does 2016 LED fog light up the road or just decorative ?

T

tomcat1446

:
2016 CX-5
just wondering, does 2016 LED fog really light up the road or is it just decorative ?

I know the LED headlights are bright and very sharp, I've seen them in person but what about the little LED foglights ?
do they improve visibility when it is raining or when there's fog ?

thanks in advance
 
Pretty sure just for looks more than anything. When I turn them on I definitely notice the road right in front of me more illuminated but nothing huge. As for rain, I've Read that fogs should be turned off. I leave them on all the time though. An than for fog, I don't really notice any difference.
 
I'll have to try driving with and without them next time it rains. Pretty sure Pa uses paint that disappears when it rains for the lines on the roads. I can't imagine turning them off would help any in the rain.


I have a feeling that LED would be less effective cutting through fog over an incandescent type of bulb.
 
Very few 'fog lights' on current cars function as fog lights. Fog lights typically would need to be amber.
On my '15 w/fogs, I replaced the incandescent H11 bulb with a VLEDS 5K equivalent. With the 4.3K HIDS, the 5K LEDs match up very well. I have them on all the time. Very little difference in illumination - some additional lighting immediately in front and to the sides is about it.
Purely for bling.
 
Doesn't the fact that they are placed lower than the regular headlights make them functioning fog lights? My understanding is that the purpose of fog lights are to illuminate the road from close to the ground, since fog generally hovers a foot or two above the ground where regular lights just reflect back.
 
They aren't really fog lights. You can't operate them without the headlights being on, which is the whole point of fog lights. Probably intentional though as I suspect they wouldn't function well on their own.
 
The only worthwhile fog lights I ever had were on my Dodge Ram's. Of course they were nearly 6" in diameter and threw off a perfect amount of light to the sides and forward (low) of the vehicle. In comparison the fogs on my 2016.5 CX-5 are laughable.

(dunno)
 
The fog lights don't do much, even with quality LED bulbs in them. Ordered some Phillips LED bulbs and have had them in for about a week now and they don't make much of a difference. I think they are just too small to reflect a lot of light. However, on my wife's 4Runner-the Phillips LED lights are brighter than the actual stock headlights of my CX-5. The HID headlights I put in make a world of difference though-highly recommended!
 
I put amber color bulbs in my fog lights. I like the look of the yellow lights, but I don't think they light up the road very much, just for show.
 
GP 2004 said:
I put amber color bulbs in my fog lights. I like the look of the yellow lights, but I don't think they light up the road very much, just for show.
Click to expand...

If you want better output and a nice amber color, Osram's Chinese division makes a line called Fogbreakers. They have an amber fist that is punching through fog on the packaging. These are genuine amber bulbs made by Osram even if they are made in China.

You can usually find genuine ones on Ebay for around $30 - $50. I've had them in all of my cars, and I've yet to have one burn out. The light output and color are both amazing. The only downside is it's next to impossible to find a seller in the US. Be prepared to wait 3-4 weeks at least for shipment from Hong Kong and clearing through customs.
 
KansasWaldo said:
If you want better output and a nice amber color, Osram's Chinese division makes a line called Fogbreakers. They have an amber fist that is punching through fog on the packaging. These are genuine amber bulbs made by Osram even if they are made in China.

You can usually find genuine ones on Ebay for around $30 - $50. I've had them in all of my cars, and I've yet to have one burn out. The light output and color are both amazing. The only downside is it's next to impossible to find a seller in the US. Be prepared to wait 3-4 weeks at least for shipment from Hong Kong and clearing through customs.
Click to expand...

I'll give them a shot, need to get more light output in bad weather , thanks for the tip https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
 
sunnyd said:
They aren't really fog lights. You can't operate them without the headlights being on, which is the whole point of fog lights. Probably intentional though as I suspect they wouldn't function well on their own.
Click to expand...

Since why would you ever just run fog lights with no other light on? Sure, you can see the road, but you can't see anything ELSE!!!
 
I have never had a fog light show anything except that's 2 feet in front of my vehicle....maybe a little on the sides more. But even going 5mph, you out-drive that light.
Granted, the LED fogs are better than other cars I've driven....I also aimed them UP a bit more, to get some more distance.

If you REALLY want foglights that act as REAL lights, check out Morimoto's XB Fog lights. LED, and are almost as good as low-beams. Amazing light output, and spread. Good cutoff so you don't blind other drivers, but the beam fan is thick enough to see down the road more than 2 feet. I do NOT know if they fit any CX-5s off-hand, but they have many car specific and generic ones.
www.theretrofitsource.com is a good distro, and I think are owned, or work very closely with Morimoto in designing new bulbs and headlights. it's nice to see a company that actually designs, builds, and gets DOT approval for their products!



somtimes *coughLEDheadlightBulbsneverworkcough*
 
I drove in heavy fog on saturday night in the Poconos, out in the sticks where there are no streetlamps. I was thinking of this thread, while I was playing with the fog lights. As mentioned, they barely make a difference in the fog. If anything, it works better when there is NO fog since it illuminates the sides a little more allowing me to see if there were any deer thinking of putting itself out of misery with the front of my car. But for fog? No difference.
 
wah said:
I drove in heavy fog on saturday night in the Poconos, out in the sticks where there are no streetlamps. I was thinking of this thread, while I was playing with the fog lights. As mentioned, they barely make a difference in the fog. If anything, it works better when there is NO fog since it illuminates the sides a little more allowing me to see if there were any deer thinking of putting itself out of misery with the front of my car. But for fog? No difference.
Click to expand...

Same experience I had here in the burgh the other night. I think if they were aimed up a bit higher they'd be better.

I installed morimoto LED fogs in my Impreza and they put out great light. Very wide and helped illuminate the sides of the roads which in PA was great for helping see if a deer was about to run in front of you.
 
riff42 said:
Since why would you ever just run fog lights with no other light on? Sure, you can see the road, but you can't see anything ELSE!!!
Click to expand...

I read a very detailed article on fog lights some time ago that explained why true fog lights should be used on their own (without headlights). Google is not helping me locate that article right now, but it was very detailed and made sense. I believe it's the fact that less light will be reflected back at you from true fog lights that are located and aimed properly.
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
2013~2016 My CX-5 LED high beams are terrible
Replies
19
Views
3K
poka-yoke
P
T
Headlight issues (2016 CX-5)
Replies
0
Views
1K
Tomo
T
S
CX-5 Observations on changes from 2020 to 2024
Replies
2
Views
2K
SoulRedCX
SoulRedCX

Latest posts

Back