Fog Lights?
#21
AudiWorld Super User
The best location for a switch would be in one of those blanks below the aircon controls. But I wonder whether you'd be able to find a suitable switch to go there.
#22
AudiWorld Member
here's a test fit of a PIAA RF18 fog light bar on the front using a cheap front plate mounting bracket. I'm waiting for a beefier bracket minus the "bull bar" to arrive. For wiring, there was no easy way to run wires through the firewall into the cabin. Ended up using a wireless remote. All relays hide very well under the passenger windshield cowl. Also a pic of the lower front corner with the cover off. The area back there can be trimmed out to fit a deeper lamp.
#23
AudiWorld Senior Member
I can tell you why there are no fog lights....they are just pointless with the LED headlights. Typically fog lights were supposed to offer you a broad swath of light (to illuminate the road edge line markings) and had a sharp upper cutoff to keep "stray light" from being projected upwards and causing excessive glair on the moisture in the air.
The LEDs, with their multiple lenses, now have an illumination pattern so superior to what a halogen bulb assembly could ever much of the lighting patterns fog lights specialized in are already produced by the LEDs. Couple that with the "all-weather" light you are achieve maybe 95%+ of the lighting you could get out of additional fog lights. Coupled with needing the space for other sensors (and how rarely non-enthusiasts would probably even decipher the meaning of the fog light button and never use it), it just makes sense to dump them all together. In fact, this is become more common as LEDs are adopted, and an example would be how fog lights are not ordered on semi-trucks optioned with LED headlights because they simply have a non-meaningful effect on increased lighting for the driver.
I've always used fog lights in the past, but my previous Volvo (with HIDs) didn't have them (because, frankly they were not of much use with well-designed HIDs). Given the color improvement over HIDs, and well as their multi-reflector design it's clear than LEDs have displaced the need for fog lights. Granted, there is a "sporty" style to fog lights, and it can't be completely said that even a car with LEDs wouldn't have better lighting with fog lights......but it's such a marginal improvement it's clear to see why Audi chose this deign route. Save money, repurpose the space, and not meaningfully change the light output....it's really clear why it's been done. With some of the aggressive new front bumper designs Audi has I can't even say I miss the ascetic looks of the fog lights personally.
Just my 2 cents.
The LEDs, with their multiple lenses, now have an illumination pattern so superior to what a halogen bulb assembly could ever much of the lighting patterns fog lights specialized in are already produced by the LEDs. Couple that with the "all-weather" light you are achieve maybe 95%+ of the lighting you could get out of additional fog lights. Coupled with needing the space for other sensors (and how rarely non-enthusiasts would probably even decipher the meaning of the fog light button and never use it), it just makes sense to dump them all together. In fact, this is become more common as LEDs are adopted, and an example would be how fog lights are not ordered on semi-trucks optioned with LED headlights because they simply have a non-meaningful effect on increased lighting for the driver.
I've always used fog lights in the past, but my previous Volvo (with HIDs) didn't have them (because, frankly they were not of much use with well-designed HIDs). Given the color improvement over HIDs, and well as their multi-reflector design it's clear than LEDs have displaced the need for fog lights. Granted, there is a "sporty" style to fog lights, and it can't be completely said that even a car with LEDs wouldn't have better lighting with fog lights......but it's such a marginal improvement it's clear to see why Audi chose this deign route. Save money, repurpose the space, and not meaningfully change the light output....it's really clear why it's been done. With some of the aggressive new front bumper designs Audi has I can't even say I miss the ascetic looks of the fog lights personally.
Just my 2 cents.
#24
AudiWorld Member
here's a test fit of a PIAA RF18 fog light bar on the front using a cheap front plate mounting bracket. I'm waiting for a beefier bracket minus the "bull bar" to arrive. For wiring, there was no easy way to run wires through the firewall into the cabin. Ended up using a wireless remote. All relays hide very well under the passenger windshield cowl. Also a pic of the lower front corner with the cover off. The area back there can be trimmed out to fit a deeper lamp.
#25
AudiWorld Member
If you're going with the RF6's those are still pretty chunky lights, I can't really think of a spot where they can go without interfering with radar domes or parking sensors/cameras.
#26
AudiWorld Member
#28
AudiWorld Member
I moved the fog bar down to the area in front of the intercooler. Mounting it was surprisingly easy if you don't mind drilling through the bottom lip and intercooler under panel. It's robust enough to support the light bar.
#29
AudiWorld Member
Wow - that looks great and obviously sheds a lot of light. How easy to aim?
#30
AudiWorld Member
I aimed it at -10°, max for the side mount brackets. The panel it bolts onto is already sloped upward. Then again, it could be that the hole the light beam is shining through is cutting it off on top. I'm satisfied so will leave it as is.