Fog lights...illegal?

[Crysis]

I believe I have the stock fog lamps in my car. Not sure if the owner before me replaced them with something brighter. When I look at the front of my car with the fog lights on they arent even bright. I dont know why anyone flashes at me, but I love making them feel like an a$$ by flashing my brights back.

[Noir]

i got pulled over once at night for fog lights.

stupid cop pulled a U-turn and went into super pursuit mode. after i saw him U-turn, i just pulled into the first driveway i saw and waited for Hormel's poster child. with his donut in tow, the fat limey bastard came up and ask for my license (which i already had out).

he asked me if i knew why he pulled me over. i thought to myself, 'cause your a dick and krispy kreme ran out of strawberries?'..but said 'nope' instead.

the dirty copper said, 'i pulled you over because you had on your high beams.'.

i was like, uhh..no i didn't.

his reply in a not so nice, mayonaise gagging manner, 'yes you did, i counted 4 lights so you have them on.'

i thought, damn when did pot bellied pigs learn to count???

i told him to go stand in front of my car and he did. at this point i could have tried to pin this hog to the other car in the driveway, but instead turned on my fog lights.

honey-baked was looking kinda flushed, gave me my license back, and said I could leave. Moron.

[Earthworm]

My fog lights are always on...as DRL's

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by Crysis

I dont know why anyone flashes at me, but I love making them feel like an a$$ by flashing my brights back.

As somebody noted upthread, they flash you because the low-beams and fog lamps are so close together on the SVX, people just assume (naturally) that the fogs are high-beams.

As to being blinded by an oncoming vehicle, no doubt mis-alignment and improper (read: brighter than OEM spec) bulb installation contributes to the problem. I mean, an errant or supernova-bright low-beam burning right into your eyeballs is more bothersome than someone who just won't dim their properly-aimed brights. Whatever the cause, it's obviously a problem, as the fact that this is the second thread on this topic in recent months would suggest.

Once upon a time Georgia had an annual safety inspection requirement including a check of headlight aim. That makes sense; no wonder they dropped it decades ago.

dcb

[NapaBavarian]

My buddy thinks everyone has their high beams on

Me..."yeah, whatever" he needs to stop staring right into oncoming headlights...

Originally Posted by msvx95

What are you guys using to make people flash you back???

Probably misadjusted headlights. I adjust mine according to daniel stern's lighting aiming procedure. I've gotten flashed once, and that was because I had my fogs on. Then I actually saw how late 80s the SVX looks with foglights on, so now I leave them off.

[Jvan]

I always have the fogs on and am flashed most of the time. They are the original bulbs and are aimed properly but they shouldn't have been placed so high. The idea of foggg lights is that the light goes below the fog which is several feet above the ground. Having them on fills in in front of the car and also gives a wider spread so that I can be aware of any deer or other animals that may jump in front of the car. When I go into NYC, I shut them off since their not needed.

Originally Posted by Jvan

Having them on fills in in front of the car and also gives a wider spread

If that's the case something is wrong with your projectors. Turning on fogs does nothing for my car, or a few other SVXs I've driven. They only help you see in foggy weather.

[Speedklix]

HIDs really don't blind anymore than any other lights, they just command more of your eyes attention. On some suvs they cause a glaring effect on your hood which causes some blindness. If you have ever tried offroading with lights on your roof, you already know this effect. Or if any of you have rally bars, the same thing happens with a staggered arrangement when you don't black out the forward housings.

I agree with the "people assume they are brights"... idea. On my legacy, I have silverstars and I do get high beamed every once in a while. My head lights are aligned perfect, so that isn't it. I do put on my highs if they flash a second time, which does the trick for me too!

[Jvan]

there maybe somethingg wwith the pprojectors but from all the threads on improving the headlights, I don't think that is my problem. Fog lights are designed to illuminate below the fog, not through it. the SVX fog lights are too high in the grill to be effective in fog. They don't really do anything except disperse the light in the small droplets of water in the fog. To improve visability they need to be placed low so that the light beam goes underneath the fog not through it. Since I live in a suburban setting with alot of dark roads and wooded areas and a large number of deer, the use of the fog lights provide additional visability of both sides of the road to see any animals that may leap out on the road to cross. The idea that the SVX fog lights actually work in fog is misleading since by the placement next to the headlights, the fog lights cannot do an adequate job in fog.

[Manarius]

I don't know why you're getting flashed...SVX lights aren't that bright. I've driven by a few with fogs on and they weren't "blinding." I mean, really, if they don't like SVX lights, they should really hate my silverstars paired with my driving/fog lights.

[It's Just Eric]

Originally Posted by msvx95

By the way.....Chill out Eric bro...you've got a lot of frustration.

Yeah, sorry man. When i posted than I had just got back from my friends house. Encountered at least 5 oncoming vehicles with all the aboave mentioned blinding stuff. guess I was jsut in a rant mood

Originally Posted by NapaBavarian

My buddy thinks everyone has their high beams on

Me..."yeah, whatever" he needs to stop staring right into oncoming headlights...

Me too....

As to being blinded by an oncoming vehicle, no doubt mis-alignment and improper (read: brighter than OEM spec) bulb installation contributes to the problem. I mean, an errant or supernova-bright low-beam burning right into your eyeballs is more bothersome than someone who just won't dim their properly-aimed brights. Whatever the cause, it's obviously a problem, as the fact that this is the second thread on this topic in recent months would suggest.

I think I have to agree. See...here in Tuckerton, its all rednecks who see it necicary to put as many 12 billion candle power foglights on their truck / car that is going to be a truck as possible,all pointing various directions for maximum blinding effect. Yes, the people in my town pourposly place their lights to blind people, and no, it doesnt help that my car's windshield (I.E. my eye level) is exactly the same height as a a 1987 ford f-150's headlights.
it really makes me wonder how well the titanium tinted windshields work. If its a small fraction as good as I think it is, then its worth the 1500 bucks.

As for running fogs and all that hoohah...At night the front really looks like a saturn....the fogs being the headlights and the headlights being the high beams. Its a pretty good optical illusion, so keep that in mind when people beam you. Your best defence? 12 billion candlepower wal mart stick on fog lights, aiming in all directions. Either that or just turn your fogs off.

my two cents

[SSSVX]

I don't think our foglights are very bright but I think they might make our cars look nicer at night. I think it should be legal. The foglights will take care of the short-range. I don't have a lot of problems with them on. Sometimes there's some cars flashing me and I think they thought there's the highbeams. What I did was flashed them back with my highbeams and they would know what's brightness....

[NapaBavarian]

Here is a lil bit of California law I read years ago...

Driving lights may only be used with high beams...

Fog lights may be used with low beams, not sure about with high beams...

With the fogs on the SVX looks like a cheap 80s domestic car. Please leave them off for all SVXs, it'll help their image a bit.