or are they strictly a cosmetic device?

I currently live part time in central california as some of you know.

Last night, I had my first experience driving in the thick dense fog that this area is famous for.

I had a bear of a time getting from point A to point B and back again because I flat out couldn't see through the fog. High Beams seemed to make it worse.

Therefore, my question is this. Do Fog lamps usually mounted in the grill actually work, IE do good quality fog lights actually help the driver see better, or is that all just bull?

If that is all just a load of .., what can a person do aside from driving slower, and more carefully when driving in this stuff is unavoidable.

Thanks

Cliff

I live in Nova Scotia right on the eastern shore and let's just say we see FOG.
The best plan is Low beams and slow down.
Light Fog. It was actually a very nice day and then the Fog just rolled in.








68 Mustang F/B
67 Fairlane GT

I have to agree some but I used to live in fog area in Brentwood,CA.In that time of year I would just almost idle along down my country road and watch my odometer and then barely see my mail box to turn in.
I had a 85 Bronco and mounted a nice pair on the lower portion of the front bumper.I was able to see the road a little better just a few feet farther but not much.Always set my headlights on the low side as that helps,high will make it worse.I got pulled in a traffic safety check and the officer started to wright me a ticket for my lights being too low.I explained to him why and being a Ford mechanic,he let it slide.

...especially the yellow ones that STAB right through the pea soup!

Well, not really. Color doesn't make any difference, but what fog lights are really for is to help see the side of the road.

They should be aimed low and wide, so that they light up the side of the road. That is where & what you want to see, if you must proceed at a slow and cautious speed.

If you have fog lights mounted low and there is fresh reflective stripes on the road they can help in fog. They are much better for lighting up the ditches so you can see deer that may be headed for the roadway. I always use my fog lights at night in rural areas for this purpuse. I click them off when in urban areas. Steve

The good reason is - fog is less dense, lower down - near the surface of the road. So for best use of fog lights they should be mounted as low as legally possible, have a wide, horizontal coverage beam and be checked, re-aimed on a regular basis. Riding low, as they should, they can easily catch a rock and be either knocked out of alignment or disabled.

On a personal note; I definately dislike the A$$ bites that have to launch a "Light show" on the freeway on clear nights, they seem dedicated to the proposition that any light not turned on is a waste. Obvious they don't know what fog lights are really for,  many go out of their way to jury-rig a way to have them turn on when high beams are on too. Believe it or not - the facrory knew what ehery were doing. The factory wired them NOT to come on when the high beams are on for a reason, they serve no practical purpose when used with high beams .... other than to make the driver look like the idiot that he is - flying down the freeway with 30,000 candle power in the rear view mirror of car he is coming up on and twice as bad to those approaching him in the other lane.

The Great reason is even simpler; I would bet folding money that most of the damage when driving in fog is caused by other drivers - at least with your fog lights on, they have a little more warning that another car is either approaching or crossing in front of them. If you are driving correctly, slow enough that you are not over-driving your lights - you should have time enough to stop or avoid them.

So, slow down, don't overdrive your lights and look out for the other idiots that cause those 50, 100, 200 car pile ups in the Tule fog of the Central valley. When it gets really bad, get off the road. Do not turn on your ememgency flashers, it attracts other drivers like moths to a flame. If its really bad, then drive off the road as far as you safely can and wait it out.Fog light with low beams only.

PS: Those lights in the grill, if you have them are Driving Lights or turn indicators, not Fog lights Driving lights are properly used with high beams but not when in range of approaching traffic or when you are overtaking another driver. If you can see his headlights or tail lights, its time to turn off them Driving lights! I really wish Cops would start giving a fig, its the little annoying things that make life such a daily pain.

 

I call those driving lights "Redneck Lights". It seems every chevy pickup has them on all the time and here in Pa. they always aim one of them right at your eyes. My thought is that they are just lookin' for attention. They (the lights) should be outlawed. (also the chevies). Then you have the "Cops". Did anyone else notice how they always have their high beams on when they pull someone over. They say it's for "safety" but how safe is it to BLIND the oncoming traffic ? I could go on and on but I think I'd better stop here!!!

how many cop car have been hit on the side of the road? Seems all those blinkin' lights just add to the fascination and just PULL cars to the side of the road. You see it everday on TV shows.


I HATE new headlights(and "foglights") that are on cars today. What in sam heck do they think is good about it? They advertise "seeing farther", at the sacrifice of oncoming traffic. Just drive along an ol winding road and have one come at you over a crest. POW!!! You're blinded. To add to the frustration, my friend follows me to the races most times in his newer F150 with all the candles glowing brightly in my mirrors. Yuk! He's getting better about NOT driving with the fog lights on, as I've told him before how it just washes out my mirrors.

LarryK

1964 Galaxie 2dr 390/6-71/4spd
1964 Country Sedan Wagon 428/5spd
1969 F100 428/4spd
1967 F100 352/now a 4 spd!
1959 B Model Mack

/

1954 Ford Customline 2-dr. sedan 390 4-speed
1955 Ford Fairlane Victoria 2-dr. hdtp, 292
1962 Ford Galaxie 500, 4-dr. sedan, 292
1968 Ford LTD 2-dr hdtp, 390 auto. (rough but driveable)
1970 F-100 360 auto (owned since 1985)

just head on down to the old Army surplus store and grab a pair...lol. Just take your time and be careful Cliff.

Dave Walters
427 Galaxie Registry
Website
http://home.ptd.net/~pwalters

Right in the middle of this pea soup. As has been said mounted as low as possible and aimed properly. you want to see and feel thoughs bumps on the freeway that indicate wiuth 5 bumps the exit is 500 ft away with 4 bumps thrre hundred 1 bump 100 ft.
Yellow fog lights let others see you white fog light help you see. They only go out a hundred feet or so but they show the curb line and the centerline of the road when only 1 dash is showing.
A few years back when I worked for Sears as a field tech it toook me 6 hrs to drive 30 miles from Orange Cove with the door open and a flashlight looking for the lines so I didn't go into a canal.
That said I use Fog lights on all my cars. They don't help much in 0 visibility but anything is better than nothing and when the visibility is 100-300 ft they do a lot.

1968 Ranchero 390. 060 over,10.5:1, Comp 292H Cam, Performer RPM intake, Hooker headers, 4spd. 3.89 dif. ProForm 750 DP, Mallory Unilite distributor, Holley Annihilator cd ignition system, centerforce df clutch.

It is not the light, it is the position on the front of the vehicle that makes a fog light a fog light. The idea is to not shine the light up high. If you do, all you get is blinding reflections. Fog, snow, rain, no difference. Hang the lights low, no reflection, you see better. Simple as that.

If you look at the reflectors in fog lights, you might notice that they are shaped in a particular way. The beam is focused to spread in a wide, horizontal pattern...this is meant to keep the light from taking the classic cone shape and limit the height of the beam, where it hits when driving.

There are fog lights - then there are "Fog lights". The better ones  aren't cheap, the cheaper ones may or may not be effective or as effective for their stated use as Fog lights. There is a difference. If you were to place identical lights (lets say driving lights, head lights and fog lights); place them in the same location on a vehicle and focus them against a wall - the patterns of the beam on the wall will be different. The better quality of the light, the more focused they should be.

Ever see those long distance Rally cars that run all over Europe, Africa and other places? You will notice they may have 10 or more different sets of lights on the front of the car. Each has a specific function and each set is located in the best place for the type of light they need according to the conditions they expect run. Some of the reflectors will be shallow, others very deep - plus the shapes of the lens will also be different; all configured to maximize the light, put it in the best place for its use.

If you get a chance, either go on line or visit a rally store and take a detailed look at the different kinds of lights - then compare "the good stuff" to the generic stuff they sell to the fart-can drivers.

Send up a flare its safer for everyone else on road; 'might be the only way to give the only way to give offenders the daylight bright coverage you are looking for?

While we are slicing and diceing this subject. Might as well give a shout out to Deep Tint guys. The explaination of why they need brighter lights (Rolling Christmas Trees - high beams. driving lights and fog light, while driving around in town), based on the "fact" that they can't see.... Well - Uh, Duh! A few minutes with a razor blade just might solve the problem.

My Tundra has great fog lights, low and nice wide fan spread with minimal reflection back.

My old jeep Cherokee would blind you into a white out if you turned them on.

My e320 wagon does not have fog lights, but the high beams are actually driving lights, they aim low and have about a 1000+ foot reach, the are great if the fog is about 2 to 3 feet of the road.

************************************

1967 FE 390GT engine: 416 CID 233/238* @ 0.050 Solid Lifter w/ 4 spd TL.
1968 GT/CS Mustang. 289/c4
1995 Mercedes e320 I6 DOHC, 216 HP wagon.
2003 Tundra SR5, 4.7 DOHC, 4x4.
Another Galaxie (one day.)

Oh and a Bicycle - daily driver to save gas for the 'F'un 'E'xcursions.