them properly in poor weather.
Don't ask why I'm so insistent on these things, I just hate it when people do dumb stuff.
UrbanDirtFarmer
New member
Reviving thread. Just ordered a pair of Optilux (aka Hella) XY Series H3 12V/55W Xenon Yellow Halogen Bulb Set. Will post review...
kevinpt
Senior Member
this is the 4th gen section but thats fine, post up pictures after the install with the color output so we can see how they look. just so you know some people get about a year out of those bulbs because of the color. bulbs that are blue or yellow will not last as long but they are a great way to find out if its the color you want. there are other ways to get yellow fogs if you want them to last longer. some people use tint film with white bulbs and some use a tint paint. if you want to tint the lens of your fogs look up metalcast paint by dupli-color. it gives you a better look then tint films and you can put on as much as you want till you get the color you want.
hope what i said does not come out the wrong way just trying to tell you of ways to get yellow fogs that will last longer without going with HID. i know a lot of people buy the yellow bulbs and thats fine but for me i wanted something that would not cost me a lot in the long run. im running 60 highbeam bulbs in yellow fogs
Another good read on Selective Yellow bulbs:
Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply
CandlePower Store carries Selective Yellow 55w H3s as well.
Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply
CandlePower Store carries Selective Yellow 55w H3s as well.
UrbanDirtFarmer
New member
Oops, sorry about being on the wrong thread! Thanks for the tips. Yeah, I saw that about the problems with a lame tint and longevity. I figured that I'd start with baby steps. Will post a pic when I have them installed. Happy New Year!
