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Fog light bulb replacement

13K views 43 replies 12 participants last post by  nookie 
#1 ·
I would like to change the fog light bulbs on my 2015 JGC Limited Ecodiesel. I have the HID headlights and would like a whiter light on the fog lights closer to the HID color.

Are LED's possible without throwing codes? I'm OK with just a whiter bulb if that's all that's available.

Any suggestions? How much of an issue is it getting to the bulb area? Thanks.

Wireman
 
#2 ·
There are a lot of good write-ups in the Interior/Exterior/Visual forum.

LEDs and HIDs are popular.

If you are going to perform any modifications other than a simple bulb replacement, the easiest access to the fog light area (except on a Summit) is by removing the lower air dam (remove 7 half-turn fasteners and pull).
 
#4 · (Edited)
XenonDepot has LED fog bulbs with a 5k color temp. Be advised these bulbs produce significantly less luminous flux than the stock halogens, and *far* less than what an HID lamp would produce. Naturally, the vendor wants you to believe the LED fogs are "just as bright, if not brighter" despite the objective, quantitative values.

If all you are looking for is a color match for the headlamps and you don't care how little light the LED fogs would put out, I'd say go for it. Otherwise, an HID kit is going to be your best bet... the HID bulbs will put out literally 4x the flux that the LED bulbs do.
 
#6 ·
Has anyone just replaced with a whiter halogen bulb like these?

H11 - Philips CrystalVision Ultra 12362CVS2 bulb

I really don't want to spend the $$ on a HID kit or the LED bulbs. I have replaced headlights bulbs with something like this and they did look like a cleaner white.

Thanks for your input. Wireman
I have tried several including those and they all look yellow next to the HID headlights. The best one i have found and what i am staying on until LED technology improves is the silverstar ultra. The LEDs just are not there yet i have tried a few and sent them all back. Give it a little time and a good bright, fanless plug and play one will come out. And maybe some better color options so you dont need to also change your 4300k HIDs to match them.
 
#10 ·
Bear in mind the life of the Silverstars will be shorter than stock. That is my experience. By the way having had to change the entire fog light on the driver's side the best way was to take the tire off, remove the wheel well shield to gain access.

I would be concerned about pushing 3 times the light out of the fogs because the light spread and leakage will be significant. Nothing worse then seeing idiots using halogen housing pushing HIDs out of them blinding everyone.

I would expect that the 4300K to 6000K out HIDs will cause unwanted spread. I would like to see someone who has done this and see how good or bad the light through the fogs will be...
 
#13 ·
Here's what it looks like from about 25 feet in front of the Jeep.

Taken at about 3 ft above ground on the left, 1 ft above ground on the right.
 

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#14 ·
Thanks Halfdeaf!

Greatly appreciate the info and pictures. I do live in a fog prone area and prefer an actual fog light to just matching the color to my headlights....which does look nice. I was worried about putting an HID bulb in a halogen enclosure but after hearing your feedback am less worried.

Thanks again!
Steven
 
#16 ·
No problems yet (well, the lenses haven't melted, anyway) with a XenonDepot kit with Phillips bulbs... I installed the kit without using the relay harness. I don't imagine the 3000K bulbs burn any cooler than the whiter bulbs, though.

My left bulb flickers once in a while, which I figure is a loose connection - so far I've been too lazy to pull the air dam to check it out.
 
#17 ·
Having seen the HID fogs they don't look bad. I ran them in my BMW and it didn't spread vertically either or blind on coming vehicles. I live in an area of fog at times but mostly no external light as in rural so more light especially along the sides to spot deer, wild hogs bolting is desirable.
I tend to use the best quality ballast and bulbs available because they are such a pain in the butt to swap stuff out once installed...
 
#18 ·
I replaced the stock fog light bulbs with the Phillip's LED's from Xenon Depot. I'm super impressed with their light output, it lights up the road nicely to the shoulder and matches the headlights perfectly. From time to time I do get flashed but that's just fine. These LED bulbs totally shit all over those stock bulbs and anyone that doesn't put these In and buys Silverstars or HID's should slap them selves. I was actually so impressed with the LEDS I purchased LED headlights for my MB Sprinter van from the same company.
 
#22 ·
Here's the info from my invoice:
The install took less then 6 minutes....they are bright, what's holding them back is the small projector opening that the jeeps have. These in the Ram with the larger fog light opening that they have will really show what these LES's can do.

Order Details:

Code Item Qty Price: Grand Total
H7-LED-HL H7 LED Headlight Kit
1 US $119.99 US $119.99
DSC-40 10% Off Your Order [H7-LED-HL]
1 -US $12.00 -US $12.00

Subtotal: US $107.99
Tax: US $0.00
Shipping Cost: US $0.00
Grand Total: US $107.99
 
#27 · (Edited)
oh ok its those ones I thought they may have had something new out there.

Those are rated at 700 Lumens per bulb the stock H11 halogens are rated at 1350 Lumens per bulb. Those have only about half the lumens of the stock halogens. that's why they call it a fog light bulb because it doesn't produce enough lumens to be able to call it a headlight like a stock halogen.

The stock HID headlights are rated at 4300k these LEDs are rated at 6000k so no they are not a "perfect" match to the headlights.

and no I'm not slapping myself for using the silverstars over these lol. Sadness you had me excited I thought they had something new out there :( oh well LEDs are changing fast should not be a whole lot longer until the next generation are out. I have tried various H11 halogen and LEDs and on the silverstars I stay until LED technology improves more
 
#26 ·
Further information for y'all:


700 lumen LED rating provides similar brightness to a standard 1200 lumen halogen bulb.
Instant On/Off - no delays
White 6000K colour temperature is perfect for color matching with HID and LED headlights
Up to +45% more light on the road than halogen bulbs
Provides maximum light efficiency without glare to other road users unlike lower cost alternatives
Patented AirFlux base design allows maximum cooling of the LED, to maintain highest light performance and long lifetime - NO FAN THAT CAN FAIL
Voltage: 12 V / Wattage: 9,3 W
12 year lifespan
Direct replacement for your H8 / H11 / H16 halogen bulbs
3 year warranty
Sold in pairs

Call me a troll all you want you're sarcasm isn't warranted.
 
#29 ·
700 lumen LED rating provides similar brightness to a standard 1200 lumen halogen bulb.
[credible citation needed]

Up to +45% more light on the road than halogen bulbs
[credible citation needed]

XenonDepot's claims don't even work on paper. Perhaps they've invented a new form of physics.

Call me a troll all you want you're sarcasm isn't warranted.
Claiming you don't care about blinding oncoming traffic with your improperly cutoff LED fog beams and also that anyone choosing an alternative to your touted choice of LED retrofit must be "slap yourself" misguided is, ipso facto, trolling.
 
#31 · (Edited)
I don't need to see pictures I have tried those Philips LED in my Grand Cherokee and I sent them back just like every other H11 LED I have tried so far. staring at them and thinking they are bright is one thing actual usable light on the road is another. the numbers are the numbers, the luminous flux measure of light scale exists for a reason so people don't have to guess about the power of light, because everyone will have their own opinion. so being able to say those are 700LM and the stock halogen are 1350LM is a lot easier.

ya I keep hearing that about the silverstars burning out but my 2014 GC will be 3 years old in march and I currently have 32k miles on it and these silverstars went in shortly after I got it and they have not burned out yet. also they are $38 for a two pack, id be ok with that every few years.

Ultra

silverstars are not some grand great bulb just ones that are decent for whats out there and for what I have tried. I always seem to put them back in everytime I try something different. They will do until LED technology gets a little more efficient and we can have a truly plug and play CANBus support integrated, fanless LED that will give us at least as many lumens as the stock halogens. Maybe even more of a variety of color options so people don't need to change their 4300k HID headlight bulbs to match the 6000k LED standard. there are a few color tubes out there to change the 6000ks but more variety like HIDs have would be nice. I bet within a year we see a new crop of next generation LEDs that will be competitive as drop in replacements

if you are happy with those 700lm phillips you are the only one you have to please so that's all that maters. I was not impressed with them though, thank god all you got to do is throw stuff on your front porch and amazon comes and takes it back. :thumbsup:
 
#34 · (Edited)
C.f. your own statement: "From time to time I do get flashed but that's just fine."
That's evidence of improper cutoff. If you don't understand the concept of cutoff (especially as it pertains to retrofits), you can google and learn. Proper cutoff really is a safety issue.

I kinda expect deceptive write ups from bits of junk from no name places in China but a little disappointed to see things written like this from Phillips.
Yes. Furthermore, they tout "no fan" on these bulbs. Unlike incandescent filament-based bulbs (e.g. halogen) that have increased luminous efficiency if the filament temperature is increased, LEDs de-rate when the junctional temperature increases (as discussed in-depth here). In other words, the hotter the LED is the less light it will produce. The ~700 lm stat from the OEM is likely measured under best-case circumstances, and the output will be reduced as the LED heats up. Which, you know, it will do while it's turned on—LEDs aren't perfectly efficient at converting electricity to light. To be clear, a fan is not absolutely required (and moving parts are generally undesirable), but the the cooler the LED is the more light it will emit.

I love LED lighting; it's just not there yet for fog/headlamp retrofits. LED tech seems to be following a modified form of Moore's Law, so in a few generations retrofits will probably achieve legitimate parity with the stock halogens. Watch out for knockoff vendors who claim implausibly high luminous flux (i.e. lumens); a good rule of thumb is that if Philips or Cree have a part that could achieve that efficiency then it *might* be plausible that some random eBay crap could push something similar.

As silvermax pointed out: not even the high-end Philips LED bulbs can match the stock halogens in terms of light output.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Maybe im reading wrong but this says 2400 lumens....not 700???
Yes, KBCarStuff's site does say that, and if you look at the product image of the box on that site the box says "2400 lumen**". Gotta love the asterisk disclaimers, right? Furthermore, the Philips Ultinon is the global version of the product, whereas Philips X-tremeVision is the North American version. Does KBCarStuff regularly sell grey market products?

Here is Philips' datasheet for the export market Ultinon that KBCarStuff is selling. Page 2 says "2400 lumen halogen equivalent provides up to 45% more light on the road than standard halogen light" right next to the column that says "Lumens: 700 lm".

Ultinon box (global / grey market version):


X-tremeVision box (North American version, notice no claim of "2400 lumen**"):

I keep losing more respect for Philips as I learn more about their marketing of this product, and now I will think twice before ordering from KBCarStuff too.
 
#37 ·


Yes...i have them.right here in my hand. Ive had them in my srt and they do in fact seem to put out more usable light with 0 glare. I say 0 glare because they have a very sharp cutoff unlike the halogen oem bulbs. The usable light is on the highway and illuminates road marking, signs etc. much better than the oem. I have some pics somewhere of the oem halogen in one side and the philips in another. Maybe its a trick to the eye by the 6000k color of the philips? Or maybe they really do put out more light. Most people who have them say they do. Imho they do. Thats just me though. I...like others tried the halogen reolacements....ie. silverstars, ultras and others and these are better imho.

I dont think they are being misleading by sating they are 5% better than the 1200 equivelant lumen halogen. 700 lumen leds do seem to be better than 1200 lumen halogens.

Before i went to the 2015+ jeep srt oem leds...i used the xenondepot brand h11 leds. They are 40w and 2500 lumens. They use the philips luxeon mz led diodes.
 
#40 ·
I too like the fog functionality employing yellow bulbs. Nothing fancy, just the 55W Hella Optilux yellow bulbs. The light pattern is really shallow on mine so I probably need to adjust the fixtures up a bit. The brightness though is great for those dark rainy nights and during foggy conditions.
 
#41 ·
The spread looks good I would not expect someone to flash you given they are correctly adjusted. Where I live because there is considerable forest with no light anyplace many adjust their fogs up blinding everyone. Worse yet are the ones that put HIDs in their fog housing adjusted up. That and jack up pick up trucks drive by Joe Ted Bob down here running HIDs in halogen housing do blind everyone.

I have a set of quality HIDs and might put then in the fog light housing and level them adjusted correctly. Where I live I need all the light I can get and I also live in an area where there is no cell phone connection for 10-15 miles so seeing what is ahead of you like hogs and deer is important since if you break down you are going to be waiting for help.

My other concern is the plastic fog lens housing. I already had one break and I am curious if the HIDs will effect that plastic len...
 
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