Fog Light Output

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2008 Mazda5 GT
The stock fog light output is quite pitiful. I also find it strange that when on, there’s no “fog” indicator on the dash. Maybe this is an indication that it is really not a “fog” (unless my bulb is out) :p

Anyone here put a higher output halo bulb or HIDs in the fog lights? If so, what brand, size/type, color are you using? Seems H9 (essentially low beam) fit with a little mod in removing a notch. Anyone try this or, gasp (boom08), H9 HIDs!? I want as yellow and bright as I can get. I don’t use the fogs often so a short lifespan is AOK with me.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?254193-Difference-between-H9-and-H11-bulbs


edit: better pics of the bulb differences
http://forum.mazda club.com/exterior-modifications/238968-h11-h9-fog-light-conversion.html
 
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I tried this before I knew better :-(.

HIDs bulbs will not work because of the shield (too long, even short HID bulbs will hit). If you remove the shield - you need painted bulbs because of glare - may have too much glare anyway :)
 
There are defined requirements on what a fog light is, per SAE standards (FMVSS108). Often what we (or the marketing department) call fog lights are actually driving lights by definition, and 95% of the time their primary purpose is styling. Does it say SAE on the OEM lens anywhere? (I don't have fogs, so I can't check)

OEM fog lights (or driving lights) are not good options for actually casting light on the road and illuminating what you want to see when driving. Small, non-ideal reflectors, poor/no optics, and old bulbs are the standard. (especially at the mz5 price point).

You may be able to shove high output bulbs in them, but I can nearly guarantee that you'll never really get "good" output from an OEM fog light. And if you start swapping bulb types (HID or H9 as you mentioned) , in addition to poor output, you'll also be annoying other drivers with a good dose of glare most likely.

Source: used to design/evaluate exterior automoble lighting for a major OEM.
 
Silent, you are highly unlikely to get decent light out of the stock fog-ish lights. While installling my HID kit on the low beams I put some old 5000K H11 HIDS in the stock fogs, just to see what they would do. I had to remove the shield to get them to fit and the end result was HIGHLY disappointing. The super short reflector combined with the fact that the bulb was reallycrammed in there meant that all I really got was a sunspot of glare and a big fuzzy ball of light about three feet in front of the bumper. No matter what I did with the up/down adjustment the light pretty much stayed where it was. I was so disgusted I put the shields back in and got LEDs. I basically consider the factory fogs to be DRLs, they are essentially worthless at night. If you really want an improvement cut the plastic up and mount some Hella Micro DEs...
 
I ordered a set of white and a set of yellow H9s. Just waiting on the weather to get a little better. I'll let you know...
 
Appreciate the feedback. I will skip the HID route, be it H11 or H9, 35 or 55 watt.



There are defined requirements on what a fog light is, per SAE standards (FMVSS108). Often what we (or the marketing department) call fog lights are actually driving lights by definition, and 95% of the time their primary purpose is styling. Does it say SAE on the OEM lens anywhere? (I don't have fogs, so I can't check)

OEM fog lights (or driving lights) are not good options for actually casting light on the road and illuminating what you want to see when driving. Small, non-ideal reflectors, poor/no optics, and old bulbs are the standard. (especially at the mz5 price point).

You may be able to shove high output bulbs in them, but I can nearly guarantee that you'll never really get "good" output from an OEM fog light. And if you start swapping bulb types (HID or H9 as you mentioned) , in addition to poor output, you'll also be annoying other drivers with a good dose of glare most likely.

Source: used to design/evaluate exterior automoble lighting for a major OEM.
I understand the reflectors in the OE fog housing is the main culprit. It prob also doesn’t help that the light is quite recessed into the bumper (in terms of spreading the light). I’m not expecting a sudden/major improvement but rather just looking to maximize what I have. I’ve had my share of Pilot, Hella, and Cibie fogs to understand (somewhat) their short-comings. I’ve had Miata/MR2 friends who’ve done the lazy eye conversion and put in a pair of fogs for low beam -arguably better lights than what we have to work with. I would disagree (case by case) that OE fogs are not good driving lights. I bought OE fog kit (housing, harness, switch and all) for my dad’s Suzuki and was pleasantly surprise to find they were Cibie (H1) lights! They were BRIHTER than the stock low beam halogens. I started a project to reuse the Cibie (Zuk is long gone) on my Previous Sport but sold the car and left the idea since the GT comes with fogs. Let’s see how the H9 works out. If I don’t like it, I suppose I may revisit the project after all.

EDIT: Looks like the OE lights are made by Koito (JP). Has the following markings (or something like it b/c it is too hard to read :p)
Koito 1 / 4 – 6 : 0-0 SAE F 01 R.
Does this mean anything to you?


I ordered a set of white and a set of yellow H9s. Just waiting on the weather to get a little better. I'll let you know...
Don’t tease us. What bulbs (specs) did you get?!

I took a leap of faith and bought $35 (and that's on sale!) Chinese bulbs – yikes! Looks like they take OSRAM All-Season base and add a layer of yellow tint to them via post processing. The faith is where the OSRAM’s spec sheet for their All-Season bulbs run in the 80-100watt, which I DO NOT want. These are listed as 65 (I hope). I also don’t like that they don’t identify lumens. Let’s see if my leap of faith is going to take me to a bright heavenly place or fall flat on my face :/
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
 
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Ok, so I put the yellow Nokya H9 bulbs in. In addition to removing the extra tab, I also had to file down the large metal tab a bit. When you remove your bulb and look at it head on, you will see the 3 metal locking tabs. Well, the large tab at the top is offset to the right on the H11 and to the left of the H9. So you'll have to file/grind down the H9 on the left side of the large tab. I didn't take a picture because its still very much daylight and I put the yellows in instead of the whites. Even with the reduced lumens of the yellow bulb, I'm sure that it will be brighter than the H11s
 
Ok, so I put the yellow Nokya H9 bulbs in. In addition to removing the extra tab, I also had to file down the large metal tab a bit. When you remove your bulb and look at it head on, you will see the 3 metal locking tabs. Well, the large tab at the top is offset to the right on the H11 and to the left of the H9. So you'll have to file/grind down the H9 on the left side of the large tab. I didn't take a picture because its still very much daylight and I put the yellows in instead of the whites. Even with the reduced lumens of the yellow bulb, I'm sure that it will be brighter than the H11s
PICS!?? Are the Nokya's “yellow” enough for you? Above all else, did you get a sense of heat issue in the fog housing after leaving it on for, say, 30mins - 1hr? Still waiting for my bulbs to arrive..

The Mazda6 forum thread (remove space) above has pictorial on mods you need to make on the base.
 
PICS!?? Are the Nokya's “yellow” enough for you? Above all else, did you get a sense of heat issue in the fog housing after leaving it on for, say, 30mins - 1hr? Still waiting for my bulbs to arrive..
Output of H9 Nokya is greatly improved. Now, I can tell that the fogs are on without having to get out of the car to check
DSC06800.jpg

DSC06799-1.jpg
. Its not blinding but they are now a lot more functional than with the H11 bulbs.

DSC06794.jpg
 
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Awesome. Looks MUCH improved :)! We need long term update on the housing to make sure nothing funny happens inside (I doubt bc of the slight increase). I'm still wait for my bulb to arrive -damn you international shipping... :(
 
I drive 35-40 minutes one way to work everyday and haven't noticed any ill effects. I honestly have not disassembled the front bumper to check the wires, but the housing itself remains intact with no hot spots that appear to be melting. Will let everyone know if that ever changes.
 
I took a leap of faith and bought $35 (and that's on sale!) Chinese bulbs – yikes! Looks like they take OSRAM All-Season base and add a layer of yellow tint to them via post processing. The faith is where the OSRAM’s spec sheet for their All-Season bulbs run in the 80-100watt, which I DO NOT want. These are listed as 65 (I hope). I also don’t like that they don’t identify lumens. Let’s see if my leap of faith is going to take me to a bright heavenly place or fall flat on my face :/
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
Very happy with the results. All I have to say is “Yes”!

NOTE: Pay attention when cutting the inner plastic tab. I was in too much of a rush and cut the wrong tab - doh! Now both tabs are out on one bulb, just have to be careful and not plug it in wrong :p. The metal tabs were cut with wire cutters. Easy and effective upgrade for fogs, esp if you need to replace bulbs.
 
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Told you!
Did not doubt you for a second :). The "yes" is meant two fold. 1) this is a very good mod to make the fogs more useful and 2) these particular bulbs are exactly what I'm looking for.


It appears (my guess) this company is the partner company in China for Osram. The base has “Osram” and “Germany” markings and most importantly,” 65W” –woot woot. I would have hated 85/100 W as that is the rating for the Osram All-Season bulbs these are supposedly base. If these are fake/knock-offs, I would hope someone flag them by now. They produce a very golden yellow, not the mellow yellow found on dirt cheap aftermarket bulbs. The sale is over and they are back to $43/pair, which is quite expensive but if these really are authentic Osram bulbs (and I tend to believe now that I have them in hand and see/felt the fit/finish), it is a good buy. Longevity is the only X factor but I’m not expecting H11 life out of a H9 bulb.
 
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Longevity is the only X factor but I’m not expecting H11 life out of a H9 bulb.

Ok, after going through a set of yellow and a set of white Nokya H9s in the fog light housing, I can say that they lasted a little over a year with everyday use. That was the cheaper Nokya bulb too. I get about 18 months with my least expensive Phillips H9s on all the time... Hope this helps.
 
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Thanks for the update. I rarely turn my fogs on so I anticipate them to last a long time. I must say, it is a nice appearance mod and can be useful in thick fog.
 
Ok, after going through a set of yellow and a set of white Nokya H9s in the fog light housing, I can say that they lasted a little over a year with everyday use. That was the cheaper Nokya bulb too. I get about 18 months with my least expensive Phillips H9s on all the time... Hope this helps.

Hey thanks for the update. I was going to buy an adapter from H11 to H9 that costs $45 but if you connected and did not burn up anything then you are saving me a chunk of money. I love the Nokya yellow color and have them in my CX5 DRL's. When I flash the highs, I see the people's eyes and instead of getting outta the way they look straight at my lights and f r e e z e and maybe wondering "Am I crazy or does he have High yellow beams?" Anyways thanks again.
 
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