fog lights

[purp]

call them driving lights and theyre legal, driving lights are allowed to be on at any time you are driving. Fog lights can only be used in foggy weather, you might have a fight on your hands but dam its better than a 200$ ticket

I don't know about other states, but in the ACT & NSW "fog lights" can only legally be used in "adverse weather or reduced visibility" (or something like that). Driving lights (to be legal) HAVE to be wired into the highbeams, and the rules concerning their use are the same as for highbeams.

The rules *only* allow for two sorts of forward facing auxillay lights, fog and driving.

[thunder039]

^ thats what i thought driving lights are your aftermarket lights that are used with your high beams while fog lights are stock and can only be used when weather conditions require them to be used

[spike]

driving lights and fog lights are basically the same, in a subaru they are the sames. But to be effective fog lights they must be a certain colour (yellow/orange i think) and subarus are white as such they are best called driving lights.
The fact they are not after market doesnt matter

Spot lights are different again, especially the ones on the roof. We had a rush of people after they got defected for them, the rules state that they must point forward and be operable to be illegal (it doesnt actually state it but thats an arguable interpritation). point them backwards was the best option but that could be argued, but to make them inoperable (a switch does not make them inoperable) we use a system of spade terinals outside the vehicle, plug in plug out basically.

[El_Freddo]

^ thats what i thought driving lights are your aftermarket lights that are used with your high beams while fog lights are stock and can only be used when weather conditions require them to be used

Fog lights are not just stock. Stock fog lights are fake. This is a set of true fog lights:



Yellow light reflects less in floggy conditions, thus allowing you to see more of the road. They're also mounted low to try and project under the fog. Even covering your stock lights with yellow cellophane makes a HUGE difference in the thickest fog. Tried and proven up at Hotham, I even covered my driving lights for a period there and it worked a treat.

Also another thing you need to remember is that each state has it's own state laws on these matters - another ridiculous part about Australia!

So these are true fog lights, this is what I'm talking about when I say fog lights, when I talk about "stock fog lights" I'm talking about the factory white bits of crap that are no more than a marketing tool.

Cheers

Bennie

[spike]

Fog lights are not just stock. Stock fog lights are fake. This is a set of true fog lights:



Yellow light reflects less in floggy conditions, thus allowing you to see more of the road. They're also mounted low to try and project under the fog. Even covering your stock lights with yellow cellophane makes a HUGE difference in the thickest fog. Tried and proven up at Hotham, I even covered my driving lights for a period there and it worked a treat.

Also another thing you need to remember is that each state has it's own state laws on these matters - another ridiculous part about Australia!

So these are true fog lights, this is what I'm talking about when I say fog lights, when I talk about "stock fog lights" I'm talking about the factory white bits of crap that are no more than a marketing tool.

Cheers

Bennie

exactly, and as most people consider them foglight it makes them illeagal. WRONG
they are day time driving lights and as such there is nothing stating you cannot drive with them on at any time. Or at least in SA, and some of the crap here is bloody ridiculous.

[Gannon]

The law states that you can only have one pair of lights rated at over 21 watts for low beams, so this means that fog light that are on with the low beams is illegal.

I have come up with a solution for those who like the factory fog light look. I simply have used a low wattage H3 globe to use in the fog light fitting and this overcomes the brightness and wattage issues.

[Alex]

Yellow fog light win.





Sent from my HTC Velocity 4G using Tapatalk 2

[Smokey]

The law states that you can only have one pair of lights rated at over 21 watts for low beams...

21w LED would be a decent amount of light....

There are some nice LED type driving lights from companies like Narva. I'd like to get some mounted in my front bull bar to replace/enhance my Parker's (ie day time lights).

Anyone seen the spot light (high beam style) with the LED circle round the perimeter. Think they are Hella's. Looks sweet!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[spike]

The law states that you can only have one pair of lights rated at over 21 watts for low beams, so this means that fog light that are on with the low beams is illegal.

I have come up with a solution for those who like the factory fog light look. I simply have used a low wattage H3 globe to use in the fog light fitting and this overcomes the brightness and wattage issues.

in which state?? and i know they all say theyre the same but really...........

21w LED would be a decent amount of light....

There are some nice LED type driving lights from companies like Narva. I'd like to get some mounted in my front bull bar to replace/enhance my Parker's (ie day time lights).

Anyone seen the spot light (high beam style) with the LED circle round the perimeter. Think they are Hella's. Looks sweet!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

the LEDs would be ok, except they have an equivilant to normal globes and i think this is what it would be based on.
A driving light that is on with a seperate switch would be just that wouldnt it? a driving light, it doesnt get turned on or off with the low beam

[Gannon]

In conventional housings, bulb replacements are typically less than 1 watt because of heat dissipation issues (LEDs can usually only withstand about 80deg max)

So a 1W LED is probably equivalent to a 10w incandescant.

[spike]

In conventional housings, bulb replacements are typically less than 1 watt because of heat dissipation issues (LEDs can usually only withstand about 80deg max)

So a 1W LED is probably equivalent to a 10w incandescant.

yeah but how much light does a 2W LED put out?

[Gannon]

A 2W White LED driven at 2W will output between 150 and 200 lumens, but a 2W LED driven at 2W requires a suitable heatsink to keep the temperature low, something that cant be achieved in a package the size of a H3 bulb inside a sealed light. Quite often what is labeled as a 2W LED is a 2W LED driven at less than half its rating, which reduces its temperature and increases its life

I'll do a current test with the LED's I have

[Gannon]

Ok from the left we have...



Amber 30x 3528 SMD - 270mA x 12v = 3.2W
Amber 13x 5050 SMD - 190mA x 12v = 2.3W
White 28x 3528 SMD - 200mA x 12v = 2.4W
White 5x 5050 SMD - 41mA x 12v = 0.5W

The amber LEDs are not quite as bright as a 21w amber incandescent globe, and these are over driven because their use is intermittent.

The first white LED is overdriven to the point where after about 5 minutes the light tints blue and is almost too hot to handle, obviously a bad design, but very bright. I had these installed and pulled them out because I doubted their life expectancy

The last white light is what I currently have in my car as my parkers and as you can see draws half a watt and is still brighter than the T10 incandescent globe

Also note that these readings include the power used by the internal current limiting resistors

I have some warm white versions of the last one on order so they match the yellowish colour of my headlights and I will post my results when I get them

[thunder039]

so if you replaced the globes in the stock driving lights in a car with a less powerfull globe it makes it legal

[Gannon]

Im assuming so. There is no rule that limits the number of front park lights, so if I use park light globes or their LED equivalent in my factory fog lights, I retain the look without the glare and annoyance to other road users

[thunder039]

do you know what connections are in the standard subaru fog lights, im particular interested in the 04 forester

[Gannon]

H3 they should be
I think these are the ones I have in my fogs at the moment
2x Back Up/Reverse Light Bulbs 9-SMD LED H3 Fog Light