Dual LED Fog Lights

Deleted member 1634

I have an XLT and am going to start converting my lights to LEDs across the board (front turns, fogs, low and high beams, side markers, 3rd brake). And in the process of looking for fog lights, I noticed some places had either white or yellow colors. I know that yellow is better for fogy and snowy conditions since that doesn't blind you as much when they reflect back in your face off the particles in the air. So it'd be nice to have yellows during bad weather, but I don't want yellow all the time. I found these dual ones all over the place. Where they can switch between white or yellow depending on what you want. They seem promising and ideal for what I want, but just wondering if they're worth it.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...7BSbKbdGrJeNkVvlNOJ-uq--70Xm7TEMaAjAwEALw_wcB

There are other places that sell versions, so maybe not this specific model/manufacturer, but you get the idea.
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Deleted member 1634

Nobody replied to this, but I figure I'd update it anyways in case someone came across it in the future.

I thought it was going to be harder to reach up between the crash bar and plastic shroud to get at the fog lights, but it wasn't that bad. The only hard part was trying to blindly find the hole to reinstall the new lights.

One thing you'll notice with these dual color ones (and someone pointed out could be a problem previously) is that they beams don't exactly line up with the stock halogens. The white beam is a little low and the yellow beam is a little high, just because of where the light chips are on the stalk. But luckily (or maybe just by happenstance of the way I installed them) it is that way and not the other way around. I'd much rather have the white directed lower to keep that more intrusive color away from peoples eyes. They yellow is warmer and less hurtful on the eyes, so it shouldn't bother oncoming drivers as much. We'll see though.

Another thing that was happening when I was testing them out was they were being finicky and unpredictable. Turning on different colors (right white, left yellow), or not switching when I wanted them to. But I tried again this morning on my drive into work and they worked as advertised. So I'm thinking it had something to do with the truck being keyed on, but not turned on.

img_20191104_190944697-jpg.jpg

Passenger halogen, Driver LED (white mode)

img_20191104_190958448-jpg.jpg

Passenger halogen, Driver LED (yellow mode)

img_20191104_192444422-jpg.jpg

Both LEDs (white mode)

img_20191104_192732571-jpg.jpg

Both LEDs (yellow mode)
 

BHunted

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Very nice... I have dealt with that company in the past decade or two. They are a good company to work with.
So you put them into the fog lights? You use the turn off/on function to change color?
How many lumens, more/less than the stock bulbs give?
 
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Deleted member 1634

Very nice... I have dealt with that company in the past decade or two. They are a good company to work with.
So you put them into the fog lights? You use the turn off/on function to change color?
How many lumens, more/less than the stock bulbs give?
So far they've been a great company to deal with. Had a few questions after install and they were prompt and knowledgeable in their answers.

Replaced the fog light halogens with them, yes. And turning the fogs on and off changes the color, correct. It gets a bit tedious sometimes when using the high beams, since every time the high beams come on the fogs turn off. So when you turn the high beams off again, the fogs have changed colors. Easy work around is just not having the fogs on anytime the high beams will be used frequently, which is easy enough to do.

The LEDs are labeled as 4500 lumen/bulb, and are plenty bright. Quite a bit brighter than the halogens, which I think are rated at ~1800 lumens/bulb if I remember correctly. I found that data somewhere online and I can't remember the number exactly, just that the LEDs had a significantly higher lumen value.

In the end their only like ~$10 more than the standard white LED H11s I found, and they have more options and usefulness. I'm happy with my choice, even with the tedious workings at times.
 

BHunted

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So far they've been a great company to deal with. Had a few questions after install and they were prompt and knowledgeable in their answers.

Replaced the fog light halogens with them, yes. And turning the fogs on and off changes the color, correct. It gets a bit tedious sometimes when using the high beams, since every time the high beams come on the fogs turn off. So when you turn the high beams off again, the fogs have changed colors. Easy work around is just not having the fogs on anytime the high beams will be used frequently, which is easy enough to do.

The LEDs are labeled as 4500 lumen/bulb, and are plenty bright. Quite a bit brighter than the halogens, which I think are rated at ~1800 lumens/bulb if I remember correctly. I found that data somewhere online and I can't remember the number exactly, just that the LEDs had a significantly higher lumen value.

In the end their only like ~$10 more than the standard white LED H11s I found, and they have more options and usefulness. I'm happy with my choice, even with the tedious workings at times.
Thanks.... didn't even realize the fogs went off with the high beams. Sort of like the lil guy in the fridge that turns off the light, lol.
Makes sense.... I usually leave my fogs on because of how dark the area gets. If I'm on a clear empty road, total dark, I just light it up with the 12000 lumen light bar. Just got to make sure there are no oncoming traffic. Will check into these, thanks....
 


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using LEDs in reflector housings blinds oncoming drivers. just look at all the extra wash on your garage door. that's going straight toward the eyes of oncoming traffic and up to the fog your fog lights are intending to shine under.

Why use yellow in fog? Selective yellow is a longer wavelength, diffracts less, and is easier for our human eyes to interpret than blue or violet. To get actual selective yellow light, it needs to be white light filtered by a yellow coating on a bulb or yellow lens, or the right color film.

LEDs do not produce selective yellow light, even if it appears yellow to you.
 
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Deleted member 1634

Thanks.... didn't even realize the fogs went off with the high beams. Sort of like the lil guy in the fridge that turns off the light, lol.
Makes sense.... I usually leave my fogs on because of how dark the area gets. If I'm on a clear empty road, total dark, I just light it up with the 12000 lumen light bar. Just got to make sure there are no oncoming traffic. Will check into these, thanks....
Yeah, I usually drive around town and back and forth to work with the fogs on, since there's plenty of people around and I never get to use the high beams then anyways. But out on trips or on the back roads I have the high beams on most of the time since there's not many other people around anyways.

I also have a set of Warn off-road lights I use a lot on the back roads as well. Definitely very handy for getting a quicker eye on those little critters in the ditch.
 
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Deleted member 1634

using LEDs in reflector housings blinds oncoming drivers. just look at all the extra wash on your garage door. that's going straight toward the eyes of oncoming traffic and up to the fog your fog lights are intending to shine under.

Why use yellow in fog? Selective yellow is a longer wavelength, diffracts less, and is easier for our human eyes to interpret than blue or violet. To get actual selective yellow light, it needs to be white light filtered by a yellow coating on a bulb or yellow lens, or the right color film.

LEDs do not produce selective yellow light, even if it appears yellow to you.
It almost seems like it doesn't necessarily produce more wash, just brighter wash, because the light is brighter.

They may not be perfect, or necessarily "correct" yellow lights, but in the fog and snow and rain I've driven through already with them, they've done wonderfully and allow me to see better than if I had a bright white light bouncing back in my eyes. They're really nice on snow covered roads, creating shadows and showing the terrain better. Based on my own personal experience, I'd rather have these than the stock halogen fogs. Your results may vary.
 

Timosin

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I have an XLT and am going to start converting my lights to LEDs across the board (front turns, fogs, low and high beams, side markers, 3rd brake). And in the process of looking for fog lights, I noticed some places had either white or yellow colors. I know that yellow is better for fogy and snowy conditions since that doesn't blind you as much when they reflect back in your face off the particles in the air. So it'd be nice to have yellows during bad weather, but I don't want yellow all the time. I found these dual ones all over the place. Where they can switch between white or yellow depending on what you want. They seem promising and ideal for what I want, but just wondering if they're worth it.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...7BSbKbdGrJeNkVvlNOJ-uq--70Xm7TEMaAjAwEALw_wcB

There are other places that sell versions, so maybe not this specific model/manufacturer, but you get the idea.
Now that it has been months, have you noticed any additional pros or cons to these fog lights? I like the idea of having the yellow option if needed but likely would normally use the standard fog lights. I have read this thread and another thread you were posting in regarding these and other headlights. I wonder if exploring Forscan and applying Bambi mode would fix the issue of having to switch the fog colors back and forth as high beams go on and off.
 
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Deleted member 1634

Now that it has been months, have you noticed any additional pros or cons to these fog lights? I like the idea of having the yellow option if needed but likely would normally use the standard fog lights. I have read this thread and another thread you were posting in regarding these and other headlights. I wonder if exploring Forscan and applying Bambi mode would fix the issue of having to switch the fog colors back and forth as high beams go on and off.
Haven't noticed any new issues. Though since it's light so much in the summer, they don't get used much. haha

I did read in another post earlier this week that you can alter it so the fogs stay on when the highs come on using Forscan. I'm not sure if that's what you mean by "Bambi mode" (I'm not a Forscan lingo guy). That, combined with the ability to switch DRLs to parking lights, is what's leaning me into actually delving into Forscan. My only thing is that our windows running laptop is not the greatest and crashes all the time, so I'm not sure how much I can rely on it. Our main computer is a Chromebook, and I don't think I can use that for this. But I've been wrong before.
 

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I did read in another post earlier this week that you can alter it so the fogs stay on when the highs come on using Forscan. I'm not sure if that's what you mean by "Bambi mode" (I'm not a Forscan lingo guy). That, combined with the ability to switch DRLs to parking lights, is what's leaning me into actually delving into Forscan.
I haven't used or even really explored Forscan yet but I do believe that is what Bambi mode is. Basically, all forward facing lights on at the same time.
 

charwest

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has anyone tried these?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KM3WTW...wVehicle=1&vehicleId=1&vehicleType=automotive

if raw light output is the goal, these dual color LED lamps (likely questionable imports) report a 8k lumen output, over the 4.5k lumens noted in the dual LED fogs you mention earlier in the thread. i would like as bright a flood as possible to improve my offroad visibility without putting light bars on. yes, i know it isnt the same thing, but changing bulbs out seems like low hanging fruit.

admittedly, i take these specs with a grain of salt, but that increase (4k ->8k) does sound promising.

on amazon, the vehicle compatibility checker says the ones i mention here are NOT compatible, but im not sure why as they also use a H11 socket and the base does not look significantly larger than the ones on the superbrightleds website that the1mrb used.

thoughts?

are there other dual LED fog lamp alternatives that folks are happy with? im happy to pay more than 50 ot 60 dollars as long as the functionality is good. just didnt locate others with the dual function, or they required switching out the whole fog lamp assembly, not just the bulb.
 
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Deleted member 1634

has anyone tried these?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KM3WTWC/ref=au_as_r?_encoding=UTF8&Make=Ford|54&Model=Ranger|696&Year=2019|2019&ie=UTF8&newVehicle=1&vehicleId=1&vehicleType=automotive

if raw light output is the goal, these dual color LED lamps (likely questionable imports) report a 8k lumen output, over the 4.5k lumens noted in the dual LED fogs you mention earlier in the thread. i would like as bright a flood as possible to improve my offroad visibility without putting light bars on. yes, i know it isnt the same thing, but changing bulbs out seems like low hanging fruit.

admittedly, i take these specs with a grain of salt, but that increase (4k ->8k) does sound promising.

on amazon, the vehicle compatibility checker says the ones i mention here are NOT compatible, but im not sure why as they also use a H11 socket and the base does not look significantly larger than the ones on the superbrightleds website that the1mrb used.

thoughts?

are there other dual LED fog lamp alternatives that folks are happy with? im happy to pay more than 50 ot 60 dollars as long as the functionality is good. just didnt locate others with the dual function, or they required switching out the whole fog lamp assembly, not just the bulb.
I will say that the superbrightleds I installed are not lacking in brightness or intensity. And at a certain point there are too many lumens and overwhelm the housing. That's why I think some people with their 16k lumen LED low beams are not seeing a proportional increase in visiblity. I'm not saying the ones you shared are too much, I don't think they are. But just something to consider if you are looking for something even brighter than that.

As far as fitment, I don't see any issues fitting these, or almost any H11 bulb, in our fog light housing. The low beam housing, sure, because that is quite tight. But the fogs are open to the world on the back, so there aren't really any size constraints. It's probably just that no one has actually put one of these in a Ranger, so there's no definitive proof that they do fit.

I'd say give it a go and report back. In the grand scheme of things these aren't that expensive and can always return easily to Amazon.

Only other dual light setup I've found, and had considered prior to my discovery, was getting dual sets of SAE compliant LED pods. One set in white, another in yellow. Wouldn't be too hard to do, but is definitely more work than swapping out the bulbs like I have done.
 

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I will say that the superbrightleds I installed are not lacking in brightness or intensity. And at a certain point there are too many lumens and overwhelm the housing. That's why I think some people with their 16k lumen LED low beams are not seeing a proportional increase in visiblity. I'm not saying the ones you shared are too much, I don't think they are. But just something to consider if you are looking for something even brighter than that.

As far as fitment, I don't see any issues fitting these, or almost any H11 bulb, in our fog light housing. The low beam housing, sure, because that is quite tight. But the fogs are open to the world on the back, so there aren't really any size constraints. It's probably just that no one has actually put one of these in a Ranger, so there's no definitive proof that they do fit.

I'd say give it a go and report back. In the grand scheme of things these aren't that expensive and can always return easily to Amazon.

Only other dual light setup I've found, and had considered prior to my discovery, was getting dual sets of SAE compliant LED pods. One set in white, another in yellow. Wouldn't be too hard to do, but is definitely more work than swapping out the bulbs like I have done.
great. i havent fiddled around back there and that was the plan for this weekend. as it sounds like there is a reasonable amount of room ill buy the amazon option i linked above as you suggest and report back.

thanks for the reply!
 

apotocki

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I will say that the superbrightleds I installed are not lacking in brightness or intensity. And at a certain point there are too many lumens and overwhelm the housing. That's why I think some people with their 16k lumen LED low beams are not seeing a proportional increase in visiblity. I'm not saying the ones you shared are too much, I don't think they are. But just something to consider if you are looking for something even brighter than that.

As far as fitment, I don't see any issues fitting these, or almost any H11 bulb, in our fog light housing. The low beam housing, sure, because that is quite tight. But the fogs are open to the world on the back, so there aren't really any size constraints. It's probably just that no one has actually put one of these in a Ranger, so there's no definitive proof that they do fit.

I'd say give it a go and report back. In the grand scheme of things these aren't that expensive and can always return easily to Amazon.

Only other dual light setup I've found, and had considered prior to my discovery, was getting dual sets of SAE compliant LED pods. One set in white, another in yellow. Wouldn't be too hard to do, but is definitely more work than swapping out the bulbs like I have done.
Fully agree. I’ve had the superbrightled duals for about 6 months. There are a couple con’s -1) the yellow/amber beam is a bit ‘higher’ than the white and occasionally causes me to get flashed. Fortunately I typically run the whites unless the weather conditions are bad. 2) the lights will sometimes go out of sync when they come on - one white and one yellow - which requires a frequent on off on off on off until they are both the same. 3) flipping high beams off and on will also toggle the color - I solved this using Forscan and added Bambi mode which leaves the fogs always on with the high beams.
And yes, 16k seems to really over drive the reflectors - I tried Auxito 16k in my low beam and ended up switching to Auxito 12k which has been perfect.
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