HEK

When I bought my TL the sales lady took the time to go thru the instruments and one question I asked when she said..."this is the switch for the fog lights.. I said "Fog lights?..." I didn't see any fog lights ( where they would normally be on most rides) but she said that the smaller lights clser to the center of the grill were the fog lights... so......I accepted this and now I want to know if anyone has improved or done an exchange in bulbs to a brighter one since yesterday as I'm pulling into this parking lot that had a store window and saw the reflection and how shitty these look "on" next to the HIDS....why would they even be called FOG...since they're much less bright..er...

Thanks in advance...

gt1

Proper fog lights are located close to the ground and have light distribution pattern which is very narrow vertically. The reason for this is that fog is forming about 1" above the ground, and fog lights illuminate under it. What you have on TL is just a cheap vanity. My guess, that these light are used for DRL in Canada. By increasing light output you will only make things worse- try high beams in a fog, and you will see what I mean.

Brewmaster

GT1 Thanks for that informative post ....

In actuality, the fog lights on the TL perform rather well. However, there have been a number of comments regarding the aesthetics of them (both color and placement)

Now HEK, to answer your question ...

There have been a bunch of different options discussed, from changing the bulbs in the current fogs, to mounting them under the bumper.

Take a look here .. it's the Lighting section of the the 3G Garage (Section G)

bluenoise

I find the TL's fog lights to be quite effective for use as actual "fog lights" as their brightness and beam pattern do well at lighting up the sides of the road just ahead of the car. They are certainly better, anyway, than the "fog lights" my old Mazda 626 had, which while low to the ground, aimed into the sky.

The reason fog lights are typically low is not because fog forms at some magical one inch above the ground. It's to minimize the reflected glare in the fog. If the light reflects straight back from where it started, it will be less likely to come back through to the driver's eyes if it started so far down on the car's front. Because the TL's lights shine downward, I find they don't glare much, unlike high beams which shine straight out.

I can't stand when people use their fog lights as styling lights in clear weather. On some cars and trucks, they can be just as annoying as high beams. Fords seem to be particularly bad about this.

If you're looking at your fog lights' reflection and it seems dim, it means they're probably properly aimed (down) instead of too high (straight out).

crazymjb

Fogs are supposed to be yellow, and dim, so not to reflect of the fog and blind you. Yellow wave lengths penetrate better. They dont NEED to be close to the ground, but it helps.

HEK

Brewmaster...I thank You, I found what I want...here is a picture...

Brewmaster

:shakehead wrong and wrong .... This is a myth. Yellow light does not penetrate fog better, the fog particles are large enough that the relative wavelength makes no difference in light scattering. There is no optimal color for fog lights.

The other statement, "they are supposed to be dim" .. is couterintuitive to the statement that they "penetrate better". How can a weaker light source penetrate better?? Yellow fog lights are "dim" because they are white lights with yellow lenses. This is a filter which dims the light output.

Fog lights work when they are aimed correctly to reduce the amount of light reflected (or should it be refracted) to obscure the vision of the driver.

HEK

Guys thanks for all the information on the subject, today I checked with the dealer to verify the wattage on these bulbs and he said 51 watts, now the ones I wanted posted in the link says 55 watts, which BTW was not recommened by the dealer since it could melt the wiring...now someone mentioned Sylvanias SilverStars H1 will fit... , I've had a pair for over a year sitting in my closet that were a replacement for ones that burnt in a week and Sylvania replaced at no cost....If someone knows the answer can you post it?...thanks again

crazymjb

I meant to say that they are not supposed to be xenons, if you ever find intended fog lights that bright.... In addition, i have heard conflicting arguments on the yellow rule. If none of this matters, how do the TLs fog lights perform very well?

ndx2

i think the 55 watt bulbs will work just fine for the fogs. i don't think the stock wires will melt unless you go above 65 watts.

brewmaster's correct. fog lights aren't "supposed" to be yellow. the main purpose is to aim low, thus if the fogs are mounted high, then they must be angled down to the ground, which limits the distance they can illuminate.

my brother has HID fogs on his 2G, which are mounted in the lower bumper/grille, and they work great. and his HID is 6000K~ which are sorta blueish.

i think our TL's fogs work great, though. probably because it spreads the light at a wide angle, designed to work with the projector headlights. i wouldn't change the stock fog light bulbs to blueish/white though... since you're only making the light dimmer. i think it's far safer with the stock bulbs. how my headlights look is the last thing im worried about when in driving in the fog.

HEK

Thanks for the advise, but c'mon let's be real here, we worry about how our ride looks all the time, and why not go with a "yellowish" bulb if it will do both, I remember my uncle had a Citroen...and he had fog lights that were yellow and these would not only cut throught the fog but would make his car visible from a distance too...
I will do some research and again if I can swap the OEM ones with the H1's Sylverstars I got in my closet I may just do that and keep them white instead but I need to know if these would work/fit...anyone??..