Cars with "Fog" Lights on at lowbeam.

[Bluefire]

2 headlights...
35w + 35w = 70w...
2 headlights + 2 fog lights
35w + 35w + 60w + 60w = 190w
Which do you think is brighter ?

[Matty]

It's the direction of the beams, not the wattage of the globes.

[Bluefire]

Yes.. and because you cannot see your highbeams hitting an on coming car at 1km away that must mean they arent bright as **** for the oncoming driver...right ?
Same thing. Just because you cannot see the light projected from your foglights hitting anything besides the road does not mean your foglights cannot be seen from 1km+ away.
The is only 2 ways your fog lights do not have some kind of effect on an oncoming driver (or someone you are driving behind)
1: they are OFF like they are supposed to be
2: the lense is tilted down so such a degree that if you were to put a level on the outside lip of the lense and touch it to the side of the lense in a direction towards the globe then the level would be >1degree below horizontal (assuming flat road, Increase if on slope)

[Matty]

The beam points to the road, not your eye level. Just like your low beams point down and to the left (am unsure if fog lights point to the left, but I assume they also have to follow the ADR)

Many cars have fog lights, and none of them shine in my eyes brighter then headlights.

EDIT: For factory fitted at least.

[Bluefire]

If the light source is visible it effects the human eye, it does not matter if the primary focus of the lense is down, left, right or to the moon. if you can see it.. then you can see it.

[Matty]

Absolutely. But it does not affect your vision anymore then low beam headlights.

Also, the light intensity (in regards to your vision) is determined by where the light waves go buddy (among other reasons)

[Bluefire]

Light source A which effects your vision (lowbeam)
+
Light source B which effects your vision (foglights)
=
A ?
No.. ofcouse not
B may be more or less than A .. it does not matter.
Either way
A+B will still be "brighter" than just A alone

[Matty]

[c0mc0]

I sometimes wonder in these online discussions re: "foglights" if people are talking about the same thing. For those saying they are the greatest menace on our roads, are you talking about these -



or THESE -



They are both factory fitted. Both are called "fog lamps". But there's a MASSIVE difference between them.

Some would argue that the ones on the Lancer picture above are "driving lights", which are different and should not be considered as "fog lights" but I am not aware of any legal definition that would categorise them as anything other than "fog lights".

[ashman1991]

While we are complaining about car lights - wanksters that drive around with LED lights on during the day trying to look cool. After-market fitted ones are even more stupid.

Great example:


****, he is so 'tuf'

[BBlunt]

While we are complaining about car lights - wanksters that drive around with LED lights on during the day trying to look cool. After-market fitted ones are even more stupid.

Great example:
[ http://i.imgur.com/SGhzc.jpg ]

****, he is so 'tuf'

I think you'll find they can't be turned off. At least the factory fitted ones. They're call Daytime Running Lights/Lamps and in Europe all new cars must have them. So we're going to see them more and more.

[ashman1991]

I think you'll find they can't be turned off. At least the factory fitted ones. They're call Daytime Running Lights/Lamps and in Europe all new cars must have them. So we're going to see them more and more.

Didn't know that. Did a bit of reading on it in the EU and there are mixed reports on whether it actually does anything or not.

But anyway, they're not mandatory in Australia so anyone with them still looks like a tool.

[Matty]

Yeah, but the cars will have them on all the time regardless, because of how the car is made. Especially with euro cars taking off quite a bit now.

I am unsure of the newer commodores. I know the upper models have them, but I don't know if they are on 24/7. (I assume they are)

[c0mc0]

While we are complaining about car lights - wanksters that drive around with LED lights on during the day trying to look cool. After-market fitted ones are even more stupid.

Great example:
[ http://i.imgur.com/SGhzc.jpg ]

****, he is so 'tuf'

You realise that using such lights has been proved in many studies to statistically reduce the risk of a two vehicle collision? There is variation between many of the studies as to how much of a reduction daytime running lights actually make, but the general consensus from almost every study that I am aware of is that they improve vehicle visibility and reduce the instances of collision where "I just didn't see him".

Some stats from studies here -
http://www.ibiblio.org/rdu/DRLs/studies.htm and here -
http://acrs.org.au/about-us/policies/sa ... ng-lights/

I was t-boned (at low speed, thankfully) at a T-intersection a few years back by a guy who stopped at the stop sign, looked right - towards me, but with the sun directly behind my car shining into his eyes - looked left, looked right again and pulled out and hit my front left quarter panel. I would suggest that if my car had had these newer, bright LEDs fitting to the front of it, he likely would have seen me - at the very least he would have had a better opportunity to see me, even with the glare of the sun behind my car - and the accident would have been prevented.

Personally, I see the LEDs on Audis, Lexus etc to be very effective and I have never been "dazzled" by them. They are bright enough to see at quite a distance but have an extremely diffuse, unfocused beam.

For the record, both my cars have "fog lights", much like the once on the Lancer above, and I only drive with them on when it is foggy.

[Bluefire]

hey matty... little test for you.
park your car somewhere dark, nice and flat etc.
Get a friend to string out a trip line somewhere between the front wheel and drivers mirror. (while you arent looking)
All car lights off.. stand about 20m in front of your car let your eyes adjust then walk at a decent pace towards your car.. step over the trip line when you see it.
Now have them move the trip line.
Turn fog lights on, stand at the 20m mark again and look towards your car, let your eyes adjust again then walk at the same pace.. and try to see the trip line in the shadow after you pass your cars fog lights..
(have the friend ready to catch you on the foglight test)