How to wire aftermarket fogs to turn on with the high beams?

[BrooksK]

My 1996 Ranger did not come with fog lights. I have read that some people have found the wiring for the fog lights tucked up under the truck. Mine does not have it. I got an OEM fog light valance and put it on. I made my own mount brackets out of angle iron and mounted up some led fog lights in the holes. Now, for the wiring.

I know it can be done, but I am not completely sure how to make it so that these fog lights turn on with the high beams. I know enough to not chance it without asking questions first, so here I am.

I know that instead of a toggle switch to turn them off and on, I have to use the high beams as the switch turn them on. The toggle switch will allow me to change whether the fog lights come on with the high beams or not. Meaning, with the toggle switch on, the fog lights and high beams come on together. With the toggle switch off, only the high beams turn on.

I got this harness from Amazon and thought I could modify to work for me.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071ZPX32N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Just as the harness came, without modifying anything, I did a trial run on a spare battery and connected everything together. Everything works as it is intended to, so I know the harness is good to go.

Here's the wiring diagram that comes with the harness.

Do I take the white wire from the toggle switch and splice it into the high beams? Do I do this and use a 2-pin switch instead of the included 3-pin switch? Am I even close?

Thank you.

 

[sgtsandman]

I can be done but I don't know how much help having the fogs on with the high beams will provide. The high beams will wash out the fogs and maybe only give a little more width to your light pattern. Fog light are meant to be used at about 35 mph or less since they are a short range light meant to under cut fog and reduce road glare from rain and snow. If you wish to push forward anyway, one of the more knowledgeable spark chasers should be willing to help you out.

 

[rubydist]

fwiw, its also illegal in most states to have the fogs on with the high beams.

 

[bobbywalter]

fwiw, its also illegal in most states to have the fogs on with the high beams.

Or low beams


Federal is 4. .don't matter what they are

My shop truck has 4 light high or low..

So technically no fog lights.

 

[Uncle Gump]

My 06 from the factory with driving lights has the driving light available with the park lights on. They will stay on with the headlamp on low beam only. They shut off with high beams selected.

Looks to me like you're getting confused maybe. I need to ask... are the lights you're adding have to separate light functions? Like both clear driving and amber fogs?

 

[bobbywalter]

My 06 from the factory with driving lights has the driving light available with the park lights on. They will stay on with the headlamp on low beam only. They shut off with high beams selected.

Looks to me like you're getting confused maybe. I need to ask... are the lights you're adding have to separate light functions? Like both clear driving and amber fogs?

Bambi mode is settable.

 

[Bgunner]

I used the parking light wire behind the head light switch to feed the positive side of my fog light switch so that the lights would be off with the head light switch off but allow the fogs to be on with the Parking lamps, High beams and Low beams. Setting it up this way I can't forget to turn them off which I have done many times in the past leading to a dead battery.

Alternatively if you must have the lights on with just the High beams you can tap into a high beam wire and run it to your switch. This would only feed the switch power when the high beams are on, although I do not recommend going this route because as stated some states frown upon this.

My wiring was fairly hassle free as I had the under-hood fog light wiring to use. For me all but 1 wire I needed to run was all in the cab. You will need to run all your own wiring under the hood since you don't have the factory fog light harness. Follow your diagram and use the Positive side of the switch as your trigger.

 

[gaz]

BrooksK,

I recommend reading your states law governing lights on the front of your vehicles while driving on public roads and state Highways.

In Washington, they count the headlights whether hi or low beam as 1 set, the front marker lights count as 1 set, the maximum that can be used at the same time are 3 sets; so a set of auxillary driving lights are permissable with low beams, even in traffic. By the letter of the law an additional set can be powered with hi beams if it has no effect on, on coming traffic. Fog lights used with hi-beams doesn't make sense to me either.

I agree with "sgtsandman", when high beams are on, fog lights are countered by both the hi beams and presumably, vehicle speed.

There are many ways to get power to fog lights.

I am a fan of control power fused from the main light switch to their own relay, then controlled by a toggle with light power coming directly from the battery.

I have both aux driving lights and fog lights but the aux lights can only be powered when hi-beams are on and fog lights can only be powered when low beams are on.

 

[ericbphoto]

Think also about how you want to use the lights. Maybe you want aux lights and not necessarily fog lights. I know it's just semantics. But that is important in effective communications. Fog lights, being used in foggy conditions, are mounted low and aimed low. Their purpose is to cut under the fog and illuminate the edges, lines and markings on the road. That is why they are used with low beams. If you notice, when you turn on high beams in fog, they just reflect back into your eyes, sometimes almost blinding you and making it harder to see. The lower angles of low beams and fog lights don't do that.

However, aux lights are more of a fill lighting. They would cover the gap under the high beams, almost like having highs and lows in at the same time.

 

[BrooksK]

I used the parking light wire behind the head light switch to feed the positive side of my fog light switch so that the lights would be off with the head light switch off but allow the fogs to be on with the Parking lamps, High beams and Low beams. Setting it up this way I can't forget to turn them off which I have done many times in the past leading to a dead battery.

Alternatively if you must have the lights on with just the High beams you can tap into a high beam wire and run it to your switch. This would only feed the switch power when the high beams are on, although I do not recommend going this route because as stated some states frown upon this.

My wiring was fairly hassle free as I had the under-hood fog light wiring to use. For me all but 1 wire I needed to run was all in the cab. You will need to run all your own wiring under the hood since you don't have the factory fog light harness. Follow your diagram and use the Positive side of the switch as your trigger.

Thank you. I knew I had something mixed up with the way I thought the switch went.

-----

To everyone else. Reread what I wrote. The lights will be on a toggle switch. They will have their own relay and wiring. The toggle switch will decide whether they turn on with the high beams, or not at all. Meaning, if I turn the switch off and flip my high beams on, then only my high beams come on. No fog lights. They will not always be on when my high beams are on. I just have the option of using them with high beams, or not at all.

I drive in fog maybe 3 or 4 times out of the year at most.

What I do is drive down back country roads every morning/night. I can go 30 miles without seeing any other traffic. Not one single car on the road besides me. I do see wild hogs, deer, coyote, and many other animals. I have seen what happens when a car hits a wild hog. I don't want to be that car. I jumped a small alligator in my MX5 not too long ago. It was not fun. I also drive through wildlife refuges early in the mornings. It's nice to see what you cannot see with just your headlights.

I don't run my high beams when there's other traffic on the road.

My idea with these LED lights is to point them slightly out towards the sides of the road so I can see what's there ahead of me. I'm not going to be driving through a city with them blinding everyone.

Thank you all for responding.

 

[RonD]

Yes, with Fog the low or high beams will reflect back and you can't see anything, its like a "whiteout" if you have ever been driving in a snowstorm

Point of Fog lights is that they are mounted lower, fog is usually a few feet above the road, and they are usually yellow, which penetrates white fog better, less reflection

So you are talking about adding driving lights more than Fog lights
White lights used to light up more of the road


Simplest way to wire it is with a relay in the engine bay and ONE small wire run into the cab, this is the Ground for the relay that will activate it only if high beams are on if that's what you want

Relays have two parts
Coil, it activates the relay, very low power draw, maybe 0.5amp
Load, it carries the 12volts that powers the Driving lights

The coil needs 12volts AND a ground to activate, 95% of relays in a vehicle are GROUND activated
So you would splice into either High Beam power wire in the engine bay, and connect that to either Coil wire on relay
The other coil wire will run into the cab and go to your toggle switch, then switch is grounded to cab ground
This can even be a lighted switch, i.e. it lights up when its ON, 2 pin with internal NON-LED light

So activation wiring is done, and switch would only work if high beams were on first
(you could use a Key on 12v wire as well, so they would work even with lights off, but key on)

High beam wire(splice)---------coil---------------------------------switch---cab ground


For the Load you need FUSED battery positive voltage, say 15amp fuse, and at least 18gauge wire but look at the specs for the driving lights, see what each one needs, may only need a 10amp fuse for LEDs
The fuse goes as close to the battery as practical, NOT close to the relay

Then 1 or 2 18gauge 12volt wires from the 2 driving lights to the relay's other load wire
Driving lights are grounded to rad support or frame


Battery12v---fuse-------------------load Relay======(2 wires)==========lights====ground



The reason why car makers use ground activation, for pretty much everything, it to minimize SHORTS, way fewer 12volt wires running around the vehicle
If a ground wire shorts to ground the very worst that can happen is something turns on, so normal operation, but maybe you don't want it on, lol

If a 12volt wire shorts to ground the BEST that can happen is a blown fuse, the worst is a vehicle fire, so big downside in running long 12volt wires around a vehicle, lol

 

[BrooksK]

Yes, with Fog the low or high beams will reflect back and you can't see anything, its like a "whiteout" if you have ever been driving in a snowstorm

Point of Fog lights is that they are mounted lower, fog is usually a few feet above the road, and they are usually yellow, which penetrates white fog better, less reflection

So you are talking about adding driving lights more than Fog lights
White lights used to light up more of the road


Simplest way to wire it is with a relay in the engine bay and ONE small wire run into the cab, this is the Ground for the relay that will activate it only if high beams are on if that's what you want

Relays have two parts
Coil, it activates the relay, very low power draw, maybe 0.5amp
Load, it carries the 12volts that powers the Driving lights

The coil needs 12volts AND a ground to activate, 95% of relays in a vehicle are GROUND activated
So you would splice into either High Beam power wire in the engine bay, and connect that to either Coil wire on relay
The other coil wire will run into the cab and go to your toggle switch, then switch is grounded to cab ground
This can even be a lighted switch, i.e. it lights up when its ON, 2 pin with internal NON-LED light

So activation wiring is done, and switch would only work if high beams were on first
(you could use a Key on 12v wire as well, so they would work even with lights off, but key on)

High beam wire(splice)---------coil---------------------------------switch---cab ground


For the Load you need FUSED battery positive voltage, say 15amp fuse, and at least 18gauge wire but look at the specs for the driving lights, see what each one needs, may only need a 10amp fuse for LEDs
The fuse goes as close to the battery as practical, NOT close to the relay

Then 1 or 2 18gauge 12volt wires from the 2 driving lights to the relay's other load wire
Driving lights are grounded to rad support or frame


Battery12v---fuse-------------------load Relay======(2 wires)==========lights====ground



The reason why car makers use ground activation, for pretty much everything, it to minimize SHORTS, way fewer 12volt wires running around the vehicle
If a ground wire shorts to ground the very worst that can happen is something turns on, so normal operation, but maybe you don't want it on, lol

If a 12volt wire shorts to ground the BEST that can happen is a blown fuse, the worst is a vehicle fire, so big downside in running long 12volt wires around a vehicle, lol

Thank you. I think I understand. The relay is what confuses me the most, and is why I got the prewired harness.