Replaced my OEM foglights with 3000k HIDs
 

Well I've been thinking about replacing my oem foglights which are a dissappointment really. To be honest, the 25W bulb is useless, you can't even tell if they are on or not. I've read here that the HID would melt the housing because of the heat, and some say HID is not that hot. There's only one way to find out, and I'll take one for the team to find out. So here goes.

Took the housing out by taking the clips out in the front fenderwells. You can access the foglight housing by pushing the fenderliner out of the way. It's pretty easy to take out with 4 screws. Sorry wasn't able to take pics of these, but you guys can wing it.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2519.jpg

I then took out the bulb from the housing by pressing on the tabs on top and below. Pretty straightforward. As you can see, the bulb is nothing but a glorified corner lamp.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2517.jpg

Here's the HID set I used. I opted to get the slim ballast. More on that later.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2520.jpg

Here's pic of the replacement HID bulb. It's a lot longer than the stock one. It's not a drop in replacement, but the H1 bulb would fit the diameter of the stock hole.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2521.jpg
Here's the bulb seated on the stock mounting point.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2523.jpg

Since the bulb won't lock in, I just used some heavy duty sealant to keep it in place. The bulb is pretty much tight, but to make sure no moisture would get in, I used the sealant.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2525.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2526.jpg

Here's the slim ballast I used. I positioned it below the windshield washer and radiator on the other side.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2529.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2530.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2531.jpg

Connected everything and bolted everything up. Tested the bulbs. I used 3000k bulbs to keep that JDM look and all-weather usage.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2532.jpg

Here's a nightshot with just the 3000k fogs on.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2534.jpg

Here's a shot of the 4300k headlamps with the fogs.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2533.jpg

Here's a front shot.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2538.jpg
A little bit to the side shot.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2537.jpg

Big improvement from stock as the output is far stronger than the stock fogs. Sadly, the HID makes a lot of heat and I noticed that there's a slight deformation in the middle of the plastic lens. It's barely noticeable, and using it for a few days now, it has not worsened. I'll update you guys if there's more deformation or if I straight melt my lens covers.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k8...o/IMG_2532.jpg

let's hope you don't blind oncoming traffic (:

No angry oncoming drivers yet! =)

Let's hope you're not a jerk who drives around with them on when it's not foggy.

You are already melting the plastic... do you think this is a smart idea?

That sealing job screams ghetto and that beam doesnt look to great.

1-defeats purpose of fog lamps
2-how will you replace bulbs

fail..

I hope you know you are blinding on coming traffic...theres a reason why manufacturers don't use HID's in fogs. If you want a better output for your fog lights, my honest advice would be to replace those HID's with LED's. They're bright but not nearly as blinding.

LED's will not work; they look brighter than stock, but they do not have enough light output for the job.

looks like the 86 shares the same foglights of the BRZ. therefore you can upgrade them to the subaru outback's foglight that uses H11 bulbs

http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...gt86/Backs.jpg

pare let me know if you want a set and ill try to find one at the junkyards here

PM me

That is why I specifically stated that I would take one for the team and try it out. No sense in arguing about it if it would work or not. To me, I'd rather try than just sit around thinking about it. Could have done it better, but the stock housing does not have a direct replacement. Anyway, I'm glad to say that the stock lens has not melted in any way.

Thanks pare! I'll let you know. Looks like the plastic lens is holding steady now. My front bumper has not gone up in flames yet haha! Waiting for the price of your JDM headlights as they don't have stock of them yet here.

What is the purpose of the stock ones if they don't do anything?

The sealant is easy to take off if I want to replace the bulbs.

I have yet to see fog lights on a stock vehicle that are bright. They arent meant to light up the road that far away, they are pretty much there as a cosmetic option. And yes, these will blind incoming traffic. Did you take a pic of the light pattern against a wall ?

This is a car fire waiting to happen. HIDs do not belong in halogen housings, ESPECIALLY fog light housings for that matter.

There's a reason that cars do not come with HID fog light systems from the factory.