I just installed a set of fog lights in my '03 SES...I bought a set of APC 505125C Super Thin Metal Driving Lights from Advance Auto Parts ($35). I picked these because I like the look since they fit very nicely into the lower fascia/grille area. I still need to aim them though. I installed them using the switch that came with the kit which is now hanging by the fuse box under the dash. I plan on replacing the headlamp switch with a switch from a Sable with foglights so I can get rid of the extra switch.
New Driving Lights
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looks good. i got a set of cyber whites i'm debating on whether or not to return. i tried to mount them up but couldn't get it to look right.
is there a trick to aiming them so they're straight ahead? i have a 97 taurus lx, so the bottom of the bumper cover where i would mount them is curved...no help there.
is there a trick to aiming them so they're straight ahead? i have a 97 taurus lx, so the bottom of the bumper cover where i would mount them is curved...no help there.
The mounting brackets they came with allow easy pivoting/aiming of the lights up or down. For left to right aiming, see the explanation below.
The area where I mounted my lights is curved as well. The easiest location to mount them would have been to mount these in the center section of the lower fascia or the sections just under the bottom corners of the license plate. But I didn't like the look when i mounted them there, which is why I mounted them on the outside sections...Because of the curve, I couldn't install the mounting hardward directly onto the plastic of the bumper cover/lower facia (all one big piece). Instead, I:
1) Took a strip of aluminum about one inch wide and five inches long and cut holes to fit the mounting bolts for the mounting brackets for the lights.
2) I then positioned the lights straight ahead, sitting on the top inner edge of the plastic fascia/grille opening (where you see the lights in the photo).
3) With the lights positioned where I wanted them, I took the aluminum and placed it onto the screws for the lights and tighted the mounting bolts so that on top was the mounting bracket (with the light) and in the middle was the plastic of the bumper/fascia and then underneath was the aluminum strip. Tighting the mounting screws basically clamped the lights to the bumper. The bolts don't go through the plastic of the fascia. The shaft of the bolts actually rest against the back edge of the fascia.
It's basically like a big alligator clip, but instead of a spring holding the clip closed, two bolts with nuts hold it closed real tight.
I just loosened the bolts/nuts a little to aim the lights from side to side.
If you push on the lights back hard enough, you might be able to push them off the lower lip that they are mounted on since they aren't physically screwed into the plastic, just clamped on. But I've tried pushing pretty hard without moving them and they've been on a the car for about two weeks and 1000 miles without a problem. Heat hasn't been a problem either. I haven't decided whether or not to remove them and add double-sided tape though. I'm satisfied with the horizontal aiming right now, just need to aim them away from the ground a little.
Sorry this explanation is so freaking convoluted...
The area where I mounted my lights is curved as well. The easiest location to mount them would have been to mount these in the center section of the lower fascia or the sections just under the bottom corners of the license plate. But I didn't like the look when i mounted them there, which is why I mounted them on the outside sections...Because of the curve, I couldn't install the mounting hardward directly onto the plastic of the bumper cover/lower facia (all one big piece). Instead, I:
1) Took a strip of aluminum about one inch wide and five inches long and cut holes to fit the mounting bolts for the mounting brackets for the lights.
2) I then positioned the lights straight ahead, sitting on the top inner edge of the plastic fascia/grille opening (where you see the lights in the photo).
3) With the lights positioned where I wanted them, I took the aluminum and placed it onto the screws for the lights and tighted the mounting bolts so that on top was the mounting bracket (with the light) and in the middle was the plastic of the bumper/fascia and then underneath was the aluminum strip. Tighting the mounting screws basically clamped the lights to the bumper. The bolts don't go through the plastic of the fascia. The shaft of the bolts actually rest against the back edge of the fascia.
It's basically like a big alligator clip, but instead of a spring holding the clip closed, two bolts with nuts hold it closed real tight.
I just loosened the bolts/nuts a little to aim the lights from side to side.
If you push on the lights back hard enough, you might be able to push them off the lower lip that they are mounted on since they aren't physically screwed into the plastic, just clamped on. But I've tried pushing pretty hard without moving them and they've been on a the car for about two weeks and 1000 miles without a problem. Heat hasn't been a problem either. I haven't decided whether or not to remove them and add double-sided tape though. I'm satisfied with the horizontal aiming right now, just need to aim them away from the ground a little.
Sorry this explanation is so freaking convoluted...
So far, they do add a little light enough to improve visibility toward the sides a little. Vertically, they're currently aimed toward the ground (you can see in the photo with the lights on - look at the ground a few feet in front of the car, you can see exactly where the main beam of the light is currently aimed at).
Honestly, I'm not sure how much forward improvement they will be once aimed properly...I'll let you know this weekend when I get down on the ground and aim them. I doubt they'll help much with forward visibility in normal conditions. They might help in foggy conditions, but just haven't had fog around here to test that (with the lights aimed properly too)...
Honestly, I'm not sure how much forward improvement they will be once aimed properly...I'll let you know this weekend when I get down on the ground and aim them. I doubt they'll help much with forward visibility in normal conditions. They might help in foggy conditions, but just haven't had fog around here to test that (with the lights aimed properly too)...
I really like the way those look.
Looking at different lights, I thought I might cut the facia where you mounted the lights to make the opening twice as wide to fit "taller" lights. But I don't really like the idea of doing any cutting, and I still have to find lights that would fit. Larger lights would be much more functional.
But I really like the way your setup looks with the lights on, even if they aren't as functional, they look great.
One question: as you drive, do the lights vibrate at all, with the light pattern shaking on the road?
Looking at different lights, I thought I might cut the facia where you mounted the lights to make the opening twice as wide to fit "taller" lights. But I don't really like the idea of doing any cutting, and I still have to find lights that would fit. Larger lights would be much more functional.
But I really like the way your setup looks with the lights on, even if they aren't as functional, they look great.
One question: as you drive, do the lights vibrate at all, with the light pattern shaking on the road?
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