Blazer projector HID fog light upgrade

After driving around with my new 35W HID kit in the factory fog light housings I decided two things:

1. With my new 55w HID headlights, the fog lights are useless (they helped a ton when I was using the stock HID headlights).
2. Because the factory fog lights are non-projector, they are way too bright and very unfocused. They definitely produce a glare to oncoming drivers.

So to solve this problem I ordered a set of Blazer Projector Fog Lights.



They were $45+shipping. From what I've read on HIDPlanet.com they are an affordable alternative to blinding everyone on the road. They have a very sharp cut-off and focus the light well. Since I already have the 35w HID kit from DDM, this should be a simple upgrade. I just need to order new bulbs. I used 5000k bulbs. They are definitely more white than my stock headlights so if you wanted more light and to match your stock HIDs then you should go with the 4300k bulbs.

These can be used without an HID kit and still benefit with brighter more focused light. If you decide to upgrade to HIDs later the switch would be simple.

 

Can you simply retro fit something in there? Are the factory projectors not good?

 

Have you checked around Planet HID to see if there are angled pods you should use or contact one of the custom retrofit companies?

 

Ok so after a bunch of failed attempts at mounting these things I ended up at my old stereo shop and just had my buddy create mounting brackets for them. It was not difficult to do but I'm not that handy with custom fabrication.

He made the mounts out of plastic and then used silicone to seal the projector to the bezel. It came out looking pretty good for a quickie fix.

The lights are WAY brighter than when I had HIDs in the stock halogen housing. There is now a sharp cutoff instead of the typical "squirrel hunting" pattern put out by non-projectors. I'll get some wall shots when I get a chance. Until then here is how they came out.

 

You don't have to go to HIDs. The halogen bulbs that it comes with would work better than the OEM fog lights. The HIDs just make it better.

There really is no kit so to speak. It's just a foglight with a bulb in it. There is no mounting hardware either. You would need to put a new connector from your OEM wiring to fit the 881 bulb these lights use. Since HID kits are so cheap I figure you could spend a few bucks on a new connector for your factory wiring or you can spend $30 for a 35w HID kit. *shrug*

I know how to do them now so if you decide you want to do it I could get you a good deal on the bracket labor (the shop is in Fairfield). I could install the HID part for ya for free but only because you're cool.

For a bit more dough you could go with the Hella Micro DE lights. They are supposedly nicer and come with mounting hardware. I just wanted to go the cheap route. $138 at TireRack.com

 

No worries bru!

I think you'll like these fog lights. I realized this morning that they are aimed WAAAY too high. I was literally squirrel hunting (looking up into trees) when I drove to work this morning. Interestingly though, they project a pretty wide beam far out in front of the car. So much so that once I get them aimed lower I may not want to do projectors in the headlights. I could see the distinct cutoff line on the tops of trees and high street signs so these things are pretty darn bright!

I'll get them aimed and post pictures tonight if I finish the honey-do-list.

 

Hmm, maybe I could work out a deal with the stereo shop to have them mount them for you. All you would have to do is ship the materials (grill inserts and foglights) back and forth. The foglights may be able to be drop shipped to save on shipping. I could see what they would want to charge for something clean. Then all you have to do is plug them into your factory harness or HID kit then pop the grille into the bumper. Once they are mounted to the grill insert it is quite easy.

 

I got some pictures and while i'm happy with the lights i'm not happy with my ability to aim them better. I am to blame for breaking the lower clips on the grille when learning how to take them out. Now the bottom of the grille inserts do not tuck back as far as they should so it aims the foglights approx. 2 ft. higher than the headlights when viewed on a wall 25ft. away. Normally they should be aimed just below the headlights. Guess I need to screw the grilles down.

The first picture is of the headlights and foglights the second is of only the headlights.

 

Nope, I learned my lesson. I didn't even know they were clipped in like that. I always test stuff on my car before touching anyone else's car. Besides, doing HIDs just means removing the bumper. That is easy. If your hands are small enough we won't even have to do that.

 

Good call. Close but not quite. I have 5000k Morimoto bulbs in the fogs and 5000k DDM bulbs in the headlights. The Morimotos looks white everywhere except when looking directly at the foglights at which point they appear bluish. I swapped out the stock headlights because they have so many hours on them and put the 5000ks in yesterday just to see what they would look like. Meh

It turns out that when I do the Morimoto Mini D2S upgrade I will have to remove my 55w DDM kit and go back to 35w so I don't burn the projector bowls. So I'll likely just hook my stock HID ballast up to them and sell the 55w kit. Such a waste of money. I wish I had planned this out better but I tried to go cheap and never attained the results I wanted. Except with the fogs.