We have a lot of fog here so I use them when it is really foggy. They cut through a little of it but mostly I use them so other people can see me coming!

 

yah, agreed. i too think it's more for others to detect your car's approaching than anything else.

main issue is that you cant turn on the fogs by themselves as they are considered driving lights..(?) the headlight glare over takes the fog's yellow illumination (if you have yellow bulbs or laminx type lens) in dense fog.

 

As mentioned on another thread or earlier post, fog lights add to your peripheral vision and covers the area between your headlights and bumper. Unlike driving lights that project farther with a narrower beam, fog lights project a shorter but wider beam.

Not sure if it's law, but the logic behind not having the OEM fogs independent of headlights is that if you need to turn on your fog lights, it's enough reason to have your headlights on as well.

Not to say that you can't have independent fog and/or driving lights. But that's for another thread...

 

between your headlights and bumper. this is like trying to see the top of my nose

 

If you want Fog Lights, you don't buy the ones already installed on a new car. You get it with out the fog lights and order them from somebody like Susquehanna MotorSports. Also someone mentioned Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply. I have used him and he is excellent to deal with. But he does not have a order form on line, and to order you need to talk to him in person. Never had a problem ordering his way. Comes highly recommended.

 

The gap between the low end of your headlight beam and your bumper should be what the fog lights fill in...

 

hahahaha, yah I know what you meant.

 

I know you knew what I meant... I did say "cover" not "see"...

 

yep.

thanks for not posting detailed graphs and other illustrations like some folks do trying to 'prove' a point... while looking like a complete idiot doing so. hahaha. yah we know who they are.

 

Ooooohhhhh nooooo - lumens, speed of light, progression, projection angle, color spectrum....

 

I'm glad you brought this point up. Living in a rural area, they're a help in spotting varmints hiding along the edge of the road.

 

Just turned them on for the first time tonight, I have to say they do look nice though.

 

You should try it more often. They do help a bit!

 

Until you get out on really dark dark roads at night (out in the country where you don't have any glow from the city), then they are more of a hinderance... When it is super-dark out, the foglights illuminate stuff that is too close and your visibility becomes more limited. (Chances are however you'd be using your high beams at that point so the Fogs are off anyway)

~SB

 

That's why I prefer yellow/amber fog lights - more depth, less reflection.

 

I am of the opinion that no matter what color we make our OEM fog lights they are just for show and provide no actual driving benefit except the one we have convinced ourselves there is.

No matter. I have them. I turn them on all the time. I turn on all my lights day or night.

The only lighting problem I have is when owners put in cheap bluish lights or even HID kits without upgrading the housing as well. Now that is useless IMHO.

 

There probably is a law about that since I had to take the aftermarket fog lights off of my Civic (I used them as DRLs) when I got it inspected to sell it. I was told I either had to rewire the lights so they turned off when the high-beams were on or take the lights off completely. I unbolted them, put them in the trunk, and told the buyer that he could put them on if he wanted.

I live in Maryland so maybe that's part of it but I do see a lot of vehicles that run fog lights without the headlights on around here. It's really confusing but I guess there are glare concerns. I've considered rewiring the fog lights in my Fit with a switch to flip between "legal" mode and "use them whenever you want" mode. Then just hide the switch under the dash... that way I can have some light closer to my car when the high beams are on.

 

High beams and Fog lights on at the same time counter nighttime visibility. The thing about high beams is that it puts light far out where you need it and little light close to you. your pupils dilate and let you see better in the darker environment. The minute you turn on your fogs, everything close that reflects light back (signs, plants, road debris, etc...) makes your pupils constrict and hurts your nighttime/distance vision. Most people say, the more light the better but it's not true. the more light in one place, the better but light scattered everywhere limits your vision. it's one of the reasons that you don't really see any better with drop in HID bulbs in a reflector housing. It scatters light in the wrong areas.

That said, if you live in a very well lit area (city suburbs, areas where you see little/no stars on a clear night), the difference between highs and highs w/fogs gets much smaller.

~SB

 

There are a lot of deer in my area and I've had several run across the road in front of me at night along stretches without any streetlamps nearby. That's about the only time I'd want to use fogs for extra light along the sides. Otherwise they are fairly useless. I've never noticed a difference in how well I see at night with or without fog lights on but maybe I should try both and compare since you brought it up.

 

I've been putting Phillips and Matsushita HID's in my motorcycles and also the fogs on my 2008 STI and I notice a big difference in vision. I just dropped a set onto my Goldwing and I can see much better. Maybe the change in light temperature is one of the reasons (6k). When I put my HID equipped vehicles next to stock, there is no comparison. My 50 year old eyes appreciate it greatly. A well designed HID bulb puts out more lumens and thus more light. I cannot see how it will scatter more. The scatter is mostly a result of the reflector design. Just my two cents. Oh, this is my first post. I have an 2008 Sport and just bought a 2012 Sport. Daughter gets the 2008!