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New member, first post, pardon me if not in proper forum...
Have a '02 King Ranch SuperCrew 2wd and looking to upgrade the stock fog lights for use Baja Sur, Mexico, where I live in an area thick with free range cows, burros, horses and goats. Our primary paved road ( sic ) is quite rude at times and and all other unpaved roads are laden with ankle to lower calf deep pot holes that seem to resist filling.
So looking to enhance the stock fog lights to add something bright and able to reach out and touch critters out a long distance. Much prefer to retain the stock appearance and wiring of my truck, so hoping enhancing the limp stock fogs is an option. I am completely open to non conforming DOT/off road options should that be an option.
Your bigger issue might be the OEM fog light wiring. Remember, the stock fogs are something like 27 watts each. That's not an awful lot. Almost any aftermarket replacement lamp is going to be a minimum of 55 watts which is twice the stock wattage. And a really good pencil beam would use more like 100 watt bulbs. That will really fry the stock wiring because trust me, no manufacturer these days is leaving any headroom in wire diameter to allow for higher wattage bulb use.
Truth be told, in the situation you're in, you'd probably be better off mounting a decent set of pencil or driving beams behind the grill or on a bull bar with dedicated wiring. As an alternative, you might also consider a well built LED light bar (not one of those cheap e-Bay units) with all spot beams. I have a 32" LED bar on the front of my truck with all spots and it's actually quite impressive. It wasn't cheap though.
I'm not much of a car guy, so those details you mention are unknown to me, though I feared the wiring might be a weak point in modifying. Thank you 2stroked for your insight. That give me a good place to start.
Glad I could be of some help. I should add that in all my years of playing with lighting, I still haven't seen an LED product that will have the distance / reach / throw of a well made halogen unit. And that includes the LED bars. If you really want pencil beams with reach, halogens are the way to fly - even with the increased amperage draw. If you don't have any experience with wiring and lighting though, it's probably best to seek professional help.
One other caution. You may find pencil beams a bit too focused for your needs. I'd tend to recommend a driving beam in your application. A little less reach, but the somewhat broader beam pattern will illuminate livestock just off to the side of the road much better.
You can forget about trying to modify your OEM fog lights for better visibility. Your stock fog light reflectors are designed to give you a low, broad beam pointing at the road directly in front of you. In fog, this is so that you can see the just the road surface, identify lane dividers, and provide visibility for other drivers to see you. Fog lights do not throw a beam far off into the distance. Already mentioned is that your OEM fog light system is designed around H1 lamps, which are probably 35 watt or less. If you can get higher wattage bulbs, you will only get brighter light immediately in front of your bumper.
For what you want, which is to be able to see, you will need off-road lights. Since you "much prefer to retain the stock appearance", then there really isn't an option.
Move on to the only option. Get offroad lights. Install a separate circuit for power. Then you will have all sorts of decisions.........What kind to get? Where do you mount them? How much work is involved? Can you do this yourself? How much will an installer charge?
I installed LED light bars on my cars. F-150 has the light bar set inside of the bumper. Transit Connect has the light bar in front of the bumper. You can get light bars like this for around $20 on amazon.com. In USA, we have US DOT & every state has it's own Vehicle Code. In my state, lighting cannot be higher than 48". So I kept my lights mounted below the headlights on the car. If I mount anything higher than the OEM headlights, like on the roof or hood, then I can only use them off-road.
Since you are in Mexico, US DOT regulations do not apply to you. Think about roof mounted lights.
Appreciate the shared insight and nudges received. I've ditched my plan to upgrade stock fog lights and decided to install a 32" curved LED light bar above the support brace in front of the radiator and wire to the hi beam switch. At the same time will add much needed back up LEDs via the rear trailer jack.
Thanks for all the input and options so freely shared, it was a great help.
You can forget about trying to modify your OEM fog lights for better visibility. Your stock fog light reflectors are designed to give you a low, broad beam pointing at the road directly in front of you. In fog, this is so that you can see the just the road surface, identify lane dividers, and provide visibility for other drivers to see you. Fog lights do not throw a beam far off into the distance. Already mentioned is that your OEM fog light system is designed around H1 lamps, which are probably 35 watt or less. If you can get higher wattage bulbs, you will only get brighter light immediately in front of your bumper.
For what you want, which is to be able to see, you will need off-road lights. Since you "much prefer to retain the stock appearance", then there really isn't an option.
Move on to the only option. Get offroad lights. Install a separate circuit for power. Then you will have all sorts of decisions.........What kind to get? Where do you mount them? How much work is involved? Can you do this yourself? How much will an installer charge?
I installed LED light bars on my cars. F-150 has the light bar set inside of the bumper. Transit Connect has the light bar in front of the bumper. You can get light bars like this for around $20 on amazon.com. In USA, we have US DOT & every state has it's own Vehicle Code. In my state, lighting cannot be higher than 48". So I kept my lights mounted below the headlights on the car. If I mount anything higher than the OEM headlights, like on the roof or hood, then I can only use them off-road.
Since you are in Mexico, US DOT regulations do not apply to you. Think about roof mounted lights.
I think you're going to find that the cheap LED bars as mentioned above are pretty pathetic on output and beam discipline compared with the better LED bars out there. It cost me over $300 for my 32" LED bar and the output is simply stunning. Some folks I know with the cheap LED bars actually run them most of the time - even on public roads. The fact that they don't **** most folks off is a testament to how low the output really is.
Appreciate the shared insight and nudges received. I've ditched my plan to upgrade stock fog lights and decided to install a 32" curved LED light bar above the support brace in front of the radiator and wire to the hi beam switch. At the same time will add much needed back up LEDs via the rear trailer jack.
Thanks for all the input and options so freely shared, it was a great help.
Saludos
./
Get a good quality bar and I think your plan is very solid. Glad we could help!
Be sure to install a separate circuit for power. You light bar should have it's own circuit breaker, fuse, & relay. You can use your high beam power wire to trigger the relay. But do not add the load from the light bar to the high beam circuit.
Be sure to install a separate circuit for power. You light bar should have it's own circuit breaker, fuse, & relay. You can use your high beam power wire to trigger the relay. But do not add the load from the light bar to the high beam circuit.
Why would he need both a circuit breaker and a fuse? One or the other will do.
Why would he need both a circuit breaker and a fuse? One or the other will do.
Redundancy. Both are safety devices. Much like a relay is just a switch. The more safety devices, the better. When you buy power supply kits, you always see circuit breakers inline between the battery and the fuse. If he wanted to, adding a simple kit which includes the circuit breakers, fuses, and relays will allow him to add just about anything he wants to the truck. And if there is a ground fault or arc fault in any of his aftermarket accessories, lights, fans, compressor, stereo system......his OEM computer, battery, alternator, starter, and wiring will be completely isolated and protected. Worst case scenario is that he has a fire. Never discount a few years of wear & tear on a wire run, or a faulty aftermarket product. I'm sure that nothing bad will happen right away. But who knows what kind of weird stuff could happen down the road. What if a mouse decides to chew on his light bar wiring, just enough to strip away some insulation, and an electrical arc develops?
Redundancy. Both are safety devices. Much like a relay is just a switch. The more safety devices, the better. When you buy power supply kits, you always see circuit breakers inline between the battery and the fuse. If he wanted to, adding a simple kit which includes the circuit breakers, fuses, and relays will allow him to add just about anything he wants to the truck. And if there is a ground fault or arc fault in any of his aftermarket accessories, lights, fans, compressor, stereo system......his OEM computer, battery, alternator, starter, and wiring will be completely isolated and protected. Worst case scenario is that he has a fire. Never discount a few years of wear & tear on a wire run, or a faulty aftermarket product. I'm sure that nothing bad will happen right away. But who knows what kind of weird stuff could happen down the road. What if a mouse decides to chew on his light bar wiring, just enough to strip away some insulation, and an electrical arc develops?
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. His F-150 simply uses fuses - no additional circuit breakers - and it meets all applicable safety and electrical standards.
01-27-2019, 05:14 PM
