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Fog lamp upgrades

13K views 60 replies 9 participants last post by  StealthHawk 
#1 ·
I've been looking at upgrading my fog lamps, with respect to my situation I'm not attempting to break the bank, but I would like an upgrade with output as well as usable light. The stock fog lamps are good for what they are , but I believe and have seen the different forms of improvement that are out there. I know I can go with a PSX24W bulb, or an LED bulb or the LED/HID kits. Are the bulbs alone a worth while purchase/ upgrade or should I just splurge for the kit ? I am looking for uniformity with the stock HIDs so my options are in a sense limited.




Tmugz
 
#2 ·
I would encourage you to save up some money and not to install higher output bulbs in the factory fog light housings. To say the factory housing and reflector design is crappy, is still being generous. Higher output bulbs will bleed light everywhere but where it is needed. A proper fog light will cast a low wide beam to light up the side of the road and the lane markings. After all, the whole point is to help you see the road in bad/foggy weather, not blind other drivers and see more of the fog. Same reason why you don't use your high beams in the fog, you end up seeing more fog. A proper solution is to replace the fog light housings with something better designed. There are a variety of solutions that can fit the KL. Look for anything that is designed to fit the JK (same factory part number for both vehicles.) and you can bolt into the KL. There are numerous threads on the forum covering this topic already. I personally have the Rigid Industries SAE/DOT Approved fog lights mounted on my TH. They have outstanding output and an extremely clean cutoff putting light exactly where it needs to be. I drive a lot of two lane country roads where seeing the side of the road is very beneficial (critters) so I will use them on occasion when the weather is not even an issue. I have yet to ever be flashed by oncoming traffic. Whether fog or headlight, a well designed light aimed properly will not offend/blind other drivers. The color temperature of the Rigid lights is a close match to the DRLs.
 
#3 ·
I prefer the stock look personally so maybe one that is more stock appearing would be another option .

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#4 ·
Not sure what you mean.
 
#6 ·
Form follows function with respect to the lens design and is a major factor in the improved performance. There is a JK adapter plate from Rigid that adapts the square light to the round hole.
 

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#7 ·
I really like the look of your jeep, so the adapter would make up the space for the round aspect ? I like to keep things pretty stock appearing so that's my concern .

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#9 ·
Thanks, and yes - just zoom into the photos to get a clear view of the lights when mounted. Anything with better optics will look significantly different since the factory fog lights don't really have a lens, pretty much just clear plastic to keep the bulb dry. Back that up with a poorly designed and cheaply constructed reflector and you get a crappy fog light.

The Rigids perform so well and earned the DOT/SAE approval because of their lens design. The lens gives the crisp vertical cutoff and low/wide pattern needed for a fog light.

Go to Rigid to get a better view of the parts involved. The JK adapter bracket bolts right up with the factory fasteners. I mounted my lights tilted all the way down on the bracket, bolted up to the fascia, and they were perfectly aimed.

http://www.rigidindustries.com/led-lighting/50481

http://www.rigidindustries.com/mounting-options/40138
 
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#8 ·
According to other members here who have installed them, here's a short list of good round replacement fog lamps with LED bulbs : JW Speaker, Morimoto, KC Hilites. One of our forums vendors, Diode Dynamics, may have some too but I am not familiar with them. The cheapest of that short list are probably the Morimotos.

The stock lamps suck (they bleed up too much and don't throw low and wide enough), so getting new lamps is a must if you want good fog lights.
 
#10 ·
They look really good, I'll have to just hold off and get them once I have a little more cash in the kl fund .

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#11 ·
I don't know on all models, but the fog assembly for our KL TH is the exact same as the one on our 2013 JK... There are many options for replacing JK fog lights and since the bulb and housing is the same I see no reason why you go with any of them. This will increase your search results on options greatly.

.
 
#13 ·
I respect everyone's opinions but very much disagree with this.

The optics of the factory fog lights are pretty poor. Replacing the bulb with another may result in a perceived output improvement, but the control of the light is still pretty crappy. Higher end lights with replacement optics measure their lights in lux which not only measures the amount of light but where it is spread. Lumens are just the raw light output. Because the factory fog housing does not focus the bulb's output toward the reflector most of the light just pours out the front and doesn't go where you want it. Replacing the bulb alone will result in a brighter light to the eye when looking at it but not necessarily translate to light on the road.

I tried lots of fog light bulbs in our JK...all looked brighter but weren't really any better at night. We now run KC lights that also replaced the housing and I can tell you the light on the road is FAR superior to any bulb we ever put in the factory housing. As I mentioned, this is the same housing and bulb that is in the KL THs.
 
#17 ·
Melted which housings ? Headlamp or fog lamp ? If it's headlamp housing, it's the first time I hear of such a problem, and there are a lot of members here running HID headlights - no melting. Unless you got 55W bulbs instead of 35W... but even then we have a few members with 55W xenons (headlights) and no problems reported. Fog lamps on the other hand : most likely not built for high power / high heat emitting bulbs.
 
#22 ·
So what's the difference other the the design and price between the rigid and morimoto fog lamps?

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#23 ·
Maybe someone with the Morimoto's can post a similar comparison shot. First one is factory halogen headlights only, second is with the fogs turned on also. Pulled over to the shoulder on one of the very dark two-lane country roads I find myself driving all of the time. Have never been flashed by other drivers. Pattern is low and wide to light up what is suppose to be lit up with fog lights - side of the road, and the lane lines. Driving with fog lights that light up the "top of trees" and driving with high beams on accomplishes the same two things in the fog... 1) The driver can see more fog and 2) The glare from the reflected light will blind the driver. Why would you want to disorient and blind yourself in already riskier than normal driving conditions?
 

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#24 ·
Yeah that pattern does spread pretty evenly it seems . How does it work with a vehicle still under factory warranty?

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#27 ·
Like any modification you make to a product or system, you assume responsibility for what was changed, the workmanship, and any direct negative consequences of the modification. Incidental negative consequences might be argued one way or another. In other words, the factory warrant still covers what you didn't touch or affect. A good example would be doing a lift on your KL. If your lift does not stress the CV joints beyond their designed range and one fails, MOPAR would have difficulty in refusing a warranty claim. If you lifted the KL beyond the design limits and a joint were to fail, its pretty much on you. Incidental damage would be anything that gets damaged on either end of the CV shaft or as a result of the failed CV shaft. If determined to be attributable to something you modified, then its pretty much on you.

With respect to the fog light modification... If let's say you managed to mount a 100 Watt bulb in the existing housing and the factory fuse (specified to protect the factory wiring and related components) kept failing. You then decide to put in a higher rated fuse and get the bulb to stay lit. A couple of things might happen here that are attributable to you. The fog light housing will get over heated and may melt. The factory wiring and related components may overheat and melt. The subsequent fire and burning to the ground of your Jeep is pretty much on you. You are likely to have a fight with your own insurance company on this. Given all of the above, retrofitting your vehicle with something like the Rigid or Morimoto lights directly plugged into the factory harness has little risk. Even though these after market lights have higher and better light output, they actually draw a fraction of the current required by the factory incandescent/halogen bulbs. Fortunately the fog light circuit is not monitored for a bulb out condition. For circuits that are monitored, you get a message on the driver's screen when the current draw is too low (bulb open circuited, or removed). In the case of the headlights, when this condition is detected, the computer takes the additional step of turning off the output to the bulb.
 
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#26 ·
I'm throwing this question out there. Go nuts ;)

Ok. I've seen a few pictures now of aftermaket fog light beam patterns on Cherokees. Good lights (Rigid and Morimoto to name 2). I'm noticing that the beam isn't as wide as I would have expected. Nice and low with a crisp cutoff (major improvement over stock lamps), but not that wide...

My question : could this be caused by how the lamps sit, with the bumper (fascia ?) blocking anything wider than what we've seen ? I look at mine and think the lamps are recessed quite far back...

I also think the headlight projectors suffer from a similar condition, not having the possibility to throw light wide.

Thoughts ?
 
#36 ·
I've been thinking about doing the same for quite a while. I've had this in my Amazon Wish List for over a year - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001P2B8J...UTF8&colid=M5QFFM5XZG10&coliid=I11QUP1C7NROFS

What material are you planning on using?

Since I wanted the SAE/DOT lights, the choices are rather limited. The Rigids only come in white. Fortunately they also make a very good light. If they were available in amber, I would buy them in a heartbeat. Adding the material to the lens is basically putting a filter on the lens to block the unwanted part of the light spectrum. With this you also get an overall reduced output. Rigid amber lights use an amber LED and a clear lens and don't suffer the loss of intensity. Rigid makes an amber filter that snaps over this model housing, but the JK mounting adapter that allows us to mount the square housing in the round hole precludes use. Since that isn't a choice, the surface film is really the only choice in this application.
 
#41 ·
Looking forward to hearing about the install and especially what you think about the laminx. The Amazon product link I posted earlier is just a large piece of the same laninx material. Since the large piece is just $10 more than the pre-cut pieces and I need to custom trim them anyways for the square Rigid lens, might as well have some extra materials for mistakes and future replacement.
 
#44 ·
Finding the right adapter isn't that easy in Canada (at least not for me...), so could someone who knows the wiring confirm whether this one would be good (for most aftermarket fog lights... to connect to the existing KL wiring) :
https://www.amazon.ca/iJDMTOY-5202-...&qid=1495750563&sr=8-4&keywords=5202+adapters

(folks in the US, I'm not sure Amazon will play nice and let you see that link from Amazon Canada ; if so let me know and I'll just post it as a pic).

Thanks...
 
#45 ·
That will work with the Rigid lights or anything that has the male 2-pin DT style connector. If you poke around Amazon you might find adapters with the same two ends but a little less expensive. I typically make all of my own cables and connectors since most of what I do will need a custom configuration anyways.
 
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#61 ·
While cleaning a shelf in the garage this afternoon, I came across the original Jeep fog light housings from my TH. Looking at the back of them and seeing the adjustment screw, I started contemplating the issue of upward light bleed when people install higher output halogen or LED bulbs in these poorly designed housings. When installing the higher output bulbs, it would seem advisable for the owner to adjust the aim of the fog lights down to eliminate as much of the upward bleed as possible. Given how difficult it is to access and see the rear of the mounted lamp housing, it seems reasonable that someone installing higher output bulbs may not even know or realize they can be adjusted. This might accomplish some beneficial things. 1) The higher output may actually light up something useful. 2) Other drivers are less likely to be blinded or at least be more tolerable of these lights. 3) You might avoid a fix it ticket from blinding the wrong person while going down the road. You know, that driver with all of those low profile/hidden red and blue flashing lights.

Anyone out there with this setup willing to do a little testing of this theory?
 

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