I recently saw a great deal on these foglights on eBay and snapped them up. I had planned on getting larger than stock fogs for my STi but had not really planned on a set quite as large as the 80Pro XTs.

My question is if any of you were going to try an install these lights on a 2005 USDM STi and did not want to add a lightbar, where/how would you do it? I'm interested in input on looks, secure placement, and obviously functionality.

Ideally, I'd like to put them where the OEM fogs would go, but that installation looks, at best, daunting. My "backup" location would be right next to the two foglight covers below the front grill. My concern with either of these locations is that PIAA claims the heat from these lamps is potentially enough to melt the plastic of the bumper cover. Has anyone had any experience with these particular lamps, and if so, is that something that I really need to worry about? I'd really prefer to recess them if at all possible.

The car is in the body shop for the next two weeks after an incident with a white neon and a tree... so I have plenty of time to figure out how I want to do this installation... :\

Thanks in advance!

ps - I feel like a jackass for missing the lighting forum! I looked I swear!

 

*bump*

anyone...? anyone...? Bueller?

 

check out my pics with PIAA 540's mounted. You *might* be able to still mount them in the stock location with the larger JDM surrounds, but obviously you will cut off some of the light beam. Otherwise, I suppose you could try some sort of modification either of the JDM surrounds. Alternatively you could just forgo the surrounds and leave it sort of like a bugeye appearance?

https://www.i-club.com/forums/ongoing-projects-31/some-new-pics-bay-125691/

another link with various lighting solutions:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...imate+lighting

 

I've been thinking that. Maybe mounting them in front of the stock plastic covers by extending a small piece of metal from under the bumper cover... Not quite recessed, but it's not as much of an impact to the look of the front end as a lightbar.

I've been bouncing that idea around, but I'm still not really fully satisfied with it, because I really don't want them to be just hanging out there, you know? I really like the huge look of these nearly 7" lights, so I don't want to cover them up with the bumper cover, but I don't want to have them so easily damaged. What I think would be über sweet would be to have them only partially recessed into the bumper cover, like just a little deeper than flush against it.

I was thinking about modifying the fog covers a bit in order to accomplish this. On the inside of the covers there are these little vents:



At $150 a pop, I'm afraid to cut into them but maybe cutting out the rest of the cover past the vent (away from the STi logo) would give a suitable spot to run a mounting bracket. I'm just unsure about how much modification to the actual bumper itself would be required here, or if it's even possible. Again, I'm also concerned about heat.

 

Another idea - you may also want to check out
www.rallyinnovations.com
I dunno if they sell replacement mounts or covers though...

-C

 

Don't know the size of yuor lamps, but this is where I mounted my PIAA 1000XT drivinbg lamps (see bottom of post)

www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120740

 

The 80Pro XTs are best characterized as "f--king huge." Just over 6.5" in diameter.