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Old 12-27-2010, 12:40 PM   #51
steverx05
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Byzantium View Post
Because the stock tail lights are not bright enough?

This is going to be the next useless Hella Supertone-esque mod isn't it.
Actually you're correct, the stock tails might not be bright enough in really bad weather. Why do you think these are OEM options in other countries? And the rear fog operates at the same brightness of the brake lights, not the brightness of the running tail lights.

I used my rear fog on my crazy drive home from Delaware yesterday where they were getting blizzard conditions. It definitely comes in handy.
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Old 12-27-2010, 02:13 PM   #52
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Originally Posted by steverx05 View Post
It's to keep people from slamming into the back of your car in really bad weather.
lol . I don't think this would keep people from rear ending you, but it certainly more visible to the aware drivers behind you.
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Old 12-27-2010, 03:05 PM   #53
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lol . I don't think this would keep people from rear ending you, but it certainly more visible to the aware drivers behind you.
Why wouldn't it? Why is my statement funny to you? The light makes the back of your car more visible in bad visibility situations...which would give someone behind you more time to slow down if your car is going slower or stopped at a light/stop sign/accident...which helps prevent a rear end collision, no?
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Old 12-27-2010, 06:45 PM   #54
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Originally Posted by steverx05 View Post
Why wouldn't it? Why is my statement funny to you? The light makes the back of your car more visible in bad visibility situations...which would give someone behind you more time to slow down if your car is going slower or stopped at a light/stop sign/accident...which helps prevent a rear end collision, no?
I know, i'm playing. Your previous statement made it sound like it was some sort of force field that "prevents" anyone from hitting the rear.
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Old 12-28-2010, 12:36 AM   #55
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Just to add this in here. The way to get the stalk that works right for our cars (LHD) is from Germany or the other Euro areas that have LHD. JDM stalk doesn't work since it will be on the wrong side. I think I have found the combination switch and it is around 280USD. This way, we will have the front and rear fog switches the way it is supposed to be. BUT, you will still need to make your own wiring and relay assembly.
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Old 12-28-2010, 08:49 AM   #56
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Correct me if I'm wrongg. I remember having this on an audi I owned in germany. The rear fog light only came on when my forward fog lights came on. Why is this so difficult to run a pair of repeater wires from the front to the rear fog light, to bypass the biu?
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Old 12-28-2010, 08:59 AM   #57
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I love how everybody's bashing you for throwing this on...Idk if other people realize for you to bring your car into europe its required to have one of these to pass inspection. I understand not everybody is going to bring there car abroad but for people like myself who will have their car overseas, its a very good alternative to having alittle red light dangling from the bottom of your rear bumper.

Nice write up
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Old 12-28-2010, 09:08 AM   #58
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I love how everybody's bashing you for throwing this on...Idk if other people realize for you to bring your car into europe its required to have one of these to pass inspection. I understand not everybody is going to bring there car abroad but for people like myself who will have their car overseas, its a very good alternative to having alittle red light dangling from the bottom of your rear bumper.

Nice write up
People give rear fog lighters crap in the US because we have too many idiots that run around with them on 24/7.

I'll agree that they are wonderful and should be required here, but they confuse a whole bunch of people. "Hey, why is only one brake light working?"
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Old 12-28-2010, 10:32 AM   #59
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Correct me if I'm wrongg. I remember having this on an audi I owned in germany. The rear fog light only came on when my forward fog lights came on. Why is this so difficult to run a pair of repeater wires from the front to the rear fog light, to bypass the biu?
I wired my rear fog to come on when I turn my front fog lights on so I didn't have to drop extra cash on the EDM stalk. I figured if I'm using the fronts then I would probably be using the rear fog as well so why not have them both come on at the same time. Another option is just running the rear fog to an extra switch in the cabin, although the GRs don't have much space for extra aux switches like the GDs do
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Old 12-28-2010, 10:39 AM   #60
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what I am going to do fro my 06 impreza is buy a trailer hitch and then buy one of these:



Yay rear fog light, I'm so cool!
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Old 01-02-2011, 05:38 PM   #61
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UPDATE!
Ok fello members. As promised, here is an update now that my STI finally came in. Weather has been cold here so I will continue to update once I figure out which way I want to go for the wiring since our USDM harness does not appear to have the two wire connection for direct plug and play. Anyways, on to the pictures:

First step is to remove the rear bumper. Its similar to the front in that you remove (6) plastic tabs from the bottom and (2) push button tabs in the wheel well. Then its simply pulling the sides away from the body and lifting up and out to pull the center part of the bumper away from the body.
Next, remove the plastic center piece. It is held inside with simple tabs that you simply push down and push out on the center piece.
Take the center piece and cut out the center section. Make a note to leave some material there so it will rub against the new fog light replacing the center plastic part:



Now take the (2) metal tabs that came in the kit and place them on the back of the fog light:

From behind the bumper, slide the rear fog light in the stock location (plastic backing is factory) and reinstall the plastic panels you cut in the previous step. Also install the light and harness into the rear fog assembly.

Now going back to your car, locate the plug on the lower side near the driver's rear taillight.

Remove the plug and replace it with the supplied harness in the rear fog kit.

Looking inside behind the carpet, the plug will be as it is in the JDM STI. This is where we will later tie into either the front fog light wiring or put our own swith under the dash to activate it. For now I will leave it alone as its 20* outside.

Finally, reinstall the rear bumper by first putting the center section in first and work your way to the outside. The bumper snaps in place. Replace the plastic tabs under the bumper and the (2) tabs in the wheel well.
Step back, snap a picture and have a beer.




Hope this helps out the DIY's.

-Scott
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Old 01-02-2011, 05:51 PM   #62
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Scott, so it would be easier to just pull the black plastic out of the bumper?
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Old 01-02-2011, 05:59 PM   #63
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Scott, so it would be easier to just pull the black plastic out of the bumper?
Yes it is if you can get to it. Also keep in mind getting to the plug with the bumper on will be difficult. But if you can figure out a way to do it you could reduce some install time.
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Old 01-02-2011, 09:47 PM   #64
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Scott, looks great. Wish I had a "made-to-fit" solution for my 09 like you guys with the 11+'s do!

For anyone in this thread who wants to see similar placement on a pre-'11 WRX, here's the one I recently did. I used a light from a UK-market Evo VIII:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2107779

btw, I just wired it completely seperate, on its own circuit, with a Hella switch on the left side of the dash near the mirror controls. Since I like my front fogs on even on clear nights (for a bit of extra visibility...and I like my yellow bulbs, lol), I didn't want to link the rear to the fronts. Also, I just ran the wire though a small hole I drilled in the spare tire well, then up into the side-body interior paneling in the trunk....then along the rockers with the main wiring loom up to the dash kick panel.

btw, Virginia motor vehicle law in the says that rear fogs must be brighter than the regular tail-lights (e.g. brightness of the brake lights)

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Old 01-02-2011, 09:53 PM   #65
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Originally Posted by RoxyTheImpreza View Post
what I am going to do fro my 06 impreza is buy a trailer hitch and then buy one of these:



Yay rear fog light, I'm so cool!
since you're from Texas, we'll forgive you for not knowing how low visibility is during a full white-out in the northeast, or the frequent foggy days in coastal areas up here. Auxiliary lighting is mostly about SAFE. "cool" is just a secondary concern.

I've almost rear-ended cars two or three times in the W.Va. mountains during snowstorms, because regular taillights are pretty dim and don't show up in thick stuff. Rear fog is brighter and sits lower, so is more visible "below" the fog level, also.

But wouldn't expect some people to understand. After all, we have plenty of folks on here who actually REDUCE their lighting by putting 8000k HIDs in, or by smoking their headlights or brake lights....
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Old 01-02-2011, 10:02 PM   #66
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Originally Posted by irish44j View Post
Since I like my front fogs on even on clear nights (for a bit of extra visibility...and I like my yellow bulbs, lol)
Hmmmm...fog lights shouldn't be giving you any "extra" visibility on a clear night, just in bad weather.
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Old 01-02-2011, 10:43 PM   #67
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Originally Posted by steverx05 View Post
Hmmmm...fog lights shouldn't be giving you any "extra" visibility on a clear night, just in bad weather.


additional lights = additional light directed at the road/surrounding areas. Is it alot? No. But more light is more light. And more light is always welcome when I'm driving down a dark road through the woods during deer-running season, where I want to see as much as humanly possible! Mine only add lighting to the sides, really...which is where I want it since that's where the critters crossing the road come from! I'm sure you know Clifton/Fairfax Station well....and I'm back there quite a bit.

But that's neither here nor there.....We already know that most cars these days don't actually have "fog" lights anyhow. The "fog lights" on my 09 are a total joke and do not compare to (for instance) Hella fog lights I've had on other cars in terms of lighting power.

IIRC they don't even call them fog lights on most cars these days, they call them "driving lights" because they tend to be aimed higher as auxiliary headlights rather then lower for foggy weather in particular. From what I can tell, this is the case with the "fog lights" on my wrx.

In theory, a true fog light set should be able to come on independent of the regular headlights. My Lancia in Italy was able to run with its very powerful fog lights alone on foggy days, with the beams running low under the fog, and the headlights off so as not to "scatter illuminate" the fog higher up.

I think most cars now just have them for cosmetics, because the lighting output of the small-reflector, low-watt "fog lights" in most cars these days is pretty sad.

IDK....

And I do run the yellow bulbs (about 2500k halogens) primarily for looks (I like the yellow-white contrast with HIDs), but also so that in bad weather the yellow bulbs soften up the 5000k HID color for better visibility in rain/snow.
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Old 01-02-2011, 11:06 PM   #68
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Sure, more light is "more light", but you shouldn't be relying on your fog lights to see deer coming out of the woods at your car. That's what your high beams are for. The light from your fog lights should just be illuminating the road directly in front of your car. If your fog lights are allowing you to see creatures coming out of the woods trying to jump at your ride, your fog lights are "doing it wrong"

Anyway...you're absolutely right though, the "fog" lights on modern cars are a joke. Especially the GR fogs, they're useless. That's why I was curious about your statement and you saying you use them to see better in clear weather. I'm sure your upgraded bulbs help out a lot.

At least you have the right idea about the rear fog and you've given great info on it...I'm already seeing people wire up the 2011 STI sedan rear fog as a fourth brake light I'm not sure there is any hope left.

Quote:
Originally Posted by irish44j View Post


additional lights = additional light directed at the road/surrounding areas. Is it alot? No. But more light is more light. And more light is always welcome when I'm driving down a dark road through the woods during deer-running season, where I want to see as much as humanly possible! Mine only add lighting to the sides, really...which is where I want it since that's where the critters crossing the road come from! I'm sure you know Clifton/Fairfax Station well....and I'm back there quite a bit.

But that's neither here nor there.....We already know that most cars these days don't actually have "fog" lights anyhow. The "fog lights" on my 09 are a total joke and do not compare to (for instance) Hella fog lights I've had on other cars in terms of lighting power.

IIRC they don't even call them fog lights on most cars these days, they call them "driving lights" because they tend to be aimed higher as auxiliary headlights rather then lower for foggy weather in particular. From what I can tell, this is the case with the "fog lights" on my wrx.

In theory, a true fog light set should be able to come on independent of the regular headlights. My Lancia in Italy was able to run with its very powerful fog lights alone on foggy days, with the beams running low under the fog, and the headlights off so as not to "scatter illuminate" the fog higher up.

I think most cars now just have them for cosmetics, because the lighting output of the small-reflector, low-watt "fog lights" in most cars these days is pretty sad.

IDK....

And I do run the yellow bulbs (about 2500k halogens) primarily for looks (I like the yellow-white contrast with HIDs), but also so that in bad weather the yellow bulbs soften up the 5000k HID color for better visibility in rain/snow.

Last edited by steverx05; 01-02-2011 at 11:17 PM.
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Old 01-03-2011, 09:36 PM   #69
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Sure, more light is "more light", but you shouldn't be relying on your fog lights to see deer coming out of the woods at your car. That's what your high beams are for. The light from your fog lights should just be illuminating the road directly in front of your car. If your fog lights are allowing you to see creatures coming out of the woods trying to jump at your ride, your fog lights are "doing it wrong"
true true....lol. Every little bit helps, but I doubt they do much Like I said, I'll admit that with the yellow bulbs, I mostly just like them on because they look good

I am a frequent hi-beam user on the backroads (the best light ON this car!), but I actually worry more about deer on the parkway, where there is always traffic, so no hibeams

Quote:
Originally Posted by steverx05 View Post
Anyway...you're absolutely right though, the "fog" lights on modern cars are a joke. Especially the GR fogs, they're useless. That's why I was curious about your statement and you saying you use them to see better in clear weather. I'm sure your upgraded bulbs help out a lot.
Maybe some. Of course the other nice thing about our "fog" lights is the glass lenses. Both of mine have about 6 cracks each in them. Good thinking Subaru...glass lenses 6 inches above the road. Though I think they're actually heat cracks, because I had the plexi Subaru lens guards on them and they still got majorly cracked.

I'm looking around for some replacement plastic lenses (looking for some cheapo walmart fogs with the right size to swap over). When I do that, I may look at modifying the housings as well or going to a higher wattage bulb. Projects, projects....

I would just get a lightbar and some Hella 500FFs or something, but my rex doesn't really have the right look to work with a rally bar, lol. Maybe if I had a GD.

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Originally Posted by steverx05 View Post
At least you have the right idea about the rear fog and you've given great info on it...I'm already seeing people wire up the 2011 STI sedan rear fog as a fourth brake light I'm not sure there is any hope left.
Yeah, I saw that too....guy just wired it to his brake lights. <sigh>
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Old 01-06-2011, 03:27 PM   #70
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Just to add this in here. The way to get the stalk that works right for our cars (LHD) is from Germany or the other Euro areas that have LHD. JDM stalk doesn't work since it will be on the wrong side. I think I have found the combination switch and it is around 280USD. This way, we will have the front and rear fog switches the way it is supposed to be. BUT, you will still need to make your own wiring and relay assembly.

Who is the source for the LHD stalk? Has anyone found the wiring instructions? There is an extra electrical contact on the stalk that is not pre-wired on the US spec cars, so I'm pretty sure that it will require running a wire up the steering column in order to connect a female end to the extra male end on the Euro spec stalk.
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Old 01-06-2011, 07:27 PM   #71
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sco, that looks very nice -- can't wait to see how you wire this to determine if i'll purchase this -- i'd like to have it during the snow storms here in new york
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Old 01-10-2011, 04:29 PM   #72
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Who is the source for the LHD stalk? Has anyone found the wiring instructions? There is an extra electrical contact on the stalk that is not pre-wired on the US spec cars, so I'm pretty sure that it will require running a wire up the steering column in order to connect a female end to the extra male end on the Euro spec stalk.
I haven't found a place to order it yet. My company has an office in Germany, so I will likely just ask my counterparts to go to the parts counter and buy it for me. There is no extra unused wire on our harness, you will just need to populate the pin, or clip it out from the combination switch to make it work.

Perhaps I will buy an extra one of these to see who will be the lucky one to have such a thing.
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Old 02-02-2011, 10:38 PM   #73
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Great DIY post. PM Sent.
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Old 02-03-2011, 11:50 AM   #74
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I wasnt expecting this thread to spark such controversy over a little red light. After the blizzard that came through 2 days ago I totally understand why these are mandatory in other countries. I couldnt see how close I was to people in front until they hit their brake lights.

I think I may have sourced out a UK left stalk so stay tuned. Otherwise just add your own switch on the left hand side near the mirror adjustment.
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Old 02-03-2011, 12:13 PM   #75
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