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Fog lights are for FOGGY conditions

14K views 49 replies 26 participants last post by  Dieseldragon 
#1 ·
Why do so many people drive around in perfect weather conditions with fog lights on :confused: Or install illegal super bright LED lights inside the fog housing then use them all the time.
 
#4 ·
You are right some new LEDs can put out 5000 lumens and more... regular halogens are between 1000 and 2000 lumens

Fog lights don't have reflector nor lens to be used as daily driver lights they are for low viability during FOG..

Here is light pattern: Text Font Digital compositing Animation Parallel


Fog lights make wide very intense light which blinds oncoming traffic.... so using them as DD lights is not safe.... at least...

I know many will say I use them all the time... blah blah blah.... I know many people who doesn't care about people around them...
 
#5 ·
Fog lights are low for a reason, to shine underneath the fog. If someone's fog lights are blinding you, its because they are adjusted wrong, not for the simple fact that they are on.

For fun, next time you're in heavy fog, turn your brights on, which are intended to point higher than any of your other lights. How well can you see now?
 
#6 ·
i know my factory fogs illuminate an area higher than regular headlights, but I've never had anyone flash their high beams at me when driving at night and having the fogs on. I used to have them on all the time but they shake too much so I only have them on when needed.
 
#7 ·
I have LED's for all my bulbs. They produce about 3,500 lumens. I found that they simply need to be adjusted correctly and have the right "cut" at the height of the beam in order to not shine into oncoming drivers eyes. I run my fog lights constantly. They are adjusted correctly and only shoot low to the sides to illuminate the ditches and a very small part just under the dim beams in front of the vehicle. On most vehicles fogs lights are physically set on the curvature of the bumper which allows them to shine more to the sides than directly in front. The are also always positioned low so they can shoot a beam under as much fog as possible and illuminate the ground as mentioned in an above post. They are also typically a lower output bulb since the point is not to shine very bright which blinds the driver in foggy situations and hence nullifies the usefulness of fog lights in the first place.

If you're getting a bright beam in your eyes from a fog light then they are either miss adjusted, the housing is not secured like in the case of an accident causing it to point upwards, or the bulb is incorrect or incorrectly installed where the filament of the bulb is too close to the reflector not allow the appropriate beam.
 
#8 ·
I hate aftermarket headlights, I hate the super bright new lights and I hate people who drive with their fog lights on. If those people had to sit on the other side of the bulb they wouldn't do what they do. Really pisses me off, but what the hell can you do about it? Nothing. Many of them I see are against the law, but nobody enforces it so nothing happens.

To add to it all the people who just gotta level their truck because it looks so cool never adjust their head lights and it sucks worse.
 
#10 ·
I mostly have to agree with you on this one. I'm a little lighter on the hatred so I'll say dislike. The other night I had an oncoming wrangler with massive rectangular LED panels mounted outboard on both side mirrors. I never saw anything like it before and I actually had to almost come to a stop until he passed. Luckily it was on a back road. In my younger years I would have turned around and chased him down.
 
#11 ·
Driving with your fog lights on and having LED panels are 2 different things. I agree that it really pisses me off to get blinded by after market lighting but fog lights are OEM and as was said before, if they are adjusted properly they won't shine high enough to bother other drivers.
 
#15 ·
I run my stock fogs anytime my low beams are on, I wish they would stay on with the high beams. Normal fog lights will not blind oncoming drivers. Many people use them because they have a wider low spread which is very handy on twisty roads for illuminating the turns right in front of you, they also illuminate the ditches and fields up close so you can see the danged deer that's going to jump right in front of you. Fog lights that are properly built and installed will cast a low wide beam which is NOT going to blind other drivers by lens shaping and reflectors.
 
#18 ·
I run my stock fogs anytime my low beams are on, I wish they would stay on with the high beams.
I believe is a federal restriction to no more than 4 forward lights on while on road. The lows stay on when the high beams are turned on, so the fogs are programmed to turn off.
I have read that with AutoEnginuity, you can set the fogs to stay on with the high beams. It's not to say that if your local law enforcement could cite you for having too many lights on.
 
#19 ·
There is not much you can adjust with fog lights.

Fog lights have completely different patern.

They make not too high, but VERY INTENCE and wide light beam.

You can lower them, but they still shine into o coming traffic.

Also their on/off switch is not located where you can switch them to avoid blinding somebody.

It makes more sense to upgrade low beams with high quality LEDs or HIDs if you have projector headlights.

It makes sence to upgrade fog lights to medium output LEDs and use them ONLY in low visability conditions like fog, heavy rain, snow.... or off road.

I have projector headlights and because of this I upgraded to HIDs and I am super happy with my lights.
 
#23 ·
Yup, I have the standard 4 X Halogen setup. Horrible lights. I am considering as a stop gap, maybe Silverstar Lighting. Not the greatest, but maybe I will be able to see the road, just IMHO...Gonna look at different bulbs for the fog lights also, but not a priority now,.,..
 
#24 ·
Tossing out some options, one would be LED's in the fogs, at least the right brand and design would help. Secondly, installing a 9012 bulb instead of the 9006 bulb will drastically increase the lumens while still utilizing a halogen bulb. To fit the 9012 you simply need to trim one of the three locking tabs. Very simple.
 
#29 ·
I drive with mine on and unless they are out of adjustment they should not bother on coming traffic at all. Now if some one swaps out the stock bulbs for higher output or or with LED's then we have a horse of a different color. These new LED headlamp and fog lamps IMO are B.S.. They blind on coming traffic and actually cause momentary blindness making it impossible to see anything on the side of the road like a pedestrian. Then add the fact that a lot of vehicles seem to come from the factory with misaligned headlamps and or fog lamps (Kia/Hyundai are the worse offenders). Fords seem to have some of the brightest lights on the road IMO
 
#30 · (Edited)
I have no issues with people driving with their fog lights on, I do it all the time since the stock headlights on this truck suck and the fog lights do help in all conditions... But i do agree, it's terrible when guys throw outrageously over powered HID's or LEDs into stock halogen housings. I was going down the highway one day, late summer, sunny day, with sun glasses on and some tool in a Jeep renegade must have had 55w 6500k HID's in the housings on his renegade, they were so bright, looking at them in my mirror, mid sunny day, with my sun glasses on still physically caused pain in my eyes. I seriously contemplated following him and taking my hatchet to his headlights after he parked and left his jeep...

If your gonna upgrade your headlights / fog lights don't half ass it, do full retrofits AND make sure to aim them properly, or don't do an upgrade at all...
 
#31 ·
I have no issues with people driving with their fog lights on, I do it all the time since the stock headlights on this truck suck and the fog lights do help in all conditions... But i do agree, it's terrible when guys throw outrageously over powered HID's or LEDs into stock halogen housings. I was going down the highway one day, late summer, sunny day, with sun glasses on and some tool in a Jeep renegade must have had 55w 6500k HID's in the housings on his renegade, they were so bright, looking at them in my mirror, mid sunny day, with my sun glasses on still physically caused pain in my eyes. I seriously contemplated following him and taking my hatchet to his headlights after he parked and left his jeep...

If your gonna upgrade your headlights / fog lights don't half ass it, do full retrofits and make sure to aim them properly, or don't do an upgrade at all...
Agreed^^^

It was posted in a previous comment on this thread. Install them and aim them where the stock bulbs were aimed and most importantly test them from incoming traffic viewpoints. Have a friend or your wife drive it as you drive past them or at a minimum park it on take your second vehicle, preferably a car that sits lower to the group to make sure it doesn't blind them.
 
#37 ·
Fog lights provide only a few feet of light in front of the truck and to the sides. If you are driving with high beams on then you don't need fog lights. DOT and most state laws require fog lights to switch off when highbeams come on.

IMO, idiots drive with fog lights when there is no fog lights. If your behind me with fog lights on, I turn on my cargo lights. If you you've replaced fog lights with d-head LED or Xenon bulbs then you get my highbeams as you blind me, I blind you back.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Fog lights provide only a few feet of light in front of the truck and to the sides. If you are driving with high beams on then you don't need fog lights. DOT and most state laws require fog lights to switch off when highbeams come on.

IMO, idiots drive with fog lights when there is no fog lights. If your behind me with fog lights on, I turn on my cargo lights. If you you've replaced fog lights with d-head LED or Xenon bulbs then you get my highbeams as you blind me, I blind you back.
You are making negative assumptions. You are thinking of highway driving. We are thinking of off-road driving or driving back country roads with no traffic. A good set of fogs light up the sides that high beams do not - the combination makes a very good light pattern to drive much safer. I see deer on the sides that I would never see driving without my fogs. Please don't refer to us as idiots.

You are also wrong about the laws. It is a Federal (DOT) law that only allows four lights lighted at a time. There's nothing in the law about driving with fogs and high beams. Many vehicles with high beams lighted also have the low beams lighted, thus four lights. That is why these vehicles do not allow fogs on with high beams lighted.

If you are in the habit of blinding drivers because you don't like them driving with their fog lights on IMO you are the idiot!

Cheers!
 
#44 ·
I think your fog light expertise needs some improvement.

Automotive lighting Automotive tail & brake light Light Red Vehicle

Yellow Night Green Light Sky
 
#45 ·
I live in the Boondocks of Maine. When I drive at night on rural roads, I've found the fog lights help to see deer in the ditch, in time to slow down or stop. Sometimes it seems like you are driving through a gauntlet, nighttime, deer, daytime wild turkeys.
 
#46 ·
I must be an idiot! :rolleyes:

I don't consider them fog lights at all. I don;t think they help FA in the fog. I consider them driving lights. when I'm on back roads they help light the road closer in front and to the sides while driving. This helps if there happens to be anything on the edge/shoulder that could become a object of animal destruction (aka Roadkill).

I have mine enabled at all time and now when my high beams are on also. I have auto high beams, so the driving lights are of little concern to oncoming drivers after my high beams have been turned off at a legally respectable distance.



 

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#47 ·
I wish the fog lights had the same functionality as those on my wife's golf. When slowing under 25mph, the fog on the side where you either had your turn signal on or in the direction of your turn would light up. giving you more light to the side of where you wanted to go. I know that this personally saved at least two walkers that were darkly dressed at night. They were actually in the cross walk too but I would not have seen them except for the fog light.
 
#48 ·
On the MY 19, the lights do just this. Also on higher trim like Limited, the "projector" headlights also turn. Since I have a lower trim Bighorn, I just had the OEM midrange reflector LED's for headlights, but they R pretty good...
 
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