Fog Lights

[Superu264]

I emailed SubaruParts.com about a foglight kit for my BD, they said the kits are no longer made I would have to purchase the individual parts, which is fine with me. They said I have to buy the 2 foglights, switch, and relay.

Do I need anything else? They said no instructions are provided so I just want to know what problems I'll be running into.

BTW for the lights, switch, and relay its gonna cost $291

[ivwarrior]

That's way to much. Go aftermarket and get better lights, cheaper.

[shazapple]

Definitly go aftermarket. Relay should only be a few bucks, a proper switch can get had out of a junkyard subaru, or just install your own like I did

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/6/web/486000-486999/486027_10_full.jpg

Heres my aftermarket install, probably cost me less than 80 bucks Canadian!
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/486027/7

[Superu264]

Alright so new question: any suggestions on what aftermarkets work best? I've found some on ebay but I cant really narrow down one pair.

[Wiscon_Mark]

hey, look for the JDM single projector fogs on ebay, they're just like the USDM ones for the 95, and you could probably get them cheap (they look just like what I have).

Or get some hella 500 foglights, hellas are great.

[shazapple]

The ones I got worked fine. They definitly gave out extra light but are starting to rust on the inside and generally showing signs of their cheapness. If you want to go slightly more expensive you could get some Hellas http://www.hella.com/

[Superu264]

Im actually not so sure now. My main problem was driving my mom's 2001 Hyundai and my dad's 2004 Chrysler for a year (both have great headlights, especially the Hyundai) then going to my Legacy. I guess I just didn't realize how far headlights have come in the last decade. So I wanted more light basically and I assumed foglights would do the trick. How about getting some Silverstar's and cleaning the lenses? I drive on country roads mostly and the Legacy's headlights are no good.

[Wiscon_Mark]

that would help, but driving lights will do the most.

fogs help a little, but they're not long range headlights.

[Huffer]

My main problem with the Subaru isn't the throw distance - it's the peripherals.

[Wiscon_Mark]

My main problem with the Subaru isn't the throw distance - it's the peripherals.

both, IMO, are horrible.

[Pwise2326]

Stay away from silverstars, before you buy lights or bulbs do some research at www.danielsternlighting.com (http://www.danielsternlighting.com) , this is probably the best automotive lighting resource there is, pay close attention to the tech articles about blue lights and myths. If you are still stuck, email Daniel direct and he will be more than willing to help you pick out a bulb or foglight that's best for your situation, and he has some of the best prices on bulbs/etc. around. I read about a test on another forum between the GE Megalight +60, the Philips Vision Plus +50, and the Osram Silverstar +50's, the Philips Vision Plus were the best by far for being the brightest in both clear and rainy conditions. Any light that has a blue film on the bulb (PIAA, sylvania silverstars, etc), the blue tint of the light is worse in rainy or poor weather conditions as the light reflects more causing more dangerous glare for other drivers and no visual aid to you. Philips also makes a Weather Vision light with a yellow tint that is even better in rainy conditions, a good combo would be the vision Plus' for your headlamps and the weather visions for fogs if you can get them. Definately check out that website though, a great place to start.

[Wiscon_Mark]

did he ever say anything about PIAA?

oh, +1 to everything Ryan said, I've heard the same from a bunch of people.

[Superu264]

Ryan = +1

good stuff dude

[BAC5.2]

Sylvania Xtravisions are the OSRAM Silverstars.

Available anywhere in the USA, and they are manufactured by Sylvania/OSRAM in Germany.


I have a set of the Hella 500's on my Forester and I'd like to pick up a set of the Weather Vision's for them. Where can I get a set though? I have yet to find them!

I'm going to pick up a second set of 500's for the Forester, and I'll probably run the Xtravisions in them and have them on 2 switches. Bad weather and Good weather.

Though I can't imagine the Weather Vision lights harming clear weather vision.

Where can you get the Vision Plus lights as well?

[badbasser98]

hey, look for the JDM single projector fogs on ebay, they're just like the USDM ones for the 95, and you could probably get them cheap (they look just like what I have).

Yup, when I had my BD I got a set off of Ebay for $96. That was for both light assemblies, the OEM dash switch, and shipping from Japan.

You can wire them yourself with a 30amp relay from AutoZone or similar parts store.

Good luck,
-BB98

[Wiscon_Mark]

Sylvania Xtravisions are the OSRAM Silverstars.

really? Jeez, they still suck :x

[Superu264]

[quote="BAC5.2":35uauog1]Sylvania Xtravisions are the OSRAM Silverstars.

really? Jeez, they still suck :x[/quote:35uauog1]

they still have to be better than OEM

[Pwise2326]

The philips lights still blow the osram silverstars out of the water. I'll see if I can find the post on scoobymods. As far as where to get the vision plus or weather vision, email Daniel at www.danielsternlighting.com (http://www.danielsternlighting.com) (the email is posted there). Just tell him the year/make/model of your car, the OEM bulb size (like 9007, H4, etc), and tell him you were interested in the Philips vision plus +50's and weather visions, ask him if he knows where you can get some, and ask him if he has any suggestions for a better bulb as well. Any light thrown from stock lamps isn't going to be great, and you can only get bulbs with x amount of wattage. He'll help you out with some very definate answers. Hope this helps.

[strat81]

for what it's worth, i have silverstars in my cavalier and love them. i've had NO problems seeing in rain, fog, or any other road condition. that's just my personal experience though... it's also in a different brand car with a different headlight setup.

[badbasser98]

I have used Silverstars in both Legacy's I have owned and saw a vast improvement over stock Halogen bulbs.

[BAC5.2]

[quote="BAC5.2":yjwrtkpw]Sylvania Xtravisions are the OSRAM Silverstars.

really? Jeez, they still suck :x[/quote:yjwrtkpw]

That's because the headlight design of the BD is shitty. The XTravisions actually produce MORE output than the Silverstars.

Silverstars trick your eyes into perceiving them to be brighter than they are.

Ryan - Do you know anything about mixing Weather Visions and Vision Pluses? I.E. using both at the same time? And about the impact on Weather Visions to good-condition lighting?

What's the +50 though?

[Pwise2326]

+50 is the added power output, I don't recall what units it is measured in, but if you see + anything (usually 50 or 60 for the GE megalights) it means that they are rated above DOT standards for light output.

There is no visual detraction by mixing the two, usually thats whats recommended for a great setup, having the Vision Plus' for your Hi/Low (headlamps) and the weather visions for the foglights. Visually speaking, your car will look like a Lexus (with the white headlamps and yellow fogs). Yellow light is great in any conditions, but even better in poor conditions because the wavelength of the light is longer, reducing how fast it reflects off of surfaces (especially wet surfaces) = reduced road glare and better light output (at least what is visible) during these conditions. The only reason why you don't see more yellow lights on the road because yellow "isnt stylish", and there are no laws governing the sale of poor performing Blue or other multicolored-yet-not-safe-for-driving bulbs. This is why you see so many "Xenon-effect" blue bulbs on the market because thats what everyone wants. You should really go to that website (danielstern's) and under the Tech section read the various articles on Myths debunked, blue lights, and HID's. Daniel shows that HID's may not be all they are cracked up to be, because in poor conditions all you get is glare.

But like I mentioned, the weather visions will not detract from clear condition visibility. The Vision plus for the headlamps and weather visions IMHO is the way to go.

[natep]

Just to add my $0.02...

One of the first mods I did to my legacy was to update the lighting. After poking around on some of the forums (Daniel Stern, as mentioned, is a great reference site too), I decided on the Philips Vision Plus bulbs. While more expensive than a typical replacement, they greatly improved the distance the light is thrown and also produce a slightly whiter light than the stock bulbs. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to improve the night-time visibility of their car.

I also re-aimed the headlighs (by eye against a white vertical wall) a bit higher as they were pretty low. This helped quite a bit - especially with the high-beams.

My second lighting mod was to install a set of aftermarket fog lights because, like you, I noticed that the OEM ones were way overpriced. Seeing that you have a 1995 which uses smaller fog light openings than my 1998, this may be completely useless, but I selected the Hella 530s for the install and scooped up an inexpensive set off of eBay. They made a huge difference! This is the first car I've had with fogs and they definitely help with side and up-close lighting.

I hope this helps.

[Superu264]

Hey Natep, quality post. Thanks for the insight

[natep]

I just noticed that http://jdmpartstx.com/ has some JDM Legacy Projector fog lights for sale on their site - $100 shipped. They appear to be what you need for your car. Just another option to consider.

[Wiscon_Mark]

I just noticed that http://jdmpartstx.com/ has some JDM Legacy Projector fog lights for sale on their site - $100 shipped. They appear to be what you need for your car. Just another option to consider.

oooh, get those!

[Superu264]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/02/durm_leg_fogs3-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/02/durm_leg_fogs2-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/02/durm_leg_fogs1-1.jpg

what do you think fellas? $100?

[shazapple]

dooooooo iiiiiiit!!!!

[Huffer]

Do it! :twisted:

PS. Rockblocker those bad boys too.