who uses Fog lights? / Hella 500 / OEM connector->F350

[LosAngeles]

who uses Fog lights? / Hella 500 / OEM connector->F350

Hi all

So I am curious to know how often do people use Fog lights?

I live in the midwest now (just moved here) and if I was camping, and the fog was really bad… I would wait it out.

I am likely going to get an aftermarket front bumper for our forthcoming new F350, so I would lose the stock Ford fog lights.

If I really should have fog lights…… (?)

For $105 Aluminess will mount a pair of Hella 500 fog lights in the bumper
“ They shoot a short, wide beam that is perfect for cutting through fog.”
and have wire coming off them. Understandably they will not hook them up to my truck.

(I want to leave the stock bumper intact, and not cannibalize the OEM Fog light wiring harness on it, so I can easily put the stock Ford bumper back down the road, if need be)

I’d need to ideally find the correct female (?) connector to connect to the bare wires coming from each Hella 500 so I could plug them in, in place of the OEM stock Ford fog lights.

Anyone know the actual connector Ford uses?

Either that or I could buy an OEM wiring harness and splice the Hella 500 wires into it.
i THINK (but not sure if) it is Ford Part # HC3Z-15K867-B (about $30-$40-ish.)
Not sure this is the correct Ford Superduty 2019 fog light harness…. I think i may have been told the wrong part #

Thoughts? Advice? thanks!

Here is the bumper I will likely get:

https://www.aluminess.com/ford/ford-trucks-2017-current-front-winch-bumper/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Vic Harder]

you can probably get what you need here
http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/products/auxiliary-lamps/halogen-lamps/500-series/hella-500-fog-lamp/

 

[Machinebuilder]

Look at what SDHQ offers.

I got a set of Baja designs wide cornering lights. They had a mount and wiring adapter to plug and play in my F-150.

Really awesome lights, they light up the ditches and around the curves here in East TN. I’ve only had one person comment about how bright they are, no one has high beamed me

 

[knoxswift]

I use fog lights quite often. I live in the mountains and drive through fog or cloud deck in spring and fall...let alone they help with snow too.
I always have fog lights on cars and trucks.
Low height wide spread works best. Best to wire with the stock harness because then they will work properly and when high beams come on fogs go off...(that's the law in many states I believe)

 

[craig333]

They don't cut through the kind of fog we get here. Best you can hope for is lighting underneath the fog. They do help people see you coming better. I find them most useful in rainy conditions, kind of takes the blackness off the road. Offroad they do act as ditch lights.

 

[Espresso]

I have them, but I don't think I'd miss them if they were gone. They don't help with the "tule fog" we have in N. California. If they were (much) brighter pointed outward a little more they would work as cornering lights. I have used them at night in a campground to prevent shining my headlights into everyone's camp.

 

[kimosawboy]

When I retrofitted new headlight into my 40 yr old ones I went with Hella extreme yellow H4 bulbs. Living in the rainy Pacific Northwest I find they make a good difference.
Another good source of bulbs/lights is https://www.rallylights.com/

 

[cwdtmmrs]

I never thought they did much good. I have them on 3 vehicles and never use them.

 

[Vic Harder]

I never thought they did much good. I have them on 3 vehicles and never use them.

I find most "modern" cars don't let you turn off enough of the other lights to make them super useful. If you can, wire up your lights so that when the fogs are on, ALL of your other front facing lights are off... otherwise the glare from DRL or low-beams make the fogs less useful.

/rant on
The stock "fog lights" on most vehicles aren't really fog lights... more like extra annoying un-focused scattershot lights...
/rant off

 

[klahanie]

/rant on
The stock "fog lights" on most vehicles aren't really fog lights... more like extra annoying un-focused scattershot lights...
/rant off

^ why I try my best not to drive at night. Winter commute is bad enough with everyone and his dog running fogs 24/7 in addition to their new vehicle or retro fitted super brites. ugh.

LA, for the 100 bucks I'd prob get them. You only have to really need them once and they'd be worth it. One gotcha with your plug and play idea might be that the oem fogs are a much lower wattage and the wiring, harness and/or ECM (or which ever electronic brain) might not like the upsize.

Also, the for very specific Ford questions, like part nums, you might want to also check with fordtruckenthusiasts. Lots of folks on there with newer SD trucks and the $ to mod them.

EDIT to add a bit

 

[craig333]

I find most "modern" cars don't let you turn off enough of the other lights to make them super useful. If you can, wire up your lights so that when the fogs are on, ALL of your other front facing lights are off... otherwise the glare from DRL or low-beams make the fogs less useful.

/rant on
The stock "fog lights" on most vehicles aren't really fog lights... more like extra annoying un-focused scattershot lights...
/rant off

Not legal to run like that here.

 

[Adventurer]

There is a common misconception that fog lights are for seeing better in fog. They are not. Fog lights are so other people see you.

I have run Hella 500 and 700, and others, for decades. I have both 500 and 700 on the front of my Ford F250. I also have the stock fog lights still hooked up. If you have upfitter switches you can wire them to those switches, as did I.

There is nothing special about the Ford connector, nor the wiring. Twere me, I'd wire them separately and use a little nicer wire and use a heat shrink splice connector.

 

[kimosawboy]

Are you serious about this?? ''There is a common misconception that fog lights are for seeing better in fog. They are not. Fog lights are so other people see you.''

 

[Vic Harder]

Are you serious about this?? ''There is a common misconception that fog lights are for seeing better in fog. They are not. Fog lights are so other people see you.''

I'm not buying it. I had fogs on my 240z back when I lived on the west coast and the fog was super thick. I could see fine with the fog lights, as they didn't scatter light back into my eyes.
https://www.quora.com/How-do-fog-lights-work

 

[smlobx]

Unless things have changed on the 2020 model the lights on most Ford trucks are horrible. I ended up buying a Baja Design light bar to help when driving at night without oncoming traffic.

In your application perhaps this model would fit your needs. BD is really one of the best lighting manufacturers out there..

https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/squadron-pro-amber-flush-mount-led-wide-cornering.asp

 

[LosAngeles]

yes, indeed, the stock regular headlights on SuperDuty are terrible.

I coughed up the $$$ for the LED headlights that are supposedly much much better.

many people suggested i do so.

 

[pvstoy]

Hey Craig... my 2012 Dodge can have the running lights on and push the fog light button on and off to have the fogs without the headlights.

Vic... maybe the 240z lights were closer to the road surface instead of trucks where the light is higher from the road surface and have a higher light
refracting back is greater . Your eyes sitting lower at road level can see better than at a higher elevation.

 

[craig333]

You can run without headlights, and its more effective that way, less light scatter, but at in CA you can't legally run without your headlights on.

 

[klahanie]

Re terrible stock lights

I don't find my 2010 headlights all that great but I would expect that to have improved as I believe all mfrs generally have been improving lighting for many years. Those old enough will well remember the yellow hue of earlier lighting. Gentler, times those.

If I really need them I can use my aftermarket driving lights if conditions allow. Not sure how well fogs would help as I don't have them

There was some chatter about the SD headlights when LEDs became more available on them (2017?). Most loved the output tho some reported being flashed by oncoming vehicles. Turns out now there is a recall. because the DRLs may not be configured to dim when the headlights are turned on. (This by the BCM not PCM as I suggested earlier). In part, the illumination can be too bright for compliance. This could explain the flashing by other drivers. But here's the kicker, some owners have stated online they are not going to have the correction made - the all too familiar tough teats for other drivers !

 

[ntsqd]

I find most "modern" cars don't let you turn off enough of the other lights to make them super useful. If you can, wire up your lights so that when the fogs are on, ALL of your other front facing lights are off... otherwise the glare from DRL or low-beams make the fogs less useful.

/rant on
The stock "fog lights" on most vehicles aren't really fog lights... more like extra annoying un-focused scattershot lights...
/rant off

Not legal to run like that here.

Yep, didn't care the night that I was on I-5 between Stockton and Santa Nella. H4 Low beams on a lowered '67 Ranchero were too high and their light was reflecting all over. The Bosch auxiliary lights on the front bumper were just the right height. No scattered light once I figured out that I needed to turn off the headlights. Was still a scary night to be driving the 493 miles home from school.

Last time that I read the KA V.C., and that was a while ago, "Fog Lights" are only legal with low beams, cannot be on with high beams. "Driving Lights" are only legal with high beams, cannot be on with low beams. "Auxiliary lights" have no such limitations, can be on with either beam. Thus ALL of my added lights are Auxiliary Lights.
BTW, running a fog lens'd auxiliary light with the highs is a great way to 'fill-in' behind the highs & fully illuminate the road.

Concur, factory "fog lights" are simply glare producers with little illumination value.