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.
As the title states, I would like to be able to have my high-beams and fog lights to be on at the same time, is there any way of doing so? I am going to be putting some new HID bulbs in place of the stock headlights and getting LED bulbs for the fog lights, and I would like to have them both on at the same time for maximum visibility at night. I would turn them off for oncoming traffic, but I live in an area with no street lights and a lot of deer so maximum visibility at night is paramount, and visibility at night is quite poor right now even with the high beams on. I have an 09 sport coupe, so the fog lights are in the headlight assembly, not in the lower bumper if that makes any difference. Any help would be appreciated!
I'd honestly be getting a small light bar. The fogs won't give you much in the way of distance they'll just light up right in front of the car which isn't what you want at night. A 12" light bar mounted in the lower grille would give you way more light at that point.
A quality LED light bar would allow you to position/ angle the beam farther out and also provide substantially more output (lumens) than what the stock fogs are capable of producing.
Either way, as you know, the BCM will not let you run both fogs and hi-beams at the same time. To run both, you would still have to wire in your own switch, relay, fuse, etc. and just forget your stock fog circuit. I'm working on a similar project- just waiting for parts from Europe.
There was a module from KPTechnologies that allowed you to run both but they, for all intents and purposes, are out of business/ production and no longer available. There "may" be a "similar" module offered elsewhere.
We also have a "out of control" deer population in our area- amongst other nocturnal pests. At least 2-3x/wk. some unfortunate person hits one and ruins their vehicle.
Be careful out there!
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; Apr 26, 2022 at 10:01 AM.
A quality LED light bar would allow you to position/ angle the beam farther out and also provide substantially more output (lumens) than what the stock fogs are capable of producing.
Either way, as you know, the BCM will not let you run both fogs and hi-beams at the same time. To run both, you would still have to wire in your own switch, relay, fuse, etc. and just forget your stock fog circuit. I'm working on a similar project- just waiting for parts from Europe.
There was a module from KPTechnologies that allowed you to run both but they, for all intents and purposes, are out of business/ production and no longer available. There "may" be a "similar" module offered elsewhere.
We also have a "out of control" deer population in our area- amongst other nocturnal pests. At least 2-3x/wk. some unfortunate person hits one and ruins their vehicle.
Be careful out there!
Yeah that sounds like a pain to get them both on at the same time, and I have zero experience with wiring so probably not good for me to go messing with that! I've had a few close calls with the deer around and it makes driving at night so much more stressful.
I can't say the thought of running a light bar in the lower grille hasn't crossed my mind, I would be worried about causing cooling issues blocking off airflow with the light bar. I push the car pretty hard at autocross and I know that heat is an issue with these cars so I'm nervous about making it worse. Plus there is the issue of wiring the whole thing in, which is why I was originally looking at the plug and play LED fog bulbs. If cooling isn't adversely affected I may give the light bar a shot because my buddy has a newer car with LED headlights and it is so much better than my current setup!
I can't say the thought of running a light bar in the lower grille hasn't crossed my mind, I would be worried about causing cooling issues blocking off airflow with the light bar. I push the car pretty hard at autocross and I know that heat is an issue with these cars so I'm nervous about making it worse. Plus there is the issue of wiring the whole thing in, which is why I was originally looking at the plug and play LED fog bulbs. If cooling isn't adversely affected I may give the light bar a shot because my buddy has a newer car with LED headlights and it is so much better than my current setup!
There's others here that would know much better than me, but I don't think blocking that amount of the lower grille would affect cooling much at all. You could even do an 8" bar which would cover less space and would still do much better than the LED fogs. https://www.diodedynamics.com/stage-...t-bar-one.html Light bars are fairly easy to wire, but any shop that deals with electronics would probably install it for an hours labour cost. A light bar with a driving pattern and the LED fogs aren't even comparable in how much light they'll throw down the road for distance.
There's others here that would know much better than me, but I don't think blocking that amount of the lower grille would affect cooling much at all. You could even do an 8" bar which would cover less space and would still do much better than the LED fogs. https://www.diodedynamics.com/stage-...t-bar-one.html Light bars are fairly easy to wire, but any shop that deals with electronics would probably install it for an hours labour cost. A light bar with a driving pattern and the LED fogs aren't even comparable in how much light they'll throw down the road for distance.
Thanks for the input! I may have to research further wiring and mounting of the light bar because that definitely sounds more like what would fit my lighting desires. I have looked but not found anything on this site about doing a light bar in the lower grille, but I saw a guy on Instagram with one so I know it can be done. Now do I try new headlight bulbs and re adjust them first or just send it with a light bar?? Decisions decisions.
Wiring would not be a issue- even for a novice. Even if you did not want to tackle it yourself, a reputable shop should have this done in about one (1) hour.
I doubt that the light bar would seriously impact airflow across the radiator. However, being you admit you drive hard/ and participate in autocross events, this could be a issue. Others with more experience may chime in and clarify.
To save that risk, you may also want to consider installing a 6" Light Bar into each of the fake vents- almost like the 2010+ G's have now.
I considered this option but just haven't put the project on the drawing board, yet. A 8" bar will not fit that opening without looking out of place, but a 6" bar, if done right, should work perfectly. This option would give you a lot of light at each corner while preserving your front grill/ radiator opening.
Personally, I would leave the stock light pods alone. I know some are making the switch from the OEM HID's to the LASFIT LED kit, but even then there are still limitations to how much light the OEM HID projectors/lenses and (fog) reflectors can throw.
Decisions, decisions.
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; Apr 28, 2022 at 10:33 AM.
Being that they're LEDs they wont pull that much amperage. It's possible you can tie the fog connectors to the low beams.
It'll be the easiest form to install.
To save that risk, you may also want to consider installing a 6" Light Bar into each of the fake vents- almost like the 2010+ G's have now.
I considered this option but just haven't put the project on the drawing board, yet. A 8" bar will not fit that opening without looking out of place, but a 6" bar, if done right, should work perfectly. This option would give you a lot of light at each corner while preserving your front grill/ radiator opening.
Personally, I would leave the stock light pods alone. I know some are making the switch from the OEM HID's to the LASFIT LED kit, but even then there are still limitations to how much light the OEM HID projectors/lenses and (fog) reflectors can throw.
Decisions, decisions.
Yeah I do think a 6" would fit perfect in the lower corners, the problem would be making the install look clean and not ghetto (for a lack of a better term). I've thought about trying to install OEM style fogs there but the added light isn't worth the time/effort/money IMO, same with the LASFIT LED conversion.
Originally Posted by BULL
Being that they're LEDs they wont pull that much amperage. It's possible you can tie the fog connectors to the low beams.
It'll be the easiest form to install.
That would be an interesting possibility to possibly tie the light bar(s) into the OEM fog lights and have them operate off that switch on the blinker stalk.
And if that's a location worth exploring, it matters the dimensions of the lights and whether or not you have Adaptive Cruise Control, like in that pic posted by ILM-NC G37S.
Last edited by Rochester; Apr 29, 2022 at 07:07 AM.
And if that's a location work exploring, it matters the dimensions of the lights and whether or not you have Adaptive Cruise Control, like in that pic posted by ILM-NC G37S.
Absolutely can. Lots of trucks and SUVS have them mounted behind their grilles. You lose some light output for sure, but you get a much cleaner look from it.
