I don't see how is fog lights are any better than running parking lights for visibility. Nice theory though but mine is that Mazda was trying to up profit by selling cheap options at a large markup.

 

Ask any biker about daytime running lights.

The stock fog lights are 55 watts, compared to 15-20 watt parking or side lights.

My little running lights are 55 watts each

 

I was thinking about buying fog lights a while ago. Though now with the intercooler piping in the way, their is no place for them. Overall I really like the look of the fog lights with jspec ftps.

 

Again, are you serious? You're actually comparing the light output of a 5W marker light to a 55W fog light? I think you need to actually go and look at a can running them. To suggest marker lights perform even a fraction as well is just laughable.

They weren't an option, most S5's had them as standard.

 

I had the foglights on my 89 GXL but removed them because they were 100% useless. You could not tell if they were on or off from the drivers seat. In the US, DOT laws prevent most OEM foglights from being very useful. The lights in the US were "white" not amber as in many other countries, were aimed very very low and only operated with the low beams on. They did nothing to improve approaching car's view of you considering your headlights were on as well.

Maybe its different in New Zealand?????

 

I agree with NZ. You cant possibly think a 5W bulb is going to have higher visibility than a 55W bulb. It just doesn't work. We recently had an extremely thick fog here in kansas. I turned on all my lights and fogs, and I verified that the fog light is in fact very visible in fog. much more than the parking lights. It's not different in New Zealand. You people just think that the fog light is supposed to light up the road.

 

I have aftermarket fog lights on my car. I like the look of them and they still alow plenty of air flow. Even though I got pulled over for it Sunday. I guess it's illegal here to drive with your fog lights on unless visability is a half mile or less... Stupid law... I guess my low pointed fog lights blind people. I like my visability with them much better.

 

Did you actually read what I said above? The bit where I said, "They're mainly there to make you more easily visable to others in fog or other poor-visablity conditions." They don't need to put light onto the road to do that. If it's so dark you can't see the road ahead of you you're supposed to turn the headlights on. Different lights for different purposes.

Mine are white, as are most fog lights in this and many other countries.

That contradicts what you said earlier. If they were aimed very low then you would clearly see light on the road. If they were aimed to high you wouldn't. They should be aimed horizontal to work best.

So what? You should only ever use high-beams when no cars are approaching you, in which case fog lights aren't required.

The headlights don't need to be on to use the fog lights, only the marker/taillights.

I've seen nothing to make me think the fog light installation in my J-spec car is any different to that fitted to US cars.

 

Fog lights are supposed to be good at 2 things.

1) Making the road more visible in foggy conditions.
2) Make you more visible in foggy conditions.

They are not just decorations they DO have a purpose, why do you think they are mounted so low on cars? This is done to allow these lights to sit below the fog and light up the edges of the road while illuminating the road just that much further ahead of you then you headlights can. They are also good with helping people see you in foggy conditions, because they are so low they can project the beam further.

 

sounds about right to me

 

NZ,

In the US, the foglights DO NOT operate unless the low beams are on. They do not operate with the marker & taillights on. Therefore, since the foglights do not help the driver see and do not help others see you, they do absolutely nothing in the US.

 

"In the US, the foglights DO NOT operate unless the low beams are on."

If they DID operate when the low beams were off you would have a crap load of pissed off people driving by.


"Therefore, since the foglights do not help the driver see and do not help others see you, they do absolutely nothing in the US."

How do you determine this?....because they are not on all of the time?

 

This thread motivates me to mount a light bar on my FC's roof and outfit it with 8 5" KC's.

 

the U.S. fog lights don't come on until you turn on the headlights. Unless you rewire them you cannot use them independent of the headlights. Additionally, if you rewire them by the code of the law they must be connected to your low/high beam switch and turn off when you turn on your high beams. I.E. high beams and fog lights on at the same time is illegal.

And while I agree with the idea that fog lights are supposed to help others see you I find it hard to believe that they aren't supposed to cut through the fog at all and help the driver see. I have never driven a car that had fog lights that did absolutely nothing to illuminate the road other than my rx7. It seems pretty logical that a fog light could help you see in the fog and help others see you at the same time. Or perhaps every other auto maker has faulty fog lamps and only mazda is superior....And why would people be pissed at you if your fog lights were on without the low beams? Less light blinding them than if the headlights and the fogs were on? Would be no different than running lights.

 

OK this may be a little lost here but i would like to know exactly how the s5 foglights were wired. I mean did they come on along with the headlights, were they independant? I wired mine to the parking lights so i can put them on seperate, but i want them to look as stock as possible.

 

Fog lights make your breaks run down faster? Wow... never knew that... LOL

Unless I read all of the first page wrong.....

I'd say install your fog lights. They do work, some people I believe just can't get used to them.... =)

 

I don't see how many of you guys have/had trouble with the stock fog lights. If you couldn't see them when they were on, than your bulbs were low or something. When I drove my 'vert, I could see whenever they were turned on. Obiviously I didn't turn them on in broad daylight, but I used them when they were MOST wanted.

edit: this was with the stock fog lights and when I put the aftermarket ones on.

 

Wrong. My convertible's stock foglights operated when the headlights were off.

Something seriously tells me you guys need to go back into reading your road baics ****. Folks who say "fog lights are useless" ... go live in a city / state / town where there's **** load of fog or **** heavy rain... and try to tell me you can see with just your "parking lights" and/or "head lights on"..

I highly doubt you can.

 

So how do they not help other drivers see you just because the headlights are also on? That's nonsense.

Why? How is this different to having them operate together? Even better, how is this different to Canadian FC's that use the same lights as DRL's?

 

Makes ya wonder about some people, NZ.

 

i want fog lights but i don't want them in the brake vents i saw a nice set at wally world that you dident even have to run any thing through your fire wall it used a remote switch to turn them on and off they had the oem look to them shape wise but had a nice blue tint to the glass/ plastic what ever it was

they do help you see i know this from before i pulled the fog lights out that the previous owner had jamed into the brake fents was a pain getting them out they were jamed in there pretty good not screws or bolts just shoved in really good lol

 

"And why would people be pissed at you if your fog lights were on without the low beams? Less light blinding them than if the headlights and the fogs were on? Would be no different than running lights."

Sorry I worded that all wrong my mistake... I meant to say if they came on with you lows all of the time people would be pissed. They should be set up on a seperate switch then the rest.

I think...
Good high powered foglights should only be used in fog.
Maybe I'm wrong but I thought I read that they were mounted low on the car (below the 8-10 inches where fog sits off the ground.) and directed slightly up so... The light travels further under the dense fog then once it reaches a certain distance, it hits the fog and illiminates just that much further then your higher up headlights do... think of highbeam and low beams you wouldnt drive with your highbeams on in fog because they light up the fog DIRECTLY infront of the car...

So if you have "good high powered foglights" on your car and you run them with your regular lowbeams all of the time then people down the road would be blinded.


"Even better, how is this different to Canadian FC's that use the same lights as DRL's?"

I dont think the output of light is the same when DRL's are on... highbeams/lowbeams.

 

I like your thinking Revvin! I think I'll mod my bumper for a pair of 5 inchers!

 

 

now thats crazy...