Amber fog lights vs. white - Pics?

[IllianaXJ]

I'm trying to decide between amber and white fogs for my Blazer. 99% street use, wired to be on any time my parking lights are. Obviously most people go with white, but for some reason I'm gravitating towards amber. The lights themselves will most likely be Hella 500s mounted on the front bumper, and/or eventually a grille guard. I have white Hella 500 driving lights on the XJ, and would prefer a fog pattern for everyday driving; people tend to flash brights when I have them on :smilies27

Anyone have any pics of amber vs. white beams and their patterns? POV pics would be awesome.

 

[former520]

You don't really have Hella 500's wired to your parking lights for mostly city driving do you?

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I have white Hella 500 driving lights on the XJ, and would prefer a fog pattern for everyday driving; people tend to flash brights when I have them on

And well you should, you're blinding them. That's worse than driving around with your high beams on.

 

[IllianaXJ]

No, on the XJ they're not wired to the parking lights, they're independently switched. I have them aimed so as not to blind oncoming traffic, and in the rare instance I use them on the road, I try to remember to shut them off for traffic. They're no more annoying than the super bright headlights that come stock on higher end cars/SUVs or stock foglights on Chevy Silverados (which are blinding).

Geez.

Anyway, for a fog pattern, which do you guys prefer, amber or white? Indiana doesn't get a lot of steady rain or fog, so I don't know if the amber would benefit any more than white in normal driving.

 

[sandalscout]

Not true pictures, but rallylights.com has info on Hella beam patterns and colors.

That said, I still think that with a fog pattern 500s are still to bright for normal road usage.

 

[Quintin]

Amber fog lights

Years ago I broke a Hella white fog oblong lamp (a truck sized one) in France and had to get a replacement. In France then all lamps had to be amber though this hasn't been so for 10+ years so I ended up having to buy a pair of amber lamps. I have to say that these lamps were far superior to the otherwise identical white lamps because the yellow light seemed to penetrate fog better and not get reflected back. I also used 100W bulbs and they weren't too bright for everyday use.

 

[Photog]

If they really are fog lights, and you will be using them for fog, they shoulf be amber. It will allow you to see much better in the fog.

If they are driving lights, used to see the bumps (shadows) in the road, then white is going to work better.

It sounds like you want a wide and low light pattern (fog pattern), instead of a flood or pencil beam.

Ralley vehicles have long and short range lights, to cover both needs. What are you actually trying to do with your lights?

 

[IllianaXJ]

I want a wide and low pattern to fill the void between the front of my truck and the low beams, for which a fog light would be best. Part of the issue revolves around mounting space. I don't have any area in or under the bumper for lights; they pretty much have to be mounted to the top of the bumper. To avoid blinding traffic, I'll have to aim them properly.

I have also considered a set of dual fog/driving lights like these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/220W...oryZ6755QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/220W...oryZ6755QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The second pair is thin enough I could fit them between the bumper and tow hooks, which would put the light low where it needs to be. The first pair would have to be mounted on the bumper. It's unfortunate Chevrolet didn't make fogs standard on this year Blazer.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Why do you want to see the ground between your bumper and low beams? Generally if there is anything worth seeing in that area, it's much too late to do anything about it. In professional lighting setups, you actually don't want light there, because the extra light causes your pupils to shrink that much more, decreasing your long range vision, while the extra information you're getting at close range is useless.

Fog lights are for driving in fog. They should be mounted low, to get under the fog. They should only be used in fog.

You're lucky that GM didn't put factory fogs on that trunk, because almost all factory fogs are absolute junk. They cast no usable light on the ground, can't be used with the headlights off (which is the point of fog lights), and only serve as styling enhancements which also annoy oncoming cars because of their glare.

The combo units are bad designs because fog lights are supposed to be mounted low, and driving beams are supposed to be mounted high. Putting them in one light means one or the other is compromised.

 

[miller_au]

Dual lights look pretty good. If you want a true fog light it should be amber.
It sounds like for just "filling the void" between your car and the low beam then a white low output driving light would suit.
How bout a set of OEM driving lights from another vehiclel? say from a wreakers or alike?

 

[Photog]

Fog lights are for driving in fog. They should be mounted low, to get under the fog. They should only be used in fog.......
........
The combo units are bad designs because fog lights are supposed to be mounted low, and driving beams are supposed to be mounted high. Putting them in one light means one or the other is compromised.

:iagree:

On the other hand; my dad used to mount his driving lights lower than the head lights; but still on top of the bumper (70's GMC). Mounting them low this way, made shadows in the road, on the back side of bumps, washboards, pot holes, etc. This was very useful. It may not have been so good for high-speed driving, as the lights didn't reach as far down the road. But for speeds under 60mph, they were excellent.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I've run with driving lights low like that and hated it. Sure, you could see that there was an undulation in the road, but had no info on how deep it was or what was in it. I prefer my light to project down into the holes as much as possible.

With the lights up higher, you can see what is in the bottom of shallow holes. And if it's a deep hole, it still appears as a void, telling you that it's a deep hole.

 

[toyota_jon]

I understand your want for better lights. My better half has a 96 jimmy. the first time i drove it i couldn't believe how terrible the lights were. What i did for her was get a set of $20 walmart driving lights. they made a huge difference. i mounted them in the grill area. also i have them slightly angled out so she can see the edge of the road better. she uses them on a daily basis and she doesn't get flashed by other drivers. It's an easy cheap solution to those lousy oem lights.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I run white Hella 500 fogs and have run amber in the past. As far as fog lights go, amber hand's down will work better. But I also use my fogs as sorta low beams (in the way Photog describes, fill light for shadows) and they are mounts on top of my bumper so they don't get torn off. So they are not optimal as fogs, but do definitely work better than headlights to see under snow and fog. So it's compromise and the fog pattern itself is somewhat of an improvement over regular forward lights.

 

[86cj]

I have a 2000 ZR-2 blazer for wifes DD and it did not have factory fogs in the blinkers. The light pattern of those headlights is horrible, I put a set of Piaa 1500 white fog lights on it. I do have the drivers side fog pointed below the headlight, between all 4 lights nobody flashes me. Go for the whites if you plan to use them often, the 1500 fog has a true fog beam pattern and work well.

The 1500's fit in the tow hook hole by flipping the hooks over so they angle down slightly and making a little plate sandwiched between hooks and frame to mount lights to. Piaa light Kit's are a little high dollar but this will be their 9th winter and they work everyday, which is more than I can say for any other brand I have used, their harness and relay seems bullet proof.