• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Anybody ever change OEM Fog Light Bulbs with premium fog light bulbs?

joey99jb

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Boston
Hey guys-
I was wondering if anyone with a 97+ Jeep Cherokee has every switched out the stock fog light bulbs with premium light bulbs. Any suggestions? Thanks
 
Concur.

The idea behind a fog light is to generate a diffuse light beam - all the moreso so you don't get "flashed" when you turn them on (which is why OEMR wiring also makes them work only when the lows are on, and smart installers do likewise.)

If you want driving lights, you'd be well-advised to go BUY driving lights - I think the Hella 500 or 550 are both good units for the money. Just make sure you specify you want a "driving" light rather than a "fog" light - or you'll end up with the same issue there.

Again, I'd really NOT care to upgrade the light source for a fog light, unless it was concurrent with a fog light upgrade. No sense is whiting yourself out - having too much light in a fog or in the snow is like being inside a ping-pong ball...

5-90
 
I moved my stock for lights to the back and am now using them as back up lights. I changed out the bulbs to brighter one, it was pretty easy to do, took only 5 mins. T hopp is right the lense covers do diffuse the light output.... I would suggest if you want running lights to buy a new set. Hellas are a good option, I bought a cheap set at gi joes for $15 that came with everything needed (switch wires, fuses, etc.) and they work just fine.
 
Correct - and there's a very good reason for that.

If you'd like to get a rear fog light, Hella makes a diffuse red lamp that's DoT compliant and makes you more visible from the rear (which is what you'd like.) Watch out having bright yellow or white lighting visible from the rear, as it can get you a ticket (either state Vehicle Code or FMVSS - depends on how the cop's feeling at the moment...)

5-90
 
5-90 is right about the diffused light for fog.... BUT if you want to make them brigher: :laugh3:

There is the little metal shield inside the light that sits between the bulb and the lense, only allowing reflected light to escape, stick a needle nose in there and wiggle it around till it snaps off, then pull it out. That will brighten them up.

Also, the sylvania silverstar's are very bright, I would think the combination of these two things would make some bright lights down there(though they may not be good for fog).

I took the metal piece out of the fog lights on my 98, and that helped a lot. I mainly used the fog lights just to have better visibility close up and cornering, not in fog, so I didnt mind less diffused pattern. I then bought the silverstars, but as soon as i did that, I cracked both the lenses on my lights(bad approach angle), completly destroying one of them. I still threw the bulbs in though to see what it looked like before i returned them, and they were very bright and white. Now I dont have any lights down there. :rattle:
 
5-90 said:
Correct - and there's a very good reason for that.

If you'd like to get a rear fog light, Hella makes a diffuse red lamp that's DoT compliant and makes you more visible from the rear (which is what you'd like.) Watch out having bright yellow or white lighting visible from the rear, as it can get you a ticket (either state Vehicle Code or FMVSS - depends on how the cop's feeling at the moment...)

5-90
Yup, the European-style rear fog lights are worth looking into. Here in northwest Ohio we get quite a bit of nasty fog at times, and I've actually left my aux. backup lights on on the freeway just to be sure to be seen. It got me pulled over by the state's finest once, only to be released without a ticket. He was actually somewhat impressed that I cared enough to bother having them on, but he's the one who suggested I look into the Euro.-style rear fogs. I'd actually been aware of them for some time thanks to my VW-restorer brother-in-law, but I'd never actually considered them worth spending money on until my run in with Joe Law.
 
What's the reason for having backup lights on, on the street when going forward. When I said backup lights, that means I use them when backing up.
 
PoSxJ said:
What's the reason for having backup lights on, on the street when going forward. When I said backup lights, that means I use them when backing up.

I understand that, but most vehicle codes state that white lights aren't allowed on the back of the vehicle - especially above a certain brightness, whether they're on or off. Just trying to keep you out of Dutch....

5-90
 
Back
Top