factory foglights

[BluebyU]

Originally posted by TapperManor
I am happy to see this thread, because this was bugging me the other day.

I often drive with the fog lights on, for one reason.....So I can see!!! My plastic headlight lens are a bit foggy. (are glass available?) So to have my low beams and fogs on still seems dimmer than most. People see double lights coming at them and they flash me, not because they are blinded, but because they think they are highbeams. That's usually when I flash them, to tell them they are an idiot. It is a pain to have to have my trigger finger ready. Has anyone ever tried putting yellow bulbs in for fog lights? Then these idiots will know that they aren't high beams.

I too drive with my fogs on just so I can see. I'm not sure about anyone else, but here in Amish country you need all the light you can get on these back roads. Amish Buggies, Mennonites on bicycles(wearing black and dark blue), and even those walking are really difficult to see on back roads. I recently upgraded to the PIAA crystal ion fogs and PIAA platinum hi's and lo's but have yet to drive my car to test them out(nail in tire).

I was constantly getting flashed (not the way I'd like mind you) by other drivers because they see 4 lights versus two. Hopefully the yellow fogs with take care of that problem. Then again, one of my fog lights needs adjustment which I'll have to remedy when I find the time and can figure out how to get the headlight assy off of the car.

just my thoughts

Bobby-

Where did you get the PIAA bulbs? Locally?

Mike

[BluebyU]

Hey Mike,

I got the bulbs from autobulbdepot.com. I wasn't pleased at all with their service and won't be buying ANYTHING from them in the future. I placed my order for the bulbs on 11/20. The bulbs never shipped until 11/29. Their site says that if they get the order before 11 am est that they try to ship the same day. Guess what? Didn't happen. When I called about them I was given misleading info about them having shipped on 11/21 and no tracking number was availabe because "we don't give them out". My second call wasn't much better only this time I was told that they shipped on 11/29. (their website says that they will notify you if there is a problem shipping your order or if there is a backorder. DIDN'T HAPPEN). The third time I called, I demanded a tracking number and finally rec'd a voicemail later that night with it. When I tracked it, it said that the item didn't ship until 12/4. I sent an email complaining, and I have yet to receive a response from there "customer service" department.

So, order at your own risk.....

[Landshark]

Originally posted by $VX
I'll respectfully disagree beav. Most of the time, I don't use my fogs... why? I think the SVX looks cooler without them on.... but anyway, some of the newer SUVs that have HIDs are just absolutley blinding.. I cannot for the life of me figure out HOW they are legal to have lights like that. :|

SOMETIMES though, you really do need fogs... when its rainy or crappy out, it really helps, even in town.

- Ca$h

i'll agree with Ca$h on this one - i think the SVX looks better without the fogs on.
sometimes, as stated above, you do need them. for normal nighttime driving, i don't think fogs make much difference, unless you are on a REALLY dark country road.
i've run into situations where i've actually REALLY needed to use foglights maybe once or twice in a year, if that. YLFMV (Your Local Fog May Vary )

I used to run with them all of the time until I cleaned up the headlight covers. That made much more of a difference than the fogs by themselves did. I still put them on everytime that it is raining, or if I am on any 2 lane "country" road that doesn't have illumination, and lots of traffic, and has lots of curves, plants close to the road, and places animals can hide and jump out in front of you.

[lee]

I understand the foglight thing if you think it looks cool.

In my case the foglights don't extend my vision range, but do provide a bit of fill at close range. However, it isn't at the close range I need the light - if something jumped at at that range it's either road kill or lucky. Are my fogs mis-aimed, or have I mis-understood?

[Landshark]

nah, you got it right Lee. fogs are low and wide for getting under fog. seriously, how often do the majority of people on here encounter fog? i'm sure some do on a regular basis, but i sure don't. i never fail to see some goof on a clear sunny day with the fogs on. i don't think they're necessary as often as people use them. it seems they should be re-named "i'm cool" lights.

[Beav]

Apparently a fair amount of you have already thought about this and have an opinion. I never meant to start an uproar, but what the hey, I did say it was a pet peeve of mine.

There's a time and a place for everything. I used to use my fogs quite a bit when I drove up and down Bear Creek Canyon in Colorado every day. At night the extra beam width was helpful in spotting elk near the road. There's nothing like a half-ton bull sliding up your hood at fifty mph. My only issue is with those that use them in traffic, to me they're (the lights ) almost as annoying as hi beams. And no, I didn't need anyone to tell me to not look at them, I kinda figured that out all on my own.

[SVXGIRL182]

Oh Please! I use my fogs all the time. Why not use them if you have. I think its stupid for people to not use their foglights if the have them on their car. Cars that have them seperate from the headlights look extremely stupid when the fogs are off. I too get flashed all the time, and its dumb b/c ppl see 2 lights and think its high beams. If I have to put up with SUV's blinding me and everyone else on the road, then everyone else can put up with me!

[Uncamitzi]

Originally posted by SVXGIRL182
Oh Please! I use my fogs all the time. Why not use them if you have. I think its stupid for people to not use their foglights if the have them on their car. Cars that have them seperate from the headlights look extremely stupid when the fogs are off. I too get flashed all the time, and its dumb b/c ppl see 2 lights and think its high beams. If I have to put up with SUV's blinding me and everyone else on the road, then everyone else can put up with me!

I've got highbeams but I only use them when I need to see further and they don't blind people....

For that matter I've got a gun...... I don't use that just because I've got it either! Is that "Stupid" ??? If people are flashing their highbeams at you your lights are too bright.... (pretty simple to me)

Light rant off (again)/

[Landshark]

Originally posted by SVXGIRL182
Oh Please! I use my fogs all the time. Why not use them if you have. I think its stupid for people to not use their foglights if the have them on their car. Cars that have them seperate from the headlights look extremely stupid when the fogs are off. I too get flashed all the time, and its dumb b/c ppl see 2 lights and think its high beams. If I have to put up with SUV's blinding me and everyone else on the road, then everyone else can put up with me!

hmmm...good argument. i've got a horn, so why not put it on ALL the time?
from now on, if the car's in drive - the horn is on. it may annoy others, but the hell with them - i have a horn and i'm gonna use it!

I use my fogs almost all the time, day or night. During the day they work as "Please Move Right", you're going 60 in a 70 in the left hand lane, kinda just letting them know I'm there and coming through. Nighttime gives me that extra peripheral vision to watch for small and large woodland creatures like chipmunks

[rant]

If people are flashing their highbeams at you your lights are too bright

Fogs/drive lights that are aimed right even with 100w bulbs should not effect oncoming traffic. HIDS even won't have problems unless their out of aim. Some people are just annoyed by the extra light output of the fogs and are :monkeys: who like to flash. I have mine aimed as not to affect oncoming traffic, yet still provide me with optimal lighting. Anyone that flashes me is a :monkey: and has an oversensitivity to light and needs not to be driving at night. Let me light up my Hella 500's w/ 100w bulbs at ya, then you can flash me.
[/rant]

/M

Originally posted by Landshark


hmmm...good argument. i've got a horn, so why not put it on ALL the time?
from now on, if the car's in drive - the horn is on. it may annoy others, but the hell with them - i have a horn and i'm gonna use it!

You better not do that, Alan! Remember my story about my horn being on from Oakland to the Monroeville on 376? Thats like 10 miles? It wore out in just that time, and then just started making a buzzing noise!! I had to get a new one! Be careful

Mike

[SVXGIRL182]

You guys are talking about 2 totally different things. A horn on all the time is different than foglights. I figured people would come back and say something dumb like that.

My point is, foglights are meant to be on while the lowbeams are on, hence them going off when the highbeams come on. Taht brings up another question. Why can't I have just the foglights on with the parking lights. When I put on the parking lights and hit the foglight switch, they don't go on. Why must the headlights be on also? Just something I noticed compared to other cars I've driven.

[mohrds]

This has been a very enjoyable thread. The logic being used here is quite amusing.

I choose to use my fogs only in fog, snow, or rain, but not on clear nights. I see people with rear fogs on in clear weather and I wonder to myself "are they that unaware, or is this becoming the new cool thing to do?"

If you want to run your fogs during clear weather for whatever your reason is, that's fine with me. Just be sure to use good bulbs that have quality control. A lot of these "High Output" bulbs come from overseas and have no quality control. One bulb could shine perfectly, the other shines at the sky.

Years ago you used to have to aim your lights every time you changed a bulb. For example, my 70 Mustang has factory fog lights. They have aim adjustment right on them. Then a capsule design standard was introduced to allow for easy bulb changes without re-aiming. It worked great for a few years until a bunch of unscrupulous companies decided to sell low quality, high profit, non conforming bulbs and screwed up the whole process.

If you really think that when you are going 55 MPH on a country road you will have time to react to something that shows up in your fog light beam pattern... Good Luck.

Doug