Now that we’ve covered all of the various types of vehicle light options that are out on the market. Let’s dive deeper into the various features that you need to look for when choosing which pair of fog lights are right for your vehicle and visibility needs.
Keep in mind that all of the features listed below will vary depending on the make and model of your vehicle so seek professional assistance if you have any issues.
Color temperature refers to the light’s tint or hue that is produced when your fog lights are turned on. It’s measured in Kelvins, with lower values around 3,000 Kelvins containing more yellow or amber and referred to as warm, while higher values around 6,000 Kelvins and above contain blue and are cool. Most fog light offers you’ll find have an average temperature of 5,000-6000 Kelvins.
This temperature produces very crisp images but causes eye strain after a while because of their blue color content. If this presents a concern for you, then consider getting amber or yellow fog lamp because they don’t strain the eyes after prolonged use.
While considering a bulb, you should make sure that you won’t get into unforeseen problems down the road by checking that the manufacturer has designed it in a way that makes its installation easy across different vehicle types.
Automobile lighting systems come with different socket types and need that a light bulb should have a corresponding plug so it can fit perfectly into the car headlight socket of your vehicle. You should, therefore, check to see what your car offers and find a bulb with a matching plug since this is the only way to get Plug and Play installation.
This refers to how well-built the bulb’s housing is and includes features like anti-shock and ingress protection. The reason for safety features is because LED chips get manufactured with fragile materials, which makes them necessary to protect.
A minimum ingress protection rating of IP-67 is ideal for LED light bulbs, although there are bulbs with lesser ratings like IP-65. With an IP-67 rating though, it means that neither dust nor water can damage the bulb easily. You can submerge it in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes and it won’t break down.
Fog lights produce lots of heat, and while this isn’t a problem for halogen and HID bulb, LED bulbs are normally manufactured using materials that can get damaged by excessive heat, so cooling is usually necessary.
Since most fog lights output 2,000 Lumens on average, their cooling needs are not as huge as those of 8,000-Lumen LED headlight bulbs, for instance. Still, few manufacturers go the extra mile to offer a better cooling system for their LED fog light bulbs so you can choose them if a well-cooled and long-lasting LED light is important to you.
You’ll first need to consider compatibility issues when choosing the right fog lights for your vehicle before making a final purchase decision. Fog lights are best mounted on car bumpers, but while some cars have bumper spaces for their fog lights, other vehicles may have different types of bumpers that make it difficult to install a fog light. You need to carry out a visual inspection to make sure the lights can get installed without issues.
The socket type is also an issue because you need to make sure that you’re buying the right bulb for the sockets on your car bumpers. Other compatibility factors include supply voltage and enough current for the lights.
This is only an issue though if you’ve got many other appliances connected to the car. If you’re installing a LED fog light on newer European vehicles, then it may need a load resistor to avoid flickering.
Brightness is a measure of how much light a bulb produces under any given circumstance. It’s usually measured in Lumens, which indicates the light’s intensity. The higher the Lumen value, the more intense the light.
You’ll find fog lights from just over 1,000 Lumens to those with over 3,000 Lumens and higher. The average brightness for fog lights is between 1,500 and 2,000 Lumens. Your choice here about brightness depends on how much more you’re willing to pay for a brighter light bulb because brighter lights cost more.
Here are also some factors that you should consider when purchasing a new set of fog lights:
You need to take all of these factors into consideration before making a final purchase decision on which fog lights are best for your vehicle to ensure that you get the operational results that you’re expecting.
