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Do you drive with your "fog" (driving) lights on at night?

Do you always drive with your "fog" lights on at night?

  • Yes

    Votes: 11 35.5%

  • No

    Votes: 20 64.5%
  • Total voters
    31
Dargo

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
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On some cars they say "fog" lights, but they are not amber in color and are simply another set of, sometimes brighter, lights. Not all cars have these lights but it seems more and more have them.

If you do drive with them on all the time (I know some people who wouldn't have a clue as to how to turn them off) and your local law enforcement agency needs some extra cash, you just may be making a contribution.

A friend of mine called me (well, he actually called me a bad name, but that's besides the point) and told me that he just got a ticket for driving with his bright lights on. No, not "bright lights" in the conventional sense, but the freaking irritating (now you know my position) driving lights on his Ford Exploder and he got pulled over and was issued a ticket. He told the cop that the car companies wouldn't put them on cars if they were illegal. The cop told him that car companies put "brights" on all cars, and it's illegal to drive around blinding people with them! :yum:

Anyway, we've been having that debate for a while. If I don't wear my glasses while driving at night a lot of those "fog" lights (technically they are considered 'driving lights' and are to be used when there is no oncoming traffic or on a divided highway) blind the heck out of me. I wonder if other law enforcement departments start handing out $55 tickets like crazy? I know where I live they could get about every other car.
 
muleman

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
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On my suburban you must manually push a button to turn them on. If you change to high beams they are automatically off till you go back to low beams. I only use them in snow and fog.
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
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No, I rarely use them. I find them most useful at night when it is snowing. We have a lot of fog here too, in fact the school has as many as 15 or 20 "fog delays" in a school year, but unless the fog is really thick I don't think they are too useful.

As for driving around with them on when its not snowing, raining or foggy. . . nope. I'm not one of those.
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
I keep them on all the time except for when my High Beams are on. They automatically go off when the Hi's come on.
 
OhioTC18

OhioTC18

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Factory fog lights on an Exploder are mounted below the bumper and are aimed to light up the road and shine "under" the fog. The fog lights are 45 watt bulbs, whereas the headlights are 55/65 watt bulbs.
They won't blind anybody. Now high beams, that's another story. It may be illegal to drive with them on.

The headlight switch has a dedicated position for the fog lights, so they can be turned off.
 
AndyM

AndyM

Charter Member
OhioTC18 said:
The fog lights are 45 watt bulbs, whereas the headlights are 55/65 watt bulbs.
They won't blind anybody. Now high beams, that's another story. It may be illegal to drive with them on.
Click to expand...

But having fog lights and low beam headlights on at the same time are a little on the bright side (45 watts+55 watts=100 watts).

I think the people who give the answer that they drive with their fogs lights and low beam headlights at the same time should answer why they do this.
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
AndyM said:
But having fog lights and low beam headlights on at the same time are a little on the bright side (45 watts+55 watts=100 watts).

I think the people who give the answer that they drive with their fogs lights and low beam headlights at the same time should answer why they do this.
Is it to blind me?
Click to expand...


I can see a lot better I guess is why I do it. The two sets of lights point in different directions and don't blind people. The brights with the fogs I can't say but I do know it is illegal to have both on at the same time. However you can have the fog and the low lights on at the same time. No one ever flashes their lights back at me that I can remember. I would think if it was a problem people would flash their brights at me.
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
If they are not aimed low to me they wouldn't work worth a crap as fog lights. The whole intent of a fog light is to be low to the ground
 
Big Dog

Big Dog

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muleman said:
On my suburban you must manually push a button to turn them on. If you change to high beams they are automatically off till you go back to low beams. I only use them in snow and fog.
Click to expand...

Ditto^
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

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thcri said:
If they are not aimed low to me they wouldn't work worth a crap as fog lights. The whole intent of a fog light is to be low to the ground
Click to expand...

I agree but its pretty obvious that some people drive around with misaligned lights.
 
B

bczoom

Super Moderator
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Big Dog said:
Ditto^
Click to expand...

Ummm, yea, I think I have that too. Which button do I hit to turn them on and off? (There's 2 buttons that are damn near the same... One for the bed light, the other for the fogs).

To answer Brent's question, no, I don't use them (since I don't know what button to push). The lights come on automatically. That's all I need.

BTW, wasn't there a law years ago about having fog lights directly below headlights? I thought it wasn't allowed.
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
B_Skurka said:
I would say that they are SUPPOSED TO BE aimed low but in many cases they are misaligned.
Click to expand...

thcri said:
If they are not aimed low to me they wouldn't work worth a crap as fog lights. The whole intent of a fog light is to be low to the ground
Click to expand...

B_Skurka said:
I agree but its pretty obvious that some people drive around with misaligned lights.
Click to expand...


You are right. My statement was directed at the people that don't have their lights adjusted especially the fogs light in the fact they would be worthless if not aimed right.
 
Dargo

Dargo

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OhioTC18 said:
Factory fog lights on an Exploder are mounted below the bumper and are aimed to light up the road and shine "under" the fog. The fog lights are 45 watt bulbs, whereas the headlights are 55/65 watt bulbs.
They won't blind anybody. Now high beams, that's another story. It may be illegal to drive with them on.

The headlight switch has a dedicated position for the fog lights, so they can be turned off.
Click to expand...

Sort of true. At about any auto parts store I'm told that "everybody" comes in and buys the 65 watt bulbs for their driving lights 'so they can see better'. You'll note here 55 watt fog lights that they go out of their way to say "100% legal". Well, so are brights; just not when you are approaching someone! :hammer:

Since absolutely nobody has ever turned the danged things off when I've quickly flashed my lights, I installed these on my F350 New fog lights and just turn them on when people blind me. Funny, they don't seem to like it when I turn my "fog" lights on but they don't mind blinding me with theirs. :glare:
 
Dargo

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Oh yeah, sort of the reason for the thread is because my friend called me to 'warn' me about driving around with my new fog lights on; which I don't. Honestly, they are aimed low and right. That allows me to see the right side of the road when the oncoming vehicle is blinding me. Anyway, he just wanted to tell me it is illegal to drive with them on since he pushed the button to turn them on when he bought his Exploder (what he calls it - sort of an affectionate joke since someone else told him it would be junk but it's been perfect for him) and has never turned them off until his $55 ticket.
 
Dargo

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
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Hey, I just looked at the poll so far. Somebody is cheating! Either that or the backwoods hicks around me aren't a true representation of the general population. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't go there...
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

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Just a follow up question.

To those people who drive with their fog lamps ON all the time, my question is WHY? What good does it do to have them on when the conditions are clear? (not foggy/snowy or raining)​
 
TOMLESCOEQUIP

TOMLESCOEQUIP

Just Plinkin Away the $$
Dargo said:
Sort of true. At about any auto parts store I'm told that "everybody" comes in and buys the 65 watt bulbs for their driving lights 'so they can see better'. You'll note here 55 watt fog lights that they go out of their way to say "100% legal". Well, so are brights; just not when you are approaching someone! :hammer:

Since absolutely nobody has ever turned the danged things off when I've quickly flashed my lights, I installed these on my F350 New fog lights and just turn them on when people blind me. Funny, they don't seem to like it when I turn my "fog" lights on but they don't mind blinding me with theirs. :glare:
Click to expand...

Brent.......On the diesel truck resource website there's a thread highlighting a mod called the fogzilla conversion, which basically details how to replace the factory dodge fog light bulbs with high beam bulbs instead. I did it on my last 3 Dodges & the results are incredible for the minimal $$ spent.
I don't leave them on all the time though.

Tom
 
K

k-dog

Member
We use them in our Ford Explorer all the time. When you turn on high beams, the driving lights go off. The driving lights help light up the road better as they seem to disperse the light more to the sides as well which is a good thing where I live to enable you to see the deer better.
I think the officer may have been trying to make a little money for his department.
To me those lights that are on foreign cars are worse than a vehicle with driving lights. Those purplish or bluish looking lights are awful and blinding. I would love to see them outlaw those.
On my old truck, I had a set of actual fog lights that I replaced the bulbs with 135 watt H-3's and they were blinding. I only used those in nasty weather or if someone highbeamed me :whistling:
 
OhioTC18

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Dargo said:
Since absolutely nobody has ever turned the danged things off when I've quickly flashed my lights, I installed these on my F350 and just turn them on when people blind me. Funny, they don't seem to like it when I turn my "fog" lights on but they don't mind blinding me with theirs.
Click to expand...

That's real smart. Now there are two blind drivers on the road.
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

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Staff member
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Very few cars here in the US have a rear fog light. Volvo used to equip their cars with rear fog lights, my current Volvo does not have that feature. VW no longer imports cars with rear fog lamps either, at least not on most models. I know of no US manufacturer that includes a rear fog light.
 
BigAl

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
daedong said:
What I have noticed on the rare occasion is the rear fog light is blinding in normal conditions.
Click to expand...

Thats a new one on me ???? Rear fog lights ?? I have seen a lot of really bright "Back Up" lights and have installed a few on past rigs .But they were always tied to the reverse on my transmission or had a over ride for loading/unloading .
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
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BigAl said:
Thats a new one on me ???? Rear fog lights ?? I have seen a lot of really bright "Back Up" lights and have installed a few on past rigs .But they were always tied to the reverse on my transmission or had a over ride for loading/unloading .
Click to expand...

On my prior Volvos (dating back to the old "240" series) they had a rear fog light that basically was just an extra bright red light, it was only on 1 side of the vehicle, and it was activated by an independent switch.

On the European VWs and Audis they have a similar arrangement. 1 extra bright rear light for use in fog to alert drivers coming up too fast from behind. VW sells OEM conversions that include the rear fog lamp for the American cars, but I don't think you can order them with the rear fog lamp pre-installed.
 
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