Gadgetjq

I'm looking for a whiter replacement for the stock Halogen bulbs installed in the factory advance package fog lights.
Others have mentioned in assorted posts, and I agree, it looks odd to have those jewel like LED headlights and their white light accompanied by yellow(ish) halogens below. Unfortunately replacement LED kits are pricey for the fogs and not in this owner's budget. Has anyone tried the Sylvania H11 SilverStar zXe halogen as a replacement? It's supposedly as bright a white as we can get without going to LED or Xenon and (big upside) it's plug and go. It's still not 'white' though.
I'm just curious whether any forum members have tried these (or other alternatives) to try and improve the mismatched look and whether you consider the change a success.
Thanks!

Gadgetjq

Belay that request, I've found LED replacements that are priced right and direct (plug in) replacements. I'll post results after installation.
Thanks!

Gadgetjq

This turned out to be a very simple 20 minute upgrade.
I ordered LED H11 bulbs here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There are a few complaints in the reviews section about their brightness but I was nearly blinded after plugging each bulb (for testing) into a 12v power supply. Installation is just a matter of removing one screw and two plastic plugs on each side of the car, pull the fender liner back, reach in to remove the OEM Halogen bulb (just a slight twist to the left) then removing the connector. Plug the connector into the new bulb, put the bulb in the socket, twist to the right and the LED is in. Put the fender liner back in place, replace the plugs and screw and done! Here's the before (yellowish) and after (white LED matches headlights) result. One caveat, I have no idea whether this will still function as a fog light is supposed to with a distinct cut off in front and to the side. Where I live (Phoenix) it doesn't matter but if you're in fog country it might.

RDX-Rick

Thanks for being the Guinea pig, since I was wanting to do the same to my own 2016 RDX. It sounds like an easy change to make and at $32.95 there is not a big risk.

There is no doubt that the matching colors look much better. Since many people drive with their fog-lights on a daily basis, I am wondering if these will cause glare to oncoming drivers. Amazon lists them as "Fog Light Bulbs", and they appear to have a lens at the tip, so quite possibly they are designed to reproduce the light patterns of an incandescent H11 bulb. Let us know your opinion of the light patterns after you have a few days to test them out.

rraisley

New RDX Advance owner of just one week, but already ordered and installed the LED fog light bulbs as shown above. Worked great, were a snap to install (even for my arthritic back and joints - just had a little stool to sit on and could reach everything), and love the look of them. I saw some alternatives on Amazon that were more powerful (about 1200 lumens vs I think 600 for these), but I knew these would work because the OP posted here. And I was a bit concerned that twice as bright might mean too bright for oncoming cars.

Anyhow, glad to be here, and tickled that you guys are posting such useful information. Now to do a search about mounting my Valentine One in it. ;-)

Carman3

2016 Advanced RDX
Just installed LED bulbs listed in email string and I'm happy with results. It took me a while to figure out how to remove electrical connection. All you need to do is pinch connector between fingers and it releases.

rraisley

It's always the easy stuff that gets us, isn't it?

RDX-Rick

rraisley, I want to change the color of my fogs as well, and I have been waiting for an update from the OP Gadgetjq, but haven't seen one yet.

You mentioned that you could have installed an alternative at twice the Lumens. Do you find that these replacements throw as much light on the ground as the OEM lights? Do you think the 1200 Lumens would have been a better choice?

Your comment about "not blinding oncoming cars" is a valid one. A bulb that scatters light everywhere could also blind the driver himself. Have you noticed a sharp cutoff line with these bulbs, or do they scatter light everywhere. I know this is a difficult question to answer because you can't turn on the fog-lights alone. But if you are parked on level ground facing a wall with your low beams on, you can see a pretty sharp cutoff line. When you turn on the fogs, does the light stay below the cutoff of the low beams?.

rraisley

He posted before and after pics, with side-by-side comparison. Obviously, the color is better, and if the photo is any indication, the LEDs are a fair amount brighter, as well.
I didn't measure or compare before vs after (just using the above photos as an indication). I'd say the LEDs are a fair amount brighter, but despite the fact that I have lumen measuring equipment, I never thought to measure it (duh!). I'm not sure doubling the lumens would necessarily be a great idea, though (see below).
Okay, I just checked out the fog lights in the garage, by blocking out the headlight beam. The light produced is pretty simply a round beam, tapering off at the edges, as one would expect. Nothing like the "real" fog lights I used to use when rallying (Cibie, ultra-powerful, with wide but low beam that completely illuminated your surroundings). To be honest, based on these fogs, those on my GTI, and others I've seen, I consider them really as decorative, rather than functional, lights. Unlike my old Cibie fogs, they aren't wired to be used alone (in, uh, FOG, just like the name indicates). But then, today's low beam headlights are far better than they used to be, really serving the purpose that fog lights did back then: bright, wide, with good vertical cutoff. When driving, it's hard to tell the fog lights are even on. I can't honestly say that they serve any real purpose other than decoration, making your car look cooler, and, okay, more visible.

As to LED vs stock, I really believe it's the reflector around the bulb that determines the beam shape, and that the LEDs don't hurt that. The beams are pretty much round, with LED or stock. But, if I am correct, and they are really just decorative, then making them too bright would definitely start to get to the point where it could be disturbing, if not blinding, to other drivers. Some will blink their lights at you, just by using today's brighter LED and other cool white headlights, simply because the "seem" bright, rather than them actually being blinded.

Yeah, more questions than answers, but that's the way my Friday the 13th is going ;-)

RDX-Rick

Thanks for your comments.

I have been around cars for almost as long as yourself, and I agree that the fog-lights on modern cars serve no function other than decoration.

My last 3 vehicles (all SUVs) have been equipped with fogs, and although I did try using them during foggy conditions, I didn't notice any benefit to doing so. I have also noticed that many drivers have their fogs turned on during any and all weather conditions, once again confirming they are being used for decoration only.

Based on these conclusions, I think I will install these LEDS on my own RDX, for the purpose of appearance only. The RDX does look rather cheap (old fashioned, ugly, and a few other bad things) when the fog-lights are not the same daylight color as the head lights. It's not a big risk for $33. I also don't see any benefit to a higher output if the light pattern is as you described. A higher output would just bother oncoming drivers and most likely myself as well.

Please update this thread as you gain more experience with your new lights.

rraisley

I'm in agreement on all points. Not that everyone was anxiously waiting for that statement. ;-)

Gadgetjq

See message #3 in this thread.

RDX-Rick

Yes, it was the question you raised in message #3 that I was hoping you would be able to answer after spending some time with the new lights.

jcross1231

I'm astounded Acura is still installing halogen fogs in the '17 models. Figured they'd straighten that out after the '16's had them. Sheesh.

Acura604

i changed out to h11 led fog light bulbs also... here's my setup and light output...love the pure white! while there is no real purpose to these fogs, i do find that they provide some peripheral illumination along sides.

Attachment 120321

Attachment 120322

carbonTSEX

The benefit to having brighter fogs is to light up the ground closer to the vehicle where the headlights aren't aimed. Makes it easier to see the lane edges in inclement weather.

wb2ee

I replaced my halogen OEMs with the Morimoto XB Led type S. Direct replacement, same mounting screws and power socket, took about 15 minutes.

While I don't drive much at night, it's nice to know they are there.

rraisley

I agree that that is one of the purposes of fog lights in general. But when sitting in my RDX, on the road, at night, with low beams on, and then turning the fog lights on and off, the only difference I can see is the bushes to the side of the road just in front of me get lit up some. I see no difference in light on the portion of the road visible from the driver's seat.

Now, back in my rallye days, using Cibie fogs and spots, those fogs were pretty much like today's /good/ low beams: great distance, low cutoff, great side light. But these days, every fog I've seen is pretty much decorate only. But, they /are/ decorative, look cool, and certainly cooler still with the "right white".

SkylineEX-S

I just installed the same LED fogs as the OP of the thread bought through amazon. Perfect match looks wise and the very easy install not to mention the low price made me a happy camper.
Done with the mods on the RDX!!!

RDX-Rick

I see that you are Canadian.

Did you order from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com?. Both sites offer the same identical product, but the Canadian site ships from China, and the US site will not ship to Canada at all.

The cost at amazon.ca is $32.99 CAD and amazon.com is $32.95 USD, so the Canadian site is the better deal, but I would be willing to pay the dollar exchange rate to get them quicker.

What did you do?

SkylineEX-S

Rick, I ordered from the amazon.ca site. Took 2 weeks from the date of order to arrive in Toronto. Looks like a perfect match to the LED headlights but I think the OEM halogen fogs throw more light to the sides IMHO.

fcostantini

I looked on amazon for the LED replacements for the halogen fog lights, and many folks were complaining about their short life. Have those that made the switch encountered premature LED light failures?

Thanks!

rraisley

I've only got 5 months on mine, but so far, so good. FYI, they are on whenever the lights are on. It's hard to believe they'd have shorter life than standard (non-LED) bulbs, which normally last years, but I guess I'll have to see.

Gadgetjq

Five months in and still shining brightly.

fcostantini

Thanks for the feedback. I think I will take the plunge and give them a try.

General Zhou

Hey guys! Just wanted to share my experience. Thank you so much for introducing the link! I was looking for something exactly like this - with no ballast and simple plug/play functionality. I installed them tonight along with my DRLs. The light color-matches wonderfully with my interior LEDs as well as the stock HIDs.

hongthan

Do you have a instruction on how to change the light bulb for the fog light? I just ordered one pair LED fog lights at amazon.com.

Thanks,

THAN

hongthan

Hi could you please provide a link for the interior LED kit for you bought?

Thanks,

THAN

Gadgetjq

See message #3 in this thread. The install is very simple.

Cheers!

hongthan

Thanks!

lazardus

This is awesome! I will be trying this in the future for sure!

Gadgetjq

Can't edit so quoting my own post One year, three months of almost daily use and the LEDs still shine as new, no issues.

DvM

Hello everyone. Just wondering if any owners have had a positive experience with any other white LED fog lamp replacements. I am considering getting mine changed but the ones mentioned in this thread are for $107 at the moment on Amazon Canada. Any suggestions would be

Gadgetjq

Still $30 on and about the same on eBay. If that doesn't work maybe you could ask a friend in the U.S. to buy a set and mail them to you?

hongthan

Hi Gadgetjq:

Did you change the license plate bulbs to LED bulbs? Please provide a little bit instruction when you get time.

Thanks,

Hongthan

Gadgetjq

I haven't done that one but there's a thread that's pretty informative here. Also, check your owner's manual. Page 369 shows how to change the license plate bulb.

Cheers!

hongthan

Thanks, Gadgetjq! I will check them out.

hongthan

jcross1231

Thanks for that. The license plate bulbs are the one thing I have yet to replace.

kether

Sorry, maybe a little off topic. I have 2018 RDX Tech. Which will be the easiest (and the least expensive way) to install fog lights to my vehicle? Thank you