Fog lights, how usefull are they?

[Swiss]

I don't have fog lights on my base RAV, I have encountered few occasions where I had to follow other cars with fog lights to see the road, so I am thinking about installing them.

150 USD for ebay OEM (and to find somebody to put them, or myself) or 350 USD at the dealer.

I talked to few friends and all of them are reluctant at my decision, they say it's a waste of money. Their arguments are:

- you won't see much more in fog with the fog lights
- you risk a fine if you forget them ON.

I am wondering, when you've been driving in fog, did the fog lights made any difference?

Do you think they are worth the hassle/money?

Thanks

[RTexasF]

The only time mine have been on was by accident. I kept wondering what that symbol on the dash meant.......DUH!

[vanib]

it depends. whenever i drive from Montreal or Massena,NY to Ottawa at might (like 200 km) I am glad to have them. You have a really great front view and don't have to constantly switch from high to low beam when a car comes from the opposite direction. There is practically no lights all along the road.

I installed them on my 2008 Base and don't regret it. I got my fog lights for $69 + shipping. Keep looking for a great deal. Installing should not take more than a few hours after doing some research.

As far as city driving is concerned, it is useless as city streets are usually well lit.

[hidesert]

I have fog lights as standard equipment on my 2005 MR2 Spyder. I find them worse than useless. They don't light up more than a few feet in front of the car and you can barely tell the difference. Keep in mind though, that they are much closer to the ground than on the RAV4.

I say worse than useless because one of mine was broken by a rock. I was able to replace it myself and bought the replacement at 1st ToyotaParts but it still cost me a pretty penny.

I think you are much better off just getting some Nighthawk bulbs for your low beams.

[Rickl]

The problem with fog lights is they only illuminate 10-25 feet in front of the vehicle . This extra brightness on the road often gives the impression that "I can see better" but in fact if your traveling faster than 15 MPH you can't stop in time for anything your fog lights may have discovered 25 feet ahead.

I only use mine when driving slowly along dirt roads in the forest on my way to the cottage. Since they spill light in all directions, they can often light up an animal in the middle of the road or off on the shoulder, and I still have time to react.

They offer very little help at higher speeds. In fact the bright spot directly in front of the vehicle tends to desensitize the eyes so that you cant see things in the reduced light further ahead of the vehicle.

With regards to actually driving in foggy conditions, I have never found any benefit at all.

[Swiss]

Thanks for the replies.

I don't plan to use the fog lights at night on a highway, but only when there is fog. I've tried driving with fog lights at night and they only illuminate in front of you and it's pointless what you see.

I was wondering if they were really making you able to see through fog good so you don't have to slow down a lot.

[KTL]

I consider fog lights as auxiliary lighting since the majority of the brightness comes from the headlights. It's true that driving in the city is rather useless since all the streets are lit up. I actually changed the clear to amber bulbs on my '06 and though they don't seem to make a difference while driving, but they may be beneficial for oncoming traffic to notice.

[RTexasF]

I remember when all cars with fog lights came with amber lenses or bulbs. I wonder if that provides any sight improvement in foggy weather?

[Leorav4]

I could be wrong, but the way I see it, fog lights need to be installed below the head lights. And then lower, then better. Because fog usually does not contact road surface, but leveled some what above. And fog light beam travels further and reflects back to a driver from farther distance. This adds safety in foggy condition. For Rav 4, fog lights mounted not very low and efficiency, probably, is not that high compare to fog light on a sedan. But I have them installed on my car anyway, and found helpful to some degree.

[veliksam]

Originally Posted by Leorav4

I could be wrong, but the way I see it, fog lights need to be installed below the head lights. And then lower, then better. Because fog usually does not contact road surface, but leveled some what above. And fog light beam travels further and reflects back to a driver from farther distance. This adds safety in foggy condition. For Rav 4, fog lights mounted not very low and efficiency, probably, is not that high compare to fog light on a sedan. But I have them installed on my car anyway, and found helpful to some degree.

The only person here who knows what the function of foglights is ;-)