dpark79

What's so annoying about them? People who forget to turn off their high-beams, now that's annoying.

BimmerJay

Blast from the past! Great thread... I personally enjoyed reading a bit of history, and yes. I drive with them on only because it doesn't p.i.s.s off some drivers. :-) J/K!!!

Russ1974

It's been mentioned several times already in this thread. It's not about how bright they are, it's about the alignment. Normal headlights are aligned so they shine forwards, but also downwards and towards the edge of the road. This is so it doesn't blind oncoming drivers. High-beam, they point forward - notice how when you switch them on it doesn't just make the existing lights brighter, they light to the driver's side more and also higher up. Fog lights point forward and often slightly up - the idea is that they cut underneath the fog rather than reflecting off. So when you have fog lights on, on a straight road, they are often blinding to oncoming traffic. If you are travelling up a hill it's even worse.

Forgetting to turn off high beam is annoying, but forgivable because they've FORGOTTEN. E.g., it was accidental. Give the other driver a flash with your lights and they'll usually realise, switch them off, and say thanks. However, intentionally swiching on your fog lights to "look cool" without "giving a shit" about the welfare of other drivers, I would consider that more annoying... (and actually downright ignorant and rude).

DoanThaiTu

Foglight's sometime also called Corner Light. It helps me see where i'm gonna turn before I turn, so I got it on whenever my DRL comes on.

sixcard

Yep

Russ1974

Corner lights and foglights are completely different ...

C's Bimmer

I love my high beams. It's like creating a tunnel of light to heaven when I throw those bad boys on. Hahahahaha!

poleposition

I replaced my fog lights with PIAA ION's. They are very yellow and very bright and I only use them in inclement weather. I did this in my wife's X5 as well. They happen to look VERY cool but again, only when it is raining, snowing, or foggy.

All the best

tuco

As a relative newbie on here, I missed this post on it's original go-round - I voted "fogs off" because, as other's have said, they are "fog lights", not "look cool lights".

Many drivers around here run with the fogs on and there is no logic to it except the "look at me" factor (saw a crappy old Chev Cavalier with the fogs on yesterday, driver was a young girl, on the phone... - typical).

Rudy

Even though I've commented on this issue in the past (in multiple threads) and I'm sure I won't help put this issue to rest, here's the way I see it...

First of all, some facts:

• Fog lights are designed for use in fog and other low-visibility situations where a reduced speed is necessary to maintain safe travel.
• Front fog lights illuminate less in front of the car and more to the sides of the road.
• Front fog lights are not Xenon or HID because the higher output "blue" shade of light is not as effective as a white, yellow, or amber light in foggy conditions.
• Rear fog lights are designed to allow other traffic to see you from behind as they approach you.
• In some countries, it is illegal to use fog lights when the conditions do not warrant their use.
• The pupil in the human eye closes when ambient light levels increase.
• Use of fog lights in normal driving conditions (no fog or reduced visibility) is a very controversial subject around the world.

Now for some opinions (that may be considered facts by some):

• The low angle of attack of fog lights can cause a high reflection off of the road that can dazzle approaching drivers as they get closer to the light source. This reflection is magnified on a wet (more reflective) road.
• Using rear fog lights in clear conditions is very annoying to cars following behind you.
• BMW consciously changed the fog light switch from one that stays on all the time (until the driver turns it off) to one that turns itself off automatically when the car is turned off due to the abundance of drivers who were unknowingly causing a safety problem for other drivers and to help owners abide by local laws.
• Claiming that using fog lights in clear conditions helps you see things in the periphery like deer, etc. is a misconception. The only way that the side illumination from fog lights would help spot a deer and still allow time to react would be if you were travelling less than 10 miles per hour (give or take a few mph.)
• When driving at night, the more light available immediately in front of the car (not in the distance), the harder it is to see further down the road since the pupils of the human eye close and allow less light to enter the eye. (This is the same reason why you should always dim the instrument panel at night to decrease ambient light and allow your pupils to open more.)
• Claiming that fog lights don't dazzle oncoming traffic just because they don't bother you personally when other people have them on does not mean they don't still dazzle people. If they didn't dazzle people at all, there wouldn't be laws on the books about proper use and there wouldn't be such controversy about the subject around the world.
• Driving around with fog lights turned on under normal road conditions doesn't look as cool as some people think. It isn't 1980 anymore -- too many regular "uncool" cars have fog lights now so activating them unnecessarily doesn't add any coolness. If anything, it makes you look less cool.
• There is a stereotype out there among the masses that BMW drivers are assholes because they drive too aggressively and often have their foglights on when it's not foggy.
• Although I'd love to be wrong, nothing I say here will change the minds of the people who choose to drive with the fog lights on even when it's not foggy.

I'm sure I could go on and on but for now, I think it's pretty clear what I'm trying to say. Just for fun, take a look at what a lighting expert has to say about this subject: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/li.../fog_lamps.html
Also, here's a link to a page from a police site in the UK that addresses this issue: http://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q400.htm

To prove how controversial a subject this is (as if anyone needs additional proof ), here are links to two different automotive related forums where this subject has come up:
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/rant-room/9...light-fuds.html
http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/i...howtopic=45582

Needless to say, when I Googled this, there were many, many more hits that yield similar discussions about the proper use of fog lights. Interestingly, I can't seem to find any lighting experts that take the position that using them in clear conditions is a good practice! (If someone can find one, I'd love to see it...)

Have fun everyone!