Do fog lights light fog?

"Berang" (berang) 02/26/2018 at 00:35 • Filed to: None

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They’re not supposed to. So I decided to find out, unscientifically.

Top photo is the headlights. Bottom photo is a single fog light. It’s a Kinby selective yellow, with H1 style bulb, so not the best fog light out there, but I was interested in seeing if the glare was cut down.

I took all photos on a tripod, with manual settings so the camera wouldn’t compensate for exposure or color temp.

The low beams shoot a narrower, higher beam, while the fog light shoots a lower, wider beam. The point of fog lights is they’re lower mounted and lower aimed than headlights so the fog reflects less of the light back to the driver. The width is to help the driver see the curb even when going around corners.

The top photos definitely show the difference in beam, but what about glare? Doesn’t look that different. But the photos were taken from outside the car... not from inside - directly behind the lights.

So if we put the camera in the driver’s seat?

low beams

fog light

There’s a tiny difference right? Compare the top edges of each photo... let’s put them side by side:

Desaturated for easier comparison of values... the headlights produce noticeably more light scatter, this is visible in the “sky” and also is how much more light is actually being reflected back onto the hood of the car.

There is an issue here in that I have a single fog, and two headlights, but even so I don’t think a pair of fog lights would create as much scattered light or “glare” as the headlights. Also have to add, despite the theory behind it, I don’t think the selective yellow lights glare less than “white” lights. They seem about the same to me. Most of the magic of fog lights seems to be from their lower mounting and wider spread.

Thanks for wasting your time reading this.

Maxima Speed > Berang 02/26/2018 at 00:57

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Quality Oppo science.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > Berang 02/26/2018 at 01:03

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All lights light fog. 

AestheticsInMotion > Berang 02/26/2018 at 01:06

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Okay, I’m hiring you to find the best fog lights (x2), cornering lights (x2), and either spots, wide beam, or whatever to fill in any empty places straight ahead with enough light to start a fire. Wide backup light could be good too. Your compensation will be too fantastic to put in writing here, and the additional benefits too numerous to write.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Berang 02/26/2018 at 01:07

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I want to tint mine amber to make them fog lights, 6000k leds are useless in fog. When they are on, they light up every thing. They

Bourbon&JellyBeans > Berang 02/26/2018 at 01:17

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Just got home from driving through moderate fog 15 minutes ago. My Mustang features the stock lower valence fogs that were optional on the V6. It is not possible as far as I know to turn the fogs on without the headlights also being on and I’ve never covered up the headlights to single out the light created by the fog lights. At any rate, the fog lights seem to illuminate the ground directly in front of the car (up to maybe about 15 feet) much more than with just headlights and do a lot to illuminate road markings. Pretty much all positive effects of the fog lights are lost at anything over 15 feet ahead of the vehicle. So they wouldn’t really help you see, say, a deer in the road until it was much too late. Thus, I find them only somewhat helpful. They would really only be necessary when the fog is so thick that the markings on the road are obscured. I still find myself using my high beams in light fog to help me see futher up the road.

LOREM IPSUM > Berang 02/26/2018 at 01:17

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I’ve had not one, but two pair of yellow LED replacement bulbs for my fogs sitting in my kitchen for months. A replacement passenger seat switch too, for that matter.

I really need to get off my ass and install them.

Berang > AestheticsInMotion 02/26/2018 at 02:23

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Of all the old halogen fog lights I have and have used, the Marchal ones stand out as the best by far, for having the best focused, widest beam with the least stray light. Spot lights - I don’t think there’s much of a difference between them, the lenses are way simpler, it’s pretty hard to F up designing a spot light.

But if you want some that look impressive - Cibie Oscars were the standard for decades in rallying.

Berang > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 02/26/2018 at 02:24

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Without a lens to aim them properly, not much is going to happen.

Berang > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 02/26/2018 at 02:25

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all light fogs lights

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Berang 02/26/2018 at 02:27

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Mine are a fog beam spread & aimed lower then recommended.

Berang > Bourbon&JellyBeans 02/26/2018 at 02:30

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Most modern fog lights are mounted too low to be useful at anything over a crawling pace. The beam has to be aimed low to prevent glare, but if the light is too close to the ground, you have to aim the beam straight ahead to give it any appreciable “reach” which negates the point of the things.

All fog lights though are low-low-beams and not intended for even moderate speeds.

Berang > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 02/26/2018 at 02:32

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what does the beam pattern look like? It should look something like this:

Long-Voyager > Berang 02/26/2018 at 07:44

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Yellow + Fog = What Fog:

adamftw > AestheticsInMotion 02/26/2018 at 07:59

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Hella Micro DE fogs lamps.

450X_FTW > Berang 02/26/2018 at 08:16

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I switched out the fog lights on my truck with a pair of KC Hilites 3" LED pods, but in amber. It works AMAZING for fog, snow, dust. The normal white light will just reflect off whatever is blocking your view, but amber does not and the light projects right through it.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > AestheticsInMotion 02/26/2018 at 09:40

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On the Miata you need to use old school round lights in a fiberglass pods. The traditional setup is 2 driving lights in the center, 2 cornering lights on the sides of those, and 2 fogs mounted down on the bumper. I recommend a liner 4 light pod on top (think Stratos) and a pair of auxiliary pods on the bumper, similar to the pods used on the Escort Cosworth WRCs.

thejustache > Berang 02/26/2018 at 10:58

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I’m a big fan of my fog lights, even if they are just the base Hella 500s. Aimed right they make a big difference in being able to spot deer in the bushes on the sides of the road, which is what I use them for more often than for actual fog.

vicali > 450X_FTW 02/26/2018 at 11:29

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I’m a few days away from pulling the trigger on another set of BD Squadrons. Trying to decide if I want to switch everything over to amber or not.. I think I will because during winter the majority of use is 1 am trips to the ski trails and back..

450X_FTW > vicali 02/26/2018 at 11:39

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I actually have the BD Squadron on my bike, with an amber tint lens and it is awesome for fog. With just the clear lens, visibility is maybe 30 ft in fog. Highly recommend it.

vicali > 450X_FTW 02/26/2018 at 11:43

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I had the sports on the old truck as ditch lights; with clear -

They easily threw more light than all four 500ff across the front..

New truck is getting the sports on ditch mounts and pros in the bumper..

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Berang 02/26/2018 at 11:50

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they do look like that.