nobodymv

iTrader: (3)

After too long searching here and on the net, I am unable to find out if 1st gens even had fog lights as an option. If not, if anyone wants to pass advice on brand/models that work well/look nice on ours, I will be thankful. I remember that my 85 I owned quite a while ago truly lacked in the fwd lighting dept., so I am trying to plan ahead, as my (new) 84 GSLSE will be arriving soon.

T.I.A

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

never as an option from the factory that i am aware of. perhaps they were available as an option out of the dealer accessories brochure.

a lot of the forward lighting is pointing more towards the ground than in front of the car. this seems to be the way the factory installed the lights and i'm guessing they did this so that the lights were not pointing directly at other drivers. every one of my 1st gens have had this problem. i simply adjust the lighting up a tad and it corrects the problem.

Kentetsu

The problem with the stock wiring is that it sends the power all the way through the dash and the switches, trying to shove it through this tiny 16 gauge wire and copper contacts and ****. That's also the reason why the headlight switches build up carbon film and stop working so often.

The way to fix this is to install relays to operate the headlights. Basically, you have the stock wiring tell the relay when to send power to the lights. The power then travels straight from the power source, through the relay, and on to the lights. If you incorporate heavy duty wiring (I used 10 gauge) from the power source, through the relay, to the headlights (and also the grounds) then even more of that power will find it's way to the bulb.

Every bit of juice lost results in large amounts of lost lighting. The relationship is exponential, not linear. So even a small increase in voltage can create a large increase in lighting output.

Once that is done, you need good bulbs. Sylvania XtraVision bulbs are about 10 bucks each. Silverstars are 20 bucks each. I have tried them both, and even done side by side comparisons, and the Silverstars cannot even touch the XtraVision bulbs. The cheap ones have a whiter light, are brighter, and have a better lighting pattern. I think they had to modify the lens on the SilverStars to prevent glare created by the bluish tint, but I just couldn't get them aimed in a way that put the light where I needed it either. And the light that did hit the road produced a lot of glare, both for me and for oncoming drivers. I use the XtraVision bulbs in all of my cars, and people who ride with me at night convert.

Anyway, I would recommend you modify/fix the stock headlight system before installing foglights. I used to run a pair of 130 watt 12 inch spotlights that would really light things up. But after installing relays in the stock system, I just never used them anymore so I took them off.

82transam

iTrader: (18)

Agreed, rewiring with relays like Kentetsu said is the way to go. As far as factory fog lights, the only ones that come to mind are the dealer installed ones that went along with the IMSA air dam available in 84 and 85, but those are impossible to find at this point.....

slate84

how did you run the direct power for the headlights? from battery with a ?amp fuse inline?

Kentetsu

From the battery to an inline fuse (30 amp), to the relay, to the headlights.

FirebirdSlayer666

iTrader: (3)

If you look up the Black Dragon heavy duty headlight harness, this is what he is mainly reffering to. Of course the bulbs Kentetsu is talking about are still sealed beam units. I personally would opt to get new glass H4 housings and use replacement H4 or 9003 bulbs. I did this on my FC, I used the Black Dragon headlight housings(excellent quality BTW) and used Sylvania Silverstar H4 bulbs and I was very happy with them. They had a nice crisp white light output and the beam pattern was fantastic. I would like to do this again with one of my first gens but I want to try out the 9003 Sylvania Silverstar Ultra's.

Kentetsu

In my opinion, the black Dragon wiring harness uses wiring that is too small. This is why I opted to create my own, so I could use 10 gauge.

If anyone wants more info on any of this, check out www.danielsternlighting.com