I had occasion to drive in the fog this last weekend (late Friday / early Saturday). 407 from the QEW back across the City. The Xenons are great in the dark and not too bad in the fog. I didn't think much of the help from the fog lights though. They lit up probably the 10/15 feet immediately in front of the car - not much good at 100KPH.

Anyone else have an opinion on them - or better yet, can recommend some form of effective replacement?

 

Well you are not supposed to drive 100KPH in heavy fog :-) I think maybe you might be expecting too much. Fog lights are really only good for illuminating the edges of the road and the area right in front of the car in very bad weather. They are aimed very very low so you are not blinded by light reflected back off of snow and fog. I think fog lights help somewhat in mist or heavy snow on very dark unlit roads where you can barely see anything, especially the edge of the road. For what it is worth the fog lights on my Audi and Subaru are pretty feeble also, they are really only good for feeling your way along in almost zero visibility. In terms of light output, anything aimed as low as the fog lights (which they must be by law) will seem rather poor relative to the Xenons. I am sure "off road" solutions with high wattage bulbs and upgraded wiring harnesses probably exist or will be created by someone but I see little point so I wouldn't bother doing anything . . .

 

I vote pretty.

Mine also suck. Since you travel 8 metres per second at 30kph, fog lights that throw a 3 metre beam are useless at any speed above 10 kph. I had fog lamps on a previous car and the beam was 8-10 meters and w-i-i-i-d-e. They went from the curb on the right to the middle of the next lane on the left, and out about 8 metres.

 

I think the foglights are pretty useless in heavy rain and at night, let alone in fog.
More style over function IMO.

 

You're right Scoop - one unlit obstruction in my lane would probably have ruined my whole day but that section of the 407 is equipped with catseyes (reflectors) on the lane markings. Now I know why!

Judging by the comments, it looks like these lights are only good for very slow speed (not a good idea on the highways - I was passed twice on that trip) which means a real pea-soup fog on local streets. Anything else is just extra light.

 

they are more for looks than function .

 

fog lights are just there for show, i agree, they also help illuminate the objects right in front of the car...

 

I'm pretty sure fog lights are so you get seen by other motorists other than helping illuminate the road, hence the rear fog light available in non-US markets.

 

Astor, your bang on. That is their purpose.