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Prius V Owners: Do you use your foglights?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Thai, May 16, 2010.

  1. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    Hey all,

    With my LEDs ON, i don't see the need for foglights. When i turn on the fogs, the only benefit i see is that it marginally (this is me exaggerating!) illuminates the sides of the car. Should i leave it on for some benefit that has eluded me?? Or should i turn it OFF so that the bulb will last longer (one less thing to blow down the road)??

    My minivan also has HIDs and i never had the need for fogs either.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. hsiaolc

    hsiaolc New Member

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    No. I don't use fog light. Only use when there is fog.

    I am going to put HID on my fog too then I will use it to show it off.
     
  3. jm1515

    jm1515 New Member

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    Mine are on whenever my headlites are on.
    The fogs lluminate more of the sides of the road immediately in front of me than the headlites do.
    My night vision is not the greatest so I want every bit of light I can get.........
     
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  4. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    And that is the weird thing...when there is fog, our LED headlights should NOT be ON because the reflection back may be a negative thing on visibility.

    Yeah, i noticed that, but i am not sure if it really benefits much. But i see your point...maybe i should just leave it ON.
     
  5. New_Yorker

    New_Yorker New Member

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    Fog Lights properly installed and aimed, as they are when Toyota Installs them on the Prius FIVE, are virtually useless for normal night driving. I would and will use them when I am Forced to Dramatically Slow Down because the Fog is So Thick I cannot easily see the lane markings close in to the car without the Fog lights. This is their design function, and they work well when you are unfortunate enough to be driving in such dangerous conditions. The Far more likely accident and danger comes from the witless driver cruising through the fog like he had the shields around him of the Starship Enterprise, when he slams into the back of your car or the one behind you and causes one of thse hundred car chain reaction pileups that occur in heavy Fog shrouded locations. Lack of caution, high speed, and near zero visibility is a potent and Lethal combination when driving. Fog Lights can help, but the wise person stays off the highway until the fog lifts and the wreckage of the carsh he avoided is removed from the roadway. Incidentally heavy snow is just as bad, and wet snow will cling to the lights so effectively they lose much of their ability to light anything. Wet snow also obscures the back of big trucks by covering all the refective tariler tape and lights on the truck.
     
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  6. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    Thanks NYer...that explains it.
     
  7. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I've been trying to wrap my mind around how I want to use my Fog Lights. I just bought a new vehicle and the first I've ever owned that had fog lights. Outside of the extremely obvious- Use them when you have fog....I see almost no advantage outside of cosmetics. When I turn them on at night, I think my vehicle looks more agressive...obviously more "points of light" eminating from the front. You could argue that makes my entire vehicle more visible and thus perhaps safer.

    But from the inside, looking out...outside of a slight improvement in illumination of the almost immediate horizon, very close to the vehicle, I see no advantage.

    As I said, I've never had fog lights before so maybe I just don't know what I should of expected. But unless you are driving in extreme fog, I don't see much advantage if any outside of cosmetics.

    I've got em, I guess I'll use them if I'm ever suddenly driving in fog BUT I'm convinced for most people it's just a cosmetic thing most of the time. More Bright Shiny Things...
     
  8. Joe166

    Joe166 New Member

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    I have never remembered to turn them on. I think I might have turned them on once by mistake.
     
  9. New_Yorker

    New_Yorker New Member

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    So Max out the Glare of Light from your car, and to 'ell with the oncoming driver even on a moonlit pefectly clear night, so long as you think it makes your car look 'COOL'.

    So if another driver leaves on his high beams and never shuts them down because he thinks they make him look Cool, and More Noticable, you'd be OK with his inane desire to look cool ?

    Drivers like you would be my argument for outlawing any & all lights that exceed the simple high and low beams of ordinary headlights. Actual safety dictates that you not infringe on the cars approaching you, and modern headlights should be precisely made to reduce glare, not add other almost useless lights to increase glare from oncoming vehicles.
     
  10. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Is it not illegal for you to use fog lights when it's not foggy? Obviously here in the UK we get lots of opportunity to use fog lights :( but if we forget to turn them off or use them when not foggy we leave ourselves open to being stopped by the cops.

    There is one time you can get away with using them only on a temporary basis is when one of your headlight bulbs has blown pending replacement.
     
  11. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Huh?...where did I say I was doing that? Yeh, I "experimented" with how they worked...and how they looked but just the opposite. Since I did not recognize a big advantage, I haven't been driving with the fog lights on. If you can read here is what I said "I guess I'll use them if I'm ever suddenly driving in fog BUT I'm convinced for most people it's just a cosmetic thing".

    But even IF I did decide to use them all the time, I think there is a big difference between using fog lights and driving with High Beams on all the time. I do think most people that decide to use their fog lights in "normal" night time conditions ARE doing it for the cosmetic look and not a considerable advantage in illumination but I also don't think it's that big a deal. Fog lights by design are low to the ground, and designed to illuminate the immediate surrounding horizon. If I did decide to use them....at least as they exist on my vehicle I would have little fear that I was blinding other drivers or disturbing them.

    But no, I'm NOT using them.

    I find it interesting that someone that has embellished his automobile with highly reflective 3M stickers would criticize someone else for creating glare or being a potential nightime distraction.
     
  12. New_Yorker

    New_Yorker New Member

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    Does not your original post suggest that turning fog lights on for cosmetic reasons is acceptable ?
     
  13. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I put very good aftermarket fog lights on two older cars, one with poor headlights and one with mediocre lights, in the previous era of old (and lousy) headlight regulations. Both sets made a considerable difference in foul weather driving.

    On my one car with factory fogs, they were a considerable disappointment. After comparing with several others, I came to the opinion that factory 'fog lights' are merely a decoration built to be legal in all 50 states, including the states were real fog lights are prohibited.

    But fog lights are less needed now. These new headlights are a huge improvement over the old standardized -- but awful -- sealed beam lamps, especially the rectangular single lamp system.
     
  14. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    To be honest? I don't know the laws. I only know that I see a lot of people that do seem to use fog lights in non-fog conditions. Unless it's a huge SUV with blinding fog lights, in most cases, I don't see it as a big issue.

    So yes, I might evaluate on a case by case basis BUT in general I think using your fog lights for cosmetic reasons is probably fine.

    I tend to side with personal freedom. Like window tinting or any modifications...if it's legal, and not creating any obvious danger then if you want to use them....I say Light Em' if You've got em!

    If it's illegal in your area, jurisdiction or country...then wait for John Carpenter and The Zombie Pirates to show up.
     
  15. Thai

    Thai Prius Neophyte

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    I don't think that fogs do much to oncoming traffic...i don't think that is an issue. Multi-reflective tape causes more distraction than the fogs.

    Now, those aftermarket HID fogs are a different story.
     
  16. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    This varies by jurisdiction. In one state (two decades ago, maybe laws have changed) it was illegal to even have them mounted on the car.

    But two state patrol officers I quizzed indicated that they are legal here all the time, day and night, as long as the low beams are also on. The second officer did suggest aiming them slightly lower than common practice, to eliminate glare to oncoming drivers. When I applied her advice, and added a bit of tilt to compensate for the road crown (tilted down more towards oncoming traffic, higher towards the shoulder), the already rare highbeam flashes from oncoming traffic completely stopped, and I still gained usable illumination of the shoulder and barrow pit.

    Proper fog light pattern and aim put far less light into the eyes of oncoming drivers than did the lowbeams of that era. Their light was instead cast downward and sideways, into areas missed by the crappy lowbeam pattern. Common blinglights, also labeled as fog lights, don't necessarily do the same.
     
  17. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    No, not illegal here in the states. Why should they be if they're nothing like the high beams?

    Yes, I turn them on for cosmetic reasons. Looks cooler that way and I do get a chance to see them when I step out of the car because they don't go off for 30 seconds.
     
  18. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    The fogs on my Intrigue were rarely turned on. My attitude now is "since I paid for them, I'm using them" and the switch is on. I don't think they did anything for the Intrigue or for the Prius. I'd have been happier if the car didn't have fogs and an ugly plug advertizing that something is missing.
     
  19. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    My fogs are set so they turn on when the headlights are illuminated.

    Same way on all my cars for last 20+ years. They definitely provide more illumination of the road, particularly the sides. Not a huge increase, but why not take advantage of anything that adds to safety?
     
  20. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    You guys are talking me into using my fogs.

    I guess I had the psychological reaction of not using my fogs, for the same reason I like Prius...that is conserving resources.

    I know it's stupid...and not technically valid but it's almost a puritanical, save the resource reaction of NOT using the electricity or burning the bulb.

    But some of the replies here make me want to revisit my decision...maybe I will use my fogs more often.

    This has become an interesting thread...ultimately I don't think it's a big deal whether you choose to use them or choose not to use them.