You can argue all you want about legal vs illegal, but I'm tired of being blinded by bad conversions and lift/leveling kits where people don't readjust headlights. Please be at least a little considerate of other people you meet on the road.

 

yayayaya Too loud is illigal, txting and driving is illigal, too much tint is illigal, rolling thru stop signs, passing in the center lane, where I live Fog lights are illigal. Dont be a moron with the lights. I have the 6000k 55watt low beams only and the 35watt 5000k in the fogs = DAYLIGHT. I get the brights flashed at me maybe once a week in the thousands of cars I meet. Mine are NO brighter than the caddies audies subaroooos or the bmw factory lights. Once again dont be a moron with them and nobody cares.

 

What type bulbs (headlight and fog) do the 2012 F250s have?

I confirmed with my Ford dealer the headlights are H13 (single bulb, hi/low, also known as 9008) and fog lights are H10 (9145).

Anyone know the stock wattages? 55/65w for headlights low/high?

45 watts for the fog lights?

 

OSRAM SYLVANIA - Replacement Guide - Start

 

From the Sylvania link: "There are no models available for a 2012 FORD."
They don't list wattage for their H10 and H13 bulbs either.

That's why I asked here. The 2012 info isn't out there yet. I checked with Autozone and all the other car parts places I could find and none of them have 2012 F250 info.

 

The PIAA website has a good sliding graph chart that shows how the color changes as you go up in K. I think the blue hue starts to kick in around 5,000k). Just a FYI if you're thinking the higher numbers just mean more white.

I have a set of PIAA Xtra Xtreme bulbs on my Christmas list that I think are in the 4,000K range. They'll be purchased on 12/26 if not received on 12/25...

 

5000k is usually listed as full spectrum "daylight", but it does appear slightly blue in perception because most lighting is warmer toned.

 

About 5000K is the color temp. at noon on a bright cloudless day. To our human eyes it looks white. The Blue spectrum of visible light (by human eyes) starts about 6000K. Does daylight (noon) look blue to you? Probably not, but in your kitchen the same color ~5500K would look nasty.
4500K - 6000K for headlights is perfect, it just depends on your preferences, both are about the same lumens per watt. 6000K is slightly lower. Blueish white light is better for contrast and recognition. HID standard headlighs are around 4300K, Halogen headlights are around 3200K. HID are ~3x brighter.
3500K is perfect for the kitchen. If you use 5500K+ in the kitchen the meats will look sickly green, not appetizing at all.
BTW, wattage is a measure of current used, not light output. That would be Lumens.
Installing HID bulbs in a Halogen reflector is a waste of Lumen....better off with reflectors designed for HID bulbs.
One last thing, HID bulbs run cooler than Halogen and last longer. WINNING.

Ron

 

Ron, I've always noticed that warmer colors produce better contrast and visibility. That is why fog lights are usually amber rather than blue.

 

Your statement above is not true. Yellow is technically warmer than white but offers less visibility. Not intentionally nit-picking, just being precise. No malice intended.

This is all meant as a learning exercise and not to be taken (by me) or anyone else personally.

Being stubborn enough, but not stupid enough. I will agree and disagree with your statement. Our perception of things is not always the reality. Mine included. I was wrong about including the blueish cast in the white spectrum as aiding contrast levels. While Yellow light does increase perceived contrast, (may be the only thing that really matters....) it must be filtered from white light. This alone causes the lumen output to be reduced. It may not SEEM as glary (sp?) but the light is measurably dimmer.


From Daniel Stern's lighting website. One of the best and most comprehensive.

"What explains the persistent subjective preference amongst experienced poor-weather drivers for yellow fog lamps, despite decades of white fog lamp prevalence? Selective yellow light can improve a driver's ability to see in fog or rain or snow, but not because it 'penetrates fog better' or 'reflects less off droplets' as is commonly thought. That effect is known as Rayleigh Scattering, and is why the sky appears blue. However, it occurs only when the droplet size is equal or smaller than the wavelength of the light, which is certainly not the case with ordinary fog, rain or snow. Roadway Fog droplets are several orders of magnitude larger than visible light wavelengths, so there's no Rayleigh Scattering. "

Link: Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

Ripped from an excellent thread (mostly Dr.s and Professors)
"Do Fog Lights Really Work?
Article #593
by Larry Gedney

This article is provided as a public service by the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, in cooperation with the UAF research community. Larry Gedney is a seismologist at the Institute.

I was asked the other day why fog lights were yellow. When I couldn't come up with an answer, I started asking around and discovered, to my surprise, that apparently nobody else could either.

Skiers, shooters and other outdoor types have long known that yellow goggles or glasses enhance outdoor vision. This is because the yellow lenses filter out the blue part of the spectrum and increase the contrast of a scene. But does the same thing hold the other way around? With the goggles, we are filtering reflected light entering our eyes, but is it possible to illuminate something with yellow light and achieve similar results? The answer, apparently, is no (which is likely to raise strong objections from people who have been using yellow fog lights for years).

For expert advice, I contacted the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) on Fort Wainwright. Captain John Craig of that group then arranged to have a computer search made on the subject of light penetration in fog and mist from CRREL's headquarters in Hanover, New Hampshire. As a result, I obtained a list of over 200 references and abstracts of articles published by researchers all over the world.

Not a single one asserted that yellow light has superior penetrating qualities, but several specifically stated that it did not. To quote from one Russian article, for example:
"Investigations and practices of automobile traffic do not confirm any substantial advantages of yellow light over white light. The advantages ascribed to it may take place only in very thin fog or may be subjectively received by some drivers owing to their individual peculiarities of vision. Therefore, it does not make any sense to switch over headlights to yellow light, although the use of yellow light in special fog lights does not raise any objections." End of quote. The phrasing is quaint, but the meaning is clear.
I had long thought that the yellow sodium-vapor street lamps that are becoming common were used specifically because they cut through fog better. I found out that there actually is a specific reason for their use, but that it is because they operate on only about half the power of conventional lamps.

So, unless you just happen to like yellow, save your money and forget about so-called "fog-lights." They don't exist. "
Link: Yellow vs. Clear/White Lights (long post) - ADVrider

I can admit I either misunderstood what I had read or I read an incorrect statement earlier. I'm sorry. I was wrong.

Back on topic.
I purchased a set of Halogen bulbs which are 9011 &9012 HIR to replace 9005 &9006 bulbs. HIR = Halogen InfraRed Reflecting I'll let you know how much and if they are better. (not for the F250)
For the 99' F250, I'm replacing the housings with OEMs from a 04' and going to a Hella 80/100 bulb with relays. HIDs are cool but too much work atm.

Keep me honest!
Ron

 

Thanks for the info. I have to argue though that fog lights do exist Their beam pattern is flatter and wider to avoid lighting up the fog up high and to increase fog line visibility.

 

For years it was believed that light wes emitted from an electric
bulb; recent information has proven otherwise - dark is sucked into the
bulb - therefore, the bulb is a dark sucker.
There are many types and sizes of dark suckers. The largest
manufacturers of dark suckers are General Electric and Sylvania. Some
modern dark suckers utilize solid power to operate properly. Solid
power units can be purchased from Eveready, Exide, and Duracell.
The dark sucker theory proves the existance of dark suckers as well
as proving that dark is heaver than light. Some examples are as
follows:
Electric bulbs: There is less dark near the electric bulb than at a
distance of 100 feet when it is operating; therefore, it is sucking dark
and can be classified as a dark sucker. The larger the dark sucker, the
greater the distance it can suck dark. The larger the dark sucker the
greater its capacity of dark. The dark sucking capabilities are evident
when the dark sucker has reached its capacity and will no longer suck
dark. At that point you may notice the dark area on the inside portion
of the dark sucker. The larger the dark sucker, the larger the area of
dark found within. This type of dark sucker can be made directional by
placing a shield around a portion of the unit or behind it. This will
prevent dark from entering the dark sucker from that side thereby
extending the range of the dark sucker on the unprotected/unshielded
side.
Candles - primitive dark suckers: There is more dark 30 feet from a lit
candle then there is at a distance of 3 feet. Proof of it's dark
sucking capabilities is relatively simple. Examine a new unused candle,
notice that the center core is not dark. Ignite the center core. Allow
the center core to burn for about 5 minutes. Notice the lack of dark
around the candle. Extinguish the candle flame. Notice that the center
core of the candle is now dark. The center core is a dark sucker
protected by a soft insulator to extend it's life expectancy and
maintain rigidity to verify that this primitive dark sucker is operating
properly. Ignite the center core and allow it to burn for a minimum of
2 minutes. Pass a clean pencil over the top of the flame, left to right,
approximately 3 inches above the center core. Notice that there is no
dark on the pencil. Pass the pencil over the center core now about 1/2
inch. Notice that the pencil now has a dark area. The pencil blocked
the path of the dark being sucked to the core of the dark sucker. This
type dark sucker is very primitive and does not suck dark any great
distance nor does it have a large capacity.
Dark sucker solid power units may be purchased locally at a variety
of outlets. Size does not determine the life expectancy of the dark
sucker solid power unit. These solid power units wring dark hours. Two
(possibly four) large dark suckers are located on the front. On the
rear there are two (or 3) smaller dark suckers with red filters. You
may also notice several dark suckers with yellow filters. These filters
are required to remove a percentage of red and yellow from total dark so
as to energize the solid power unit. The solid power unit permits the
auto to be utilized during hours of no dark by the dark it has absorbed.
The number of dark suckers varies with the age of the automobile. Newer
automobile solid power units require a greater percentage of red
filtered dark. Older units generally require more non-filtered dark.
The solid power unit of the automobile has a dark interior. This can be
proved by cutting the solid power unit in half.
Dark is heavier than light. Dark always settles to the bottom of a lake
and/or river. Submerge just below the surface of a lake and you will
notice an absence of dark. Lower yourself to 15 feet below the surface
and you will notice a degree of darkness even on a sunny, bright day.
Lower yourself to 50 feet (or more) below the surface and you are in
total dark. Ergo, the dark has settled to the bottom; therefore, dark
is heavier than light. Modern technology has allowed us to utilize the
dark that has settled to the bottom of large rivers through the creation
of turbines which push the dark downriver to the ocean, which has a
larger holding capacity for dark and is a common safe storage location.
As the dark is passed through the turbine, a percentage of solid power
is removed and transmitted to various short term storage plants for many
usages. Prior to turbines, it was much more difficult to move the dark
>from rivers to storage areas such as deep lakes or the ocean. The
Indians would paddle their canoes very little and not very deeply if
they were going in the direction of flow of dark so as not to slow it
down. However, if they were traveling opposite the natural flow of
dark, they would dig their paddles very deep and rapidly to assist the
flow of dark to its ocean storage place.
Dark is faster than light. If you would open a drawer very slowly, you
will notice that the light goes into the drawer. (You can see this
happen.) You cannot see the dark leave the drawer. Continue to open
the drawer and light will continue to enter the drawer; however, you
will not see any dark leave the drawer. Therefore, dark is faster than
light. Go into a closet, close the door, and turn off the dark sucker.
Have a friend open the door about 1 inch. Your friend will not see any
dark leave the closet, nor will you. Have your friend open the door
until half the closet is dark and half is light. Since 2 objects cannot
occupy the same space at the same time, and you do not feel any change
in pressure, by compressing the dark, it is logical to assume that dark
is faster than light.
One last proof.
What is a by-product of movement of dark? Heat. What is a by-
product of dark suckers? Heat, again.
Therefore a dark sucker generates heat during its operation, sucking
dark from the surrounding area.


Borrowed from:
THE THEORY OF DARK SUCKERS

 

I certainly agree they do exist. The fog line is always close to the ground so yes, if the lights are mounted low enough they will illuminate the non fog area.
However, there is nothing special about the light they produce. ie: It does not penetrate the fog better than any other type of light. It's just lower in the fog line.

Sandman..
What can I say about your post.............................?
Your said "Ergo"

Ron

 

Osram is the British Sylvania (which I hear is better than the American Sylvania). I have the Silverstar Ultras (American) and the Gos Racing upgrade harness (Upgraded Headlight Harness for 94-04 Ford with 9007 Bulbs [50-9106] - $85.00 : GOS Performance | High Performance Diesel Parts | Bozeman / Livingston, Montana, 800-620-4467).

These upgrades made a big difference and can be had for less than $150. I already have the clear jeweled lenses ('02-'04 trucks) so I didn't need to find a donor for those.

Just my .02

 

so what are hellas and are there any HIDs to stay away from. like the ebay ones?? how are xentec HIDs?? also, where should u get hellas from??