Hey guys, "newbie" here with a couple of quick questions on lighting.

I would like to upgrade my stock lighting but I'd like to do it on a budget and still get it right the first time. I did some searching on the forum but I didn't really see anything specific to my year, 2010.

I have already ordered a new light switch with the "auto" feature so I can have auto headlights. The switch also has a position for the fog lights (the ones on the bottom, not the ones in the grill, not sure if that's the correct terminology) My car does not have ether but it does have a place for the lower ones. I'd like to add the lower fog lights but I'd like them to work with the factory light switch. Is the wiring for the lower fog lights already on the car (just not connected) or would I need to wire them all the way to a switch? If there is existing wiring, where is it?

Next, I would like to upgrade the headlights to ether LED or HID (or something else) Living in Oregon we have a lot of dark roads and rain, lots and lots of rain. I need something better than stock but I'm on a budget so I would like to hear any suggestions from you guys as to the best solution at the best price. Plug and play is nice but I'm more than capable of doing some moderate wiring if needed. Thanks in advance.

-Dave

 

Check American Muscle http://www.americanmuscle.com/v6-foglight-kit-1012.html

 

"better than stock" and "budget" are two things that don't go together when it comes to lighting. Please don't be one of those fools who put HID conversion kits in halogen reflector housings, blinding everyone else on the road. Sure, they say things like "I aimed them down more" and "I've never been flashed by other drivers" but they can't escape the physics of light distribution - HIDs in a halogen reflector housing WILL cause glare no matter how they are adjusted.

Better lighting is certainly achievable but it will cost some money. Basically, it involves replacing the factory reflector housings with projectors. American Muscle and many other places have complete projector kits but they cost $250 and up. CARId has a new style that includes sequential front turn signals that look a lot like the 15-17 tail lights. I have the Raxiom black housings (not the smoke ones which cut down on light output) and I am very happy with them. The first set I bought several years ago had an internal condensation problem on one side but AM replaced them under warranty and I've not had any problem over the past two years using them.

Then you have to replace the light source with either HID or LED (because they come with halogen bulbs). HID kits can be relatively inexpensive but I highly recommend spending a little extra to get something like the Diode Dynamics kit ($150). DDM sells cheap HID kits but that's exactly what they are... cheap (as low as $35).

The other option for the projectors is LED. I have tried several and found the only one that produces decent light is the LMZ kit from V-LEDs. It's $200 but the bulbs produce 6000 lumens each and they have adjustable collars to allow exact adjustment of the light source within the projector.

Finally, choose your light color carefully. Factory HIDs are 4300K because it's the best color for vision without glare. That is significantly whiter than halogen but still somewhat yellow. If you really want whiter light, go with 5000K (pure white). Once you start going higher than that, you lose lighting effectiveness and gain more blue in the color. Some people like the "ice" white (slight blue tint) of 6000K and although it's not as effective as the lower colors, it's still likely to be better than halogen just because it's brighter. Higher than that (8000K and up) is just foolish - more for looks than effective lighting.

 

Good post.

I'd also suggest looking for some OEM HID headlights. I'm sure you'd be able to find a set on eBay - prices should have come down by now.

Finally, Starkey Products sells complete plug and play fog light kits using OEM products. You can order from them directly or through Silverhorse Racing. I did exactly this when I got the lower bumper fogs for my car.

I personally would do that - look for a set of 2010-2012 factory HID headlights, buy the fogs from Starkey and then get Diode Dynamics LED bulbs for the fogs (their 4000k LEDs match the stock 4300k bulbs perfectly.

 

Thanks, this is all great information, gives me a lot to consider. I really appreciate it. Are all 2010 to 2012 Mustangs interchangeable, as far as the headlights, fig lights, wiring, etc? I may have more questions but thanks again. -Dave

 

Yes, with the exception of the V6 bumper housings. The lights themselves are the same between the V6 and 2011-2012 GT/CS, but the GT bumper is different and the black plastic housings are different.

The headlights are all the same. It's either halogen or optional HIDs. Well, actually, there were 2 versions of the halogen lights - one with a black surround and one with a chrome surround, but otherwise they were the same.

 

Actually, the V6 and GT/CS fog lights are different. The GT/CS has true fog lights with projector housings. The V6 has "toy" fog lights that are little more than decoration - no sharp horizontal cutoff to the beam pattern like a true fog light so they throw light everywhere. I had put very powerful H9 LED bulbs in them only to take them out and get some with less power because they were absolutely blinding. I tried to replace them with GT/CS lamps but the mounting is very different and would have required a lot of modification.

 

Ah I forgot the 10-12 V6s had different fogs. My bad!

 

Thats interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind when getting the fog lights. They need to be functional and not just for looks. Thanks for the info. -Dave

 

I was just wanting to show the OP, kits are out there

I see he is wanting fog lights for 'function'. I hate to tell him the fog light are mostly for looks. I have replaced my bulbs with brighter whiter bulbs and they are still only for looks

 

Most ebay projector housings use crap projectors. And most vendors sell the same projectors as what are on ebay just rebranded.

If you are looking at aftermerket housings, checkout forum posts and beam pattern pics. Most have terrible patterns.

If you can, find an OEM HID Projector setup or modify a set of housings to install OEM Bi-Xenon Projectors (there are a few different good ones out there) or a good aftermarket B-Xenon projector (There are a few good ones out there but plenty of bad ones too).

Most drop-in LED bulbs don't use the optics well enough for forward lighting. Most will negatively affect the beam pattern. Even with projectors. Look at comparison pics and you'l l see that the hot spot is gone and its just a blob of white light. The cut-off shield in the projector will limit glare, but the beam pattern has shifted to the foreground. Which means a brighter spot directly in front of the car but a darker distance.

 

Just a quick update on my lighting project. I ended up (for now) purchasing a set of the "PERDE Platinum Xenon Krypton White H13 Headlight Bulbs" They seem to do OK, brighter than the original ones. I may eventually upgrade to the focused beam style and go with the HID ones. Thanks for everyone's input.