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First impressions: Well packaged and well protected. Zero concerns of damage in shipping upon opening the box and seeing how well the kit was protected. However the kit was shipped sans instructions...
I contacted radioflyer through his site and he responded promptly. My kit looked different than his diagram and he responded promptly to my questions. His customer service is very impressive.
Yes, I am fully capable of matching like connectors. However, with no HID experience and my Dad's voice repeating in my head "Boy, you could f*ck up a ball bearing.". I decided to ask questions...
The install:
straight forward, plug and play.Then, nothing. Completely my fault. I contacted radioflyer, (yes... AGAIN...), who responded within an hour offering a couple of possible scenarios. It was a polarity issue. I matched the oem plug to the power supply to the ballast, without making sure the black wires matched up.
Oops...
No damage done. Reversed the plug and BOOM! We have lights!
One suggestion on install, go from the bottom. I went from the top and those gaps to access stuff look much larger than they are. Also, I mounted the ballast and relay to the inside of the frame rails via outdoor double sided tape, as per radioflyers suggestion.
Appearance:
Well worth the cost of the kit. I bought the car two months ago. It had only one working and I was shocked anything could look this good, appearance wise, utilizing a stock housing.
headlights off
Performance:
Super white, super bright. Very impressed. The ONLY negative: Not much throw. The throw may be an issue of my lights needing to be properly aimed. I have no idea. You can judge for yourself based on the following pics. these were taken at 0330 hours at the unlit rear entrance of the local high school football stadium. With fog slowly rolling in. NO ambient light. I chose this location due to the total darkness combined with reflective surfaces at varying distances. And because it is almost on my way to work. Work at my horrible job. Work that requires me to be awake at unholy hours. And at those unholy hours, I am simply too lazy to scout for a better location.
Fogs and low beams
fogs only
high beams, no fogs
fogs cone
fogs only
fogs and low beams
fogs and lows
Driving Impressions:
Now I want more HID ****... I want more throw.
Apologies for the pics. Low light with an iphone equals grain...
First off fog lights are not meant to go long distance. The length and shape of the beam (beam pattern) is largely determined by the lens. You can increase the brightness within the parameters dictated by the lens. But you cannot change the beam pattern with brighter bulbs.
In theory fog lights are designed to throw a low, wide and flat beam. This is so that the light will not reflect back into the drivers eyes as it is bounced back by the fog. If fog lights are used for their intended purpose, in the fog, they should be used without the headlights. Even low beams are aimed high enough to reflect back into the drivers eyes. And high beams are even worse.
All that being said it does look like your fog lights are aimed a bit low. I would adjust them up somewhat. Keep in mind that they will do very little to increase your night vision. About all you can expect is a wide beam which will light up the sides of the road better. But hopefully you are driving forward and not to the side.
If you want more light thrown down the road you need to upgrade your headlights.
And one last note. One of your photos shows high beams with no fogs. Not sure about the C5. But most cars are wired so that the fogs turn off when the high beams are on.
BTW...................for all the info and help you could ever want for automotive lights check out Danielsternlighting.com. He is the master.
First off fog lights are not meant to go long distance. The length and shape of the beam (beam pattern) is largely determined by the lens. You can increase the brightness within the parameters dictated by the lens. But you cannot change the beam pattern with brighter bulbs.
In theory fog lights are designed to throw a low, wide and flat beam. This is so that the light will not reflect back into the drivers eyes as it is bounced back by the fog. If fog lights are used for their intended purpose, in the fog, they should be used without the headlights. Even low beams are aimed high enough to reflect back into the drivers eyes. And high beams are even worse.
All that being said it does look like your fog lights are aimed a bit low. I would adjust them up somewhat. Keep in mind that they will do very little to increase your night vision. About all you can expect is a wide beam which will light up the sides of the road better. But hopefully you are driving forward and not to the side.
If you want more light thrown down the road you need to upgrade your headlights.
And one last note. One of your photos shows high beams with no fogs. Not sure about the C5. But most cars are wired so that the fogs turn off when the high beams are on.
BTW...................for all the info and help you could ever want for automotive lights check out Danielsternlighting.com. He is the master.
Agreed. About fog lights, I mean.
And they do light up the side of the road much better. I bought them largrly because deer line the sides of the road on my way out of our neighborhood every morning.
Interesting insight into lens vs. light output.
Yes, without modification, the C5 on high beams turns the fog lights off.
Quote: "Yes, without modification, the C5 on high beams turns the fog lights off."
As do all cars. I am pretty certain this is a legal requirement. Also, if you are driving in actual fog (real fog, not just a touch of mist), the last thing you want is to have your headlights on (high or low) as you will then be in a complete white out due to the reflection of your headlights off the fog.
Now...upgrade your low beam headlights to HIDs. They'll be so bright you will never have to turn on the high beams. Added bonus: your driving/fog lights will always stay turned on.
Don't waste money on HID hi-beams; the low beams will light you up all the way to Cozumel.
Now...upgrade your low beam headlights to HIDs. They'll be so bright you will never have to turn on the high beams. Added bonus: your driving/fog lights will always stay turned on.
Don't waste money on HID hi-beams; the low beams will light you up all the way to Cozumel.
I bought ACA projector housings and HIDs from JWMotorsports (for about $450 total as I recall). I'm very pleased with them. Of course George (Radioflyer) also sells projectors/HIDs for the C5, including ones that offer HID low and high beams. His are a bit pricier, but his quality is unsurpassed. So you can't go wrong either way.
I bought ACA projector housings and HIDs from JWMotorsports (for about $450 total as I recall). I'm very pleased with them. Of course George (Radioflyer) also sells projectors/HIDs for the C5, including ones that offer HID low and high beams. His are a bit pricier, but his quality is unsurpassed. So you can't go wrong either way.
The Lizzard
Thanks!
I was looking at the ones on Corvette Mods too.
... Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but with HID's now in the fog light housings, does this now become more of a driving light instead of fog lights. The function or purpose of 'fog' lights is utilized with yellow, lens or bulbs, since white light has too much reflection against fog (water droplets) and creates a blinding light barrier for the driver. Like I mentioned, I might be wrong, but it seems funny that GM would label our lights as 'fog' lights and install white/clear bulbs at the factory !! Would HID in 'yellow' (4300 range) work better or is there only so much light that can penetrate fog anyway !!...
... Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but with HID's now in the fog light housings, does this now become more of a driving light instead of fog lights. The function or purpose of 'fog' lights is utilized with yellow, lens or bulbs, since white light has too much reflection against fog (water droplets) and creates a blinding light barrier for the driver. Like I mentioned, I might be wrong, but it seems funny that GM would label our lights as 'fog' lights and install white/clear bulbs at the factory !! Would HID in 'yellow' (4300 range) work better or is there only so much light that can penetrate fog anyway !!...
You are correct.
He has a yellow option, but I chose white because I use them as driving lights. Fog is rare here. Dark is not. No idea why GM calls them fog lights.
... Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but with HID's now in the fog light housings, does this now become more of a driving light instead of fog lights. The function or purpose of 'fog' lights is utilized with yellow, lens or bulbs, since white light has too much reflection against fog (water droplets) and creates a blinding light barrier for the driver. Like I mentioned, I might be wrong, but it seems funny that GM would label our lights as 'fog' lights and install white/clear bulbs at the factory !! Would HID in 'yellow' (4300 range) work better or is there only so much light that can penetrate fog anyway !!...
The light thrown by a fog is determined by the lens, not the bulb. I always preferred yellow fogs (I had the big rectangular Hellas) because they <seemed> to penetrate the fog more but I think the jury is out as far as that being an impression instead of a fact. All new cars with fogs have white bulbs AFAIK.
The light thrown by a fog is determined by the lens, not the bulb. I always preferred yellow fogs (I had the big rectangular Hellas) because they <seemed> to penetrate the fog more but I think the jury is out as far as that being an impression instead of a fact. All new cars with fogs have white bulbs AFAIK.
Yes, and no. When it comes to selective yellow, it doesn't matter if the glass lens of the bulb (halogen or HID) Bulb sleeve (in the case of some euro cars) or main lens itself is yellow.
The function of a fog light to illuminate will in poor weather is more dependent on pattern and mounting location than color...though color helps. Most "fog lights" on modern cars are pretty much worthless for fog or for driving lights. The fog light is supposed to be mounted as low as possible, illuminate a wide area close to the vehicle so driver's can clearly see the edges of the road in poor visibility (IDR ) conditions.
Example (no it's not a vette, but it has a Bowtie so quit whining):
The lighting setup on my 09 silverado is identical to the setup on my vette (MH1 Bi-xenon 5000K HID main beams and Hella Micro DE 3000K HID for fogs)
Clear visibility:
Headlights project well easily into the corn field:
Fog light project lower/wider but not nearly as far:
Moderate Fog conditions:
Low beams only: Horrible visibility, can't even see the corn
Low and fogs: A little better, can see things easier nearer the truck
Fogs only: You'd swear there was zero fog, but your visibility range is limited. You could safely proceed at slower speeds.
Bottom line. Fog lights do very little either for what they are intended to do (you cannot penetrate fog) of for seeing farther down the road. The reality is they look cool. And that is about it.
Now if you are talking about a rear fog lamp. Those actually make your car more visible from behind in lousy weather. However i see way too many people using them on clear nights and they are way to bright under those conditions. Not necessary and even bothersome
Example (no it's not a vette, but it has a Bowtie so quit whining):
The lighting setup on my 09 silverado is identical to the setup on my vette (MH1 Bi-xenon 5000K HID main beams and Hella Micro DE 3000K HID for fogs)
Clear visibility:
Headlights project well easily into the corn field:
Fog light project lower/wider but not nearly as far:
So... I totally need this for my '09 NNBS as well.. and some CREE LEDS!!
Yes, and no. When it comes to selective yellow, it doesn't matter if the glass lens of the bulb (halogen or HID) Bulb sleeve (in the case of some euro cars) or main lens itself is yellow.
The function of a fog light to illuminate will in poor weather is more dependent on pattern and mounting location than color...though color helps. Most "fog lights" on modern cars are pretty much worthless for fog or for driving lights. The fog light is supposed to be mounted as low as possible, illuminate a wide area close to the vehicle so driver's can clearly see the edges of the road in poor visibility (IDR ) conditions.
Example (no it's not a vette, but it has a Bowtie so quit whining):
The lighting setup on my 09 silverado is identical to the setup on my vette (MH1 Bi-xenon 5000K HID main beams and Hella Micro DE 3000K HID for fogs)
I forgot to mention about mounting location. Your pix show me again how much I liked the yellow fogs. Are the Hella Micro DE 3000K HID bulbs the ones shown on the truck? If so, do they fit C5 fogs?
Thanks George!
I forgot to mention about mounting location. Your pix show me again how much I liked the yellow fogs. Are the Hella Micro DE 3000K HID bulbs the ones shown on the truck? If so, do they fit C5 fogs?
Thanks George!
03-18-2016, 10:59 PM
Radioflyer fog light review (pics)
... Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but with HID's now in the fog light housings, does this now become more of a driving light instead of fog lights. The function or purpose of 'fog' lights is utilized with yellow, lens or bulbs, since white light has too much reflection against fog (water droplets) and creates a blinding light barrier for the driver. Like I mentioned, I might be wrong, but it seems funny that GM would label our lights as 'fog' lights and install white/clear bulbs at the factory !! Would HID in 'yellow' (4300 range) work better or is there only so much light that can penetrate fog anyway !!...
) conditions. 
I forgot to mention about mounting location. Your pix show me again how much I liked the yellow fogs. Are the Hella Micro DE 3000K HID bulbs the ones shown on the truck? If so, do they fit C5 fogs?
