Fog light information
Discussion
Greetings
I have recently added aftermarket foglights to my car due to driving on dark country roads in bad weather last winter. I read that in the states some people wire foglights to their full beam. I have wired mine on a switch fed from the parking lights though a relay. I was wondering if the foglights hardwired to full beam was legal in the UK so I can get more use from them (its only been foggy once since i put them in). I could wire a seperate system to turn them on while full beam was on, say a second relay that bypasses the switch on full beam.
Your thoughts please
I have recently added aftermarket foglights to my car due to driving on dark country roads in bad weather last winter. I read that in the states some people wire foglights to their full beam. I have wired mine on a switch fed from the parking lights though a relay. I was wondering if the foglights hardwired to full beam was legal in the UK so I can get more use from them (its only been foggy once since i put them in). I could wire a seperate system to turn them on while full beam was on, say a second relay that bypasses the switch on full beam.
Your thoughts please
Don't know what the legislation is, but I believe that Driver's Lamps (located low down and angled to illuminate the edges of the road) may be linked to the main beam, but Fog Lamps are a completely different kettle of fish and may only be illuminated in conditions of poor visibility (<100m). These would be high intensity lamps and angled forwards rather than to the side. In foggy conditions you unually don't want your full beam on, as it has a tendency to reflect back at you and further reduce the visibility.
www.highwaycode.gov.uk/08.shtml#94
www.highwaycode.gov.uk/08.shtml#94
Einion Yrth said:
If I should happen to meet you with them on when it wasn't foggy I would wish you dead. The damn things are almost never necessary, they don't look cool, and they do dazzle other road users
Little harsh but I sort of agree - not dead but possibly wounded, in the eye or something
Realistically, if you're on main beam fog lamps are a waste of time because of their short and wide beam pattern. Spots/driving lights are better as they can be aimed to fill in the dark areas left by your main beams. Having theme wired via an auxliary switch is sensible so they can be turned off when not needed.
I wouldn't want to drive in fog with headlights on mainbeam due to back scatter (light reflecting).
I do use them at night when it's not foggy for country lanedriving as they illuminate the road edges far better than normal headlights and do not dazzle other road users as full beam lights do.
I do use them at night when it's not foggy for country lanedriving as they illuminate the road edges far better than normal headlights and do not dazzle other road users as full beam lights do.
Read, Comprehend, Post.
I dont, It pisses me off too as this is an area with a high chav population. I fitted them because, if you had bothered to read my post before sparking off, i had need for them. My question is legitimate as since full beams are not used when there is oncoming traffic anyway as they dazzle other road users as you mentioned. My fog lights are proper fog lights. They are not recessed, my car has no stylings as my car is a workhorse. They are aimed at the road 20ft in front of the car and before the full beam hits the road. I am only trying to see if i can use them to make more light in full beam conditions to make driving at night safer. This is especially true on those dark windy country roads
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>> Edited by sadako on Monday 9th August 13:22
>> Edited by sadako on Monday 9th August 13:23
Einion Yrth said:
If I should happen to meet you with them on when it wasn't foggy I would wish you dead. The damn things are almost never necessary, they don't look cool, and they do dazzle other road users
I dont, It pisses me off too as this is an area with a high chav population. I fitted them because, if you had bothered to read my post before sparking off, i had need for them. My question is legitimate as since full beams are not used when there is oncoming traffic anyway as they dazzle other road users as you mentioned. My fog lights are proper fog lights. They are not recessed, my car has no stylings as my car is a workhorse. They are aimed at the road 20ft in front of the car and before the full beam hits the road. I am only trying to see if i can use them to make more light in full beam conditions to make driving at night safer. This is especially true on those dark windy country roads
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>> Edited by sadako on Monday 9th August 13:22
>> Edited by sadako on Monday 9th August 13:23
IIRC correctly Fog / Driving lights have to be connected differently to the full beam switch for the MOT (I remember a mate with a Mini got in trouble for his spots).
I wouldn't have thought there would be a problem with adding a seperate switch on the circuit, i.e. flick switch and fog lights come on when full beams are switched on, leave the switch off and fogs don't come on with full beams...
I wouldn't have thought there would be a problem with adding a seperate switch on the circuit, i.e. flick switch and fog lights come on when full beams are switched on, leave the switch off and fogs don't come on with full beams...
sadako said:
I was wondering if the foglights hardwired to full beam was legal in the UK so I can get more use from them
Sorry, but that made me laugh. Have you thought about driving into a tree to get more use from your air bags!!!!!!
You cannot wire fog lights to main beam. They should be on a seperate switch which should be illuminated. A seperate wire must go from the switch to the ignition system so that when fog lights are used, the engine cuts out (C&U regs PH division 2004)(Honest Guv).
Steve
sadako said:
Greetings
I have recently added aftermarket foglights to my car due to driving on dark country roads in bad weather last winter.
Your thoughts please
A few years ago I had my standard fogs on whilst driving on dark, unlit, very wet (raining heavily) country roads en route from a friend to my parents in the Pennines. Stopped at a T junction on a bad bend, sat and watched the BiB turn into the road I was exiting, and pull up behind me. 100m down the road, now in a little street lit village, and the blues went one - yep - pulled for the fogs. I was extremely lucky - it was Christmas Eve, boardering Day, and I got let off with a have a good Christmas. So don't use them...and seeing other people drive in the same conditions with them on - I now know why...
Thanks for the info, i'll leave them as is. Using the illuminated switch. As for the airbag comment i dont have luxuries like that ;-) I am now more knowlegable in the fact that if i were in a collision my life would be saved by my fog lights turning on as the other car ploughed into them :P
Sadako the correct & proper answer to your question is as follows.
You can wire these lights so that they are illuminated along with main beam provided that they are automatically extinguished when you dip your headlights.
If you do this then they qualify as optional main beam lamps.
Defn Optional lights : a lamp, reflector, rear marking or device with which a vehicle, its load or equipment is not required to be fitted by the Road Vehicle Lighting Regs 1989.
Right! So assuming that the lamps you have fitted meet the criteria contained within the following link
www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_10.htm#nsch5
then all will be hunky dory.
Speaking purely personally now. I would question the need to this extra illumination in the very near foreground. Obviously the circumstances you describe are only known to you, but I cannot recall a situation where such close illumination was of any use on the public highway.
There was a time when for rallying the fashion was to have two long range spots and two fogs low down angled outwards to illuminate the extreme sideways entries into corners. Personally I never got on with this and ended up with two long range pencil beams and two "driving" lamps. The latter were still what most people would call spots but not so tightly focussed. This was in addition to the headlamps of course.
The point of this last para is that there was so much light thrown out the front of the vehicle that general scatter gave enough close illumination. I think that if you fitted spots you would gain long distance vision and get enough additional close illumination.
But hey its your car and its for you to decide.
FiF
>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Tuesday 10th August 10:56
You can wire these lights so that they are illuminated along with main beam provided that they are automatically extinguished when you dip your headlights.
If you do this then they qualify as optional main beam lamps.
Defn Optional lights : a lamp, reflector, rear marking or device with which a vehicle, its load or equipment is not required to be fitted by the Road Vehicle Lighting Regs 1989.
Right! So assuming that the lamps you have fitted meet the criteria contained within the following link
www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_10.htm#nsch5
then all will be hunky dory.
Speaking purely personally now. I would question the need to this extra illumination in the very near foreground. Obviously the circumstances you describe are only known to you, but I cannot recall a situation where such close illumination was of any use on the public highway.
There was a time when for rallying the fashion was to have two long range spots and two fogs low down angled outwards to illuminate the extreme sideways entries into corners. Personally I never got on with this and ended up with two long range pencil beams and two "driving" lamps. The latter were still what most people would call spots but not so tightly focussed. This was in addition to the headlamps of course.
The point of this last para is that there was so much light thrown out the front of the vehicle that general scatter gave enough close illumination. I think that if you fitted spots you would gain long distance vision and get enough additional close illumination.
But hey its your car and its for you to decide.
FiF
>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Tuesday 10th August 10:56
Streetcop said:
Mmmm..foglight abuse... ...pass my fixed penalty book please..
....
Street
Make sure you've read and understood the previous post.
It's correct.
I had a lengthy argument with a trafpol on this very point and, in the end, he was made to look a very silly man...a very, very silly man.....
With reference to the earlier question about the usefulness of fogs wired through main beam, they are useful for seeing round corners out in the sticks and picking out cats and urban foxes late at night before they dash across the road.
Streetcop said:
I was referring to people with foglights on in clear conditions...
That's the point.....if they're WIRED TO MAIN BEAM, they are still legal in clear conditions, as they go out when dip is selected.
and not a lot of trafpols know that
>> Edited by mybrainhurts on Saturday 14th August 17:33
mybrainhurts said:
That's the point.....if they're WIRED TO MAIN BEAM, they are still legal in clear conditions, as they go out when dip is selected.
Seems to me, this discussion is more about the TYPE of lamp you should wire up!
Like 'thub' said earlier....
Why would you want to wire Fog Lights to main beam?
You said "..clear conditions...", otherwise your headlights wouldn't be on? So therefore, you are travelling at reasonable speeds, in which case anything your foglights light up that the main beam didn't - you are going to run over! It's just a 'comfort blanky' lighting up the side hedge just if front of the bumber at those speeds!
You would be better fitting auxillary SPOT or DRIVING lamps (wired to main beam only) to enhance your view forward - as there shouldn't be anyone in front of you if they are on(If you have ever come round a corner to face a LGV with half-a-football-stadium's worth of spots on, a fraction before he goes to dip
and feel your retina melting, you will know the benefit!! - and leave FOG lights for the use they are intended... "in conditions of seriously reduced visibillity!"
Rgds
As you all know, I spent the last week up 'north of the border' in bonnie Scotland...
Now on the way up there, during my stay and on the way down, I casted a critical eye over the fellow motorist..(much to Mrs Street
s displeasure at times..."You're not at work dear" and "There's nothing you can do about it now darling" etc etc could be heard often)....
Anyway..on the subject of fog lights....I would say that on the whole, about 95% of the fog light abusers appeared to be decent people in decent sensible cars. None of your usual chav Novas etc, but Beemers, Audis, Renault Scenics, etc etc...
I doubt image is everything to these people, so instead can only assume that the extra light cast from the fog lights is the attraction. They are still muppets but of a different breed...
Street
Now on the way up there, during my stay and on the way down, I casted a critical eye over the fellow motorist..(much to Mrs Street
s displeasure at times..."You're not at work dear" and "There's nothing you can do about it now darling" etc etc could be heard often).... Anyway..on the subject of fog lights....I would say that on the whole, about 95% of the fog light abusers appeared to be decent people in decent sensible cars. None of your usual chav Novas etc, but Beemers, Audis, Renault Scenics, etc etc...
I doubt image is everything to these people, so instead can only assume that the extra light cast from the fog lights is the attraction. They are still muppets but of a different breed...
Street
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