Do your fog lights suck?

Body kits, spoilers, lights, and anything on the exterior of the vehicle
Post Reply
User avatar
oldelpaseo
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:19 am
Location: Quebec, Canada

Do your fog lights suck?

Post by oldelpaseo »

I have a 2004 vibe with the oem fog lights with oem bulbs in them. They make the car look nice but seem to barely make a difference in lighting. Just barely on the sides in front.

The these oem fog lights suck or is it just my oem bulbs that are crappy?
User avatar
ColonelPanic
Posts: 8419
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2003 8:48 am
Location: South Central Indiana

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by ColonelPanic »

They don't add a while lot of light, really... I always thought they were pretty good for factory fog lights though, compared to some cars with factory fog lights I've driven. I tried Silverstars back in 2003 in the Vibe I used to own, which did brighten things up a bit. But the 6 month bulb life was not worth it.

You could try replacing the bulbs, the originals probably have dimmed over time.

Our '03 still has the original bulbs still in and have the plexiglass covers a member here used to make to keep the lenses from getting broken. The covers I have are tinted so I'd say your fogs are much brighter than mine. LOL
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

Image

'21 Elantra Limited - 2.0L/IVT
'15 Escape SE - 1.6L EcoBoost (hers)
Image Image
Caretaker

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by Caretaker »

Do they suck? In a word: YES. I think every fog light I've ever experienced on a car has sucked. I get the feeling they are more aesthetic than functional. I've turned fog lights on in many mountainous foggy areas and frankly, I'd rather take my chances with high beams with half of it reflecting back in my face than trust fog lights to keep my $20,000 car from slamming into a deer around the next bend.
User avatar
oldelpaseo
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:19 am
Location: Quebec, Canada

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by oldelpaseo »

:geek: ive driven cars that had very good fog lights (oem of course). But maybe since this is an economical car they are just for the looks. Ill try putting decent 2500k bulbs in them see if it makes a difference. If not at least they will look nice.
User avatar
joatmon
Posts: 10018
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:19 am
Location: SMC MD

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by joatmon »

I never found the Vibe foglights to be worth the trouble of turning on, and they are very easy to turn on
Image
User avatar
oldelpaseo
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:19 am
Location: Quebec, Canada

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by oldelpaseo »

They are fully automatic as are the headlights so i just leave them on. I leave them on since they look nice and ive noticed that slow left lane drivers seem to move out ot the way faster when i have them on (maybe a psychological link with fog=sports cars ??).

I was just curious because i find they suck and i do a lot of night driving in bad conditions so im lookings to make visibility better. I have already bougjt the sylvana silverstar something that were pretty expensive. They did make a difference but not much. And i dont want to go into illegal hid kits or leds. So i guess thats as good as it gets.

I just wish i could see as good as in my wifes rav4. But i guess that wont be possible.
User avatar
vibenvy
Posts: 7121
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:38 am
Location: Sandwich, IL

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by vibenvy »

oldelpaseo wrote:I was just curious because i find they suck and i do a lot of night driving in bad conditions so im lookings to make visibility better. I have already bougjt the sylvana silverstar something that were pretty expensive. They did make a difference but not much. And i dont want to go into illegal hid kits or leds. So i guess thats as good as it gets.

I just wish i could see as good as in my wifes rav4. But i guess that wont be possible.
I used to love SilverStars, until I discovered the HIRs we currently have in our Vibes. They are only available for #9005 and #9006 bulbs though. Another great line of bulbs is Philips X-treme Vision. My dad has them in his 2015 Chevy Trax and they are awesome! The color is essentially the same as a regular halogen bulb, but the output is way better and, best of all, you won't be blinding other drivers like you would with HIDs.
Image
2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
User avatar
oldelpaseo
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:19 am
Location: Quebec, Canada

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by oldelpaseo »

Thanks. I checked it out and what i have are the silverstar ultra. They are pretty good. Maybe i should try the zxe, could help the bad weather night driving.... Damn canadian winters.
User avatar
vibenvy
Posts: 7121
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:38 am
Location: Sandwich, IL

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by vibenvy »

oldelpaseo wrote:Thanks. I checked it out and what i have are the silverstar ultra. They are pretty good. Maybe i should try the zxe, could help the bad weather night driving.... Damn canadian winters.
You're wasting your money with SilverStars of any kind. The glass is tinted which gives off the whiter color, but reduces actual light output. Do some reading on the Candle Power Forum and you'll better understand what I'm talking about.
Image
2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
ehoff121
Posts: 756
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:19 am
Location: Conn.

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by ehoff121 »

I guess the expectations are pretty high for fog lights around here ;)

They aren't supposed to be 'the headlights you use when it's foggy'. :lol:

For me, I use them when the road is poorly lit because they make it easier to see the lines in the road, especially reflective paint.

Unless the terrain is completely flat, it defies the laws of physics to be able to illuminate something around a bend... :D
2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD - Platinum
sideshowalan
Posts: 425
Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:27 am

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by sideshowalan »

They're purely aesthetic on the vibe, very little function.

Personally I think they look cool so I always left them on.
2008 Pontiac Vibe
2008 Toyota Sienna XLE
(Former 2003 5-speed Vibe owner)
NYfan08
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 6:10 pm

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by NYfan08 »

Do like I did, full JDM...yellow vinyl tint!
Owim
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2014 3:57 pm

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by Owim »

sideshowalan wrote:They're purely aesthetic on the vibe, very little function.

Personally I think they look cool so I always left them on.
Same mine are always on when the lights are on, I don't notice at all whenever I accidently turn them off
2009 2.4 AWD
BenWA
Posts: 360
Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2015 5:44 pm

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by BenWA »

Look into the Xtravisions. They are brighter than standard but last longer than Silverstar/SS Ultras. Plus they are cheap online, $15 for two.
2003 Vibe Base A/T
Image
thebarber
Posts: 1162
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 5:01 am
Location: kitchener, ontario

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by thebarber »

Image
User avatar
MacGyver
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2016 2:45 pm
Location: Ottawa (09 Base)

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by MacGyver »

thebarber wrote:i sell HID's and LED's

http://www.facebook.com/kitchenerHID
Do you have LED drop ins that replace the Toyota fogs?
2009 Vibe Base
User avatar
MacGyver
Posts: 340
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2016 2:45 pm
Location: Ottawa (09 Base)

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by MacGyver »

I just replaced one of the headlights in my fog lights with a house brand "Certified" from Canadian Tire. It's actually an OSRAM bulb and is way brighter than the bulb in the other fog light.
2009 Vibe Base
thebarber
Posts: 1162
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 5:01 am
Location: kitchener, ontario

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by thebarber »

MacGyver wrote:
thebarber wrote:i sell HID's and LED's

http://www.facebook.com/kitchenerHID
Do you have LED drop ins that replace the Toyota fogs?
i sell the bulbs that go into the fogs
Image
User avatar
PonchoGT
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 11:43 am
Location: Fort Knox, KY
Contact:

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by PonchoGT »

I upgraded mine to HID specs. and mine are very functional now in inclement/foggy driving conditions. The fender wells have more than enough room to secure the ballasts with double-sided outdoor tape and maintain the stock bulb sockets and wiring harness. 8-)
Danthrax
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2014 6:12 pm

Re: Do your fog lights suck?

Post by Danthrax »

Is there a drop-in LED replacement for the stock fogs? I actually find them far more useful than the ones on my Kia Soul (which is saying they’re way better than nothing), but I would like something to balance out with the LEDs I’m getting for the headlights.
Post Reply