Fog Light Recommendations

Benchracer

Benchracer

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I am new to the Jeep world, having bought my 2005 TJ in August. It has It was in pretty good condition when I got it. My first surprise was that the transmission (42RLE) died less than 24 hours after I bought it. Thankfully I bought it from a reputable dealer that paid for the complete rebuild. Since then It has been a work in progress as I do the necessary (or unnecessary) mods to make it "my Jeep".

I installed the Hella fog lights in the stock location using the stock wiring and switch. Of course, I had to replace the multi-function switch to keep them from staying on. I should have read the related thread here first, but maybe I can restore the old one for a spare. The Hellas are great and I have had no problems with them but I'm thinking of changing to a smaller cube profile. My problems is this. I am looking for "fog" lights, the ones with the flat, low profile beam with a sharp cutoff line. Every search I do for fog lights seems to return results with driving lights, spot lights, flood lights, scene lights, and everything but fog lights. What are you folks using? My TJ is a daily driver so I don't need the super bright offroad lights. The Rigid 504813 is the only thing I have found so far that fits what I'm looking. I want a fog lens with the narrow vertical line lens which produces a wide, flat pattern. Any help will be appreciated.

This is my first post so far, although there may be more. I already owe many thanks to the fine folks on this forum for providing answers to multiple questions I have had since my purchase.
 
I really like my Vision X 4.7″ CG2 LED Light Cannon. Pretty sure @Chris did a review a while back on this forum. You can get them in either spot or flood and you can buy poly covers to change the colours and the beam.
 
Why not stick with the stock lites? Put some LED bulbs in for a bump up in brightness if you want.

Watch the cheap "cube" and similar LED fixtures - some of them put out considerable RFI if that matters to you. Mine just BLAST my CB radio.
 
LJGreg said:
I really like my Vision X 4.7″ CG2 LED Light Cannon. Pretty sure @Chris did a review a while back on this forum. You can get them in either spot or flood and you can buy poly covers to change the colours and the beam.
Click to expand...

Yes, they are excellent, albeit very, very expensive (y)
 
Zorba said:
Why not stick with the stock lites? Put some LED bulbs in for a bump up in brightness if you want.

Watch the cheap "cube" and similar LED fixtures - some of them put out considerable RFI if that matters to you. Mine just BLAST my CB radio.
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The stock lights were not there when I bought it. I really like the Hellas and have had no problems with them. My sole reason for changing is to go with the smaller format. I want to keep the flat fog pattern of the Hellas. I am not looking for anything brighter. The LED headlights are plenty bright. I want a beam suitable for driving in fog/rain conditions without the glare.
 
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“Fog lights” are typically lower output and DOT approved accordingly. Not quite as exciting compared to LED light cannons with a lot fewer options. I am guessing manufacturers just expect owners to keep the stock if that’s what they want. Other than the OEM, Apollos from KC are probably the most common true fog replacement.
 
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I bought some used stock TJ fog lights off of eBay and restored them. I like the look better than just about anything else. The restoration was really just taking everything apart, de-rusting all of the metal components, cleaning and polishing everything, and then putting them back together with new bulbs.
 
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glowell222 said:
I bought some used stock TJ fog lights off of eBay and restored them. I like the look better than just about anything else. The restoration was really just taking everything apart, de-rusting all of the metal components, cleaning and polishing everything, and then putting them back together with new bulbs.
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That's what I did too.
 
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I think the terms fog lights and flood lights are interchangeable. I have the Hellas 500s and pur 100 watt bulbs in for a little more brightness. I do like the pattern of light they put out.
 
What new bulbs did you use on the OEM configuration? Those are about the only ones I haven't replaced on mine. I was thinking about using LED, but none of my other fronts are LED and I'm afraid it'd glow up weird.
 
The LED lights don't give the correct pattern, or I haven't found any that give the correct pattern. The OEM fogs actually reflect the light, instead of how the headlights work (by directing the beam out at the road-the fogs direct the beam back into the fog light reflector). So your bulb needs to have the correct brightness and light pattern. I went with Piaa 13085 85W H-3 bulbs and they do great.
 
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Jim King said:
I think the terms fog lights and flood lights are interchangeable. I have the Hellas 500s and pur 100 watt bulbs in for a little more brightness. I do like the pattern of light they put out.
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Not really. Flood lights have a completely different pattern than fog lights, and a flood light in the fog is pretty much the same as using high beams in the fog, maybe even worse.
 
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Right! I remember reading about that one time. Thanks for the recommendation!
 
Seems like a pair of low-beam headlights would be the closest thing to fog lights you could get, since they're the only other thing that has a cutoff.
 
Fog lights are designed to have a low, wide beam that mainly shines below the level of the headlights. Fog lights must also be mounted as low as feasible on the front of the car to reduce reflected light from the fog. If the fog lights are mounted too high, especially at or near hood line, much of the light will be reflected off of the fog (or snow) back at the driver, causing the vision to be washed out by excess light.

They generally also use a lower color temperature than standard LED lights, often a typical halogen color temperature. Higher color temperatures tend to cause more contrast on the fog or snow relative to the intended visual target, resulting in a more washed out appearance.

The factory Hella fog lights are great for actual fog and snow. Another good option is the KC Hilites Slimlite fog lights (halogen). They both have a lower color temperature (warmer) and have a low, wide pattern. They should be mounted as low as feasible on the front bumper, and should not be mounted high, especially on bull bars or windshield/pillar mounts for proper effectiveness.

Also, keep in mind if you need to use them in snow, halogen fog lights will melt the snow far more quickly than LED. You can buy heated LED headlamps, but for as infrequently as fog lights are used, heated LED fog lamps are probably not worth the cost.


If you need more light for general (not fog or snow) use, consider flood lights. There are thousands of options available. I recommend brands like Rigid and KC Hilites. Be aware they may not be legal for use on the road. Some states will allow use of “auxiliary driving lights” that are switched with the high beams, though they are subject to some regulations.

True fog lights will have a very different beam pattern than flood lights.
 
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