LED lamps for fog lights. LED lamps in PTF LED lamps in PTF

UPDATE

Excerpt from the document:

“The objective side of the relevant administrative offense can only occur in the event of a simultaneous discrepancy between the color of the lights and the operating mode of such devices with the requirements specified by the manufacturer in the operational documentation, and in cases where additional lighting devices are installed.”

“However, if only the color or operating mode of the light devices installed on the vehicle does not comply with the above requirements, driving such a vehicle may be qualified under Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.”

Well, have you already noticed that LED light sources have almost half squeezed out conventional incandescent, halogen and even xenon lamps? In fact, at the beginning of the 21st century, we witnessed another revolution in the world of lighting sources. It is not surprising that LEDs eventually came en masse to the automotive industry. Every year there are more and more new cars. For example, today many car models are equipped not only with LED lamps installed in the rear optics or in the front as daytime running lights. Thus, in recent years, a lot of cars have entered the market with front optics in which LED lamps are installed as low beam.

Also, many modern cars are now equipped with fog lights with LED bulbs. It is not surprising that many car owners, having seen such sources of bright and beautiful lighting on new cars, wanted to install the same ones on their vehicles. But, unfortunately, some car enthusiasts have completely forgotten that instead of ordinary incandescent or halogen lamps, categorically.

This is also how it is impossible to install gas-discharge lamps (xenon lamps) instead of conventional halogen lighting sources, without changing the headlights, which must be equipped with special lenses for xenon, as well as auto-corrector and headlight washers.

Remember how not long ago a large number of cars with “collective farm” xenon drove on Russian roads, which in most cases only blinded oncoming drivers. But after they began to deprive their licenses for “collective farm” xenon, the number of drivers who installed xenon lighting sources in headlights with reflectors instead of conventional lamps decreased noticeably.

Unfortunately, the paradise on the road did not last long. More recently, a lot of cheap Chinese automotive LED lamps have appeared on the Russian market, which can easily be installed with H1 and H7 sockets. As a result, some drivers, having forgotten about the direct ban on installing non-factory lighting sources in the low beam of headlights, began to equip their cars with LED lamps, many of which are even brighter than xenon lamps.

But, alas, miracles do not happen. LED lamps require a special lens to operate effectively. Naturally, there can be no talk of any reflector. In headlights with reflectors, there is no point in using LED lamps, since LED lamps only produce a directional beam of light. In the case of reflectors, LED low beam lamps will only dazzle oncoming drivers.

True, such “collective farm” tuning is today successfully suppressed by traffic police officers, who have now begun to hunt those car owners who thought that since xenon lamps are illegal, it means that instead of conventional lamps, LED headlights can be installed in the headlights.

But no. The law is also strict regarding LED lamps. Here's our in-depth look at why, if your car doesn't come with factory LED headlights. For those who don't remember, here's what it sounds like:

3. Driving a vehicle with red lights or red reflective devices installed on the front part of it, as well as lighting devices, the color of the lights and the operating mode of which do not comply with the requirements of the Basic Provisions on the admission of vehicles to operation and the duties of officials to ensure road safety,
entails deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for a period of six months to one year with confiscation of the specified instruments and devices.

Pay attention to the words in the text: on the front which has installed lighting devices with red lights or red reflective devices, as well as lighting devices, the color of the lights and the operating mode of which do not comply with the requirements of the Basic Regulations for the admission of vehicles to operation

In simple words, it is illegal to install anything that is not provided by the manufacturer on the front of the car. That is, if your car in another configuration is not supplied to the market without LED low beam bulbs, then you cannot install LEDs in the headlights of your car.

But even if your car comes with some other configuration or LED front optics, you still do not have the right to use LED lamps on your car as low-beam lamps without installing new headlights.

It turns out that in order to comply with the law and ensure that your vehicle complies with the requirements of the Fundamental Regulations for the Authorization of Vehicles and the Responsibilities of Road Safety Officials, in order to install LEDs in your headlights, you need to buy new headlights, the design of which allows you to effectively direct the LED sources light onto the road without the risk of dazzling oncoming drivers. Also, do not forget that after installing such new headlights, in principle, you must register such a conversion of the car with the traffic police, making changes to the design of the car, and also passing tests in a special laboratory.

True, if the model of your car in some more expensive configuration leaves the factory with LED headlights, then if you buy other front LED headlights instead of your standard halogen ones, traffic police officers are unlikely to bring you to administrative responsibility on the road, since will not be able to prove that your car did not leave the factory with LED low beams. In this case, the main thing for you is to change the headlights themselves, buying exactly the optics that are installed on the more expensive equipment.

Of course, if you install LED headlights in a car that never left the factory with LED headlights, then you will not be able to do without the procedure for making changes to the design of the vehicle. After all, any employee of the State Traffic Inspectorate can theoretically stop you and bring you to justice under Article 12.5, which, do not forget, threatens with deprivation of your rights for a period of 6 to 12 months!!!

Is it possible to lose your license for installing LED lamps in a fog lamp?

By the way, this also applies to those who think that installing LED lamps in front fog lights is completely legal, since this type of light source does not apply to front optics. But that's not true. Read carefully Part 3 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and you will see that liability is provided for the use of any non-factory lamps that do not comply with vehicle safety on the front of the car.

Accordingly, if you install LED lamps in the front fog lamps and do not go through the procedure for registering changes made to the design of the car in a special laboratory and the traffic police, making changes to the registration documents for the vehicle, and also receiving a special certificate, then for using illegal lamps on the front of the car you may simply lose your rights.

Are you ready to sacrifice the beauty of your fog lights? Or do you think that beauty requires sacrifice? It doesn't really matter what you think. Law is law. Since it is forbidden to install non-factory lamps on the front of the car (including foglights), it means that you cannot do this.

Why? The thing is that by installing fog lights, which typically use reflectors and halogen light sources, you can essentially dazzle oncoming drivers because the LED light will be heavily scattered in front of your car. Remember that to use LED lights in the front, all lighting fixtures must be specially designed to beam the LED light correctly. No reflectors or diffusers. Only a special lens.

However, it is worth noting that it is much more difficult for a traffic police officer on the road to identify illegally installed LED lamps in your car’s fog lights. The fact is that if traffic police officers do not have a special device that measures the brightness of light sources, then they try to identify the discrepancy between the lamps and the headlight markings. After all, all car headlights have special markings that indicate what type of lamps should be used in a particular optics.

By the way, not all headlights in modern cars have similar markings on the surface. But this does not mean that you can rejoice and run straight to the store to buy beautiful, but dangerous LED lamps. As a rule, in most modern cars, headlight markings can be found on the body in the engine compartment. So it won’t be difficult for a traffic police officer to ask you to open the hood. In this case, you will no longer be able to prove that your car is equipped with such headlights from the factory.

As for fog lights, it will be more difficult for traffic police officers to prove that your fog lights have “collective farm” bright LEDs and that they do not meet safety requirements. Yes, of course, if you use a special device, you can find out in a minute. But there are not many such devices (that is, not all traffic police crews have them).

And in order to detect by eye that illegal lamps are used in the fog lights, the traffic police officer needs to somehow crawl under the bumper to read the internal markings of the fog lights, which are applied to their body. It is unlikely that every traffic cop will be ready for such tests, unless, of course, you anger him with something. In this case, they can actually follow the principle. Therefore, if you nevertheless violated the current legislation and installed LED lamps in your fog lights, then under no circumstances turn them on in the city (especially when driving past traffic police posts).

Also, do not turn on bright fog lights at night on a country highway if there is a stream of cars moving towards you. If you're driving alone, you can turn on your fancy fog lights along with your high beams. It will be beautiful. But as soon as you notice an oncoming car in the distance, turn off your fog lights and high beams so as not to blind the driver.

But it would be better, of course, to remove the illegal LEDs from the foglights and return regular halogens to their place.

And finally, here is a comprehensive list of vehicle malfunctions that cannot be used on public roads.

List of faults and conditions under which the operation of vehicles is prohibited

3. External lighting devices

3.1. Number, type, color, location and operating mode of external lighting devices do not meet the design requirements of the vehicle.

Note: On discontinued vehicles, it is permitted to install external lighting devices from vehicles of other makes and models.

3.2. Headlight adjustment does not comply with GOST R 51709-2001.

3.3. External lighting devices and reflectors do not work in the prescribed mode or are dirty.

3.4. Light fixtures do not have diffusers or use diffusers and lamps , not corresponding to the type of this lighting device.

3.5. The installation of flashing beacons, the methods of their fastening and the visibility of the light signal do not meet the established requirements.

3.6. Lighting devices with red lights or red light reflectors are installed at the front of the vehicle, and white ones at the rear, except for reversing lights and registration plate lighting, reflective registration, distinctive and identification signs.

As you can see, the law does not directly prohibit any particular type of lamp in the front light sources in a car. That is, you can, in principle, deprive your license for any non-factory light bulbs installed on the front, since because of them the car can be considered faulty for the above reasons.

There is another document that prohibits the installation of LED lamps in headlights:

See item " 3. Requirements for lighting and light signaling devices »

You can also read more about this in our article ""

And remember, if you still want to install LED lamps in the foglights, then before you start using them, you will have to go through a difficult and lengthy procedure for registering changes to the design of the car.

That is, to go almost the same way that car owners go today who want to install gas equipment on their cars. Here's the detailed one.

Lamps in fog lights

The effectiveness of PTF in foggy conditions is determined by several factors. Their low placement, different range, and direction of the light flux make it possible to illuminate only the road surface itself, without affecting the surrounding area, like high-beam headlights. This allows you to see the road even in heavy fog, which completely scatters the light of the headlights, creating a snow-white wall in front of the car.

Types of lamps for PTF

If PTFs are installed by an automaker, then lamps They use standard halogen ones. Many motorists are not satisfied with them, which forces them to find replacement options. There are currently three types of lamps on the market that can be used for fog lights:

• halogen;
• LED;
• gas-discharge or xenon.

Before choosing the final replacement option, you should find which The bulbs are in the fog lights. The main difficulty for most drivers is to correctly decide which lamps are better put V fog lights– each of them has certain advantages and disadvantages.

Halogen

A common type for foglights, which has an affordable price as its main advantage. Such elements ensure acceptable PTF efficiency in foggy conditions, and if configured correctly, they do not become a prerequisite for dazzling oncoming drivers. Among the shortcomings of halogen lighting, one can note a small working life, and replacing a light bulb in a fog light is not always a common task. In addition, the headlight becomes very hot, which, if it cools suddenly, can cause the glass to crack. If the power of the standard lamps for the driver is insufficient, when replacing the lamps in the fog lights with more massive ones, there is a high risk of the control unit overheating and the headlights automatically turning off.

LED

A more acceptable option for most. They are characterized by a wide range of colors, brightness and low power consumption. The LED fog light bulb heats up very little due to its unique operating principle. This makes it possible to avoid melting of the internal parts of the headlight during long-term operation of the PTF. They actually never become a prerequisite for blinding oncoming drivers. The disadvantages include a higher price, as well as the need for painstaking selection of the lamps– they are not suitable for every headlight

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Gas discharge

Xenon allows you to make fog lights very colorful and effective. The service life of high-quality xenon is about 3 years, but xenon can only be used for fog lights in accordance with serious rules, violation of which will not result in a fine, but in deprivation of rights for up to 1 year. So, for xenon you can only use special headlights marked “D”, and the presence of an automatic corrector is a must. Self-installation of xenon in fog lights It is more complex than other types of lamps, but if installed correctly, the result will last for a couple of years. The disadvantages of gas-discharge lamps, in addition to the high price, include the need to replace both lamps if only one burns out.

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How to replace a lamp yourself

The replacement itself lamps a fog lamp is not difficult to manipulate, and if the lamp is replaced with one similar to the burnt one, practically no problems arise. Before starting work, for example, on a VAZ family car, it is advisable to drive the car into a pit, use a lift or raise the front part with a jack. This way it will be much more convenient to work, and less time will be spent.

Before changing the light bulb in the fog light, you should buy a similar one - in this case, it is better to give preference to well-known brands with a good reputation. For VAZs, the process of replacing a light bulb is as follows:

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It is enough to perform this manipulation once, so that the next time it takes only a few minutes to replace the light bulb in the fog light. The replacement process on other models depends on the design features of the foglights. On some cars, the PTFs are located in a block with the headlights - here you will have to disassemble the optics a little. An example of a replacement on a domestic Kalina in the video:

If the standard fog lights are not satisfactory

You can often meet motorists who are categorically dissatisfied with the light of their standard fog lights. This is especially true for those who often travel long distances. Indeed, often in conditions of heavy fog, installed PTFs do not cope with their main task. As a rule, such headlights are equipped with conventional lamps. It is not advisable to replace them with similar ones, but with higher power; it is much more reasonable to replace them with LEDs or xenon.

It is worth noting that LED lamps V fog lights can be installed without any restrictions and conditions, as required for xenon. To replace the halogen lamp yourself lamps LED lighting does not require special knowledge or equipment. But there is one rule that should not be neglected: you can purchase diode dumps for fog lights only if they belong to a trusted brand. Inexpensive Chinese samples do not meet quality requirements and do not last long.

Before purchasing LED lamps, you should remove the halogen lamps and look at the base to find a similar one - this will allow you to minimize the work of fitting the lamps into a standard fog lamp. An important parameter lamps for fog lights is the value of its brightness. This parameter is measured in Lumens (Lm), and for fog lights the brightness must be at least 1000 Lm, otherwise the effect, compared to halogen lamps, will become invisible.

LED bulbs in fog lights They almost never cause any complaints when passing technical inspection; they do not require the purchase of expensive lensed headlights. As with xenon, they have a wide range of possible colors, which will allow you to do without installing additional light filters.

We change the low beam lamp on a Renault Logan on our own. The Renault Logan car has always been considered a cheap and reliable vehicle to maintain. Most of the repairs on the car are carried out by our own staff, without spending your time and money visiting a special car service center. And replacing the low beam lamp in the headlight was no exception. P...

Fog lamps (PTF) help the driver to control the car in conditions of limited visibility. The article discusses the types of PTFs, gives recommendations on which lamps are best to choose, and also includes instructions on how to replace a light bulb in a fog lamp.

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Types of lamps for PTF

Fog lights not only perform their direct functions, but also help correct deficiencies in the headlights, and also illuminate the side of the road at night. Thanks to the low location of the PTFs, they illuminate the road efficiently without scattering the light.

Halogen lights are usually installed in standard optics. There are drivers who are not satisfied with them, in which case it is necessary to replace the fog lamp with an alternative option. It is important to know which light bulb is better.

There are three types of lamps:

• halogen;
• LED;
• gas-discharge.

Before replacing PTFs, you should decide on their type. When choosing which lamps are best to install in fog lights, you need to find out the pros and cons of each type.

Halogen

Fog lights typically use halogen products. They are more affordable, shine quite effectively in foggy conditions, and do not blind oncoming drivers.

The disadvantages include:

• short service life;
• difficulty of replacement;
• the headlight gets very hot.

When replacing standard light bulbs with more powerful ones, the power supply may burn out and the headlights will automatically turn off.

LED

The LED version is very popular for fog lights. In this case, it is possible to choose color and brightness. In addition, diodes consume significantly less energy.

The disadvantage is the high cost. High-power LEDs require additional cooling.

Gas discharge

Xenon used in PTFs makes them bright and efficient. Service life is three years. But the use of gas-discharge elements has limitations. Xenon can only be installed on optics marked with the letter “D”, and an automatic corrector must be installed. The disadvantage is the high cost and the need to replace both bulbs if only one burns out.

Which ones are better?

Typically, standard optics have halogen elements; replacing them with the same ones, but more powerful, makes no sense. It is better to install LED lamps in fog lights; a good option is to replace the fog lamp with xenon (author of the video - Learning to drive a car. All the secrets for beginners.).

LEDs can be installed in PTF without restrictions, unlike xenon. Replacing a light bulb in a fog lamp does not require special equipment or specific knowledge, so you can replace it yourself. It is better to buy products from trusted brands, since cheap Chinese samples are often of poor quality and quickly fail.

When purchasing LEDs, you need to select a lamp with a base similar to the halogen counterpart. An important parameter for fog lights is brightness, measured in Lumens (Lm). Anti-fog lights must have a brightness of at least 1000 lm.

Lamp replacement guide

It is more convenient to change light bulbs in PTF on a lift or inspection pit. To do this, you need to purchase either the same light bulb as the one you had, or one that matches the parameters. Changing a light bulb is easy.

To do this, follow the following sequence of actions:

1. To remove the optics, you need to unscrew the mounting bolts.
2. First you need to move the rubber protection to get to the PTF power supply block.
3. Then you should disconnect the block from the optics.
4. To remove the light bulb, you need to gently press one end of the latch and slide it down.
5. The light bulb is removed along with the base. The halogen lamp has several contacts that should be remembered in order to correctly install the new one.
6. Next, you need to install the new product so that all contacts match. If you make a mistake, the fog lamp will not light.
7. Assembly is carried out in reverse order.
8. After assembly, you need to check the operation of the optics.

Replacing fog lights on other car brands depends on their design features. There are cars on which the fog lights are located together with the head light, in which case a slight disassembly of the optics will be required. An example would be the Lada Kalina.

Now many people are thinking about installing LED fog lights (PLF), besides, they can be used as DRLs, since fog lights do not shine upward, the luminous flux is almost parallel to the surface of the earth, and good ones have a tilt regulator. If you do not have a sports car, then the height of the car should also allow it.

• 1. LED fog lamps
• 2. Lamps for daytime running lights
• 3. Choose the right LEDs
• 4. Correct LED PTF
• 5. An example of excellent PTF with DRL

LED fog lamps

First, everyone starts looking for LED lamps for foglights; the choice is quite large and is based on a different number of installed LEDs, ranging from 5 pieces to 30 pieces of antique diode models. SMD diodes and LEDs made using COB technology are installed, which can further confuse the buyer regarding the expected power of the PTF. It is very difficult to estimate the approximate power from the dimensions of a COB diode.

Common sizes for fog lights

Typically, the average dimensions of the most popular ones are 19 mm by 50 mm for the metal part, which is capable of dissipating heat. You can buy them in Russian and Chinese stores, they are still made in China, and most are the same in terms of characteristics and design. It’s sad that many Russian stores inflate the characteristics, like our Chinese brothers in mind, because the average buyer is very poorly versed in LED technologies.

Popular 6-7 Watt model

For such small dimensions, the maximum power I have seen is 7 Watts, which corresponds to a brightness of 700 Lumens. The situation is not helped by the lens mounted on the end. Most of the owners who bought them for 1500 rubles say “It shines, but does not illuminate” and practically no one uses them. They are not very expensive, it’s still a pity for money, you could buy something useful or fill up half a tank of gasoline. But these will not work for a long time, because they will heat up decently, above the required 85 degrees, and reliability will also decrease.

In addition, the brightness of 700 Lumens does not reach the minimum required 1000 Lumens per piece. There is no point in installing them if the PTFs do not fully perform their functions, especially those related to traffic safety in bad weather conditions.

Lamps for daytime running lights

Also, such a lamp will not allow you to use your fog lights as daytime running lights, because at this luminous angle, the same minimum 1000 Lumens will be required. According to the regulations, the glow angle is 30 degrees and the light intensity should be 400-800 Candelas, and the glow angle of the fog lights is approximately 45 degrees. Candelas can be converted to Lumens only if the angle of illumination is known. To more or less comply with the requirements of the navigation light regulations, set at least 1000 Lumens.

The disadvantage of using fog lights as navigation lights is their low location. Because of this, they will be splashed and covered with mud much faster, but this does not threaten the residents of Moscow, their roads are clean and smooth, as if they were in another country.

Don't forget about LED degradation. This wonderful graph will clearly show you how the luminous flux depends on the operating temperature of the LED diode. When overheated, degradation increases greatly; imagine this graph with a heating temperature of 120 degrees. After some time, it will lose part of the luminous flux and will still work, but its brightness will no longer be enough for high-quality lighting and will require replacement.

If it was possible to make LED light bulbs that met all operational and safety requirements, then world leaders in production Philips and Osram would have done this long ago. But, unfortunately, they cannot make small ones that would fit into standard places and provide the required brightness.

Choosing the right LEDs

As I wrote above, the correct one should have a heatsink to cool the LEDs. But the main problem is that standard places are not designed to install a light bulb with a massive cooling system, and here you have to improvise. I think that an active cooling system with a fan would be inappropriate; there is not enough space compared to a low and high beam headlight, which contains a considerable volume of air that can be driven by a fan.

Design and its difference in size from halogen

Among the new products of 2015, I would like to highlight one with a flexible cooling system, priced at 4-5 thousand rubles. The design is certainly good, but it is not known how effective it is. The radiator stretches and fills the free space, as long as it doesn’t short out anything.

Flexible cooling system

Decent ones will cost from 2,500 rubles. on Aliexpress, but theoretically they should last 10 times longer than without a radiator. Many people forget that in order to last forever, or almost 20,000 hours, LED diodes must work in certain conditions, otherwise the operating time will be equal to that of a halogen.

It is difficult to determine the quality of Chinese ones, even if they look good. Basically, their drivers burn out, they exhibit design defects and poor build quality. The driver can be separate or built-in, but it cannot be repaired because it is filled with compound. You won’t be able to buy a new driver like this; they are not sold separately. You won't be able to buy just one; they are only sold in sets.

Model range of Huipeng company

Good ones should indicate the manufacturer's company, even if it is known only in the domestic market of China, for example, in the photo the model range of the Huipeng company. Unlike products of unknown manufacture, the presence of a company name increases the quality, because it has to value its reputation at least a little. You can also see the rest of the model range by the name of the company and

There are many offers on the market now LED and xenon lamps with H11 socket? And thoughts involuntarily arise - why not buy them too? And they shine brightly, and they have a good resource. Someone may nod towards the world's leading manufacturers: they say, the same Osram has LEDriving FOG Lamp H11 LED lamps. But large concerns write honestly: these lamps are not certified for public roads, that is, even the “giants” of automotive lighting development cannot make LEDs work normally in optics designed for halogen lamps. What can we ask from Asian companies, small firms, or even just basement stores, whose products are now filled with display cases? Such lamps not only shine frankly crookedly, but also the service life expected from LEDs cannot always be achieved with them. The fact is that halogen optics do not provide for any cooling of the lamp - after all, it works due to the hot filament. But for high-power LEDs, overheating is like death: the rate of crystal degradation increases significantly. In general, here our verdict is clear, as with the “collective farm” xenon - a firm “no”.

But from H11 halogen lamps You can already choose. For fog lights, perhaps, the best choice would be H11 lamps from the “long-lasting” category: among other things, an increase in service life is achieved by slightly reducing the filament temperature, that is, firstly, the light begins to “turn yellow” (and this happens in fog and rain, “ what the doctor ordered"), secondly, the heating of the diffuser is weaker, albeit by a few percent. Anti-fog optics themselves most often suffer due to their low location, and if the correct choice of lamp does not protect against a flying stone, it can protect against cracking glass when driving through a deep puddle.

For the same reason lamps with increased brightness(or even with increased power) carry with them a double loss for the wallet - one direct (because they cost more), and the second indirect: with such “stoves” in the headlights you should be careful in wet weather, otherwise you will have to look for new optics. In general, experiments with “amplified” lamps make sense only when choosing products from trusted manufacturers: lamps of Asian origin, for example, sometimes simply “kill” headlights by overheating.

Well, the most balanced choice, of course, was, is and will remain lamps of “standard” lines: They don’t seem to stand out with any specific properties, but they are cheaper than others and confidently do their job. It is not for nothing that these lamps are installed on the assembly line and delivered to dealer technical centers repackaged in branded boxes of a particular car plant: they know how to count money, so they will choose the real “strong middle peasants”.