Dual LED Fog Lights

[Deleted member 1634]

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.

I actually will get delivery of my Forscan dongle today so I can mod my fog/high beam function for this very reason! Also got it to make my parking lights the DRLs and try and find a better skin for the Sync screen, but those are unrelated to this thread. haha

The yellow is pointed higher than normal, I agree. I haven't been flashed yet with them on, but same as you I only use the yellows when it's poor conditions. Also I'm not too worried about hurting others because the yellow tone is more pleasing on the eye than the whites, relatively speaking.

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[Big Blue]

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 i'm 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? i'm happy to pay more than 50 or 60 dollars as long as the functionality is good. just didn't locate others with the dual function, or they required switching out the whole fog lamp assembly, not just the bulb.

Be careful when reading the description for Lumens. Most of the topline descriptions are listing lumens per pair of bulbs, not lumens per bulb. The Superbrights listed at 4500 lumens per pair so 2250 per bulb and the Allias are listed at 8000 lumens per pair so 4000 per bulb. So, yes if their lumen values are equivalent, which can be questionable at times. they would be twice as bright.

I'm running 8000 lumens per pair white LEDs in my fogs have a nice cutoff but don't think i would go any brighter. The issues with the colors changing and getting out of sink are a non-starter for me with the fogs. I have switchbacks in my front turns and love them there. I also run my fogs with the parking lamps as my DRLs, so white with white works for me.

 

[Big Blue]

Passenger halogen, Driver LED (white mode)

Looking at your comparison pictures again, it does appear you have significantly more scatter above the cutoff with the dual color LEDs than the OEM halogens. This is probably due to relationship of the chips vertically to the optical center of the reflector. That also explains the yellow mode being aimed higher than the white mode. another disadvantage to the dual color LEDs. Unfortunately reflector housings are very sensitive to light source size and location.

That is why it is technically illegal to replace the halogen headlight bulbs with LEDs in the US, even though a lot of us are doing it. Good thing we don't have vehicle inspection that include headlight alignment anymore.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

The issues with the colors changing and getting out of sink are a non-starter for me with the fogs. I have switchbacks in my front turns and love them there. I also run my fogs with the parking lamps as my DRLs, so white with white works for me.

I can definitely see how the possibility of getting out of sync can be annoying for some. That's why I mentioned it in my review. haha It certainly annoyed me at first, almost made me send them back because of it. But then I learned the tricks and how to use them effectively, and now they never get out of sync and I get all the benefits with none of the issues.

I can also see how they wouldn't be ideal for running as DRLs or with just the parking lights either. I have run them with just the parking lights before on thicker overcast days. But the issue there is not knowing what color they're at since it's too bright for the light to reflect back at you. haha Usually I don't care, but it is front of my mind when I'm doing it. haha

Looking at your comparison pictures again, it does appear you have significantly more scatter above the cutoff with the dual color LEDs than the OEM halogens. This is probably due to relationship of the chips vertically to the optical center of the reflector. That also explains the yellow mode being aimed higher than the white mode. another disadvantage to the dual color LEDs. Unfortunately reflector housings are very sensitive to light source size and location.

That is why it is technically illegal to replace the halogen headlight bulbs with LEDs in the US, even though a lot of us are doing it. Good thing we don't have vehicle inspection that include headlight alignment anymore.

I think I stated in a previous post that I'm not sure there's necessarily more scatter, just brighter scatter. You can see the same pattern with the halogen lights as well, just not as bright, since those bulbs are not as bright. But I could be wrong, it's been known to happen. The "hotspot" for the LEDs are the same size and shape as that of the halogens. The yellow is higher and the white is lower than the stock halogens because of the chip placements for sure though.

I do understand and am aware of the questionable legality and the overall science of LEDs in reflector housings. I debated long and hard about swapping out to LEDs, and I even still haven't for my low beams for this very reason. The lows are the most prominent lights and definitely directly in everyone's face. But my justification for swapping the other lights out is that they aren't really that way. The fogs are low on the truck, below eye line for even those in small cars, and the highs are never on when anyone else is around.

In the end I get the hesitation by some to not use the dual colors, or even LEDs at all. But I feel like I've found the best compromise for me between being able to see at a level I'm comfortable with while still keeping the comfort level of others on the road in mind. Everyone has a different comfort level, and that's fine. The beauty of it is that there's an option for all of us.

 

[charwest]

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.

update on the alla brand 8k lumen dual LED fog upgrade attempt: i can’t get them in. i can easily get the OEM halogen lights in and out but spent 45 painful minutes trying to work the new LEDs in. this was my first time replacing lights and i learned some things along the way. enough that i kept trying different things or approaches. but finally it looks like at least with this pair the silicone seal is too bulky or the spacing from seal to tabs is too great and i can’t push it on hard enough to engage the last twenty degrees of turn. it was very frustrating. it’s possible if i remove the front skid and wheel air dam i can get improved access- enough to shove it on hard enough to compress the silicone more. we’ll see what i have time for.

 

[Big Blue]

update on the alla brand 8k lumen du LED fog upgrade attempt: i can’t get them in. i can easily get the OEM halogen lights in and out but spent 45 painful minutes trying to work the new LEDs in. this was my first time replacing lights and i learned some things along the way. enough that i kept trying different things or approaches. but finally it looks like at least with this pair the silicone seal is too bulky or the spacing from seal to tabs is too great and i can’t push it on hard enough to engage the last twenty degrees of turn. it was very frustrating. it’s possible if i remove the front skid and wheel air dam i can get improved access- enough to shove it on hard enough to compress the silicone more. we’ll see what i have time for.

Some people have reported similar issues and resolved it by replacing the new seals with the ones from the old bulb.

 

[charwest]

Some people have reported similar issues and resolved it by replacing the new seals with the ones from the old bulb.

THIS is why i love this forum. what a blessing. and i feel like a nincompoop for not thinking of that myself.

with the above advice, i (relatively) easily switched the seals, placed the new lamps. ALLA brand dual white/yellow h11 lamps into the fog light housing.

if you want to find these ones, search amazon for "ALLA Lighting H8 H9 H11 LED Switchback Fog Lights Super Bright 8000Lm H11 Switchback Fog/Headlights Bulbs Replacement, 6000K White / 3000K Amber Yellow"

unfortunately, i dont have a garage to project on, but i had my wife take some parking lot photos from our current spot. here are the results, for folks interested in the light pattern.

first photo, below: stock halogens

second photo, below: passenger stock halogen, driver ALLA LED fog on white setting. the LED seems to have a slightly cooler color and looks brighter on the pavement.

third photo, below: both fog lights now with the LED replacement, on white setting

fourth photo, below: now on yellow setting.

all told, im happy. they seem a little brighter. and while im not sure, i think they have a slightly wider spread, which could help with trail and cornering visualization. ultimately, i think the proof is in the pudding. we'll see how they work on the backroads.

tips if anyone wants to repeat this trial: in terms of putting these in, you need to switch the stock silicone seal for the provided one. the stock seal is lower volume and compresses easier. i tried for a half hour with the seals provided with the LED lamps and failed to get it to work. although with the skid plate and plastic wheel air dam off you might get enough in-line push to get it on the provided seal. or you might be stronger than me(!).

second, putting these in its still a tight fit. there is no bulb cover like for the low/high beams, but its not a lot of room. the wire out the back of the heatsink assembly gently touches the innards of the car, cant remember if its the crash bar or plastic paneling, but it makes it a little awkward to finagle it into the slot compared to the low bulk right-angle halogen stock lamps.

finally, the LED lamps here come with an external driver, and about 8" extra length of cable. this would dangle and bang around unacceptably, so i ziptied it to the crash bar, with a shim of closed cell foam between the crash bar and the wiring/driver. without that i doubt these would last a week or two unless you're only on the pavement.

thanks again everyone. ill report back with real-world experience a little down the road.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

THIS is why i love this forum. what a blessing. and i feel like a nincompoop for not thinking of that myself.

with the above advice, i (relatively) easily switched the seals, placed the new lamps. ALLA brand dual white/yellow h11 lamps into the fog light housing.

if you want to find these ones, search amazon for "ALLA Lighting H8 H9 H11 LED Switchback Fog Lights Super Bright 8000Lm H11 Switchback Fog/Headlights Bulbs Replacement, 6000K White / 3000K Amber Yellow"

unfortunately, i dont have a garage to project on, but i had my wife take some parking lot photos from our current spot. here are the results, for folks interested in the light pattern.

first photo, below: stock halogens

second photo, below: passenger stock halogen, driver ALLA LED fog on white setting. the LED seems to have a slightly cooler color and looks brighter on the pavement.

third photo, below: both fog lights now with the LED replacement, on white setting

fourth photo, below: now on yellow setting.

all told, im happy. they seem a little brighter. and while im not sure, i think they have a slightly wider spread, which could help with trail and cornering visualization. ultimately, i think the proof is in the pudding. we'll see how they work on the backroads.

tips if anyone wants to repeat this trial: in terms of putting these in, you need to switch the stock silicone seal for the provided one. the stock seal is lower volume and compresses easier. i tried for a half hour with the seals provided with the LED lamps and failed to get it to work. although with the skid plate and plastic wheel air dam off you might get enough in-line push to get it on the provided seal. or you might be stronger than me(!).

second, putting these in its still a tight fit. there is no bulb cover like for the low/high beams, but its not a lot of room. the wire out the back of the heatsink assembly gently touches the innards of the car, cant remember if its the crash bar or plastic paneling, but it makes it a little awkward to finagle it into the slot compared to the low bulk right-angle halogen stock lamps.

finally, the LED lamps here come with an external driver, and about 8" extra length of cable. this would dangle and bang around unacceptably, so i ziptied it to the crash bar, with a shim of closed cell foam between the crash bar and the wiring/driver. without that i doubt these would last a week or two unless you're only on the pavement.

thanks again everyone. ill report back with real-world experience a little down the road.

Nice job! Hopefully they work out! I look forward to hearing a long term report.

As a side note, is that a solar panel on the roof of the cab? Something to charge the battery for your camping expeditions?

 

[charwest]

Nice job! Hopefully they work out! I look forward to hearing a long term report.

As a side note, is that a solar panel on the roof of the cab? Something to charge the battery for your camping expeditions?

thanks for the help. ill report back on how it works out in actual use.

solar panel: yes. its an 80w flexible (flat) panel that continuously charges our powerbank in the bed. we use that power for the bed lights, fans, laptop and cellphones, etc.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

solar panel: yes. its an 80w flexible (flat) panel that continuously charges our powerbank in the bed. we use that power for the bed lights, fans, laptop and cellphones, etc.

Nice! We have a 90w rigid panel on our camper that keeps us topped off. Our battery finally died after 9 days of moderate to heavy use in shaded sites on our last trip. Which is pretty darn good considering my in-laws' battery died after 1.5 days of light use without solar on the same trip. Luckily it was the morning of the last day, so no big deal for us. And it was nice to actually find the limits of the system. I had purposely been heavily using the system just to see how far I could go. We plan on getting a second 90-100w portable panel to use on longer trips and/or when we bring an electric cooler or whatever.

Anyway, handy to have solar when off-grid camping!

 

[Deleted member 1634]

I did some Forscan changes last night, including:
- fog lights forget their previous setting when lights are cycled
- fog lights stay on when high beams are on
- daytime running lights are now all parking lights (fronts, sides, and rears)

If you're not yet aware or up to speed, the way to switch between colors (on the ones I chose at least) is to cycle the fog lights, which normally happens anytime using the high beams. The second change will eliminate that inconvenience.

A second inconvenience has been that the way the truck starts and the lights engage (all lights) during cranking/turnover is that the passenger side lights a split second before the driver's side. Not sure why, it's just something this truck does. You don't usually notice it with the halogens because they're not quick enough to respond. But LEDs are. So this results in the passenger side cycling before the driver's side even lights, thus making them out of sync (one white, the other yellow). My remedy up until now has been to just turn off the fogs before turning off the truck. But I believe the first setting I changed will essentially reset the fog lights to off every time the lights and/or truck are cycled. So no more flickering of fogs during start-up. Hopefully, though I'm not sure exactly if that's the case.

I know that making Forscan changes isn't within everyone's ability, or at least comfort level. But at least it's possible to make these dual color fog lights even more useful.

 

[charwest]

A second inconvenience has been that the way the truck starts and the lights engage (all lights) during cranking/turnover is that the passenger side lights a split second before the driver's side. Not sure why, it's just something this truck does. You don't usually notice it with the halogens because they're not quick enough to respond. But LEDs are. So this results in the passenger side cycling before the driver's side even lights, thus making them out of sync (one white, the other yellow).

thats a fascinating find- that the passenger lights fire up a fraction before the driver. but why would that cause the dreaded white/yellow dysynchrony? i think its worth figuring this out, becuase for some folks thats the only downside to an otherwise really nice system.

however i would have thought they would both still come on white, in micro-delayed sequence, as white is the 'start up' color.

if one side is coming on yellow, this would suggest to me that the car is sending a 'double tap' current to that side. ie: it gets an initial current, then there is a pause in the current and then it comes on and stays on, which would tell the dual color fog lamp to switch colors.

thats or the innards of the fog lamps is just unreliable. which i suspect is the default theory.

just a thought.

anyways, only thing that matters is if it works. my driveway tests have fired the fogs up white and they have stayed that way, but proof is in the pudding. we will have to do more driving this weekend. fingers crossed.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

thats a fascinating find- that the passenger lights fire up a fraction before the driver. but why would that cause the dreaded white/yellow dysynchrony? i think its worth figuring this out, becuase for some folks thats the only downside to an otherwise really nice system.

however i would have thought they would both still come on white, in micro-delayed sequence, as white is the 'start up' color.

if one side is coming on yellow, this would suggest to me that the car is sending a 'double tap' current to that side. ie: it gets an initial current, then there is a pause in the current and then it comes on and stays on, which would tell the dual color fog lamp to switch colors.

thats or the innards of the fog lamps is just unreliable. which i suspect is the default theory.

just a thought.

anyways, only thing that matters is if it works. my driveway tests have fired the fogs up white and they have stayed that way, but proof is in the pudding. we will have to do more driving this weekend. fingers crossed.

Yeah, I guess I'm not sure how the brand you chose works. The superbrightled ones I have don't default to any color, it's simply a switch color when it cycles thing. So most of the time when I turn them on they're yellow, because the last time I used them they were white.

As far as the out of sync-ness. I ended up doing a lot of research and testing regarding it when I first realized the issue. I'm not sure why the truck fires the passenger side a split second before the driver's side, but it does, and for all the lights too. I first noticed it with the LED high beams I installed. I think you're onto something with the current interruption though too. I think the combined aspect of the different firing time and the current draw during cranking/start-up results in the passenger side light firing, then turning off quickly do to lack of current before the driver side has even responded, and then they both get enough to turn on as the engine starts, but now they're at different settings because one had cycled while the other was dormant.

It's also relatively easy to get them back in sync by simply cycling the fog lights very quickly with the button. So that's what tells me it's definitely attributed to the passenger to driver's side delay of the lights. All of which I've noted previously in this thread. And something superbrightleds is aware of as I contacted them about it.

The simple solution has always been for me to just turn off the fog lights before I turn off the the truck, that way they don't try and turn on while the truck is started again. Pretty easy, especially once you get into the habit of doing it.

I'm hoping this Forscan change will eliminate the need for that. But I have yet to get any proof that that's the case, but only because I haven't tried. haha

 

[charwest]

Yeah, I guess I'm not sure how the brand you chose works. The superbrightled ones I have don't default to any color, it's simply a switch color when it cycles thing. So most of the time when I turn them on they're yellow, because the last time I used them they were white.

ah. that makes sense. my ones default to white, as long as they have been off for thirty seconds or so. you switch to yellow (or back to white from yellow) by toggling them off and then on. i will typically be wanting the white (rarely deal with inclement conditions that require a yellow/amber fog) so this is expected to work well for me.

you would think that if my lights function as expected, they would never have the white-yellow out of sync problem (and as of yet that has not happened to me) but other people in the amazon reviews noted that this would happen sometimes. your explanation makes it sound like that would be a potential reason. however leaving them off for thirty seconds (or whatever the reset delay is) should reset the electronics and get me back to a dual-white. and then you could switch to dual-yellow immediately after that.

 

[charwest]

Nice job! Hopefully they work out! I look forward to hearing a long term report.

For anyone interested: short term report..

So far they work great. Both the white and yellow modes seem brighter than stock. I have spent a lot of time playing with them, flicking them on and off, using the white as a poorman’s DRL, and have yet to have a single instance of out-of-sync colors which I know is something that has bothered some folks with other models.

In practice, while I do not have a good way to measure it, I think the white is similar in beam height to the yellow but that the effective visibility is better with yellow. This was a little unexpected for me.

When I have low or high beams on and add the white fog LEDs it seems to fill in the foreground and the nearby sides of the road, but the yellow does an even better job. I can’t seem to convince myself I understand why. It might be the yellow is brighter, or the beam is more uniform, or it’s higher/more lateral, or who knows.

This does make me wonder whether a dedicated powerful LED fog replacement yellow would be a better option for us, but then as we are trying out the white mode to increase daytime visibility maybe it’s better to have a white as well.

Short story: the addition of the yellow LED instead of stock halogen fog has improved my night time off-road comfort. There is a more uniform and bright wash in front of and to the side of the truck that makes squirrelly terrain easier to understand at night. The white may or may not be a good DRL replacement, but it doesn’t do as good a job as yellow at night.

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