To safely travel through the darkness of the hinterlands and winter in general, you should get fog lights that are off-road caliber to your collection of headlights. It's a modification that's worth it for safety's sake.
These powerful lights shouldn't be used if it's not foggy of course since that's a traffic violation in many states, but otherwise it's helpful to see the road ahead of you during the foggiest of times. It's especially handy in keeping you aware of where you are in a swamp or forest.
How to install Off-Road Fog Lights
Here's what you need to know when installing these modification lights on your off-road truck, jeep, or ATV.
- What You'll Need: You'll need your car's wiring diagram, a 12-volt electrical tester, assorted wire ties, output amperage of the installed alternator, solderless wire connectors, crimping tool, and off-road light installation kit with relax, switch, and fuse. You should also have the standard tools in your toolbox.
- Calculate The Load: To calculate the load, use the formula of watts divided by volts equals amps. The load is essentially the total amps when all your accessories are running at the same time. You need to determine your alternator's output amperage in order to get the right calculation. Also take note of the power consumed by your stereos and headlights.
- Mount The Lights: Mount your lights somewhere sturdy or safe. Don't tighten the mount until the wiring is finished. The convenient locations available to you can include the bumper, the push bar, or the roof-mounted cargo rack. Your roof's light bar can also hold fog lights there for good measure.
- Convenient Switch Location: Your switch should be located conveniently. Use the wiring diagram to find the wire connecting the car headlights to the high beam switch. From there, you should tap into that wire through the solderless connector for the sake of connecting its end up to the switch's power side.
- Proper Wiring: Join the wire from the ground terminal of the switch to the solid metal part under your dashboard. Bond the third wire on the load side of the switch on the center lug. Feed the wire through the firewall to allow engine compartment access. Leave the excess wire to be trimmed later. The engine compartment relay should be mounted close to the battery to allow for a clean extension for all the needed wiring.
- Finishing Up: Attach the wire to the solenoid terminal and the wires of your lights as the diagram would specify. Connect the wire under your dashboard to the relay switch terminal then join the battery terminal to the relay. Make sure you have a large enough inline fuse that can deal with the electrical load. Aim your fog lights at the right direction as indicated by its instructions then tighten the hardware. Clean up and trim wires as needed.