"low visibility" lighting (for heavy rain/fog)

This week i found myself driving in two situatons where visbility was well....crap.

a) a torrential downpour similar to that of Hurricane ike but w/o the wind
b) heavy fog over a 20 mile range not typical of this area

I'm planning a "low visbility" lighting system that will not only make it easier for me to see but easier for other drivers to see me (especially behind) The plan calls for my high beam projectors to be converted into fog lamps using 65w 3000K PIAA halogen bulbs. (considering converting to HIDs if needed) The Rear is where I'm having some issues.

I want 2-4 surface mount high power LEDs mounted on the lisence plate frame, but I have a few choices:

a) What is the brightest self contained LED I can get back there
b) Do I go Red (staying legal) or Amber (for increased visibility and questionably legal)?
c) Does anyone know the lumens output for Oznium's high intensity LED flood or spot light?

Currently I have an E-Mail into our suppliers for a detailed Technical Info Sheet on both the Flood and the Spot
I will share them with you here when I get them

D A N N Y

My landrover has an extra set of bulbs in the taillight housings , they are "rear fogs" for use in bad weather

bad venge wrote:

My landrover has an extra set of bulbs in the taillight housings , they are "rear fogs" for use in bad weather

Yeah, so does our Volvo - are they red?

I got the Idea from seeing Export corvettes to europe which require rear-facing foglights.

I'd see if you can order the vette pieces ,

bad venge wrote:

I'd see if you can order the vette pieces ,

they're ugly as crap:




My plan would so far use (9) 1-watt luxeon LEDs in the following locations:

What if you used some 3-watt LEDs? They're pretty common if you can find them from a supplier with a spec sheet... I think I have some links saved somewhere.

They're fairly expensive ($5-$7) a piece, but for your application, they seem to be what you'd look for.

The spots/floods are the standard 1W LEDs, and already have the heatsinks that are required for operation.

mx107marlin wrote:

What if you used some 3-watt LEDs? They're pretty common if you can find them from a supplier with a spec sheet... I think I have some links saved somewhere. They're fairly expensive ($5-$7) a piece, but for your application, they seem to be what you'd look for. The spots/floods are the standard 1W LEDs, and already have the heatsinks that are required for operation.

if you can find that link that would be awesome.

You'll have to wait until I get back to my dorm, They're on my desktop. I'll see about getting them to you sometime this weekend..

EDIT:
Another thought, what about TIER3(sp) LED's

I'm not sure if they're available as single LEDs, but you can be sure they're bright...

Alright, I found some sites for ya.

http://www.kingbrightusa.com
They have a 2W LED in Red and Yellow, as well as a 3W LED in Red and Blue.

You could also try THESE. While probably pricey and such, they're sure to work, be bright, and would be able to be hooked to your existing flasher system for even more awareness for those behind you. You could get it in amber and be legal.

With those Whelen's, you could get a clear lens on whatever color you decide to go with and spray tint/nightshade it so that it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb on the back of your car. For size reference, they'd be a little bigger than a quarter in diameter.

That's all the searching I'm up for tonight.

Triple post FTMFW!!

HERE is a site that sells those whelen LED lights, they're $66 though, so I dunno what your price range is. Although you wouldn't need that many of them I'm sure.

Thanks for the links. I decided to so with a pair of 1-watt red with 44 lumens power. They're in a self-contained submergable black aluminum housing and should be a very stealthy install. I'm going to install them on the upper corners by the license plate. If i need more, I can always order them later.