Vision X Solstice (Solo) LED fog lights

[— Agent☣Orange —]

Product review: Vision X Solo S1101 LED fog light with wide angle lens

The Miata is harder to see than a motorcycle and the phenomena of cars swerving into us or turning into our lane is pretty well known. A pair of aftermarket blasting horns are just part of the solution but it would be better to be seen before heard.

Not a new concept since daytime running lights have been around a long time and many folks have already equipped their Miatas with fog lights. But so far, these lights have been conventional, 55w-100w H3 variety that strain the Miata's small alternator, generate tremendous heat and depending upon the size of the light housing, can eat bulbs like M&Ms.

Enter the Vision X Solo. It is next to the smallest of the product line next to the Solo Mini but packs a lighting whallop that must be seen to be appreciated. It is a 2"x2" solid aluminum enclosure with a 1.7" lens covering the industry's most powerful LED bulb: a 10W mini monster that consumes a paltry .7 amps per light.

You read that right, a mere three quarters of 1 amp at its fullest brightness. I say fullest brightness as a pointer to a slightly more expensive version of the Solo that comes with a dimming switch but that is not being reviewed here.


The waterproof enclosure is designed with slots that allows combining multiple Solos together for more effect such as a light bar on a truck and also to attach the included mount for the bumper. Vision X sells other mounts for the Solo to allow attaching to bike handlebars, helmets and even a handheld battery pack so it can be used as a flashlight.


Now, we won't admit it but we've all looked right into the light of even the smallest LED keychain light and been amazed how bright they are. And we're familiar with nice 1w LED flash lights that are too bright to look at. Now imagine what 10w looks like...so bright, it'll burn your retinas if you look directly at it for a moment too long. That's the tiny Vision X solo.


The basic package includes everything you need to mount the light to your Miata including very nice, waterproof connectors.


The electrical draw is so minimal, 1.5 amps for the pair compared to 16-20amp for normal Halogen bulbs that no relay is needed, just a simple Add-A-Circuit in the fusebox. Since this particular install is for DRLs, I did not install an interior on/off switch but I did mount one in the engine bay to turn them off while working on the motor with the key on.


A quick power up test on the workbench is like watching a miniature nuclear explosion.

[— Agent☣Orange —]

These were purchased to make the Miata visible even on bright sunny days so the next test was to place one outside in broad daylight. You've seen Porches, Audis, BMWs and Mercs running around with LED DRLs but these are much brighter.

This photo is off axis on purpose but the light is brighter in sunlight than what is captured here by digital camera.


Pleased with the results, I started mounting them to the Miata. Conveniently, there are already holes inside the NBs mouth with a couple bolts so it was easy to pull the them and install the Solo's mounting brackets. Nearby to each mounting location, there are a couple more bolts that can be used as grounding points for the lights.

One mounted and tested


Now both mounted and tested

[— Agent☣Orange —]

Now for street testing in bright sunlight




And then later that night

[— Agent☣Orange —]

Conclusion:

These lights are incredibly bright, moreso than any conventional fog/driving light I've ever had plus they're white light, not dull yellow how incandescent bulbs look. Even in daylight, they must be aimed downward in order not to offend oncoming traffic.

At night, they are sheer terror to look at.

In the photos above, they were so bright, I had them pointed almost directly downward toward road in order to be able to see without my retinas smoking. My camera could barely control aperature and shutter speed enough to cut down the brightness on the image.

Part of this is due to this particular lens option of this set, the 35-degree wide angle (model 1101). Think of it as putting HID bulbs in a reflector housing instead of a projector; extremely bright light blasting in every direction, blinding oncoming drivers. Vision X sells the Solo with other lenses such as the 10-degree spot, the 15-degree (1102), Euro and eliptical.

The set in this write up were so bright at every angle that the owner decided to send them back and exchange them for the Solo 1102, 15-degree version to better control dispersion. Too narrow a beam (such as the 10-degree) kind of defeats the purpose of being seen since they're too narrowly focused.

Personally, I would like to run these wide angle, Solo 1101s in my own Miata however, I would have sprung for the slightly more expensive versions with the dimmer control. The dimmer control would allow me to run full bright during the day but then really dial back the brightness at night to avoid blinding people.

These are amazingly small, powerful, dazzling and solidly built lights. I would add more superlatives at the risk of sounding rediculous but they're that good.

###

[concealer404]

They look bright as hell!!!!

Question, though... how useable are they as true fog/driving lights since they don't seem to focus very well?

[— Agent☣Orange —]

Your need determines which version of Solo to buy. The Solo 1100 series are all the same enclosures and 10W LED bulbs but with different lenses.

The owner in this case wanted to be seen by traffic, especially in bright sunny days in FL so he opted for the 1101 wide angle version. Being able to see long distances at night or ability to aim narrowly were not what he was looking for.

If you want driving lights to penetrate long distances and be more aimable, then you would opt for the Solo S1100 (10-degree) or the Solo S1102 (15-degree) versions.

Company info: http://www.visionxusa.com/LED-Solsti...3a0229d2734284


***Moved thread to Product Reviews***

[TheFrohn]

these are way cool...

If they were cheaper (not saying they aren't worth the money) I'd def pick up a pair of them.

[— Agent☣Orange —]

I know what you mean. They're not cheap for sure but you get what you pay for. These feel solid in the hand and everything about them including the wiring connectors seems professional. I know Emilio at 949Racing is using them as headlights in his race car.

There are a lot of LED fog lights on eBay and such but they use a row of 1W bulbs in cheap plastic housings and labeled 5W or 10W when in fact, they're not. VisionX uses a single 10W monster.

[richterat83]

VERY cool!

[Frenchmanremy]

http://www.visionxusa.com/LED-Solsti...duct_info.html

Wonder if we could use that as a headlight...

[— Agent☣Orange —]

Heck no. That would look like a supernova to oncoming traffic. It is nothing like a directional headlight beam.

[SM16RMSM]

I wonder if they can replace the stock placement for the oem fog lights