Fog Lights- Who is happy with theirs, looking for the best!

[Steve M.]

In regards to the best quality and light output...
what do you have and how is the light from them?

[IdahoDoug]

Just to clarify, Americans tend to call any auxiliary light "foglights". So are you truly interested in fog beam patterns? I ask because no discussion looking for aux lamp recommendations should start any other way than "I need better lighting for X conditions, what do you recommend?"

DougM
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[WestyBob]

[greenraVR6]

I have a question kind of along the lines of the OP's. I've read just about every fog/driving/aux lighting thread on here and have never really had this answered. For all of you out there with all these different brands and styles of lights, who of you uses them on public roads without issue? I'm looking for lights that can be on pretty much whenever and not blind other drivers, but also that actually put out some decent light. I'd prefer driving lights since they project further down the road, but fogs would be ok too I guess. I think any additional light source would help to go along with my relayed higher wattage bulb squares that are still pretty much sub par for night driving.

My van is a 2wd tintop that will be lowered in the future and will NEVER see anything but paved roads...
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'88 vanagon*****'91 gti 1.8t*****'04 r32*****'11 suburban z71

[0to60in6min]

it depends on your needs..

- in fog the driving lights will give you a white wall and they won't help and even blind you

- in clear (no fog) the fog lights won't project as far as you want.

the difference is in the pattern of the glass.

[WestyBob]

This has definitely been discussed/answered before but perhaps you didn't come across it.

Real fog lights should never blind oncoming traffic if properly aimed.

Ditto for driving lights aka daytime driving lights.

Aux. headlights, often also referred to as aux. driving lights, can potentially blind on-coming traffic and must be aimed carefully or not at all except off-road.

Many States have laws against more than two sets of lights on at one time.

A lot of the lighting has to do with the lens of each and light refraction.

Another factor is the wattage and type of bulb or LED's used.

Basically fogs project short and wide, the others narrow and long.

Three of my rigs have three point lighting systems on different circuits: regular headlights, fogs and aux. driving lights.

I rarely run the last one but it's there if I need it in a super blackout situation or if the headlights go out for some reason.

You can often get away with just using the high beams when there's no on-coming traffic and eliminate the aux. driving lights altogether for those who prefer to not have so much lighting up front.

On nightly road trips I almost always run the fogs with the regular headlights because the fogs light up the sides of the road.

I've driven at night where the blackness swallows up the light and the highway center and sidelines are mostly washed out but with the fogs I can see the road sides and know where I am at 65 mph.

[thatvwbusguy]

Excellent feedback so far. The key to getting good lighting out of any vehicle will always be to have high quality, properly aimed headlights and good quality bulbs. All the lumen output in the world will not give satisfactory results if the reflector and lens of the main lights are not well designed and in good operating condition.

I routinely see vehicles with foggy headlight lenses and high output bulbs that simultaneously create a combination of bad lighting for the driver and excessive glare for oncoming traffic. This is particularly problematic for 86-91 vans with stock rectangular lights in bad condition.

Since the headlights for the 86-91 Vanagon are a proprietary design and replacements have been unavailable for years, this leaves many people with no simple solution to the problem. The best options are to convert the main outer lights to a readily available replacement headlamp as described in this post http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5...rd+buckets or to convert to 7" round headlights as found on 80-85 Vanagon's or the South African Grill setup.

Once the quality of the main lighting in a vehicle is properly addressed, many people no longer find a need for auxiliary lighting. If additional lighting options are still desired, look for something from a well known manufacturer like Cibie, Hella or PIAA. Even when choosing from a well known source, there will often be a range of products available at different price points. When it comes to lighting, the cliche of "you get what you pay for" often rings true. I have yet to find a set of fog lights or driving lights that give decent performance for less than $75.00-$100.00.
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Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[danfromsyr]

So very true

I'm a fan of quality BOSCH fog/Driving lights.
I like HElla and PIA but they are usually more$$ yet.
on mom's 86van we have a set of quality 'old school' bosch fogs up under the van to where you can't eyeball the lens standing in front but they do an excellent job of lighting up the road & shoulders filling in where the 86+ square lights miss.. especially to her 70+yr old eyes..
people who put 80/100watt upgrades in and tout the brilliance haven't been on the other end of that blinding beam.. irresponsible I feel.

[Jake de Villiers]

There's a pair of NOS Cibie Oscars on Ebay right now for a reasonable price.

Fantastic lamps!
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'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[Terry Kay]

Cibie's are good, Hella's are also a good driving light option.
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T.K.

[0to60in6min]

note that in Europe they use amber colored fog lights

amber color has longer wavelength, combined with special designed glass it penetrates better in the fog

[madspaniard]

I have the Projekt Zwo fog lights. They are ok for coastal fog but I haven't tested them in dense fog banks high up in elevation.

Yes, in Europe people usually have the amber type and are a bit more accostumed to fog lights and how to use them. However, many times I have seen both in the US and Europe people driving a German or European car on a crispy clear night with both front and rear fog lights on, most likely unaware they flipped the switch on. The front ones I can bear but the super bright red rear one is a pain in the ass when you are driving behind. I have to say the rear one was very useful when I used to drive in the Pirenees and the Alps. Very easy to spot the car in front of you in the middle of thick fog high up in the mountains.
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1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

[0to60in6min]

[mirthpeople]

I found one of the best uses for Fog lights is in the winter, to light up the snow banks. I use to have amber ones.
One problem, living in NY, you're not suppose to run Fogs without the headlights on. So in dense fog, you don't end up using them because of the reflection from the headlights.
-Eric
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1985 VW Vanagon Campmobile
1986 Syncro GL- Der Klienbus!
1987 Vanagon GL- Subie 2.2 installed 95% complete
2000 Cabrio- Needs lots of work
2002 Golf TDI- Future Vanagon transplant?

[Jon_slider]

[madspaniard]

[Syncroincity]

I (had) a set of rectangular Hella amber fogs mounted on the front bumper, very effective in bad weather.
One key to success is keeping them mounted as low as possible, you don't want light projecting upward to create glare in the fog & snow.
Search Hella, Cibie, Marchal brands for the best lighting.

Also nice to have is a rear-facing red fog light, standard equipment in all of Europe. Provides some extra visibility to other drivers coming from behind.
Euro tail lights come with an extra bulb holder for this purpose, but separate light assemblies are widely available too. I picked up a K.C. unit on Ebay for about $50.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rear-Fog-Light-35W-1pc-Bla...723wt_1125
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'86 Syncro CHC Top AAZ Turbodiesel
'04 Passat Variant 4Mo 5MT

Vanagon Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=466866&highlight=

[IdahoDoug]

One excellent way to learn which light types (fog, driving, pencil, cornering, etc) do what is to go to Hella's factory site and look at something I think they call their "simulator". It's a pretty cool artificial view down a country road at night to show what gets lit up with each lamp you choose. Don't say I didn't warn you though - it may prompt you to have the UPS man deliver a bright yellow Hella box next week...

I have the big Rally 3000s, and the large Rally 4000s on vehicles, and the Vanagon is getting a set of the Rally 3000s I've had on a shelf for a decade waiting, just waiting for the right vehicle. These are the Euro driving beams and they're going to turn night into day as soon as I fabricate the heavy mounts. 3000s have been out of production for years.

On LEDs and fog, it is worth noting that the frequencies they put out will not be good in fog. They're working on it, but take an ordinary LED flashlight out on even a damp night and you'll see what I mean. Lots of light blowback and dazzle, and you'll literally see little water particles in the air right in front of the lense.

So, go jam up the Hella website!! Fun stuff.

DougM
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[T3 Pilot]

These:

http://www.piaalights.com/details.php?productName=959
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1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[IdahoDoug]

For a rear fog, consider the Hella Model 100. I have used these since 1979 and never had one die. The lense material is a cherry red glass-like old fashioned expensive plastic. The housing is entirely steel with chrome plating. The lense has a thick watertight gasket, and even the screw holes have their own thick gaskets. For the same money as the KC it's a steal, and as a bonus has a slightly retro look (bulged lense, radiused corners, etc) appropriate for the Vanagon. I literally have 235,000 miles on one on my Cruiser.

The other nice thing is the mount on this Hella will swivel forwards or backward if struck, without damage. On my LandCruisers I find this handy because when I'm offroad I (usually) remember to walk back there and swivel it forward and up behind the bumper out of harms way. You Syncronauts wil appreciate that feature!

DougM
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader