1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Fog Lights - Are they effective in fog?

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

  1. Prius Maximus

    Prius Maximus Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2004
    929
    774
    1
    Location:
    Northeastern IL
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Or are they still just a decorator item? The fog lights in my gen 2 were useless, I haven't had any since then, and am wondering how they are on the prime?
     
  2. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2016
    2,567
    1,595
    0
    Location:
    Somewhere in Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2013 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    N/A
    No but they work great when some dbag won't dim
    They also help discourage other drivers from running their fog lights in the presence of oncoming traffic
     
    #2 Rmay635703, Jan 26, 2017
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2017
  3. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2008
    2,306
    1,328
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Not much fog here in Austin (TX), but when we do get fog, I've found that the fog lights on my 2009 (Gen-2) help a fair amount.
     
    WilDavis likes this.
  4. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,066
    15,372
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    I am relying on the radar part of dynamic cruise control and accident avoidance to deal with the fog. Of course this will require testing.

    Bob Wilson
     
    thatoneraccoon likes this.
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,463
    38,101
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I've always thought of fog lights as very low beam, a shallow/wide beam directing downwards and towards the shoulder. Unlikely to be blinding oncoming drivers. Maybe you mean "driving" lights?

    Our third gen fog lights are also pretty useless, btw. My main use of them is just to flick them on/off, to see if I can even tell the difference.
     
  6. CNYhybrid

    CNYhybrid Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2016
    158
    83
    0
    Location:
    Liverpool, New York
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I just installed the fog lamps from Prius Chat on my 2011 Four. I notice a slight difference in the reach of the lighting and a considerable difference in the width.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,463
    38,101
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Is the difference slight and subtle? That's how it is for us.

    I sometimes idly think: they might as well just put out "faux" fog lights, that don't even turn on: the main thing is the look.
     
  8. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2008
    2,306
    1,328
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Umm, in my concept of fog lights, the critical factor is that they are mounted as low as realistically possible to the ground (road). That produces the effect of the lit road shining through the fog, rather than just lighting the plume of fog in front of you, obscuring your vision of the road, and everything else in front of you for that matter.

    In other words it's not that fog lights are aimed high or low, but that they are mounted low.
     
    E-GINO, overdose and Mendel Leisk like this.
  9. I'mJp

    I'mJp Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2012
    628
    552
    0
    Location:
    Ma, USA
    Vehicle:
    Other Electric Vehicle
    Model:
    Three
    It works quite well. It's very satisfying feelling the car slow down, when there is nothing in sight ahead. It's also unbelievable that someone would drive in fog with no lights on at all (like the car that was ahead of me). Maybe they should come out with a fog light that blinks or something pointed in the back to help the guy following you notice.
     
  10. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,489
    2,153
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    When I lived in the UK (…until 1983) I remember that many cars were fitted with extra red lights at the rear which were only used in fog - I remember fitting them as add-ons to my cars.
     
  11. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,590
    11,212
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    I can't say if the fog lights on my gen2 would have helped in the fog, since the headlights had to be on first, and they just turned the fog into a white wall.

    Playing Devil's advocate, driving through a heavy snow storm on night, I only had the parking lights, because I could see farther than with the headlights.

    Yes, in Europe, they have rear fog lights, and I understand they don't have to turn on the headlights in order to turn on the fog lights.
     
  12. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,489
    2,153
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    When I fitted rear fogs to my car, I wired them so that when the side (pilot) lights were off. the fogs came on with the brake-lights, and at night they came on when the side-lights were on, and when they were off, they were off, and when they were on, they were on! (…said the Grand Old Duke of York!) So, during the day, the braking was really lit up, but not dazzling at night, and if it was foggy the rear was lit up anyway!
     
  13. DGH

    DGH Thread Terminator

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2006
    365
    93
    0
    Location:
    Wales, WI
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    The always on fog light people are the worst! I think half of them don't ever know they are on. As for the other half-- rude and inconsiderate along with a few cruder adjectives.
     
    Prius Maximus and Rmay635703 like this.
  14. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    5,131
    1,338
    0
    Location:
    Wilmington, NC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    We had heavy, low-lying fog occasionally on my morning commute to work. The fog lights worked well to shine under the fog and side-to-side to keep the lane lines illuminated.

    I have always thought they worked well in heavy fog.
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,463
    38,101
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Are yours OEM fogs, or better/brighter?

    I've yet to really need ours, lol. Have encountered a little fog, but in 6+ years nothing significant.
     
  16. overdose

    overdose New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2016
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    BY
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I'll go with that explanation
     
  17. GreenJuice

    GreenJuice Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2008
    195
    127
    3
    Location:
    London, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Agreed too.
    And it logically follows that, to avoid lighting the fog in front of you, having the main beams off might offer better visibility.
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,463
    38,101
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Regardless of pros and cons of that, I think it's illegal to run fogs without headlight, at least at my location. The cars as delivered do not allow that.
     
  19. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2008
    2,306
    1,328
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Definitely high beams off! :eek:
     
  20. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2013
    1,534
    581
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Yes. In that regard, fog lights on a car are useless.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.