Welcome to the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club Thursday March 28, 2024
Home Forums Images WikiNASIOC Products Store Modifications Upgrade Garage
NASIOC
Go Back   NASIOC > NASIOC Technical > Electrical & Lighting

Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!
Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.







* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads. 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-25-2003, 01:53 AM   #1
AK_2002_WRX
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 10591
Join Date: Sep 2001
Chapter/Region: AKIC
Location: anch, ak
Vehicle:
2017 Ram 2500
dark blue

Question Foglights

hey everyone,
i'm planning on adding another pair of foglights to my car.
this is my alternative to projector headlights since i cant afford em at the moment

i'd like to keep the stock ones in their place. i'm looking for the kind that can come on with the lowbeams.

what are some good brands to go with? theres already one that has my interest and its the Hella 500. also, where can i mount the new lights? in the bumper opening, near the grille?

also, how hard is installation? and where are some sites where i can order foglights from?

thanks in advance...sorry for all the questions..i'm newb when it comes to lighting
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
AK_2002_WRX is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Old 08-25-2003, 10:47 AM   #2
satrya
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 5887
Join Date: Apr 2001
Chapter/Region: BAIC
Location: Fremont, CA USA
Vehicle:
2002 GDAA (bugeye)
797 (blaze yellow)

Default Re: Foglights

Quote:
Originally posted by AK_2002_WRX
i'm looking for the kind that can come on with the lowbeams.
Afaik, most aftermarket auxiliary lights can be wired either independently or on with the lowbeams; it all depends on how you wire the relay.

Quote:

what are some good brands to go with? theres already one that has my interest and its the Hella 500.
That depends on what you want your aux fogs to be; whether it serves as an aux fog light, driving light, off-road light, etc. If you're looking for fog lights that improve peripheral lighting and have a nice cutoff for example, the Hella Optilux projector fogs are nice and compact.

Quote:

also, where can i mount the new lights? in the bumper opening, near the grille?
Aside from those, there are light bars and the rally-style pod; one that mounts on the hood (4 units) or one that covers the oem fog location and protrudes from the bumper a bit.

If the aux fog unit you get is small enough, like this Hella Optilux 1182 unit, you can even make use of the blank grille side piece.


Quote:

also, how hard is installation?
That depends on whether you want to wire it independently, or if you want it to light up with the lowbeams as you stated. If you use a multimeter to pre-check the wires you need to splice, and if you splice the wires correctly, imho, there shouldn't be a problem. Aftermarket light units like the Hellas usually comes with general instruction.
satrya is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2003, 11:34 PM   #3
brunetmj
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 8023
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Way-upstate , NY
Vehicle:
2019 Crosstrek
white

Default

Here is a set of PIAA driving lights installed in the grill area.

Here is an excellent thread on how to wire a second relay to allow you to use the low beam switch. Many after market fog lights and driving lights come with a relay and switch. However Subaru’s have a switched ground system. Meaning when you turn on the light switch you are providing ground not power . In order to make after market lights usable for a Subaru switch and work off the low beam a second relay must be used.
If you wish to use the switch that comes with the lights then it is not necessary.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...hreadid=332798
brunetmj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2003, 03:59 AM   #4
AK_2002_WRX
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 10591
Join Date: Sep 2001
Chapter/Region: AKIC
Location: anch, ak
Vehicle:
2017 Ram 2500
dark blue

Default

thanks for the replies.

is it easier to wire them independantly?
AK_2002_WRX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2003, 11:40 AM   #5
satrya
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 5887
Join Date: Apr 2001
Chapter/Region: BAIC
Location: Fremont, CA USA
Vehicle:
2002 GDAA (bugeye)
797 (blaze yellow)

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by AK_2002_WRX
is it easier to wire them independantly?
Wiring them independently is a matter of finding where the battery + and - are (you could even tap the power directly off the battery afaik, since aftermarket units include a fuse & a relay), so it is definitely simpler.
satrya is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2003, 03:57 AM   #6
AK_2002_WRX
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 10591
Join Date: Sep 2001
Chapter/Region: AKIC
Location: anch, ak
Vehicle:
2017 Ram 2500
dark blue

Question

i'm thinking about getting the Micro DEs or the hella 500s.
how can i mount these to the car without having to use a light bar?

and also, how did you do that mod Satrya? do the Optillux put out good light?

brunetmj, how did you mount yours there?


thanks again!
AK_2002_WRX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2003, 04:07 AM   #7
brunetmj
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 8023
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Way-upstate , NY
Vehicle:
2019 Crosstrek
white

Default

The brakets for the micro PIAA's fit fine there with room to spare.
I had a broken stock grill from before so i just cut out some space for the lights.
brunetmj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2003, 11:04 AM   #8
satrya
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 5887
Join Date: Apr 2001
Chapter/Region: BAIC
Location: Fremont, CA USA
Vehicle:
2002 GDAA (bugeye)
797 (blaze yellow)

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by AK_2002_WRX
i'm thinking about getting the Micro DEs or the hella 500s.
how can i mount these to the car without having to use a light bar?

and also, how did you do that mod Satrya? do the Optillux put out good light?
For aux light units that are less than 2.5 inches in diameter and less than 3 inches deep, the grille side piece location I used is feasible.

Here's a link on how I mounted the 1182s:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...hreadid=310838

I found the Optiluxes more useful when driving through fog, rain, or the occasional snow. In heavy fog (on backroads), the oem foglights must be turned on with the low beams, so in many instances the low beams generate a glow directly in front of the car. With the independent wiring of the Optilux, I can simply turn on the optilux and light up the road & sides.

Comparing between the oem reflectors and the optilux projectors on a wall, the projectors can be aimed better to light up the road & side, while at the same time having a slightly better forward range without sending light above the horizontal level (to minimize glare). Imho, the oem reflectors aren't as flexible when it comes to aiming. They also don't have the sharp vertical cutoff that makes minimizing glare in the optiluxes easier. Compared with more powerful aux light units, the 55W projector type Optiluxes may not deliver as much light output, so you might find it inadequate. Works well for me though.

MicroDE's, afaik, may need some work to fit in that location. The one easy solution is to drill a 2 inch hole through the plastic bracket that comes with the oem headlights. The nice things about mounting aux light in that location are that it doesn't obstruct any existing air inlet (although being in Alaska, I doubt that lack of cooling is ever an issue), is not higher than the headlight level (iirc, there are some limits on placing aux lights heightwise before it qualifies as off-road light), and is not too low to be prone to road debris exposure.
satrya is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2003, 03:48 AM   #9
AK_2002_WRX
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 10591
Join Date: Sep 2001
Chapter/Region: AKIC
Location: anch, ak
Vehicle:
2017 Ram 2500
dark blue

Question

hey satrya,
how hard is it to wire up the foglights? right now i'm going to get either hella 500 or optillux foglights.

do u have to tap into any of the cars harness or wires to hook em up? i plan on using the switch that comes with the lights.
AK_2002_WRX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2003, 09:34 PM   #10
satrya
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 5887
Join Date: Apr 2001
Chapter/Region: BAIC
Location: Fremont, CA USA
Vehicle:
2002 GDAA (bugeye)
797 (blaze yellow)

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by AK_2002_WRX
hey satrya,
how hard is it to wire up the foglights? right now i'm going to get either hella 500 or optillux foglights.

do u have to tap into any of the cars harness or wires to hook em up? i plan on using the switch that comes with the lights.
I'm not sure about the Hella 500s, but most aftermarket light units I've seen need to be wired to 3 separate connections:
(a) ground (connect to any clean ground)
(b) power
(c) signal (low current) or power (high current) off an existing light.

Example:
(1) you want to wire the aux lights such that they can only be lit up when the low beams are on, and only when the ignition key is on. The first condition means that wire (c) above must be connected to either the low beam wire that gets a "positive" power supply somewhere near the low beam connector, or to the relay that sends the positive signal to the low beams. The second condition means that wire (b) gets connected to a switched power supply connection.

(2) you just want to wire the aux lights so that they can only be lit up when the ignition is on. Then (b) taps directly to an unswitched power supply, which can be as simple as connecting them directly to the batteries (assuming the aux light setup comes with a fuse and relay). (c) taps to the switched power supply.

(3) you want to wire the aux lights so that they can be lit up regardless of whether the ignition is on or not. Connect both (b) and (c) to the battery.

So, depending on what you need, you may need to tap / splice existing connections, or simply make new & direct connection to the "positive" terminal of the battery and clean ground.

Good luck.
satrya is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
01 RS foglights vs wrx foglights afstevie68 Electrical & Lighting 1 08-06-2003 03:19 PM
solid foglight covers vs. mesh foglight covers MAD REX Interior & Exterior Modification 14 12-20-2002 10:52 PM
Driving without a foglight... should I plug the hole or get a foglight cover? WRXVII Interior & Exterior Modification 2 11-08-2002 06:50 AM
RS Foglight Covers w. Foglights Alfa Vancouver Impreza Club Forum -- VIC 5 08-01-2002 02:46 AM
Foglight question\No, not the foglight mod. PntBllRS Interior & Exterior Modification 0 04-08-2002 12:02 AM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:23 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Copyright ©1999 - 2019, North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, Inc.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission
Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.