The so called fake HIDs are usually advertised as HID coloured, meaning they are a blue tinted bulb. It's silly really because the blue colouring is the worst thing about HIDs.
Real HIDs are fantastic in fog, even standard halogen headlights with a HID kit in them will penetrate fog better than any fog light I've seen.
Yes, the fogs will turn off when you select high beam, unless you change the switching, but if you're driving in fog or snow are you going to be going from fogs to high beam and back again often?
The worst thing about that is that HIDs take a bit of time to warm up which is why they're not ideal in a double bulb hi lo situation luike my Mondeo (Contour). It has 35 watt HIDs H7 pattern in low beam and 100 watt Halogen H7 in high. the halogens come on straight away.
I have High Low in a H4 pattern 55 watt HID in my '97 Explorer, that works by having one bulb for both high and low but when high is selected some more of the bulb is unshrouded by a solenoid.
Many people will tell you that putting BI Xenon bulbs in a standard housing will give you a **** light pattern but I've got to wonder how many of these people have actually done it or are just repeating what they've heard?
My light pattern is very close to the standard pattern with the H4 bulb but MUCH brighter.
High beam seems a little thin though but it's ok for most situations. I'll be getting some Halogen spots for dark highway work where the 'roos are hopping about.
My standard fogs are literally useless. I haven't decided what to do there yet.
No, you don't want a crazy amount of lumens in a fog light, and I've seen plenty of HIDs in factory housings. They make crappy beam patterns and loads of glare in US housings. E-Spec housings, like you get in Australia work significantly better than the pattern you get out of a DOT headlight, since DOT headlights are made to produce light above the centerline of the vehicle to light signs above the road, and our beam patterns aren't quite as thoroughly regulated, so the reflectors in our headlights leave more scatter.
Here are a few examples from this side of the pond of what happens when you put an HID retrofit bulb in a standard halogen housing.
Here's one in an e-code even, and you can see the splotchyness of the light
Back to US spec headlights, here is one compared to the halogen on the other side, note the difference in the patterns and the artifacts of light scattered all over elsewhere
Here's a bulb retrofit on the right, with a projector retrofit on the left
Same thing with this one. Bulb retrofit on the near car, factory projectors on the caddy in the background
Here is probably one of the best bulb retrofits you will get in a halogen housing, and it still has a TON of light above the cutoff.
Of course, that car has factory halogen projectors, which is the only reason it can even control the beam to this extent.
