JDM Rain Light TOO BRIGHT
 

Anybody know what wattage is being used in the JDM setup... i'd like to tone it down as other drivers have pointed out that it is WAY distracting. And i don't like visits from po-po either.

Suggestions, thoughts?

Thanks all

You mean the rear fog? Do you have the OEM installed or a different aftermarket model? I've seen it in person and don't feel it's any brighter than the rear tail lights. Due to its low location on the car I wouldn't be too concerned. I've been behind SUV's with blaring rear fog lights... Now that's blinding...

I have the OEM fog light. It is bright, but that's the whole point. I have driven in caravans in the fog, where the driver behind me has pointed out that it was all they could see of my car.

I turn it on every time I have my headlights on, and I have never been pulled over for it. I was pulled over for speeding in pitch darkness, and the officer made no mention of that light.

Mine runs off my DRL's too. No issues here. It is bright as hell though. I luuv it. I get double takes everywhere. Though some Jeeps and a couple of pickups have this light. No sports cars on the road have it and it makes our cars unique.

OP if it running constantly is an issue? Why not just set it up as a brake light??

watza rainlight?

Its suppose to be bright compared to the normal tail lights, and its not illegal at all.

Saying "it is not illegal at all" is pretty misleading.


It does not comply with MIR rules for use in clear weather (federal law) if wired as a running light, rear position light, or switched and used in situations where it is not warranted (and this is officer's discretion, but guidelines are generally scripted around extremely heavy fog and torrential rain)


It is legal (at least federally, may vary by state), if wired as a brake light.



http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_20...cfr571.108.pdf


Of course your chances of actually getting busted are low, but that is another topic.

Really? :shakes head: Its not illegal at all if used properly. Cars have high beam lights but if there not used correctly there illegal. So yes I stand by my previous statement that the rear foglight is not illegal at all.

Can you be pulled over for it? Sure. Would I want to be without it in heavy rain/fog? Heck no.

In that, you'd be correct but irrelevant to the thread.


The OP wants to tone down the light because he is using it as a running light, which is illegal unless he tones it down....

Right, but OP sounds like it is wired as a running light, hence the thread. Debating the merits of the fog light is a separate topic.

When does he say he is using it as a running light? All he says is that other people find is distracting. I have had friends tell me the same thing when I use it at night and ya know what I tell them? "its suppose to be bright"

Regardless, the light is meant to be bright for its functional purpose.

I do not know if it can be toned down. Perhaps there is a solution with replacing the bulbs? I'm not aware if there is or is not.

It's also illegal to use in the context you are using it...

I guarantee you that no one finds a fog light distracting in the proper context....they find it to be a godsend so they don't hit you.

If you have a running light on your car, it is basically constrained to being no brighter than the factory running lights. Legally, you are considered to be using it as a running light any time it is active in anything but extreme conditions with limited visibility.


Of course, from a guy with a $25,000 fine opportunity on his car, a $100 illegal fog light operation ticket is chump change.

Regardless of the legality of it, we're not helping the OP out with the issue at hand. The OP asked what they can do to "tone it down". My solution would be to apply a layer of tint to the lens in whatever shade (darkness) that will give you the desired results you're going after.

my recommendation is only to use it in foggy/heavy rain conditions as intended.

I suggested dimmer LED bulbs, but this might also work.

:shakes head:

If he dims it to where it is no brighter than his brake lights or tail lights, he can turn it on as an accent light no problem.

It will be less useful in fog conditions, but it will bother other drivers less on clear days.

OP, I like the tint idea.


Changing the bulb would work. Check out the model number and see if you can run something else.

You could also probably wire an inline resistor or varistor if you want a dimmer switch.

I've heard that the EVO-R fog lamp is dimmer than the OEM. Can anyone verify?

I'm not going to get sucked into another argument with you thats just going to get me banned and more praise to you. I wonder if you get the same warnings I do whenever you quote one of my comments... Probably not since your a god here.



Anyway OP pop out the bulb and see if there is a wattage number on the bulb. If there is just try and get a lower wattage bulb, should be simple.

you do wat you want but that fog lamp is a frikken fog lamp and suppose to be bright for a reason. lol i would :shakes head: for using that as an accessory light.

EVO-R I'm running is not very bright. You can also get in pre-tinted which is probably darker. As for the light the OP is running now, 2 good options have been mentioned, which are tinting or running an in-line/variable resistor on the hot side wire.

I've heard you use it when cutting off other Z's the first time you see them :stirthepot:

Ok, I don't understand your logic, but if that's your opinion, I respect it.

WOW This got out of hand fast LOL.
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<-- OP here
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I do appreciate people trying to keep on task here however :-)

So we've got:
- Lower wattage bulb
- Tint the plastic itself

I think a different bulb would be key for me.

On a side note... this is run off the license plate voltage so it's on whenever the head lights are on. I'm just a bit OCD and like all my lights to be equal "bright-ness".

I was going to suggest other bulb or VHT Night shade perhaps, that spray might help

But it should be bright as Mr Kenchan said

I've never been told my OEM is too bright, I cannot lie, I have it on most times because I think I'm a F1 racecar :)

The JDM fog is pretty bright, but only in certain situations. It's not to bad when there's other light sources around, like street lamps. If you're on a pitch black road on a clear night however, its pretty bright. As an experiment, I applied 15% tint film to see how it looks....and it looked pretty good, but useless as a foglight. I have since taken the film off and it's pretty much on when the lights are on. Chances are, it's not something a police officer is gonna pull you over for. They care more about any type of color that's specific to emergency vehicles like a blue light. It's not like he's gonna have a light meter on him measuring how many lumens the lamp is giving off.

^ don't you mean how many candelas is output from the light? lol

lumens is the total amount of visible light from a light source, candelas is power emitted from a light source is a particular direction. Same thing really.

Not really.


They don't care about total output, they are concerned with incident light.

Just to pile on some useless info, My old Audis had a rear Fog light standard. When I used it people would always say to me I had a bulb out cause it was brighter than the other bulbs in the array.

yes really. They're both measurements of light. Although it's far more complex, for the sake of this arguement...its the same. Unless you're thinking a cop must stand in a certain spot? The candela output is going to be different if he takes two steps to the right or left. Total light output in lumens is easier to understand. All moot nevertheless.

They do candela measurements at various incident angles. You must be compliant from all applicable angles. Basically, fail one, fail em all.

Not only is there not a good field test for luminescence, it means nothing as applied to the law.

True, but again it would depend on where you would be standing. Is there a standard or specific distance?

I'm just saying an officer wouldn't really have any way of accurately measuring if the fog light is too bright or not other than visual observation. Even if he had a light meter, he could measure it from 2" away and have it 'fail' or 100 feet away and have it 'pass'. I honestly don't know what the standard is, or if there is even one on fog lamps. It's not black & white since different light fixtures emit light differently, but I think total luminosity would be easier to compare if something were legal or not. Using a specific candela reading would certainly be a more accurate for specific spot.

They'll usually ticket you based on judgment, but I know it parts of nova they carry a candela meter. The document I linked earlier describes what is allowed and how it is measured...and light emissions are usually measured at the source.

They have the option to eyeball it and give you the ticket, but if you are irritating them, they can keep you on the side of the road "measuring" from every angle for hours.

I'm pretty sure that they have to measure it if they want to ticket you for it, similar to window tint. If they don't, then you can make a claim in court that they never measured, unless you confessed something during the stop, but this discussion has gone completely off the rails.

Q: How can I make my fog lamp dimmer?

A: Dimmer bulbs, tint the exterior, get the EVO-R instead of the OEM

All the rest of this has been tangential to the actual purpose of the thread.

It's like most things, they can ticket you for whatever. Whether it holds up in court is separate.


Like all lighting mods, they have the option to impound and ask questions later...just ask all the "euro" guys.

They didn't impound 2theX's car when he got ticketed for excessive lighting. They just ticketed him and let him on his way.

Just seems silly and subjective. If he's spending that much time and effort for a fix it ticket, you've got bigger problems.