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View Poll Results: Do you drive with your foglights on at night?
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Drive with foglights on/off?

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Old 12-08-2005, 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by UltimaLaw
Just curious as to what yall drive with at night, foglights on or off? I do both but am trying to decide how it looks since normals are xenon and fogs are not, unluckily i cant see what my car looks like from the front while driving, any thoughts?

The only time you should be driving with your fog lights on is when it is very very foggy- foggy enough that you would never turn on your high lights.


Any other time- and you are just being an a-hole who is blinding oncoming traffic just to look cool- like most Pontiac drivers.....
Old 12-08-2005, 09:16 PM
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properly aligned fog lights are aimed low and would not be shining in your face.

sorry pontiac insult in the wrong place ...
Old 12-08-2005, 09:17 PM
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Originally Posted by BRealistic
The only time you should be driving with your fog lights on is when it is very very foggy- foggy enough that you would never turn on your high lights.

Any other time- and you are just being an a-hole who is blinding oncoming traffic just to look cool- like most Pontiac drivers.....
Um... the lights on the 8 aren't blinding.

Fog lights are intended for foggy conditions, however can and should be used at anytime the driver feels additional light is needed.
Old 12-08-2005, 09:22 PM
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I never keep them on. It's not necessary at all. The HID's are bright enough to make most oncoming traffic think I have my high beams on , and they look like crap next to the white/blue beams anyways... Just two less lights I have to worry about replacing.
Old 12-08-2005, 09:22 PM
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this may sound stupid ((for someone who's to lazy to look in the manual for this type of thing))...but wheres the foglight switch located on the light switch thingy in our cars....I know how to use my headlights and highbeams...all I need to know
Old 12-08-2005, 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by dazygirl415
Um... the lights on the 8 aren't blinding.

Fog lights are intended for foggy conditions, however can and should be used at anytime the driver feels additional light is needed.

This is both incorrect and illegal. In most cities, driving with foglights on inside of city limits without poor visibility can and will get you cited.
Old 12-08-2005, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by -=Rowdy=-
This is both incorrect and illegal. In most cities, driving with foglights on inside of city limits without poor visibility can and will get you cited.
Not here in DFW. Everyone and their dog drives with ALL their lights on, no matter the visibility.

Originally Posted by dtorre
this may sound stupid ((for someone who's to lazy to look in the manual for this type of thing))...but wheres the foglight switch located on the light switch thingy in our cars....I know how to use my headlights and highbeams...all I need to know
You should really look over your entire manual, for your sake.
Old 12-08-2005, 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by dtorre
this may sound stupid ((for someone who's to lazy to look in the manual for this type of thing))...but wheres the foglight switch located on the light switch thingy in our cars....I know how to use my headlights and highbeams...all I need to know
its the little ring on the headlight stick ...
Old 12-08-2005, 09:36 PM
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Originally Posted by -=Rowdy=-
This is both incorrect and illegal. In most cities, driving with foglights on inside of city limits without poor visibility can and will get you cited.
The fogs on the 8 aren't blinding (which is how properly aimed FOG lights should be), but you should avoid using them when it's not foggy or at speeds above 30-40mph.

In short, fog lights are only useful in low-speed conditions of dense fog (probably less than 30mph). They shine low and wide (as not to reflect off the fog, like your headlights), helping you see the edges of the road, the lane markings and the immediate foreground, so you can stay on the road. Fog lights are useless faster than that and especially at highway speeds, since they don't shine far enough to give you any warning.

There's more detail and better explanation in this great article, but one paragraph that is particularly important relates to driving with fog lights on during clear conditions:
In clear conditions, more foreground light is not a good thing, it's a bad thing. Some foreground light is necessary so you can use your peripheral vision to see where you are relative to the road edges, the lane markings and that pothole 10 feet in front of your left wheels. But foreground light is far less safety-critical than light cast well down the road into the distance, because at any significant speed (much above 30 mph), what's in the foreground is too close for you to do much about. If you increase the foreground light, your pupils react to the bright, wide pool of light by constricting, which in turn substantially reduces your distance vision-—especially since there's no increase in down-the-road distance light to go along with the increased foreground light. It's insidious, because high levels of foreground light give the illusion, the subjective impression, of comfort and security and "good lighting".
Basically, in non-foggy conditions, fog lights == more light in front == reduced distance vision == bad.
Old 12-09-2005, 05:11 PM
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Why have them if you're not gonna use them? I personally just have them on if I have the headlights on. They're not all that effective anyways in foggy conditions in my opinion. Foglamps like the ones I had on my Wrangler, good lordy THOSE were bright.
Old 12-10-2005, 06:34 PM
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when the haedlights are on the fog lights will be also
Old 12-11-2005, 08:40 AM
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unless you rewire the fogs, you can only have them on WITH the headlights. which just goes to show, mazda didnt install them for actual fog usage, as you would be using ONLY the fogs if in a REAL fog situation ...
Old 12-11-2005, 09:40 AM
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I drive with them on during the day, and off at night. I like the idea of day time running lights and figure these bulbs are cheaper than the HID bulbs to replace.
Old 12-11-2005, 11:03 AM
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Originally Posted by Johnnyma45
Why have them if you're not gonna use them?
Exactly why I dont have them anymore. The front end looks better without them, and they aren't needed.


Originally Posted by RedSheDevil
unless you rewire the fogs, you can only have them on WITH the headlights. which just goes to show, mazda didnt install them for actual fog usage, as you would be using ONLY the fogs if in a REAL fog situation ...
Wrong. You dont have to have the headlights on. If you just have your parking lights on, your fogs will turn on.
Old 12-11-2005, 11:07 AM
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Originally Posted by NoTears316
Wrong. You dont have to have the headlights on. If you just have your parking lights on, your fogs will turn on.
for real? this i did not know...will have to utilize when in the car! thanks!!
Old 12-11-2005, 11:57 AM
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Uh no....the fog lights are only able to be on when you have the headlights on, unless you did the re-wire in the DIY section.
Old 12-11-2005, 01:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Raptor2k
Uh no....the fog lights are only able to be on when you have the headlights on, unless you did the re-wire in the DIY section.
Nope. Fog lights are on with parking lights. I never did a rewire, and used to do it all the time before removing them.
Old 12-11-2005, 02:10 PM
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o_0, I wish my rx8 was like that.
Old 12-12-2005, 01:06 PM
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Well, since so many of you have openly admitted to using them ALL the time, I thought I'd research it and post the results. Here in Texas, Improper use of auxiliary driving lamps (aka: fog lights) is considered a moving violation and adds points to your license.

http://www.tjctc.org/legal/Moving%20...on%20Chart.doc

Might want to check your local laws.
Old 12-12-2005, 01:44 PM
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Originally Posted by NoTears316
Well, since so many of you have openly admitted to using them ALL the time, I thought I'd research it and post the results. Here in Texas, Improper use of auxiliary driving lamps (aka: fog lights) is considered a moving violation and adds points to your license.

http://www.tjctc.org/legal/Moving%20...on%20Chart.doc

Might want to check your local laws.
If that's the wording of the law (I check it out at the link), it is certainly vague enough so that it would be seemingly easy to fight any citation in court. For example, what constitutes "Improper use", and what are "auxiliary driving lamps"? I would assume the law is intended to discourage the regular, on-road use of the high-intensity driving lights used in off-road driving or spotlights. In fact, I know that some states require those off-road lights to be covered when traveling on the highway systems.

I doubt that such a law would be enforced unless there was a flagrant disregard for the safety of other drivers on the road. Like blasting them with the high-intensity off-road lights or spotlights. The puny little fog lights would not fit that scenario in my opinion.
Old 12-12-2005, 02:42 PM
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Drive with foglights on/off?

Folk that drive with their foglamps on when the conditions are clear should be dragged out of their car and beaten! I've lost count the number of times I've been blinded by some idiot that is driving with their foglamps on.

Back in the UK, it is known for the police to pull you over for driving with foglamps on when conditions are clear for the very same reason.
Old 12-12-2005, 02:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Go48
If that's the wording of the law (I check it out at the link), it is certainly vague enough so that it would be seemingly easy to fight any citation in court. For example, what constitutes "Improper use", and what are "auxiliary driving lamps"? I would assume the law is intended to discourage the regular, on-road use of the high-intensity driving lights used in off-road driving or spotlights. In fact, I know that some states require those off-road lights to be covered when traveling on the highway systems.

I doubt that such a law would be enforced unless there was a flagrant disregard for the safety of other drivers on the road. Like blasting them with the high-intensity off-road lights or spotlights. The puny little fog lights would not fit that scenario in my opinion.
I dont think it would be that simple to fight in court. That list is simply that... a list. There is more to the law than what I just linked to. I just wanted to show that it is indeed a moving violation. Heck, they refer to turn signals as auxiliary passing lamps.
Old 12-12-2005, 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by BlackBeauty
Folk that drive with their foglamps on when the conditions are clear should be dragged out of their car and beaten! I've lost count the number of times I've been blinded by some idiot that is driving with their foglamps on.

Back in the UK, it is known for the police to pull you over for driving with foglamps on when conditions are clear for the very same reason.
sounds like your fog lamps are adjusted incorrectly if they are blinding anyone. mebbe you should be the one beaten?
Old 12-12-2005, 03:05 PM
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i always have mine on when my headlights are on.

i know i can't see my headlights and foglights at night when i'm in my car, but whenever i see another 8 w/fogs, i know that is exactly how my 8 looks
Old 12-12-2005, 11:46 PM
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The color temperature of the fog/driving lights as well as the small
inside" lights is much warmer than the main xenons. On a VERY foggy night they look like this:



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