Fog lights are for foggy conditions... why must people use them all the time???

[Zenmervolt]

When I drive my father's Explorer I use the fog lamps all the time because the damn headlights are about as poorly aligned as is possible, and the fog lamps actually illuminate the road. The Explorer's low beams actually put out more useful light than the high beams, which throw all the light into the air. I keep telling my dad to get the headlights aimed properly, but he insists that they are "just dirty, clean them and they are brigher". I think I'll aim them myself this summer, I feel bad for all the other drivers that flash their brights at the Explorer because they think its low beams are high beams. My dad noticed this, but still doesn't connect it to the lights being misaligned. On other cars, I only use fog lamps in the fog, they call them fog lamps for a reason.

Zenmervolt

EDIT: Uh, Static, about the guy who comes up behind you an flashes his brights; that's the international signal that they want to pass you, they are not just being a jerk. That's another pet peeve of mine, people who won't get into the right lane when you come up behind them a "flash to pass". Of course if you mean the guy who leaves his high beans on and sits behind you, then more power to you. Alpha, those aren't low beams, they are between 60% and 80% of the low beam power and are "Daytime Running Lights" (DRLs). DRLs are among the biggest pieces of BS inflicted upon drivers since those awful mouse belts of the late 80's. The claim is that the DRLs make a car more visible, but if you're too dumb to turn you lights on in inclement weather or too dumb to look for idiots with their lights off in inclement weather then you deserve your accident. The first thing I will do when I get a new car is disable the DRLs if it has them, all they really do is burn out the bulbs faster.

 

[SuperTool]

I paid good money for them, so sure as hell I am going to use them.
Only thing that pisses me off is that I can't turn the fog lights on without the regular lights on too. Stupid Maxima engineers.

 

[impulse]

I have a set of PIAA driving lights on my Infiniti J30 and they are great, make a huge difference when they are on. I try not to have them on all the time but they do make a great deal of a difference.

 

[Suicidal]

Most dads are dumb.

 

[TuffGuy]

Zenmervolt - very well put.

 

[shaady1]

Interesting that this thread came up. I was just telling my friend who bought a new Navigator, that his fog lights were on and to turn them off. It was a perfectly clear night.

He looked at me like I was crazy, to even mention turning off his fogs. He's much too cool to do that.

 

[Suicidal]

Some guy in a navigator cut me off within an inch of my front bumper and we took the same exit 1 second later. Even funnier is that we ended up on the same street... man, i wanted to take out my knife and slash his tires so bad.

 

[Deicide]

I like to put my fog lights on whenever I drive behind some dork in a Pontiac.

 

[Suicidal]

 

[mechBgon]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the beam pattern of a real fog light yet... good ones give a wide, shallow light pattern that enhances visibility close-in and at the sides. Seems ideal to me for driving 20 to 30MPH in residential areas where a loose pet or child may cross one's path unexpectedly.

Driving lights are another story, with their long, hostile, focused beam. I think driving lights are great for showing animals 300 feet down the highway at 55-65MPH, but they may need to be treated as a second set of high-beam headlights, and shut off when facing oncoming traffic. But in the case of real fog lights, I don't see how facing one automobile with low beams plus (real, properly-aimed) fogs is any harder on the eyes than facing two separate vehicles with low beams on. One way or the other, there are going to be times in your life when you're going to have to face four low-beam lights at a time.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Canada has had Daytime Running Lights for over 10 years now (it's law) -- let me tell you, I'm very thankful for it too.

Anyway, my 92 Bonneville has stock foglights and they're OK I guess...combine them with the low beams and it's alright.

 

[NaughtyusMaximus]

My parents recently bought an Infinity QX4. The stupid thing comes with the fog's aimed about two feet in front of the car (useless), and there is no adjustment for them. Pisses me off.

 

[vi edit]

mechBgon pretty much summed it up for me. I have very "flat" foglamps on one of my vehicles. They aren't the big round ones found on Pontiacs and other wanna be sports cars.

That said, they help illuminate the corners where my normal lowbeams don't reach. It makes it very nice for lighting up the shoulders of the road.

 

[RossMAN]

I have fog lights on my 89 pontiac but they're stock yellow ugly ones that actually work, not those fancy blue ones that the kids buy at pep boys for their pink dodge neons with the home-made body kit.

My roommate's Brilliant Blue 1996 Dodge Neon Sports coupe with foglights looks really cool when it has them on during a fog. Of course it doesn't fog that often here in Portland, Oregon.