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      06-16-2013, 08:14 PM   #1
Chrakaknox
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LED fog upgrade from BMS ?

has anyone tried the LED fog light upgrade from Burger motorsports yet? Does our X1 have the h8 or h11 foglight bulbs stock? Thanks, just looking to get a nicer, brighter, whiter light for the fog lights...
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      06-16-2013, 08:32 PM   #2
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If the purpose is to see better in fog, you want selective yellow foglights, not brighter and not white.
If the purpose is to show off your car, switch cars.
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      06-16-2013, 09:20 PM   #3
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I don't have the best night vision to begin with, so the purpose is to see better at night in general. Let's be real, most nights there will be no actual fog, but I have always turned on the fog lights in conjunction with the headlights in all of my cars/trucks every night anyway to just see better, farther, clearer, etc.
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      06-16-2013, 09:38 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Grovsnus View Post
If the purpose is to show off your car, switch cars.
Getting a Honda makes sense
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      06-16-2013, 09:58 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrakaknox View Post
I don't have the best night vision to begin with, so the purpose is to see better at night in general. Let's be real, most nights there will be no actual fog, but I have always turned on the fog lights in conjunction with the headlights in all of my cars/trucks every night anyway to just see better, farther, clearer, etc.
This is why we can't have nice things. BMWs shipped to the US come without a rear fog light, precisely because of misuse. In several other countries, you'd get a ticket for driving with fog lights on without there being fog or heavy snow.

That said, fog lights aren't for distance vision - they are adjusted to only light up the ground near the car. If they point forward instead of downwards, they'll defeat the purpose of being fog lights, as all you'll see a lit wall of fog in front of you.

Do you already have the Xeon headlight option? That would be the best way to get brighter lights for night driving.
If that's not an option, or you already have them, consider auxiliary driving lights. A good set of halogen lamps shouldn't cost you more than $100. And you'll have your fog lights for the rare events that you hit fog or heavy snow.

And people like me won't flash our high beams at you to alert you that you forgot to turn your fog lights off.
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      06-16-2013, 11:38 PM   #6
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Lower lights (ie: fog lights) that illuminate the ground closer to the car rather than further away only hurts night time distance vision unless you're an unnatural alien, sorry to put it bluntly. If the ground is brighter near the car your eyes will not dilate as much and so you will not be able to see darker things further down the road. It's science and no humans eyes dilate in reverse. Don't let the fact that you see more closer up with fog lights on fool you into thinking you can see better further down the road. If you do visual testing yourself (ie, pull off a road somewhere where you can test and evaluate your vision at the far reach of your low beams). You will notice that extra light near your car from fog lights will make darker objects further down the road harder to see because your eyes are less dilated. An exception would be if your fog lights added no light within the first 50-100 feet on the road, but if that's the case you would have a fog lamp alignment problem.

There was also a study I read a while back that said using fog lights help only up to about 20-25mph for near vision at slow speeds, but after that it (as I found out in my own testing which caused me to research this) it only hurts vision. Most regular low beam headlights are also only helpful up to about 50-55mph. Over 55 you should be using high beams and if you live in a City you'll notice that freeways and roads with speeds over 45-50mph almost always have overhead lights when high beams aren't practical due to oncoming traffic to help with seeing objects further down the road.

I for a few years were just like you and thought fog lamps helped my night vision until I turned them off (can't remember why) and then noticed that once my eyes adjusted I could see much further at higher speeds. I like the look of fog lights on most all cars but I had to give in because I knew it was safer to drive without them.

I used many types of more pure white lights to help improve my night vison. Silverstars Ultra were my favorite but the John Deer tractor lights that gave you extra lumens (not as white though) due to a special coating that would produce a brighter burn but with the standard 55w power source. I did my research on night vision to help the best I could with the resources around starting about 10 years ago.

I personally opted for xenon for night vision on my X1 and it really does wonders for my night vision. I drove 1800 miles in 6 days and over 8 hours after dark up to 2am up to 85mph and never once had a hard time seeing at night or felt like my eyes were strained. I honestly was surprised how well my vision was at night, for my eyes personally there is a huge difference. I also tried using my X1 fog lights and had the same experience as with my Toyota, the fog lights made the ground closer to the car brighter and thus reduced my distance vision when dark out.

I got back from my ED into my halogen lamp car and frankly I don't like driving at night now in it. I can easily tell I don't see as far down the road or as many darker objects.

Also, with Xenon a benefit is it's closer to natural light so you eyes can use both rods and cones in your eyes whereas with more yellow light your eyes can not use the cones as well to see color and detect objects as well. You can read the studies that cover these areas but if you take 20 minutes and do a honest, unbiast test for yourself, I think you'll be surprised the results about fog lights not being better for night vision. I had myself fooled for years so I'm just trying to pass this information along.

For myself with light sensitive eyes, I don't think I will ever get a car without xenon again if I plan to drive it at night.

And I sometimes wish I was a LEO so I could pull over d@mn jacked up truck and suv with aftermarket and misaligned HID low beams and even sometimes HID fog lamps that fully blind me when coming head on. I'm pretty patient but being blinded at night by an arrogant, selfish idiot driver takes all my patience not to head on him and sue because I know myself and everyone else he passes can't see for about 5-10 seconds. I don't even bright him because I know that would only make the situation worse. Just like the older european car drivers who drive with their rear fog light turned on. Morons. If I see them I just know to stay away because they're not the smartest person if they do that. People who drive with fog lights I just know are people who are more into fad and looks than actual 'drivers' and car enthusiasts who know a little about cars.

</end rants>
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      06-17-2013, 09:55 AM   #7
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Thanks, all your feedback was helpful in giving me some options.... except the buying a Honda suggestion... LOL....
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      06-17-2013, 09:30 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrakaknox View Post
Thanks, all your feedback was helpful in giving me some options.... except the buying a Honda suggestion... LOL....
I had a Honda once. Since I didn't pay for it, I couldn't well turn it down. Let me assure you that you don't want one. They have great mileage. Plenty of room. And good top speed too, with a tailwind. And they corner like a stagecoach, and do 0-60 in less than a mile, when wound up properly.

At least four out of five times I get stuck behind another car, it's a Honda. Even old men in Buicks get stuck behind Hondas.
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      06-17-2013, 10:20 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grovsnus View Post
I had a Honda once. Since I didn't pay for it, I couldn't well turn it down. Let me assure you that you don't want one. They have great mileage. Plenty of room. And good top speed too, with a tailwind. And they corner like a stagecoach, and do 0-60 in less than a mile, when wound up properly.

At least four out of five times I get stuck behind another car, it's a Honda. Even old men in Buicks get stuck behind Hondas.
I disagree. Drive an Accord V6 Coupe sport (nice engine, gas sport suspension) and you will change your opinion. It is comfortable and it has power, I give a hard time to many cars and run it when I can at over 200 km/h. AND... Not even the smallest problem ever.

Back on topic, the fog lamps are designed only for close range when you should drive at slow speeds (due to the fog). Like other colleague said, they can trick you and instead of focusing down the road you will look in the front of the car.

Last edited by Teutonic; 06-17-2013 at 10:25 PM..
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