My 2003 F350 must have come with fog lights when new but did not have any when I bought it. It did have a damaged bumper so I found a nice used one and it did come complete with fog lamps. My harness was all there and the lights do work. Are they worth using as fog lights or anything to make them better? Are they a big enough restriction of air flow to make getting rid of them a good idea.

 

The fog lights in the center bumper opening (2000-2007) are not ideally situated, for several reasons, one of which you already identified.

They do block airflow, and where this matters most is the OEM transmission cooler. This is especially the case with the OEM transmission cooler for the diesel, which has fewer rows than the OEM OTA trans cooler for the V10 (a few more rows), or for the 6.0L diesel (a lot more rows, that extend the cooler higher up into the grille area).

If you have already have retrofitted a 6.0L OTA transmission cooler, then the blockage of the fog lights is somewhat mitigated, but the power steering cooler is still blocked by the front license plate, unless you live in a state where a front license plate is not required, and can thus be removed.

Judging by the frontal air inlet cooling design evolution of all Ford trucks during the turn of the last century, Ford appeared to learn of the importance of inlet cooling air coming in from lower down, toward the bottom of the front face of the vehicle, then from the grille area, higher up.

This is true for the E-Series Vans as well.

If you look at the original 1992 design of the E Series Van, and compare it to the 2002 design 10 years later, and compare that to the 2012 design 10 years later, you will notice 2 things:

1. The center opening in the front bumper got larger and larger

2. The lower valance, or chin spoiler, if so equipped, evolved from solid with no holes, to having holes in the center section of the valance.

The same evolution can be observed in the Ford Super Duty design evolution from 1998 to 2008.

In 1998, the chin spoiler (if equipped) was solid, with no holes, for the early 1999 Super Duty. The design of this valance subtly changed several times over the 1999-2003 model year period, and most of those changes related to how the valance was mounted, based on other changes to the front bumper system, including the gradual addition of the Blocker Beam.

However, the critical change to observe was in 2002, for the 2003 model year (and perhaps maybe half of the 2002 model years, but I don't remember exactly). That critical, but quite subtle, change is this: Ford added large air inlet holes in the center of the lower valance / chin spoiler.

Not only that, but Ford went so far as to discontinue all of the solid front valances, superseding those parts with the replacement part that had all the holes.

In fact, I replaced my original valance, and my modified "dam double dam" front valance (I added a second tier valance for a 0.0000001% gain in fuel economy) with the 2003 model year valance, just to have those air inlet holes, which Ford felt the need to add, without changing any other aspect to the front bumper assembly or grille.

So you are on to something when you talk about the value of the fog lights, versus the value of cooling air entering into the heat exchanger stack from a low position. It isn't just the fog lights in the way... it is the OEM fog light BRACKETS, which are huge affairs spanning from top to bottom of the bumper.

Back to Ford's design evolution 10 years later, in 2008. Notice how wide and expansive the lower center hole of the front bumper became, and has remained that way in every Super Duty refresh to present day. A far cry from the small narrow opening designed in 1998, which as small as it was, was larger than the twin holes that Ford added as an after thought to the bumpers on the preceding OBS body style of the 90's, if equipped with a diesel.

Also in 2008, Ford moved the fog lights to the perimeter of the front bumper, rather than than the center. And like the larger center opening, Ford has kept the fog lights on the perimeter ends of the front bumper every since, to present day.

Fog lights should be as wide as possible, in order to pickup the lane lines and the reflection of lane reflectors and edge of the road markers.

And fog lights should be as low as possible, so as not to reflect back against the fog into the driver's face. Even in thick fog, there is layer of clearer air within a foot or so of the road surface where the fog will not settle, due to principles of physics that need not be explained to remember this common observation.

That is the area where one wants the fog lights to shine. However, even when places low and wide, fog lights should still not be bright. They are not driving lights, although with 1999-2007 Super Duties, the fog lights are placed where driving lights should be, in the center (but they should be higher). Fog lights not only should be low and wide... fog lights should also be DIM to be truly effective as fog lights, for use in thick fog, where bright lights are not as helpful, as they reflect back on the fog, reducing, rather than enhancing, forward visibility under those conditions.

But a lot of people don't seem to use fog lights for their originally designed purpose. They want the fog lights on with the high beams, "for as much light as possible". There are a lot of "how to get all four on" or "all six on" types of lighting threads on the forum over the years.

It is a very rare poster who starts a thread like yours, questioning whether if the position of the fog lights blocks air flow, and if that cost to the efficiency of truck's ability to manage and reject heat is worth any benefit offered by the fog lights, which are not in the ideal position in the first place.

Great question... and you've heard my 2 cents. Time for other members to toss their nickels and dimes into the discussion.

I have a couple of sets of OEM fog lights and the large OEM brackets to mount them with, which I removed from damaged bumpers that I have replaced on friend's trucks. I never installed any of these fog lights on my truck, even though I have them. The reason I didn't install them is due to the concern that you articulated regarding restriction to air flow, which is more important to me, because if it is foggy enough to really need fog lights, I'll postpone the trip until the road clears.

The 100 car pile ups I've seen in the news just isn't worth it to me.

 

I love attending the school of Y2KW57.

Now I’m contemplating removing my ‘fog lights’ and relocating my front plate.

 

One thing I did see is because there was no fog lights the lower section of the condenser took more of a beating from rocks and such. I straightened the fins where I could, a couple of spots were really mashed together maybe 1" square that I left alone.

 

Always great to hear the stories on these trucks. Wish these kinds of informational resources were available for the other cars I have/had owned over the years.

I don't know that I'm going to remove mine but if I built/bought a bumper for the front which I have contemplated. I know the importance of that lower opening and can keep that in mind as well as pushing any fog lamps to the edges.

 

I feel we should compile all of Y2KW57's posts where he goes into the history of how certain features on our trucks came to be and post this compilation in the Tech Folder. Perhaps in a section labeled "In Days Of Old When Men Were Bold".

Same here except I have lightbar that's blocking the entire hole. I think I'll swap that our for knuckle lights instead.

 

To me, they don't output enough light to make it worthwhile. I have both the stock oem lights and a set of morimoto xb's. The oem lights will produce a frontal cone which will illuminate the center path. Something like the morimoto will produce a horizontal illumination which will give you slightly more light to the side. Thats very slight though. There may be other options like cube lights which will alter light output to get what you are looking for. If you want real light production you would be better off getting something like a randy ellis front bar which has several options. Either 4 mounting points for rounds and such or they make one for horizontal front light bars.

This will allow you to mount lighting that will produce much better light output. I currently run 4 7 inch rounds on my bar and its daylight anytimeni need it.

 

are any of them amber? (Color, not person). I am considering adding a set of amber for fog laden driving and I was wondering if they are beneficial.

 

In my case no. But that's because I use them as aux light in the mountains. But there are amber ones avalible depending on manufacturer. I have also see colored lens applications such as stick on applications which can turn rounds of your choice into amber or yellow to reduce glare.