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Top 10 fog lights
Not a dazzling dozen
Author: Stepan Kagner
Fog lights have become the norm in the factory configuration, even low-cost cars - even if they are not in the minimum configuration, but at least in the "average". Another thing is that regular “foglights” are not always effective, and after the first trip in a strong fog, the thought appears: how to make them shine brighter? Or immediately replace the headlamp assembly, if the used base in the staff does not allow "roam"? Well, if the plant on the machine was completely stingy with the installation of PTF, then the only option is obvious: you will have to install them yourself.
However, you need not make a mistake when choosing. The working conditions of the fog lamps are the toughest: they get much more water than the main headlights, and for optics under halogen lamps this moment is critical: the glass does not withstand sudden temperature changes. Polycarbonate, of course, is more practical in this regard, but it also grows turbid faster, and it can also suffer from the heat and ultraviolet radiation emitted by the lamps. So the fog light is important not only the quality of light, but also reliability.
There is now no less interesting version of the fog lights - LED headlights. And we are not talking about installing LED lamps in optics under the “halogen”: we will leave this “farm” to fans of experiments with their own driver's license. The leading manufacturers of optics have long been in the range of headlights, originally created on LEDs and certified for public roads: we recognize this option as optimal.
We offer you the rating of the best fog lights that provide good visibility in all weather conditions without blinding oncoming drivers.
| Category | A place | Name | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best compact halogen fog lights | 1 | Hella micro de | 9.8 / 10 | 5 500 |
| The best universal halogen fog lights | 1 | Hella luminator metal | 9.8 / 10 | 8 000 |
| 2 | Hella Jumbo 320 FF | 9.7 / 10 | 7 100 | |
| 3 | Wesem HM2 082.31 | 9.1 / 10 | 2 300 | |
| 4 | DLAA LA-930EX Y | 8.1 / 10 | 1 300 | |
| Best halogen fog lamps for installation in the bumper | 1 | Hella d90 | 9.6 / 10 | 3 100 |
| 2 | Valeo 088358 | 9.5 / 10 | 1 850 | |
| Best LED Fog Lights | 1 | Osram LEDriving FOG PL | 9.8 / 10 | 12 000 |
| 2 | Wesem CDC2 | 9.1 / 10 | 6 300 | |
| The best PTF premium | 1 | PIAA 50XT | 9.9 / 10 | 19 500 |
Best compact halogen fog lights
|
5 500
Headlights are popular and widely known: even in some tuning body kits, the sockets in the bumper are directly designed for their installation. Excellent light distribution and brightness, despite only a forty millimeter “pupil” - this is what we really love Hella for. The lamp used is a halogen H3, the supplied Hella headlamps already come with good fog lamps. The case is made of magnesium alloy, and so on that, but you should not complain about its strength. The main subject of complaints to these headlights is completely different, and it is not difficult to guess about it. A hot halogen lamp in such a small volume is a real “stove”, and without blowing by the oncoming air flow the glass is able to heat up to temperatures above one hundred degrees. And this will require attention when installing into a plastic bumper, and when forcing deep puddles: agree that it will be unpleasant to see a crack on the glass of expensive headlights. Another nuance that needs to be taken into account is the large body length of these headlights, they will not physically stand up everywhere. Although both the fastener and the Micro DE design do not prevent us from hiding them inside the bumper, but installing them outside, just putting them on any bumper will not give a 140 mm length, with the mounting point located approximately in the middle. But there is no need to buy anything else for installation: not only the lights themselves with fasteners were put in the original packaging, but also the wire, the unloading relay and other “trifles”. Is that the connectors in the kit are rustic, a good auto electrician at their sight will curl and get their zagashnik. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.8 / 10
Rating
Reviews
For such small sizes shine just surprisingly bright. And shine exactly as fog lights and should. |
The best universal halogen fog lights
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Hella luminator metal
8 000
The Luminator series includes several lines of headlamps of various designs and uses, but one thing unites them: light quality and reliability. A durable metal body, effective sealing is what is just needed for an SUV, and on some other car it’s difficult to imagine “Luminators” having a diameter of more than 200 millimeters.
But in the on state, these headlamps, designed for H3 bulbs, turn into real “spotlights”, while not losing anything with proper adjustment from the ECE standards, for which they are certified. The design inspires respect: no cheap plastic, the optical element is fixed in a metal case with a metal ring on four screws for an internal hex. Drainage is provided in the headlight housing, the optical element itself is qualitatively sealed. It is safe to drive into a ford: even with “reinforced” halogen lamps, the glass heating is moderate, sudden changes in temperature are not terrible for him. And the water, even if it penetrates into the body, will not stagnate there, and then it will drain through the lower opening. There are two variants of execution: cheaper and more practical with a painted body (actually, this is Luminator Metal) and pathetic chrome-plated (Luminator Chromium): well, not every SUV ever moves its asphalt into its “natural” one the element. But since chrome doesn’t affect the performance and quality of the headlight itself, we naturally prefer the cheaper Luminator Metal. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.8 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The light is excellent, even with regular bulbs that are put from the factory. Fastening quality, there is no risk of losing on the bumps. |
|
Hella Jumbo 320 FF
7 100
In comparison with the monstrous size and considerable weight of the “Luminators”, the Jumbo 320 FF foglights look much more compact and weigh less: their body is not metallic, but from durable plastic. So the options, where and how to put them, are already more: in principle, the plastic bumper of a passenger car will normally withstand these headlights when shaken. The reflector at the headlights remained metal, the diffuser - glass, so that they should not be afraid of their durability.
The shape of the reflector is well calculated: the headlights form a powerful and “correct” beam of light, which confirms the European certificate ECE. Lamps, by the way, are used the most common - with the base H7, so there will be no problems with the replacement. The sealing quality is up to the mark: here again Hella did not let us down. It’s a pity that, for the price, these fog lights are only a little cheaper than the top Luminator series ... Main advantages:
Minuses:
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 9.7 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The headlights are excellent, shine as it should - and when the standard lamps burn, I will try more powerful ones, it should go out elegantly at all. |
|
Wesem HM2 082.31
2 300
Okay, let's move on to the budget segment: “Hella”, though undoubtedly good, but not everyone can afford it.Polish Wesem is another matter: the installation kit of two fog lamps will cost several times cheaper than one Hella (yes, the prices above were quoted for one headlamp, Wesem is sold as a kit).
The body of the headlights is made of inexpensive plastic, but the lens, fortunately, is glass. The degree of dust and moisture protection for such a price is not bad - IP66. The light distribution is quite good, and due to the yellowness of the diffusers, the quality of the headlights in the fog is less dependent on the color temperature of the selected bulbs. By the way, buy lamps at once: they are not included. The best way to use these fog lamps is passenger cars: they are light, so they will normally hold onto a plastic bumper without additional amplification, they are compact enough, and the city’s degree of moisture protection will suffice. Here for SUVs, of course, it is worth choosing headlights "more seriously". To replace the bulbs unscrew the front part, after which the optical element assembly is removed. Therefore, the adjustment of the headlamp is not disturbed; its fastening itself will not have to be touched. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.1 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The quality of the money, it is already felt that this is not a blatant slag from the car market. |
|
DLAA LA-930EX Y
1 300
DLAA - this is probably the “very minimum” of what you should pay attention to in auto shops: China is China. No, we do not suffer from special prejudices, we just know for sure: the Chinese give exactly the quality for which they are given money. Given that DLAA is a typical representative of “state employees”, then the quality of their products is appropriate, a number of fog lights from this company simply cannot be used normally: it looks like they have the most unified fog lights and extra high-beam headlights, and after all this is far from light distribution not the same thing. Tests proved it more than once, and the experience of the owners confirms it.
Since you have ventured to buy DLAA headlamps, immediately buy good H3 bulbs: those that come with headlamps give a special contribution to their “curvature”. With normal halogen bulbs, in principle, this kit will work fine, and even chrome will not begin to peel off in a month (well, let's turn on the “prejudice” mode). But nevertheless we recognize that it is better to add money and buy at least Wesem foglights, since the choice of models is good. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 8.1 / 10
Rating
Reviews
Screwed on the "Zhiguli", here it makes no sense to put something more expensive. They shine completely, although in them a normal set of lamps cost half the price of these headlights ... |
Best halogen fog lamps for installation in the bumper
|
Hella d90
3 100
For installation on a regular bumper seat, Hella offers a simple solution: a steel adapter plate is screwed to the back of the headlight, which if desired can be easily adjusted to fit your bumper without affecting the headlight itself. The body, by the way, is made of magnesium alloy, as befits a high-quality "fog." Glass is also worthy of strength, well "holds" blows.
Optics diameter - 90 mm, used lamps - H7. Headlights cool well enough, but their light should be said separately: if your regular “foglights” are not satisfied with the road lighting, then you should spend time adapting the “Hella” modules to the bumper. Both the brightness and the light distribution of these headlights are excellent even with nominally installed lamps, and the popularity of the base allows you to choose “more interesting” ones, for example, from our recent rating. Main advantages:
Minuses:
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 9.6 / 10
Rating
Reviews
Put on Logan 2.Fussing with the installation is a lot, but the light is several times better in comparison with the regular "smoke boxes". |
|
1 850
High-quality budget fog optics standard Valeo Fogstart from the famous French brand. Such headlights are widely used as regular lighting for a number of cars of the RENAULT group of companies, as well as FORD, NISSAN, OPEL and others. The original Valeo 088358 comes with quite good 55 W lamps manufactured by OSRAM or PHILIPS. The left and right headlights are the same, round in shape with a body diameter of 90 mm and a weight of 0.34 kg each. Headlights are designed for installation of lamps with socket H11. The light spot is symmetrical, the border is clear. Main advantages:
Minuses:
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 9.5 / 10
Rating
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Best LED Fog Lights
|
Osram LEDriving FOG PL
12 000
First of all, let's take a look at certification - not all LED optics are “equally useful”. Well, Osram is all right with this - they have all the necessary certificates, and for both roles. The fact is that these lights are dual-mode and can work as fog and daytime running lights. In the first case, their power consumption is 24 watts per headlamp, in the second - 14 watts. And this is at a brightness capable of arguing with xenon.
Optics can have several colors — for example, silver, blue, orange, or even pink. If we add to this the fact that the diameter of the headlights is the most common, 90 mm, then they will suit many cars even with the possibility of matching closer to the color of the car. Due to the low heat, the headlights do not suffer when water gets on the glass, and the glass itself is excellent here - it is also very difficult to break it with a pebble caught on the road. In general, the option is excellent in all respects, if not for the high price, alas. Although this is how to calculate: if you plan to drive a car for a long time, then regular replacement of lamps can quite a lot level off the difference, especially when it comes to expensive pedestals like H11. The service life claimed by the manufacturer is five thousand hours. Even if all this time to go in the "pensioner" mode, then we are talking about several hundred thousand kilometers with constantly turned on headlights: alas, so much the whole car now can not always live. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.8 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The light is excellent, with no fear of shaking, no water. The fare with them already 50 thousand - both worked and work. |
|
6 300
Polish LED fog lamps for installation in the 80-mm seat in the bumper. The body is made of impact-resistant polymer, the optical unit has a glass diffuser and a plastic lens. The light source for the headlamp are three 3-watt LEDs from OSRAM, which are cooled with a powerful aluminum radiator. It is possible to choose the most convenient to connect modification - with wires or connectors of one of three popular types. Headlights create a light spot of the correct form of sufficient width. Properly adjusted PTF drivers of oncoming cars do not dazzle. Main advantages:
Minuses:
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 9.1 / 10
Rating
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The best PTF premium
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19 500
Expensive and effective PTF reflex type from Japan. The headlight has a rectangular shape and is mounted on the car body with a steel bracket in a standing or hanging position. The original products are completed with 55 W high-performance PIAA lamps and an H3 base. According to the light output, they correspond to the usual 85-watt halogen and well illuminate the roadway to a distance of 20 meters.When properly installed, the PIAA 50 XT fog lamps form a clear cut-off edge and a symmetrical light spot up to 95 degrees wide. According to the results of testing several popular PTF models published by AvtoDela magazine (http://www.autodela.ru/main/top/test/protivotumanky_DLAA_Mega_Lighting_PIAA_Sirius_Wesem), the PIAA 50 XT is recognized as the only headlight that “removes” the grid in the illuminated area almost completely . Main advantages:
Minuses:
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 9.9 / 10
Rating
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How to choose good fog lights?
There is one point from which to start the selection of fog lights. The fact is that additional optics in stores are of two types: actually, fog lights and extra high beam bulbs. Outwardly, they may even be no different, but the installation of "distant" headlights as fog will be a gross mistake. Fog lights should form a narrow beam of light vertically, not blinding oncoming drivers, the additional high beam headlights will start to hit the oncoming counter as a searchlight, and in the fog they will turn out to be practically useless, hammering in the remnants of the review with milk: try to turn on in such conditions regular high beam, and understand what we are talking about.
Therefore, the first thing you need to make sure that before us is fog lights (on the English-language packages fog lamp, or the abbreviation FF - front fog), ECE certified. Especially when it comes to low-cost headlamps of Asian origin. Although anything can be written on the “very Chinese” headlamps, only the reality will not correspond, alas ...
Question tightness for low-lying optics is also not the last. The sign of the quality of the fog light is an indication of the dust and moisture protection class of at least IP 66.
If we are talking about buying headlights mounted inside the bumper on a regular place (even if it is closed in the bumper, it is usually enough to cut a hole of the required diameter - inside everything is ready for installation, the unification on the conveyor gives its advantages), then the main diameter is of course the headlight itself. Fortunately, the spread here is small - usually automakers use 90-millimeter "round bricks". When choosing a “built-in” headlight, pay attention to how the lamp replacement is organized in it, whether it will be convenient on your car.
Well, and external universal headlights Let's begin, perhaps, with dimensions and weight. Large and heavy headlights in a metal case, of course, captivate reliability and potential light quality, but then the load on the attachment point will create a decent one. That is just to fasten them with a bolt into the hole drilled in the bumper will not work: from shaking under the headlamp, plastic sooner or later will crack, especially in the cold. We'll have to think with the reinforcement of the bumper - for example, a metal plate that will distribute the load over a larger area.
Choosing led fog lightsit is not necessary to "throw" at a low price especially. We will not even talk now about the quality of the light distribution, which the unclear origin of LED headlights can have anything you want, but let's talk about the resource issue. The more powerful the LEDs, the more sensitive they are to the accuracy of maintaining the operating current, which ideally already needs thermal compensation - therefore, a high-quality LED headlamp is assembled on expensive diodes, and the current driver is necessary in the design. And the cheapness of the headlamp can result in some time both in blinking and in complete failure of the LEDs. A good LED headlamp on a resource can compete with the car itself - but you will have to pay for it accordingly.
Have a good shopping!
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Updated: 07.04.2019
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