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Fog Lights - Are they effective in fog?

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Prius Maximus, Jan 26, 2017.

  1. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    My fog lights are from the Prius Chat Shop and I installed.
     
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  2. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    No fog lights work in fog. Fog is water particles that no light will cut through. What hurts driving in fog are lights that are too high. What these do is light the sides of the road a bit. I leave ours on all the time for that reason.
     
  3. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    I do exactly the same on my Gen II, glad to learn that I'm not the only weirdo! :eek: ;)
     
  4. VTBIGDOG

    VTBIGDOG Active Member

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    Fog lights may not be entirely useful when driving in fog, but having that extra light shining close to the ground means other people may have a better chance of seeing your approaching lights.
     
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  5. Riparious

    Riparious Junior Member

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    I drive in dense fog during the winter in California’s San Joaquin Valley. While I’m no expert, I’ve done a fair bit of research into good lighting for fog. Low mounted lights with strict upper limit in the amber-ish color range (3500K - 4000K) produce the least glare reflected back to the driver. A rear facing bright red light is also a good idea. It’s my understanding that in the US, in addition to the regular tail lights, one rear-facing bright red fog light is legal.

    This week I got my first Prius (2010 Trim level V) and while most of the car is outstanding, the factory fog lights are hardly noticeable. Disappointing given my previous 2004 Matrix factory fog lights (with amber lenses covers added) were quite effective.

    Is there an upgrade available for the factory fog lights? Or should I go with fully aftermarket lamps, wiring harness, etc? I will be adding a rear facing red fog lamp either way.
     
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  6. CraigM

    CraigM Active Member

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    My Prius Prime is my first modern car with “fog lights” and seem to be useless because the low beams remain on(?). I think on early 1960 sportcars (Triumph TR3, Austin Healy 3000, etc.) the aftermarket amber fog
    Iights were used alone and were more effective?
     
  7. MichaelKnight

    MichaelKnight Junior Member

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  8. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

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    Fog lights don't work. If you could turn them on without the headlights on then they would be helpful in fog, otherwise not.
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Well it was actually a bit foggy here, last night; I turned on ours on (stock on 2010 Canadian Touring), and as usual I found myself turning them off and on a few more times, just to verify there was some difference.

    They are very anemic, a slight and subtle "warming" of the light, and ever so slightly more illumination on the road periferals. I should really do a few demo pictures; the operative word is really subtle.

    I think good/effective fog lights can be done. Our daughter's Pilot has some pretty effective ones. A few decades I ride-shared to class with a guy with a Supra; the fog lights were excellent.
     
  10. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    On every vehicle I've owned, I've found fog lights to be pretty useless from the perspective of helping ME see better.
    If they do help? It's not something I notice a lot.
    The reason I turn them on in fog...is well...."Fog" lights..when else am I going to use them? They look cool. And maybe most tangibly, I think they make ME more visible in the fog to others. That might be the benefit that really exists and helps the most.
     
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  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Know what you mean. Like some deep-sea diving vehicle. Into the abyss!
     
  12. VTBIGDOG

    VTBIGDOG Active Member

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    Fog lights may not help you see in fog very well, but they will help make you be seen by other vehicles better because they are closer to the ground.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  13. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    It is illegal to drive at night without headlights. Even if the fog lights are more effective, you might get that ticket.
     
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  14. Dennis_MA

    Dennis_MA Active Member

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    All three of my cars have fog lamps (2 have a rear fog lamp). I only use them when it is foggy out. They help quite a bit. My wife had a long commute on dark back roads and she uses them on occasion to light the sides of the road. The rear lights are helpful in being seen from behind when it is foggy. They also help when someone is tailgating.
     
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  15. Spidey71

    Spidey71 Member

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    Another good use for fog lights is during heavy or blowing snow conditions. I've used my fog lights much more often in snow than fog - but then again I live in the Canadian Rockies.
     
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  16. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    The same applies down here, U.S. Pacific Northwest.

    Heavy and blowing snow revealed lots of sins in past regular lowbeam headlights. My first Subaru was my first car with a good sharp upper cuttoff on the factory lowbeams. But they still had a bright sheet aiming nearly straight up -- no problem for oncoming cars, but a severe problem for my vision in heavy falling snow. After I crunched the nose (not related to snow), the replacements had this fixed.
     
  17. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    I think the Prius Prime’s fog lights would be effective if they’re put them on the bottom of the vertical light bars, rather than in the black quasi-triangular area beside it. In short, for fog lights, the lower the better.