Roadrunner

Is it necessary to turn off my bumper mounted fog lights when approaching oncoming cars and put them back on when they have passed by? I been deer hunting this pass week and a number of mornings we had thick fog in the mountains. I usually run my fog lights with low beams.

Cebby

If they are adjusted properly, you should not have to shut them down at all. They are intended to cut under the fog, so the beam pattern is supposed to be aimed pretty low. I leave mine on when conditions warrant it.

runnerboy97

kinda depends on how bright they are. mine are 85W, granted they are aimed lower than regular beams, i have still had people flash their lights at me, and one cop tell me to turn em off. Most mornings and evenings i leave them on though as they provide a nice color to be able to see.

cubuff4runner

I agree with Cebby, Fog lights are made to light only from the point where they are mounted to the ground. If the lights are lighting the air above them, they are defeating their own pupose and turn into fancy headlights. I have seen a few cars with foglights mounted on the top of their vehicles, smart idea, ha ha. So if your lights are a good quality light you should be fine runnning them whenever, if they are cheap they may shine a little in the air and make other drivers mad.

Jeff

zedex

Im one of those guys who HATES people driving around with 4 sets of lights on. If i was a cop i would be plenty busy giving out tickets. Good thing im not.
On a foggy day or in limited visibilty situation thats a different story. But on a clear night have a little consideration for the other drivers on the road.
I lost most of my vision in an accident so any bright lights shone in my eyes complety blinds me so i get pretty mad.

Citykid

You sound fine to me. Here in NYC, when a car see's you coming, then they turn on all the lights and high beams. You pretty much have to look away (turn your head) and hope that nothing jumps out in front of you for a few seconds.

M1911

If it isn't foggy, or raining, or snowing, turn off your fog lights. Fog lights can be quite distracting to other drivers and there's no need to have them on except in bad weather.

jx94148

As mentioned, fog lights are supposed to be aimed below your normal low beams so there is no need to shut them off for oncoming traffic if they are true, properly aimed fogs.

For those that have trouble seeing at night, you are supposed to look down and right to the lane markings when traffic is comming. Don't look at the car! It will make your dialated pupils contract and you won't see anything for a few seconds. Isn't that what they teach you at age 15 in drivers ed? Look away from the light sources to keep your pupils calibrated for darkness???!!

turboale

Get them properly aimed and they will blind no more than a headlight will. Then, you be the judge. As for people with fog lights mounted on the roof... they probably aren't fog lights. They are probably driving lights, which are for "off road use only" and shouldn't be on unless the high beams are used. If they actually are fog lights then they should be :pat: and sent to stupid school. I'm in the middle of wiring up my lights so the fogs come on with the low beams and the driving come on with only the high beams. Both on switches to over ride both on and off.

cubuff4runner

I know my lights and they were definately fog lights on the roof.

My99

I know on my Dad's 98, it came from the dealership with the hella's mounted in the grille of the bumper (not sure if this was done by the dealership or at the factory). Those suckers are bright, and when meeting oncoming traffic, he doesn't use them. But I wouldn't call them "fog lights," more auxillary. The ones in my 99's limited bumper however are not near as bright, they illuminate about 20 feet in front of the truck for dense fog situations, and although they don't distract other drivers, they're not much use if the conditions are fair. Seems most people these days just have their fogs turned "on" all the time, and they're just part of the headlights, and don't even realize they're on.

rwmorrisonjr

Turboale,

I just wired my Hella 500's up today and hooked them up to an ignition controlled accessory wire. I'd like to hook them up to the high beam circuit but I don't know which wire to splice into under the hood or behind the dash. If you can point me in the right direction that would be great.

Roadrunner

Like most here said, I only use my fog lights in the fog or low viz conditions. I'll check to see where the lights are striking the ground. About 20-30 feet in front of the vehicle sound right?

X-AWDriver

There's a guy in my neighborhood with a lifted Tahoe that has 6 lights plus his headlamps and he always has 'em on,the guy is just a showoff and coming head on with him is pretty annoying. If it isn't foggy then keep FOG lights off.

I have Hella 550s and they are just mounted under the bumper and I've never been flashed.