Project Shadowfax

[Modman]

I have em too. They're WAY better than the OEM fogs...which are really just accent lights at best. The low beams kinda drown out the color straight ahead. They throw really wide tho, so they fill in everything under and to the sides as you'd expect.

Pics snapped from my truck. Pardon the crappiness.

View attachment 128561View attachment 128563

I have no doubt that they are better than stock, but, honestly, in pictures the biggest difference I see is due to the color (amber vs. white). Lighting is tough to get a feel for in a digital picture imo. I would love it if one of you ever happens to be around a stock SD at night and would take some pseudo before/after comparisons. I think that may illustrate the improvement better, albeit still with a color change. I really do like the way these integrate into the truck in a similar fashion to the OEM lights. If I went with something different it would be amber, so I guess it doesn't matter in the end of the color change is part of the benefit.

 

[pickleknuckles]

I have no doubt that they are better than stock, but, honestly, in pictures the biggest difference I see is due to the color (amber vs. white). Lighting is tough to get a feel for in a digital picture imo. I would love it if one of you ever happens to be around a stock SD at night and would take some pseudo before/after comparisons. I think that may illustrate the improvement better, albeit still with a color change. I really do like the way these integrate into the truck in a similar fashion to the OEM lights. If I went with something different it would be amber, so I guess it doesn't matter in the end of the color change is part of the benefit.

Agreed. In my pics, look to the lower left along the hood line. With the fogs off there's no light at in that area at all. These are bright enough that with the driving/spot lens you could drive w them alone. I won't use them in the dark w traffic, they seem way too bright and wide even when aimed appropriately.

This is just the SS6 bars with fog lens and aimed correctly. No headlights so you lose distance visibility.



This is an example of how far to the sides they cast. Bad pic plus there's street lamps, but you can see the light hitting the building.

 

[Modman]

Agreed. In my pics, look to the lower left along the hood line. With the fogs off there's no light at in that area at all. These are bright enough that with the driving/spot lens you could drive w them alone. I won't use them in the dark w traffic, they seem way too bright and wide even when aimed appropriately.

This is just the SS6 bars with fog lens and aimed correctly. No headlights so you lose distance visibility.

View attachment 128566

This is an example of how far to the sides they cast. Bad pic plus there's street lamps, but you can see the light hitting the building.

View attachment 128568

Those help! Thanks @pickleknuckles

 

[ccw]

I have em too. They're WAY better than the OEM fogs...which are really just accent lights at best. The low beams kinda drown out the color straight ahead. They throw really wide tho, so they fill in everything under and to the sides as you'd expect.

Pics snapped from my truck. Pardon the crappiness.

View attachment 128561View attachment 128563

Your pictures look quite similar to mine!

I have no doubt that they are better than stock, but, honestly, in pictures the biggest difference I see is due to the color (amber vs. white). Lighting is tough to get a feel for in a digital picture imo. I would love it if one of you ever happens to be around a stock SD at night and would take some pseudo before/after comparisons. I think that may illustrate the improvement better, albeit still with a color change. I really do like the way these integrate into the truck in a similar fashion to the OEM lights. If I went with something different it would be amber, so I guess it doesn't matter in the end of the color change is part of the benefit.

The color change is a major part of it, but as @pickleknuckles is saying (and showing) they also “fill out” the light coverage. They hit down low and out to the sides (way out to the sides).

These would absolutely help you find and follow the line at the side of the road in adverse conditions, as well as help find deer off to the sides at lower speeds (at high speeds the extra illumination isn’t far enough ahead to be useful; stock lights are fine there).

The biggest issue we’re facing is how bright the stock low beams are. Because of how bright they are, no light will have a significant impact straight ahead without being so bright as to be too bright for adverse conditions. As a result, these “tint” the stock lights where they overlap, but don’t really add brightness. Pretty much perfect, in my opinion.

The only improvement I may want in the future is a way to turn on the fog lights with the factory low beams turned off. That would minimize glare off of whatever precipitation is ahead.

 

[modified]

Got the missing wiring adapters in from Diode Dynamics the other day. Thanks, @Nick@ApolloOptics for working with Diode Dynamics to get them shipped out! Turns out it was a limited packaging issue on Diode Dynamic’s end; no big deal.

I'm glad you mentioned that. I ordered a set at the same time and just checked the box after reading your post and sure enough mine are messing the wiring adapters as well.

Glad to hear you're happy with the new lights!

 

[ccw]

I'm glad you mentioned that. I ordered a set at the same time and just checked the box after reading your post and sure enough mine are messing the wiring adapters as well.

Glad to hear you're happy with the new lights!

Glad I helped you catch it! Now you won’t need to go under the truck twice lol.

 

[Modman]

Your pictures look quite similar to mine!


The color change is a major part of it, but as @pickleknuckles is saying (and showing) they also “fill out” the light coverage. They hit down low and out to the sides (way out to the sides).

These would absolutely help you find and follow the line at the side of the road in adverse conditions, as well as help find deer off to the sides at lower speeds (at high speeds the extra illumination isn’t far enough ahead to be useful; stock lights are fine there).

The biggest issue we’re facing is how bright the stock low beams are. Because of how bright they are, no light will have a significant impact straight ahead without being so bright as to be too bright for adverse conditions. As a result, these “tint” the stock lights where they overlap, but don’t really add brightness. Pretty much perfect, in my opinion.

The only improvement I may want in the future is a way to turn on the fog lights with the factory low beams turned off. That would minimize glare off of whatever precipitation is ahead.

Thanks guys... good detailed explanations!

 

[pickleknuckles]

...sure enough mine are messing the wiring adapters as well.

Mine were missing too. I got the pigtails w DT connectors but no Ford fog connector. Nick got em out super quick tho.

The only improvement I may want in the future is a way to turn on the fog lights with the factory low beams turned off. That would minimize glare off of whatever precipitation is ahead.

Forscan. When I got the deep sleep issue fixed I lost bambi mode but can still turn the fogs on w the parking/running lights on.

 

[ccw]

Forscan. When I got the deep sleep issue fixed I lost bambi mode but can still turn the fogs on w the parking/running lights on.

Ohhh you’re saying if I do the Bambi mode Forscan change it will allow fog lights with only the parking lights on? Guess that’s going on the list of Forscan changes! Will make that change today and try out the fogs on their own.

 

[pickleknuckles]

Ohhh you’re saying if I do the Bambi mode Forscan change it will allow fog lights with only the parking lights on? Guess that’s going on the list of Forscan changes! Will make that change today and try out the fogs on their own.

I think it's actually a different change. That one just happened to stick. I did them all when I first got the truck in July last year and they got wiped out maybe three months later when the dealer did the sleep fix. My memory ain't what it used to be and I'm too lazy to redo the changes. lol.

 

[ccw]

I think it's actually a different change. That one just happened to stick. I did them all when I first got the truck in July last year and they got wiped out maybe three months later when the dealer did the sleep fix. My memory ain't what it used to be and I'm too lazy to redo the changes. lol.

Lol no worries, I’ll try to track it down. Good to know it’s likely a separate change, though.

 

[ccw]

I think it's actually a different change. That one just happened to stick. I did them all when I first got the truck in July last year and they got wiped out maybe three months later when the dealer did the sleep fix. My memory ain't what it used to be and I'm too lazy to redo the changes. lol.

Well, I guess I never checked whether fog lights could be enabled when the parking lights are on (but not headlights). Turns out they can by default! No ForScan changes necessary.

So that works out.

 

[pickleknuckles]

Well, I guess I never checked whether fog lights could be enabled when the parking lights are on (but not headlights). Turns out they can by default! No ForScan changes necessary.

So that works out.

So that's why I didn't lose the changes.

 

[ccw]

So that's why I didn't lose the changes.

Lol yup!

 

[ccw]

While I was outside and intending to play with ForScan, I went ahead and enabled the toggle for silent mode. Huge thanks to @Rock Taxi for their post over in the ForScan section!

It's surprisingly simple: Go into the English APIM settings and enable both Center Stack Settings and Silent Mode Control. Once you shutdown and restart there is a Silent Mode slider under Setting - Vehicle that you can turn on and off. Here is a link that shows it:

Silent Mode Menu Control 2020 F250 - FORScan forum

Ed

Favorite Forscan Mod?

I need to go in and do some more things, have not played with it since I got it new. I remember it was a pain to get it up first time then it was a breeze. My rule was to take my time. Do a change check it out then on to the next. If I did not have enough time to wait until I did. Don't...

www.fordtremor.com

I've also documented this in my modifications post on page 1 of this thread.

For anyone unfamiliar, here's what the info bubble says about the toggle:

Turns off instrument cluster lighting, center display lighting, welcome lights, and courtesy lights. It also silences the horn that sounds after you lock the doors remotely.

I want this toggle available in particular for when I'm camping, but I could see it being useful other times. I may experiment with keeping it enabled by default.

I was particularly burned by this on an overnight search and rescue mission. We had a camping area away from the main command post so it could be dark and quiet while people tried to get a bit of shut eye. On my way to get some sleep, I rolled in with only my parking lights on to minimize my impact. Parked myself, opened my door and...the truck lights up the world. Felt terrible, and the lights couldn't shut off fast enough.

 

[ccw]

Wanted to get some better pictures of the new fog lights, especially with the knowledge of being able to turn them on with only the parking lights. Drove out a dirt road tonight and got the following. Note that I have not enabled Bambi mode on my truck, and have no intention of doing so, so there is no picture of the high beams and fog lights at the same time.

In horribly inclement weather the winning move is absolutely to run parking lights and fog lights, no headlights. They'll be perfect for that. Should result in minimal reflection, and solid illumination of the road immediately ahead and beside. They'll prove marginally useful in moderately inclement weather as you'll need low beams on. Those low beams will be doing most of the work. Outside of that the fog lights serve no purpose and should remain off.

This is exactly how fog lights should function, in my mind. They're there for fog (or other weather that severely limits vision), not general driving.

All images labelled with "Straight Ahead" were taken looking straight ahead using an iPhone 12 Mini, 0.5x camera.
All pictures labelled "Left Side" were taken looking over the left, front fender from inside the truck using an iPhone 12 Mini, 1x camera.

[Straight Ahead] Fog lights and parking lights.

[Straight Ahead] Fog lights and low beams.

[Straight Ahead] Low beams only.

[Straight Ahead] High beams only.

[Left Side] Fog lights and parking lights.

[Left Side] Fog lights and low beams.

[Left Side] Low beams only.

[Left Side] High beams only.

 

[Modman]

the winning move is absolutely to run parking lights and fog lights, no headlights.

This is exactly how fog lights should function, in my mind. They're there for fog (or other weather that severely limits vision), not general driving.

Great pics! The first two really show how much the low beams wash out the fogs. Totally agree with your fog only approach.

 

[pickleknuckles]

Wanted to get some better pictures of the new fog lights, especially with the knowledge of being able to turn them on with only the parking lights. Drove out a dirt road tonight and got the following. Note that I have not enabled Bambi mode on my truck, and have no intention of doing so, so there is no picture of the high beams and fog lights at the same time.

In horribly inclement weather the winning move is absolutely to run parking lights and fog lights, no headlights. They'll be perfect for that. Should result in minimal reflection, and solid illumination of the road immediately ahead and beside. They'll prove marginally useful in moderately inclement weather as you'll need low beams on. Those low beams will be doing most of the work. Outside of that the fog lights serve no purpose and should remain off.

This is exactly how fog lights should function, in my mind. They're there for fog (or other weather that severely limits vision), not general driving.

All images labelled with "Straight Ahead" were taken looking straight ahead using an iPhone 12 Mini, 0.5x camera.
All pictures labelled "Left" were taken looking over the left, front fender from inside the truck using an iPhone 12 Mini, 1x camera.

[Straight Ahead] Fog lights and parking lights.
View attachment 128710

[Straight Ahead] Fog lights and low beams.
View attachment 128711

[Straight Ahead] Low beams only.
View attachment 128712

[Straight Ahead] High beams only.
View attachment 128713

Fog lights and parking lights.
View attachment 128717

Fog lights and low beams.
View attachment 128716

Low beams only.
View attachment 128715

High beams only.
View attachment 128714​

@Nick@ApolloOptics you and Diode Dynamics need to use these pics. The garage wall comparison to OEM output is good but these will sell the product.

@ccw nice shots! I was thinking about doing the same while out for my morning run.

 

[Vecman]

Wanted to get some better pictures of the new fog lights, especially with the knowledge of being able to turn them on with only the parking lights. Drove out a dirt road tonight and got the following. Note that I have not enabled Bambi mode on my truck, and have no intention of doing so, so there is no picture of the high beams and fog lights at the same time.

In horribly inclement weather the winning move is absolutely to run parking lights and fog lights, no headlights. They'll be perfect for that. Should result in minimal reflection, and solid illumination of the road immediately ahead and beside. They'll prove marginally useful in moderately inclement weather as you'll need low beams on. Those low beams will be doing most of the work. Outside of that the fog lights serve no purpose and should remain off.

This is exactly how fog lights should function, in my mind. They're there for fog (or other weather that severely limits vision), not general driving.

All images labelled with "Straight Ahead" were taken looking straight ahead using an iPhone 12 Mini, 0.5x camera.
All pictures labelled "Left" were taken looking over the left, front fender from inside the truck using an iPhone 12 Mini, 1x camera.

[Straight Ahead] Fog lights and parking lights.
View attachment 128710

[Straight Ahead] Fog lights and low beams.
View attachment 128711

[Straight Ahead] Low beams only.
View attachment 128712

[Straight Ahead] High beams only.
View attachment 128713

Fog lights and parking lights.
View attachment 128717

Fog lights and low beams.
View attachment 128716

Low beams only.
View attachment 128715

High beams only.
View attachment 128714​

There are nice! Definitely improves the side views greatly. Once I do the BD SAE upgrade, I need to make sure my fogs are positioned correctly to give this added view area. I haven’t messed with them since I know I’m gonna just send them in soon anyway. Nice work!

 

[ccw]

@Nick@ApolloOptics you and Diode Dynamics need to use these pics. The garage wall comparison to OEM output is good but these will sell the product.

@ccw nice shots! I was thinking about doing the same while out for my morning run.

Honestly agreed. I get where the garage door idea comes from - it’s how you adjust light angles - but it doesn’t give any indication of coverage. Only cut-off.

If anyone is actually interested in using my pictures directly, reach out and I’m happy to sort out whatever paperwork is needed. Though it’s not difficult to reproduce, and it may be desirable to do so with a higher end camera.

There are nice! Definitely improves the side views greatly. Once I do the BD SAE upgrade, I need to make sure my fogs are positioned correctly to give this added view area. I haven’t messed with them since I know I’m gonna just send them in soon anyway. Nice work!

Absolutely! But make sure to strike a balance so you get enough forward light to drive without headlights on at all.