Fog Lamps: Do you drive with them on all the time?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joey D
  • 143 comments
  • 5,933 views

Do you drive with your fog lamps on?

  • All the time both front and rear

    Votes: 2 2.5%

  • All the time but fronts only

    Votes: 16 20.0%

  • All the time but rear only

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Only during poor weather conditions/backroad driving

    Votes: 28 35.0%

  • I have them but rarely or never use them

    Votes: 16 20.0%

  • Do not have fog lamps on my car

    Votes: 18 22.5%
  • Total voters
    80
Joey D

Joey D

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Back when I had the Blazer I drove with the fog lamps on all the time, even during the day (I used them as DRL's). I've been using them a bit with the Mini, both front and rear, but after reading this article that was posted on North American Motoring I've reconsidered their use.

Article

I now only use them, both front and rear, when it is foggy, raining, or snowing....or while I'm driving down back roads with little or no traffic around since they illuminate the area off to the side of the car where deer tend to coming running up on you. But in everyday driving I don't use them anymore because I never thought about the glare they really do give off.

Now that this has been brought to my attention it really annoys me when I see another vehicle coming at with me with their fogs on. I particularly dislike Jeep owners who feel the need to drive with their million lights on as well...you are in the city not driving through a backwoods trail you blithering idiot.

So GTP members do you drive with your fog lamps, either front, rear or both?
 
I have a Jeep with driving lights on the bumper, and I only have them on when I'm offroading at night, or when it's snowing/raining heavily and my regular lowbeams can't cut it.
 
What the heck are rear fog lights? What exactly is the point of that?
 
Help folks in the fog spot you easier.

I only drive with them during bad weather which has been most of this week so far.
 
Keef
What the heck are rear fog lights? What exactly is the point of that?
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It's the rear red light in the lower part of the bumper by the exhaust outlet. It's so idiots driving Dodge Rams and other large vehicles don't run over you in poor weather conditions.
 
I thought rear fog lights were just brighter taillights? Our Volvo has rear fogs and all it does is brighten up the taillights. It's pretty useful for tailgaters.

I never used to do them, but I have started to a little more, but I haven't decided if halogen fog lights down low and xenon bulbs up top look better ot worse. Now I will probably stick to bad weather or slowish, dark roads.
 
European cars have a single red rear light that is supposed to come on when you put the front fogs on to help drivers coming up behind you. Following an Audi A6 on a clear night when the joker had his fogs on just to prove he had them really made me despise people who do that.
 
I only run mine in the rain or in the fog, thats about it. They're a nice bonus, but they aren't completely necessary...
 
Duke
European cars have a single red rear light that is supposed to come on when you put the front fogs on to help drivers coming up behind you. Following an Audi A6 on a clear night when the joker had his fogs on just to prove he had them really made me despise people who do that.
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It mustn't be all European cars because mine has double rear fogs, hidden in the random plastic bit.

dsc00912hw8.jpg


They're actually really quite bright and somewhat useful if you're reversing in an unlit area with things behind you. On mine you can have the fronts on alone, or the front and rear on, but not the rear only.

I almost always drive with the fronts on at night, because it looks cool, and as Joey said, they light up more to the side of the road which helps avoid crazed roo's and possums. I rarely the rears when driving unless it's exceptionally foggy or heavily raining.
 
Hmm when I drive my dad's Mazda Tribute I had them on all the time, now that one of them had died I haven't used them since.
 
A couple of my Honda friends have their yellow fog lights wired to a separate switch than the headlights. That way they can turn the fogs on only and use them as driving lights during the day. I think they look pretty neat like that.
 
I have front fogs on the Excursion.
I usually only use them when the snow is so bad that I want other fools to see me.
 
I voted "all the time but fronts only" because that's what I would be doing if I still had both of them. Last winter (or was it the one before?) I drove through a deep snow drift to get into my house's driveway and bent one of the metal foglight mounts. While trying to bend it back, I was grabbing the plastic housing instead of the metal mount and broke the housing. The still-functional light now sits in my room, waiting for a new housing (if I ever find the right one).

I understand the blinding concerns, but with a lot of cars (including my own) it's not a factor. Very rarely do I see foglights on a car that affect my eyesight more than just headlights -- it's always the tall trucks and SUVs that really cause a problem. Then again, tall trucks/SUVs and brand-new cars all blind me anyway, fog lights or no (I can't even stand waiting at stoplights behind some of the super-bright brakelights on new cars), so there still isn't much of a difference.

My own decision to run with the foglights on is mainly because I think it looks neat (as most people who use them do). Now that I have only one, it looks silly, not neat, so I use it for extreme weather.
 
Wolfe
[…] it's always the tall trucks and SUVs that really cause a problem.
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Seriously. When I make the 3–4 hour drive home, I like to do it at night to avoid traffic, but the SUV headlamps drive me insane.
 
I find fog lights extremely annoying at night when they aren't needed. I've had it several time where I see the guy flip his brights off, only to have the fogs automatically come on, and its just as bright. And its even worse if they put them in themselves for the "cool" factor, because they are generally aimed like crap.

If I had them, I would only use them in fog or on back roads with no other cars around. Or a DRL option, but never at night when not needed. Quite distracting and the glare and such is dangerous.
 
Don't have any. No M cars do anymore.



I think Army Chief may actually be relieved by this turn of events.

Some fog lights illuminate the sides of the roads better than a halogen mainbeam. So I must admit... when I had my E36 M3, I used to drive with them on, but always at night. (and I have to also admit, they look pretty cool) Ever since I've owned cars with bixenon lights, there's been no point... the HIDs light plenty well enough that I don't miss them.


M
 
I never have them on. In fact, around here you can get fined for misuse of foglights. Though besides that it's considered common courtesy to leave them off during clear weather - you know - so you don't blind the crap out of everyone.
 
Wolfe
I understand the blinding concerns, but with a lot of cars (including my own) it's not a factor. Very rarely do I see foglights on a car that affect my eyesight more than just headlights -- it's always the tall trucks and SUVs that really cause a problem. Then again, tall trucks/SUVs and brand-new cars all blind me anyway, fog lights or no (I can't even stand waiting at stoplights behind some of the super-bright brakelights on new cars), so there still isn't much of a difference.
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And with that said..

What really chaps my ass is the morons with purple 90 billion K ebay HID lights.

Also, any true fog light is yellow. End of story.
 
but they're yellow I'm such a chav...
I usually have my fogs on even alone during the day as running lights, I know for a fact they don't cause glare (though many other fog lights do). however he does bring up several good points and I know I will think of this every time I turn them on in the future. Some newer models of my car have a single rear fog light but I have heard stories of people getting pulled over because it looks like you have a tail light out

On a side note, driving my girlfriends car (w123) tonight one of the headlights went out and I was very glad to have her fog lights so I still had good illumination on both sides and could avoid being pulled over
 
I've got front and back fog lamps on the Mini, but I think I've used them a total of two times in the last six months because there simply isn't any reason to, as xenon headlight suffice for most things without being nearly as annoying to other drivers.
 
*Only during poor weather conditions/backroad driving*

If you drive with fog lamps on all the time, you could get a ticket. We are not allowed to drive with "them" on all the time, only during poor weather.
 
sn00pie
I never have them on. In fact, around here you can get fined for misuse of foglights. Though besides that it's considered common courtesy to leave them off during clear weather - you know - so you don't blind the crap out of everyone.
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Same here - Fine time for using them in clear weather.

And to annoy Duke, the _double_ rear fog lights do not come on with the fronts, that's one more twist on the stilk. And you can't turn the rear ones on without the fronts...
 
Flerbizky
And to annoy Duke, the _double_ rear fog lights do not come on with the fronts, that's one more twist on the stilk. And you can't turn the rear ones on without the fronts...
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In the UK (and probably the rest of Europe) All cars must have a rear fog light that is switched on or off usually by a independant button on the dash. Front fog lights, if fitted, are wired seperately from the rear. It's illegal in the UK to have your fog lights on unless the weather conditions are poor.
 
TheCracker
In the UK (and probably the rest of Europe) All cars must have a rear fog light that is switched on or off usually by a independant button on the dash. Front fog lights, if fitted, are wired seperately from the rear. It's illegal in the UK to have your fog lights on unless the weather conditions are poor.
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Same old same old, it's probably an EU thingy :-)

People who use their fog lights in clear condition = The Fail...
 
I don’t use them ever. I thought there was a fine for using them during clear conditions in Australia, but I could be wrong.
 
I use my fog lights only when it's foggy. I may put them on when I'm on the motorway and it's really heavy rain with a lot of spray.

Unlike headlights, front fogs are non-directional and annoy oncoming drivers if left on all the time.

TheCracker
In the UK (and probably the rest of Europe) All cars must have a rear fog light that is switched on or off usually by a independant button on the dash. Front fog lights, if fitted, are wired seperately from the rear. It's illegal in the UK to have your fog lights on unless the weather conditions are poor.
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Mine is on a dial on the lights/indicator stalk. It has 2 positions. The first one is fronts only, and the 2nd one is both.
 
daan
Mine is on a dial on the lights/indicator stalk. It has 2 positions. The first one is fronts only, and the 2nd one is both.
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Same on mine. Although it's illegal to have foglights on if it isn't foggy. A friend of mine was fined 150€ for doing so.

New drivers are always busted with them on because they think it looks cool. n00bs!

Since it barely rains around here, they only come on when I'm on back roads, which is about 20 minutes per year.
 
I have front and twin rear fog lights. with a dual position selection (only front / bot fr-re)

Use them only in fog weather since i consider it a question of good behavior. Front fog lights, when no fog is in sight, are useful just to flash front-coming drivers and put them in a danger situation (especially by night).
Due to the low depth of the beam (it lights the very next part of the road in front of you) they are completely useless when the weather is not foggy. The aim of the fog beam, in facts, is not seeing farer but lighting the orizontal signs of the road to help the driver to follow the correct direction. Try this, low beam have a deeper light than fog beams.
I always have bad words for those who keep fog lights on all the time, just for the trendy look that their car gain with them on!
Needless to say my opinion about rear fog lights on when useless and me following that fool with that red shot in my eyes (you can't neither see the road towards him to try a pass over).

Edit: If you are not the last car in queue, you don't need the rear fog lights (even when foggy), since who is queued behind you already knows you are there!
 

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