Are fog lights necessary?

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fogs are really just a fashion accessory that people turn on because they think they look cool.


Totally agree. In Germany its illegal to use them if there is no fog. The fines are steep and points on your licence.
 
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
They should have fines like that here.


It would take away our "rights" to act like idiots.
 
Well, we have fines like that up here, but the laws are simply never enforced. I suspect many states have similar laws.

Heck, a loose battery is against the law up here, but that doesn't mean it's regularly enforced, except during commercial vehicle inspections.
 
Honestly, when it gets really foggy, I'll drop to parking lights and fogs, even though it's not legal in most of the USA. I'd rather risk getting pulled over than not be able to see past the end of my hood because my low beams had to be on (I've had fog that bad coming into my neighborhood at home).
 
Fog lights in the fog can be like 4WD in the snow. Some will develop a touch of overconfidence. All but one car I have owned has had factory fog lights. The thing about most OE fogs is you cannot use high beam or just parking lights. Though some of the new cars allow just parking lights and fogs. They are helpful in the fog, but just because I have them doesn't mean I will drive any faster in the fog than if I didn't have them at all. Front fog lights help you see, rear fog lights (euro) help you be seen.
 
That link was very informative. I bought a recently bought a PT Cruiser. I originally wanted either a Fit or a Cruze but I didn't have any credit history. Anyways the PT Cruiser has fog lights but I never use them. They only light up 10 feet in front of my car. My regular low beams go out farther. I keep the fog lights off because I want to be focused on where I'm going instead of what's 10 feet infront of me. Plus, other people drive around with their fog lights and it makes it hard for me to see. I might try them on a night the ground is wet and see how they do. After having experience with fog lights, I can finally say that fog lights are not necessary. The low beams are better. Of course, that's just my opinion.
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
The definitive word on fog lamps:

What are Fog Lamps Really For?
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/fog_lamps/fog_lamps.html
 
Nothing helps in fog. High beams blind the driver, and poorly aimed low beams also blind the driver. In dense fog, even good fog lights are little help.

Halfway decent fog lights are a help at night rain, mist, or snow, or just wet dark pavement.
 
I think a problem with fog lights is that almost no one checks to see if they are aimed correctly. Mine were too low from the factory. Aiming made a huge difference. I use them in clear weather to get better side of the road lighting.
 
The thing to consider is that real fog lamps are designed to work at very low speeds of travel. So if you are using them for side lighting at highways speeds by the time you see it on the side the time for reaction has long passed. At the designed speeds yes the reaction time is much more feasible.
 
I think so ... not so much for the fog but for the heavy lake affect snow.

I've been in a few situations where I simply was not able to see any farther ahead than my front bumper.

More than once, I ended up driving with the 4-ways on because I could see more from the turn signal bulbs than I could with the headlights.
 
Just like drls i think fogs are really only helpful to be seen down the road from other drivers in fog , especially on coming traffic and i do agree they should be yellow bulbs not white/clear.
 
Proper fog lamps do work...just at reduced speeds...ie much less than speed limit. If you can travel the speed limit you don't need fogs on and having them on can actually cause problems for other drivers.

Yellow or clear bulb...is a drivers preference for visual fatigue or other reasons one isn't necessarily better than the other at penetrating through the fog.
 
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I use fog lamps as DRLs on my Pathfinder. At night, they stay off the vast majority of the time. Can't remember the last time it was foggy in Florida.
 
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
Proper fog lamps do work...just at reduced speeds...ie much less than speed limit. If you can travel the speed limit you don't need fogs on and having them on can actually cause problems for other drivers.

Yellow or clear bulb...is a drivers preference for visual fatigue or other reasons one isn't necessarily better than the other at penetrating through the fog.


Agreed. The one time I really had to use the dealer-option fogs on the Cruze, it was a blizzard, and trying to see with headlights alone was like being inside a snowglobe. The fogs really did help with contrast. I was also going about 25 mph in a 55 until the snow let up some, and I could see again.
 
I think it really depends on the vehicle (or, rather, the specific fog lamp and its placement on said vehicle.) The fogs on my Durango came from the factory aimed all the way down and were worthless. After aiming them properly I notice that they provide a nice amount of light at a wider angle – sort of like a cornering lamp. That said I find them valuable during night city driving.
 
I use the fogs in the bimmer in the rain sometimes, just to enable others to see MY car, and it enables me to 'save' the life time of xenon low beams a bit hopefully.
(not to mention it looks great with parks and fogs on
smile.gif
but that's just a bonus.)

and yes, in my car, they can be on with just parking lights, or with low beams.
If you turn on high beams, the fogs automatically go off.

NC can get quite foggy at times, and I have actually made use of the fogs more than I ever expected. It's the only car we have with fogs.
a pic with parks/fogs on just for kicks
smile.gif


DSC_0045.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: johnsmellsalot
the PT Cruiser has fog lights but I never use them. They only light up 10 feet in front of my car. My regular low beams go out farther. I keep the fog lights off because I want to be focused on where I'm going instead of what's 10 feet infront of me....


Admittedly, the PT's fogs aren't very good. They do help in dense fog to see the lane markers and curbs. But even though they are mounted low, they are not as good as my Mazda's low aimed fog lights that are in the headlight housing. The Mazda's projector beam doesn't project much further forward but does illuminate low and to the sides better.
It has to be really dense fog for me to use the PT's fog lights. Otherwise, I am just overdriving them. IMO, the PT Cruiser's "fog lights" are another case of an a styling afterthought over function.
 
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