I pit fog lights

The BBQ Pit
1

I’d like to strangle the fucker who started this most recent trend of putting bumper mounted fog lights in vehicles. The worst offenders are the giant pick ups like F150s, F250s, and F350 supercab duallys (not limited to Ford of course, Dodge and Chevy makes 'em too). I see them in SUVs and cars as well.

What really gets me about the larger pick ups is when they’re coming from the opposite direction (toward me), they blind me because their headlights are just about at my eye level, and the fog lights are aimed upward…just about into my eyes. If the trucks are behind me, the lights reflect right into my mirror, and I have to turn it down. Often the driver pulls up behind me just perfectly for his headlight to shine into my sideview mirror, which also blinds me.

I can’t flash my high beams, because the other driver doesn’t have his high beams on. Instead, I just get blinded for a few seconds, until I pass the guy (if he’s going in the opposite direction). If he’s behind me, I’ll change lanes to get away from him. And it’s not like I drive a small car; it’s a 2001 Toyota Camry.

I really want to install a pair of 5,000 watt Klieg lights to the roof of my car so I can blast these bastards so they can finally know what I’ve been going through for the last few years since this idiotic trend started. I know it’s a trend, because we’ve gone through it before. Some 25 years ago, when I met my wife, the trend was bolt-on fog lights. Now of course, car (and truck) bumpers are integrated, and not seperate, so bolt-on isn’t an option. Instead, they’re built-in. Same shit, different decade.

While I’m at it, I’ll pit the stupid fucking drivers on interstates who hang on my port stern. Even if they don’t have fog lights, their headlights shine right in my sideview mirror. More than a few times I’ve slowed down to get them to pass me. It’s just like being in front of someone who’s driving with their high beams blasting into your mirror.

Maybe though since the era of the huge SUV/truck seems to be coming to an end (I hope, certainly sales are down), this trend will burn itself out. If not, at least have a heart. If you’re driving some huge pickup, and your fog lights are on, the chances are good you’re blinding some other driver.

2

I just hate my fog lights because when it’s foggy all they do is light up the fog and make it opaque.

3

Either they’re aimed wrong or they’re not fog lights, might be driving lights.

Fog lights have a very narrow, horizontal rectangular beam and should be mounted as low as possible. Aim would be very slightly down.

4

Fog lights don’t annoy me nearly as much as those fucking blue HID headlights that blind everybody. If people are going to put them on their vehicles (and I think they should be outlawed), then they could at least have them aligned afterwards.

5

All the lights equipped on Dodge, Chrysler vehicles are designated as driving lights. I always thought fog lamps were amber in color.

The pickup crowd is normally intent on jacking their rides up as high as possible changing the angle of all of their lamps . Headlamps included. Auto dimming mirrors will keep the light from shining in your eyes and you can still be sure when you give them the finger they will be able to see it even inside the car.

6

All I am going to say is that properly installed fog lights should not blind anyone, and that there is no reason to use them unless, of course, it is foggy and you are in a dark road. Maybe the problem is that people feel the need to use them, god forbid they don’t get their money’s worth for a feature they paid for.

7

Fine. Driving lights and not fog lights. Whoopie shit. They still blind me, and I use the manual adjustment on my mirror (night) because I don’t have an auto-dimmer. Even adjusting my mirror doesn’t help when the truck is coming toward me on the road.

Fog lights? Driving lights? Who cares what you call them. I still say there’s no excuse for 'em.

8

What other excuse do you need than being able to see better with your low beams on?

You have a serious case of driving light envy.:stuck_out_tongue:

Feel free to stick your finger out the window. They’ll know what it’s for.

9

The excuse—a common one—is “this is something I want; fuck everyone else.”

Cf. our most recent thread about thumping-woofer car stereos, and many many many other real-life examples.

10

I wholeheartedly endorse the OP’s stance. Please post a link for 5,000 watt Kliegs and I’ll get some too. I’ve bitched about this for years and I always get the same response … “Those aren’t fog lights.” Argh!

11

Well I do too. The shitty thing is I know a shitload of jackoffs that have jacked up 4 by 4’s and enjoy shining thier lights in the eyes of people that drive “the little cars”. Dicks are dicks.

12

What’s the difference?

Wiki says they can be both.

Are non-Dodge vehicles on a different setup? My car has a huge honking light that let’s me know when they’re on, and I’m pretty anal about lights being on my dash that don’t belong there. I use mine in the fog; they only seem to help when I’m going 35 or less.

13

Hell if I know. They are aimed lower but I have always heard clear is driving, amber is for fog.

Here. ask the scientist.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99xx4.htm

You learn anything? I didn’t.

14

A target for their shotguns? No thanks.

Vinyl Turnip, that’s what I feared, and what I really think is a big problem for us as a culture. “I want what I want; fuck everyone else. My lights blind you? Good. Who gives a fuck? As long as I get what I want. Now go fuck off.”

I don’t believe in an afterlife, or karma, or any of that shit. But I do believe somehow, somewhere, sometime, fuckers with that kind of attitude will get what’s coming to them, even if it’s another vehicle (sorry, VEE-hickle) with even larger, brighter lights that’ll shine right in the eyes of the fuckers who’re blinding me.

15

Damn!! Judge people much? Most of the guys I know spent 40 g’s on their pickup alone, not to mention the lift, bigger tires, etc. Between your attitude and the hick thing I would be worried.

Don’t be scared. You can mount a set of whatever candlepower lights on your back bumper you want and turn them on and off at will. If the law asks just tell them thier back up lamps. The guys that drive the VEE-hickles do that kind of shit too. Damn. Might be some hick in you too. Who’de a thunk it?

16

With further research some lamps made by Chrysler are refered to as fog lamps. They appear to be low aiming, to go under the fog, but are still clear in color. The “ask the scientist” article supports them being clear but other than inquiring about it from the ASE, I couldn’t provide a cite if my life depended on it. ASE being Automotive Society of Engineers. Can’t find a way to e-mail them directly.

17

Mine are fog lights - they’re low, under my daytime running lights. They turn the fog white.

The lights the OP is bitching about are not fog lights, but they ARE really obnoxious and unsafe.

18

If there is dense fog, I turn on my fog lights whether it’s day or night. I want people to be able to see me coming and not pull out in front of me, particularly in the winter.

19

Fact of the matter is whether they are fog or for driving they are for the “DRIVER” to see better. Fuck the rest of you jokers.

20

I applaud the OP…whether the definition is “driving lights,” “fog lights,” or plain ol’ “headlights.”

I drive a Neon. I live in Texas. I grew up here. I love my state.

Except for all the motherfucking massive trucks everyone insists on driving, for no damn reason, that enjoy blinding me on a regular basis.

If one is close behind me on a dark highway, my vision is literally compromised. The glare off my rearview mirror is like a flashlight in my eyes. It isn’t just annoying, it isn’t SAFE. And so I have to either change lanes and let the motherfucker pass me, or slow down to the point that they go around me, or…

OK, those are my only options, short of driving blind for an indefinite period of time.

And I know they are sitting back there, all smug and superior, like, “Stupid bitch should drive a REAL VEHICLE!” Because chances are good this will NEVER happen to them.

The silver lining on the summer’s gas prices was that all of a sudden all these stupid jerkoffs were having to actually question, perhaps for the first fucking time, exactly WHY THEY NEED a goddamn Ford F-350 to drive around suburbia.

Now, of course, they’re sitting high and dry again.

Fuckers.

:dubious: