Mount fogs high or low?

[FirstNissan]

Hey guys, ive got a set of Hella 500FF fog lights and am fabricating a bar to mount them on my 2009 nissan versa. I plan to use these as a supplement to my halogen low beams as well as bad weather lights. Can i mount them at the same level as the headlights or is there some negative aspect that im not aware of?
Thanks for the help!

 

[rshunter]

Mount them low. The idea is for the light to illuminate the road, not the fog. Oh, and for gawd-sakes, DON'T use them when there isn't any fog!!!

 

[rcy]

Originally Posted By: rshunter
Mount them low. The idea is for the light to illuminate the road, not the fog. Oh, and for gawd-sakes, DON'T use them when there isn't any fog!!!


+1, especially the part about not using them when there is no fog.

I like the look of fog lights, but honestly, in my experience, they light up an area directly in front of the vehicle. If you're looking there when you're driving you're not looking in the right place as you drive.

 

[SubLGT]

Check NJ laws. There will be a maximum/minimum legal mounting height.

 

[moto94536]

my car came with factory installed fog light. I use the fog light when I am driving at night. it help alot.

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: moto94536
my car came with factory installed fog light. I use the fog light when I am driving at night. it help alot.

Yeah, and it causes a lot of unnecessary glare for oncoming drivers. A fog light produces a wide and short beam. That means that it illuminates the area directly in front of the vehicle, which is the last place you should be looking when traveling at speed. You should be looking farther up the road, for the safety of both you and other road users. It also puts a lot of light into the oncoming traffic lane, which can cause vision problems for the people heading right for you, at a high rate of speed. Those are probably not the people I'd care to be blinding, but that's just me...

 

[The_Jeff]

Set them up low, they add contrast and 3D if you're driving in snow.

Factory fog lamps are wired to pretty much always be on with low beams, which is why you see so many jerks running them. The OEs like the look of the cosmetic fogs so they set up the switch gear for the operator to set them and forget them. Fortunately they aren't as bright as a good set of Hellas.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: rshunter
Originally Posted By: moto94536
my car came with factory installed fog light. I use the fog light when I am driving at night. it help alot.

Yeah, and it causes a lot of unnecessary glare for oncoming drivers. A fog light produces a wide and short beam. That means that it illuminates the area directly in front of the vehicle, which is the last place you should be looking when traveling at speed. You should be looking farther up the road, for the safety of both you and other road users. It also puts a lot of light into the oncoming traffic lane, which can cause vision problems for the people heading right for you, at a high rate of speed. Those are probably not the people I'd care to be blinding, but that's just me...


Interesting. I do much of my driving, especially this time of year, in the dark on 2 lane rural roads. I've never had an issue with being "blinded" by a properly aimed set of fog/driving lights from oncoming traffic. Have you considered getting a good eye exam?

And as far as your comment about where the driver should be looking-I've always understood that the driver should look both near and far, not limiting themselves to only "farther up the road". I can't imagine not knowing what's going on close to my vehicle, as well as far away. Especially when determining if the road is slick at night; I'm not sure I'd want to try to make that judgement while limiting myself to looking "far up the road".

 

[The_Jeff]

I think the tangent to "fogs are bad" is the road right in front of your bumper gets bright, ruining your night vision for mid-to-far distances.

Hopefully OPs fogs have a better beam pattern than most cheezy OE ones, that will help more than hurt.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
I think the tangent to "fogs are bad" is the road right in front of your bumper gets bright, ruining your night vision for mid-to-far distances.


^^ This. The fog lamps on our MDX are very wide, and pretty low. When they are on along with the head lamps, it's like day light in front of the car. And around town, it's nice, especially in the rain or snow. It does add contrast to the road and is great with side vision.

But on the open road, I do turn them off, as they tend to reduce my distance vision. The eye naturally wants to focus on the area of brightest light, and with those fog lamps on, that's pretty close in front of the car. With the fog lamps off, I can more readily focus down the road, and my eye fatigue is less.

I think a few bad OE fog lamps ruin the reputation for the rest. Some late model GM fog lamps are particularly glaring.

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Interesting. I do much of my driving, especially this time of year, in the dark on 2 lane rural roads. I've never had an issue with being "blinded" by a properly aimed set of fog/driving lights from oncoming traffic. Have you considered getting a good eye exam?

My only potentially related problem would be having 20/10 vision. I can see things at twice the distance of the average person. However, there may be times when this isn't all it's cracked up to be. This tends to be related to seeing things I'd rather have missed, though...

I was making the observation that others, not just myself, can have issues with the improper use of fog-lights. This comes from an understanding that I am not the sole person with a right to use of the road and that the safety of my employees rests on both their actions and those of others. Regardless of the action which creates it, getting sued by a "donkey" who creates the issue which leads to their own injury is not a pleasant thing.

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
And as far as your comment about where the driver should be looking-I've always understood that the driver should look both near and far, not limiting themselves to only "farther up the road". I can't imagine not knowing what's going on close to my vehicle, as well as far away. Especially when determining if the road is slick at night; I'm not sure I'd want to try to make that judgement while limiting myself to looking "far up the road".

As one who has been a CMV instructor with a number of safety certifications, I can say without doubt that most people don't look nearly far enough ahead, even if they are making the effort to do so. Having the lighting pattern concentrated near the front of a vehicle tends to draw a drivers attention closer to the vehicle, which is where they DON'T want to be recognizing hazards. Potential hazards can be observed sooner, and will be more easily dealt with, if the driver is properly scanning the road farther ahead of them. That pothole, tree limb, vehicle approaching the intersection from the left and pedestrian were all there 10-15 seconds ago...

Notice also that I didn't say that someone should stare into the distance? That is because there is much more to it than just looking near and far. Here is a PDF of the five key points of the Smith System Driver Safety Training that I believe more people should learn. It could mean the difference between life and death, and not just for the driver.

 

[Smokescreen]

I agree with much that has been said....Daniel Stern sums it all up nicely: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/fog_lamps/fog_lamps.html

 

[Spazdog]

The foglights in my Mazda are incorporated into the headlamp assy. They appear to be properly aimed as they were actually quite beneficial in dense fog instead of creating a blinding glare. I could actually see the stripes on the road.

But a lot of people see 4 lights on in your headlights and assume that you have your highbeams on. (I wonder how suprised they are when I flash them back)

Coming back on a rural 65mph (70mph day) two lane blacktop, I was suprised at how bad many factory foglights are aimed. I really began to wonder if it's intentional. A LOT of them would have one pointed in the trees and the other straight at oncoming traffic.

Maybe it's from impacts. This particular highway had been resurfaced with rocks that felt and sounded like they were the size of ping-pong balls.

 

[Seguino]

An old brochure from Cibie said to mount no higher than one third the hight of your eyes from the road.
The Hella fogs havea relatively good cutoff, so if you aim them properly they shouldn't cause any hardship for oncoming traffic. Keep in mind that for every foot off the ground they will only light 100ft in front of the vehicle so you aren't gonna be able to run warp two in pea soup fog like they do in California. LOL
Good luck

 

[rcy]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit

And as far as your comment about where the driver should be looking-I've always understood that the driver should look both near and far, not limiting themselves to only "farther up the road". I can't imagine not knowing what's going on close to my vehicle, as well as far away. Especially when determining if the road is slick at night; I'm not sure I'd want to try to make that judgement while limiting myself to looking "far up the road".




If you've determined that the road is slick directly in front of your car (because the fogs have revealed this slickness?) it's a bit too late to do anything about it, isn't it? (unless you're speed is 0 mph and you're out inspecting the road in the light of the fogs?)

 

[FirstNissan]

Just for knowledge sake, can driving lights be mounted low, at the level of factory fogs?
Thanks guys!

 

[rshunter]

Yes, they can be. But as they're normally for use when there is no oncoming traffic, like when you'd use main-beam headlights, you can mount them higher.

Coincidentally, tonight I came across a dim-wit driving a minivan full of kids down I-75 at over 70mph using nothing but the fogs for forward illumination. The joke about getting a driver's license out of a box of Cracker Jack has apparently come true...

 

[ffhdriver]

I think one problem with most fogs is that the majority of owners have never checked to see if they are aimed properly. My OEM ones were badly aimed, too low. Ater reading the Daniel Stern website I had the dealer adjust them. I like them for the side lighting they provide.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: rshunter
Coincidentally, tonight I came across a dim-wit driving a minivan full of kids down I-75 at over 70mph using nothing but the fogs for forward illumination. The joke about getting a driver's license out of a box of Cracker Jack has apparently come true...


A lot of people around here, mostly driving larger pickups, like to ride around with their fogs and parking lamps on, without the head lamps. I think they think it looks cool. Oh, I notice them alright. But what I think about it probably isn't what they're hoping it would be.

 

[Smokescreen]

In reference to poorly aimed lamps from factory & as mentioned in above link nearly all OEM fog/driving lights and a good deal after market ones are pretty much cosmetic toys. Most OEM aux lamp setups are designed to only illuminate with the low beams on.

Please note that I do not endorse this company (I think their products are grossly overpriced and there are much better performers out there) but the instruction for aiming is pretty concise in this link:

http://www.piaa.com/Lamps/LightAimingGuide.html