Fog lights on all the time... Why?

Posted By: Anonymous

Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 15:50

Can someone please explain what the trend is all about when people drive round when ist generally NOT FOGGY, with their fog lights on. Is this meant to be cool and sporty or something, I dont get it. All I know is that when some berk is behind me with them on during that day is quite annoying.

A mate has an Audi coop and always drives it round, day and night with just the fog lights on? I think (i'm not sure though) that its because he the fogs are the kind of fish eyed lenses like the coops have for headlights so its percieved by other road users who take notice that he's a bit cooler that if he just had his old fashioned normals headlights on.

Whats the general angle on this fad. Am not cool becaouse i dont put mine on? Ive seen quite a few fiat coop drivers who do this also.

Posted By: S1MMA

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:11

It's illegal to drive around with foglights on if it's not foggy or not during bad weather conditions.

People generally think it looks "cool" to do it though, hence why you see people doing it. There's no other reason really, I sometimes use the coupe front fogs to illuminate the ground better when driving down country roads with no lighting, but always turn them off if I come behind another car, or another car approaches me.

If it annoys you when someone does it behind you, either flash your rear foglights at them a few times, or just move over and let them past. No point in joining them by putting your fogs on in their face, makes you as bad as them (as other road users will also be dazzled by the light).

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:14

It is purely a 'cool' thing. I actually agree it does look better, but still don't do it. It is, as SIMMA said, illegal and is a major distraction to other drivers.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:21

I think its the one thing the police could easily clamp down on to make a small fortune compared to speeding fines. hardly anywork for them to instigate it and should be 0 tolerance on it and a note of it somethere that if you do it twice in say a 3 month period your fine is doubled.

I sometimes drive around with my normal lights on during the day, something i picked up on in sweden and from bike riding here in the UK that it helps with visibility for the plebs that sit in the middle lane all day long soon move over when they see some dipped beams in their rear view mirror when the inside lane is clear.. works on the coop as well as one bulb has a blue hue to it so looks a little HID like

and i stay legal as well. Shortens the bulbs life though but i can hang that expense to be a bit more visible to the ejits on the road..

Posted By: Trappy

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:23

Its sometimes used as an indication that they're willing for a tear-up also.

Personally i don't see the big deal. On country lanes at night it is very annoying but around towns where most of these cars lurk, it doesn't bother me in the least. I use mine on country lanes to help the vision but turn them off near other cars as others have said. I also use mine around very tight roads like those on housing estates to help spot people, cats etc that may dart out in front.

I don't see the point of them really though. Anyone using them in fog soon realises that they just create a blanket of whiter fog in front of you and makes it harder to see. They aren't required by law and they don't work.

You generally only find them on better spec cars and if i'm honest i do think the less bright ones do make the cars look better. Especially crisp blue tinted ones.
Why not make them less powerful and therefore legal so people can have them on all the time?

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:24

They work if you have yellow bulbs in them or the lenses are yellow as they cut thru teh fog better and it worked very well on my old R19 16v

Posted By: Trappy

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:32

Quote:

They work if you have yellow bulbs in them or the lenses are yellow as they cut thru teh fog better and it worked very well on my old R19 16v

Same as on my MX5. They weren't at all bright though...

Weird how humans can supposedly see better in yellow light... (change of suject coming up

)

Posted By: S1MMA

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:36

I think they're not just there to help you see better in fog, but for others to see you better in fog!

Like a rear fog, just makes the light stand out better, no good if you crash cos you don't see whats in front of you, but hey - at least you wont be rear ended also! (unless your dodgey italian electrics screw up after hitting a wall).

Posted By: Tartandude

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:39

Quote:

I don't see the point of them really though. Anyone using them in fog soon realises that they just create a blanket of whiter fog in front of you and makes it harder to see. They aren't required by law and they don't work.

I disagree with the above. The whole point of fog lights is that they light the road lower down from normal headlights. I always use my fog lights in the fog, they work well

Main Beam in fog is not a good idea though, perhaps thats what you were talking about

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 16:43

Quote:

I disagree with the above. The whole point of fog lights is that they light the road lower down from normal headlights. I always use my fog lights in the fog, they work well

I'm not sure if they're even supposed to give you a better view in fog - Perhaps they're just meant to increase your visibility to other road users, just like the rear fog lamps?

Posted By: Baz76

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 27/09/2006 23:03

Front fog lights don`t really bother me,in fact the HID`s on most modern cars i find to be more dazzling than foglights. Some of them seem to be as bright (if not brighter!) than an ordinary halogen main beam.

Baz

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 28/09/2006 02:04

I use them on badly illuminated roads, Bravo has shit headlights so used them alot. Coops are quite bright so never used them. And they dont look any diferent except brightness to side lights.

Rock n roll init!

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 28/09/2006 17:51

Quote:

I disagree with the above. The whole point of fog lights is that they light the road lower down from normal headlights. I always use my fog lights in the fog, they work well

I agree. Fog lights are supposed to be used in situations where the fog is so dense that even just using your dipped beam results in a white out. Fogs lights are always mounted lower and are designed to throw out a flat, short range beam which cuts underneath the majority of the fog, illuminating the road in front of you.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 28/09/2006 19:26

I've always found that people who do this always have rubbish cars, normally bog standard basic cars

(like low end saxo's & clio's) - or sometimes a people carrier !

There also seem to be a lot of people who drive round with their head lights on in the day time too (i'm taking broad daylight too - not even a hint of rain)

I don't see why they think it's cool - to me they look like idiots

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 28/09/2006 19:45

Quote:

Front fog lights don`t really bother me,in fact the HID`s on most modern cars i find to be more dazzling than foglights. Some of them seem to be as bright (if not brighter!) than an ordinary halogen main beam.

Baz

Agree with you Baz, I was really blinded on a country road last night by a new Merc whose lights were so strong I couldn't see where I was going.
I use my fogs when really foggy and they do the job nicely.
Someone on here was pulled by the police for having his fogs on during the day time and had to show the policemen that they were in fact side lights !

Posted By: Trappy

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 28/09/2006 20:43

Quote:

There also seem to be a lot of people who drive round with their head lights on in the day time too (i'm taking broad daylight too - not even a hint of rain)

I don't see why they think it's cool - to me they look like idiots

TBH i normally have mine lights on. Mainly because i get in from work at 6 ish so the light is failing anyway but over weekends also. I don't think it's cool, though it does look 'better' and make me stand out me, but the main reason is to make people see me and less likely to pull out on me. Volvos have it as standard and some insurance companies supposedly reduce premiums if you fit you car with driving lights (lights always on basically).

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 28/09/2006 20:58

Quote:

Quote:

There also seem to be a lot of people who drive round with their head lights on in the day time too (i'm taking broad daylight too - not even a hint of rain)

I don't see why they think it's cool - to me they look like idiots

TBH i normally have mine lights on. Mainly because i get in from work at 6 ish so the light is failing anyway but over weekends also. I don't think it's cool, though it does look 'better' and make me stand out me, but the main reason is to make people see me and less likely to pull out on me. Volvos have it as standard and some insurance companies supposedly reduce premiums if you fit you car with driving lights (lights always on basically).

There is a difference between fog lights and driving lights though. I believe the ones fitted to the coop are fog lights.

I always drive with my dipped headlights when it is raining or a particularly dull day for the same reason above.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 28/09/2006 22:23

Quote:

There is a difference between fog lights and driving lights though. I believe the ones fitted to the coop are fog lights.

This is true. The Probe has driving lights instead of fog lights. They don't have a separate switch & just come on whenever main beam is on, so you wouldn't drive with those on full-time either.

My light-related pet hate at the moment is 4x4s driving with their lights on in daylight on the motorway - They're just at eye level in the Coupe and probably most other cars, which is almost annoying enough to make you want to move out of the way

. Almost.

Posted By: Darlo_Nick

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 29/09/2006 03:40

After reading these posts it looks like the lights on my coop must be shockingly bad!

With my normal driving lights on i struggle to see in complete darnkness, even full beam seems to do sod-all!

A number of my friends have also commented on this, and the only solution is to put my fog-lights on, as this greatly increases visibility immediately in front of the coop!

I make sure i only have the fogs on in the lack of street lighting however, i'm not a complete dick about it!

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Fog lights on all the time... Why? - 29/09/2006 13:38

Quote:

Weird how humans can supposedly see better in yellow light... (change of suject coming up )

They don't, quite. What happens is that the blue end of the visible light spectrum gets reflected strongly by fog, whereas the red end (including yellow) doesn't. Yellow fogs have had the blue end filtered out. So yellow is both easy to see with and doesn't reflect off of the fog, so much. That's why.