Fog lights for lower grill Search
02-16-2011, 08:06 PM
#421
Member
SL Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 37
DUDE!!!!!! why didn't you post this before i did my fog's, i actually was looking at that spot when i had the bumper off, because i was thinking of drilling the metal but i couldn't figure out how to make a whole and be able to tight the bolt for the light, so on the bumper it self they went.
12-23-2022, 09:24 AM
#424
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 1
foglight relays for VA
i'm interested in this mod but in Va. i would have to run them through the stock wiring so that the fogs would cut off when high beams come on or they will fail saftey insepection. so i know the wire for factrory fogs are their but what else do i need to make it work like stock set up?
Sorry to ressurect an old thread but the answer is you need to hook up a relay. You can use an aftermarket relay and tie into the power wire of the highbeams and run that to a normally closed relay. this relay will have 4 wires.
1 is for the switching power (makes the relay switch operate. This is where you run the power from the highbeam to.)
2 is for the relay ground.
3&4 are the wires for the circuit that gets switched on or off. In this case you would connect this on the ground wire for the fog lights between the ground point and the lights.
When connected and you turn the highbeams off it will turn off your fog lights.
Some other info for VA as I was a VA state inspector for a long time.
Aftermarket headlights are illegal, aftermarket fog lights however are not. If you are going aftermarket make sure these lights have all the DOT markings etc as the inspector will likely not fail you since there isn't an immediate way to tell. For example I have a datsun 510 that runs BMW e30 headlights that I used a conversion kit to swap out the halogen projector for the morimoto hid bi-xenon lights with HID projectors (no halogen, HID, and LED projectors are NOT the same. Anyone slapping HID bulbs in a car without HID projectors should have their headlights smashed or shot out (the head lights not the driver) as they create glare that blinds oncoming traffic. Projectors are what focuses the beam as well as flips it upside down and behind the projector is what is called a cut-off plate that is on the bottom. When light passes through the projector it focuses and because of the type of glass it flips the light upside down so that the light is low and you will have a cutoff line that prevents lights from pointing high. In Bi-xenon lights to get the highbeam the cutoff moves out of the way of the light effectively removing the cut-off and giving you high beams..... Sorry rambling bout non fog lights.
You are allowed to have up to 6 white lights in the front. This would allow for 2 low beam, 2 fog lights, and 2 parking lights even though in a lot of cases those are amber. The only cars legal to run high beams and fog lights are older cars that shut off the regular headlights when the high beam is active. Think of 90's Chevrolet trucks or about half of the cars from the 70's that ran a separate round high and low beam bulbs. My state inspectors guide is a bit old but not much has changed. I will try and get a page number if I get the time though in the scions case you would have to re-wire the headlight assemblies to get it to function in that manner and it would reduce your total light output.
If you are putting in fog lights in any car that didn't have them you should use the OEM fog light switch and not an aftermarket one. There are a ton of reasons as far as longevity and the way they function etc but the main reason is as an inspector if they see an aftermarket switch they will look into it way more.
Lastly if your lights aren't wired properly and you want to pass inspection put tape, socks, or some sort of cover over the light. If the light is covered it does not need to be inspected. The way the law is written is if it is there it has to be functional however if the lights have a non transparent cover they are considered off-road auxiliary lights and are non-inspectable. (This is how jeeps with the KC lights on the roll bar pass as they have covers.)
Hope that info helps you fellow Virginians as I know how automotive forums are. 99% of the members have no real world professional experience and/or they don't know the regulations for vehicles nor where to find them.
12-23-2022, 10:55 AM
#425
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rochester, New York
Posts: 342
Sorry to ressurect an old thread but the answer is you need to hook up a relay. You can use an aftermarket relay and tie into the power wire of the highbeams and run that to a normally closed relay. this relay will have 4 wires.
1 is for the switching power (makes the relay switch operate. This is where you run the power from the highbeam to.)
2 is for the relay ground.
3&4 are the wires for the circuit that gets switched on or off. In this case you would connect this on the ground wire for the fog lights between the ground point and the lights.
When connected and you turn the highbeams off it will turn off your fog lights.
Some other info for VA as I was a VA state inspector for a long time.
Aftermarket headlights are illegal, aftermarket fog lights however are not. If you are going aftermarket make sure these lights have all the DOT markings etc as the inspector will likely not fail you since there isn't an immediate way to tell. For example I have a datsun 510 that runs BMW e30 headlights that I used a conversion kit to swap out the halogen projector for the morimoto hid bi-xenon lights with HID projectors (no halogen, HID, and LED projectors are NOT the same. Anyone slapping HID bulbs in a car without HID projectors should have their headlights smashed or shot out (the head lights not the driver) as they create glare that blinds oncoming traffic. Projectors are what focuses the beam as well as flips it upside down and behind the projector is what is called a cut-off plate that is on the bottom. When light passes through the projector it focuses and because of the type of glass it flips the light upside down so that the light is low and you will have a cutoff line that prevents lights from pointing high. In Bi-xenon lights to get the highbeam the cutoff moves out of the way of the light effectively removing the cut-off and giving you high beams..... Sorry rambling bout non fog lights.
You are allowed to have up to 6 white lights in the front. This would allow for 2 low beam, 2 fog lights, and 2 parking lights even though in a lot of cases those are amber. The only cars legal to run high beams and fog lights are older cars that shut off the regular headlights when the high beam is active. Think of 90's Chevrolet trucks or about half of the cars from the 70's that ran a separate round high and low beam bulbs. My state inspectors guide is a bit old but not much has changed. I will try and get a page number if I get the time though in the scions case you would have to re-wire the headlight assemblies to get it to function in that manner and it would reduce your total light output.
If you are putting in fog lights in any car that didn't have them you should use the OEM fog light switch and not an aftermarket one. There are a ton of reasons as far as longevity and the way they function etc but the main reason is as an inspector if they see an aftermarket switch they will look into it way more.
Lastly if your lights aren't wired properly and you want to pass inspection put tape, socks, or some sort of cover over the light. If the light is covered it does not need to be inspected. The way the law is written is if it is there it has to be functional however if the lights have a non transparent cover they are considered off-road auxiliary lights and are non-inspectable. (This is how jeeps with the KC lights on the roll bar pass as they have covers.)
Hope that info helps you fellow Virginians as I know how automotive forums are. 99% of the members have no real world professional experience and/or they don't know the regulations for vehicles nor where to find them.
1 is for the switching power (makes the relay switch operate. This is where you run the power from the highbeam to.)
2 is for the relay ground.
3&4 are the wires for the circuit that gets switched on or off. In this case you would connect this on the ground wire for the fog lights between the ground point and the lights.
When connected and you turn the highbeams off it will turn off your fog lights.
Some other info for VA as I was a VA state inspector for a long time.
Aftermarket headlights are illegal, aftermarket fog lights however are not. If you are going aftermarket make sure these lights have all the DOT markings etc as the inspector will likely not fail you since there isn't an immediate way to tell. For example I have a datsun 510 that runs BMW e30 headlights that I used a conversion kit to swap out the halogen projector for the morimoto hid bi-xenon lights with HID projectors (no halogen, HID, and LED projectors are NOT the same. Anyone slapping HID bulbs in a car without HID projectors should have their headlights smashed or shot out (the head lights not the driver) as they create glare that blinds oncoming traffic. Projectors are what focuses the beam as well as flips it upside down and behind the projector is what is called a cut-off plate that is on the bottom. When light passes through the projector it focuses and because of the type of glass it flips the light upside down so that the light is low and you will have a cutoff line that prevents lights from pointing high. In Bi-xenon lights to get the highbeam the cutoff moves out of the way of the light effectively removing the cut-off and giving you high beams..... Sorry rambling bout non fog lights.
You are allowed to have up to 6 white lights in the front. This would allow for 2 low beam, 2 fog lights, and 2 parking lights even though in a lot of cases those are amber. The only cars legal to run high beams and fog lights are older cars that shut off the regular headlights when the high beam is active. Think of 90's Chevrolet trucks or about half of the cars from the 70's that ran a separate round high and low beam bulbs. My state inspectors guide is a bit old but not much has changed. I will try and get a page number if I get the time though in the scions case you would have to re-wire the headlight assemblies to get it to function in that manner and it would reduce your total light output.
If you are putting in fog lights in any car that didn't have them you should use the OEM fog light switch and not an aftermarket one. There are a ton of reasons as far as longevity and the way they function etc but the main reason is as an inspector if they see an aftermarket switch they will look into it way more.
Lastly if your lights aren't wired properly and you want to pass inspection put tape, socks, or some sort of cover over the light. If the light is covered it does not need to be inspected. The way the law is written is if it is there it has to be functional however if the lights have a non transparent cover they are considered off-road auxiliary lights and are non-inspectable. (This is how jeeps with the KC lights on the roll bar pass as they have covers.)
Hope that info helps you fellow Virginians as I know how automotive forums are. 99% of the members have no real world professional experience and/or they don't know the regulations for vehicles nor where to find them.
High beams are designed to illuminate a significant distance down the road. While one might think that a set of fogs - when run with high beams - would be the match made in heaven, but that's not true. You run your high beams when you want to see farther down the road - generally at higher speeds and in good weather. Adding near field lighting tricks your pupils into constricting - due to too much light - which automatically limits your distance vision. Kind of self-defeating actually.
Now, if you wanted to add a set of driving or spot pattern lights triggered off your high beams, that's a whole different story. That said, those patterns need to be mounted higher up for maximum effectiveness. Fogs should be mounted low.
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