I know I've seen a few posts that mention replacing the stock fog lights with LEDs, but haven't really seen any specifics of what to use. I saw that someone mentioned the SilverStar Ultra. Any particular recommendations someone might be able to give? I basically just want to do 6000k HID headlights with blue/white LED for lights. If at all possible, I'd really like to have the 6000k headlights with the blue fog lights. I know they won't do much for lighting, but fog lights don't do much as it is. I was looking at some of the 102SMD 9006 bulbs, but couldn't find any that were blue, only white. Is it just worth it to get the 102 whites and have the extra bit of light?
Eesh. Hadn't really planned on spending that much. If at all possible, I'd like to spend around $70 for the headlights and $50 - $70 for the fog lights.
LED fog lights are not as practical as HIDs or even halogens. In fact I think you'll find the lighting and emittance underwhelming. There is a thread floating around somewhere that compares LED fogs and halogen fogs side by side.
Yeah, I don't really expect to get much out of the fogs. The majority of my lighting will come from the 6000k HID headlights. If anything, I just want the LED fog lights for looks.
That's what I figured. However, HID fogs, especially if they match your headlights, will give even better looks.
Yeah. I had 6000k's for my fogs and headlights on my '02 Spyder. Really looked ferocious, but I'm not sure that I'm ready to spend that much right now. The LEDs would just be a matter of swapping out the bulbs. In order to do HIDs, I'd have to get a whole kit and either have someone install them for me or try to figure it out myself. Edit: Now you've drawn my attention to the HID kits. I hadn't realized they were that reasonably priced. I'm assuming there's already a guide somewhere on here for doing it myself. I would be willing to give up a day to figure it out. The headlights will be easy enough because they are just the factory HIDs. Assuming I can get a decent kit for around $50, that might be worth it to just get the matching fog lights.
Would something like this work alright? http://www.amazon.com/JLM-Conversion-6000K-Diamond-White/dp/B0029EXC82
You should check out DDM tuning for HID kits. You can choose any color, cheap too. $35. Several members here have gone with DDM and can vouch for them. HID Kits, BMW Aftermarket Bumpers & Lighting, DEPO - DDM Tuning Personally, I would go with 3000k to give my car the rally look, but you can totally do 6000k too. HIDs also don't heat up like halogen bulbs, particularly at 35w. LEDs pull even less power, but if you want to do fogs right, HIDs is the way to go. I have yet to do this mod too. I'm pretty inexperienced at stuff like this, and don't have the correct tools at the moment. Good luck.
Great question. 55w will definitely run hot. Like it'll burn you if you touch the glass for a few seconds after its been on for a while. Also, if you ever plan to put a film over your glass lenses, it'll definitely melt them. However, I don't expect it to melt your housing or cause any electrical problems. It's just a greater risk you run, any modder will tell you. Another potential issue with 55w is that it could produce a blinding wall of light for other drivers. The nice thing about 55w is that it'll really match your 6000k HID headlights. Typically, you don't want your fogs to overpower your low beams, but it looks great if you can match the intensity/colors. 35w won't be as bright as 55w. I'd say it's closest to the brightest halogen bulb you can imagine, probably just a bit brighter. However, you won't run into as many overheating issues and it's ideal for smaller fog housings like the Prius'. In the end, most people go with 35w for fogs. It's still a good upgrade and you won't have to worry about the bulbs burning out or melting your wires. 35w will definitely be noticeable to some people and other drivers will appreciate you not blinding them. (I would definitely go with 35w if I was doing 3000k color (yellow) because a higher wattage tends to wash out that pure yellow rally color.) I'd suggest you search the forums for people who have done the HID fog upgrade.
If you're looking to get some "color" like more BLUE...etc...go with 35W kits. Because 55W are so bright that the "color" just disappears...(whichI don't like!) I prefer to have more BLUE hue than pure WHITE color n' more light! I go for looks
I was noticing this when I was looking at their little chart thing. The 55w seems to be a lot more faded than the 35w. One of the main points of doing the swap is for looks. I think I'm definitely going to have to go with the 35w. I'll make sure to post pictures of everything when I do replace them all.
Sorry for the bump...again. =\ I finally decided to bend over and go to order both the 6,000k HIDs for the headlights as well as the fog light HID kit from DDM Tuning. Am I going to need anything from the bottom three options? It gives me: HID Harness - [Dual in, Dual out $12.50] Error Eliminator - [Type 3 $15.00] Adapter Cables - [H1/H7 to 9006 $8.00]
For any that were curious, you don't need any of the three options. I called DDM Tuning to ask about it. The upgraded wire harness is for bigger vehicles like trucks and SUVs. The error eliminator is for Euro cars after 2002. The adapter cables are rather self explanatory.
I'd love to see pics when you have them installed. I just installed LEDs in the fog light housings and so far so good but you can see blue dots in the housing from the individual LEDs on the bulb. The HIDs are likely a much better route and one I may turn to.
Well, I've also ordered some 6,000k D2R's for my headlights. They should be here within the next few days. I'll more than likely do both the fogs and headlights at the same time. I'll make sure to take pictures of the process as well as the end result, in case anyone had planned on doing the same thing.
Great. I'm going to upgrade my stock HIDs to a 6000k bulb so it will be nice to see how your upgrade goes.
