what is the exact purpose of having this on our cars? i only turn on the front for the look, but the rear red ones are brighter than the other bulbs in taillight.... do any of you use them??

 

Over the pond where fog is very dense at times. It just aids in a visual for the guy behind you.

Oh and NO I don't use them.

 

Good for tailgaters on freeways that are annoying you. They tend to back off or pass once you turn them on. But, try turning them on when no one is behind you so that they do not believe the action is specifically designed to annoy them.

 

I used them the other night when the rain was coming down in buckets!!

 

good idea ... a crushed rear end doesn't look any better than a crushed front end

 

I never really use them, but I feel like James Bond having the extra button to push!

 

For those of us old enough to understand "brake testing" the idiot riding on your tail, this has the right functionality without any of the risk. BTW, it's not just an STR feature - my '08 NA has it.

 

^^ except it does not light up the third brake light, which those idiots depend on to let them know when they should get off the cell phone and call their insurance company.

as do X308's

Bumper riders need to understand that they are not really getting the driver in front to go any faster, because the driver in front is now driving for two. He has to allow enough space so that he can get on the brakes more gently than normal to allow the fool behind enough time to stop.

 

Yeah we get some quite thick fogs, on occasion.

So people use them in light fog, or even no fog, and crowded roads = dazzle the guy behind

Driving standards here are dire.

Even more people use their front fogs when there's no fog. Illegal but hey you'd need police who could be bothered to enforce it.

 

The same feature is on the wifes cayenne. It's a great safety feature here in Florida during torrential downpours. It's illegal to turn on your hazards so this helps to get noticed more easily. Extra piece of mind since she is usually driving the kids around.

 

If they're bothered by the little extra light from rear fogs ... they can back off as intended by the driver of the car in front.

Front "fog lamps" as differentiated from "driving lamps" are not going to blind anybody, provided they are properly aimed.

As far as front fogs go, it would be nice if the police started with the idiots who have seemingly never been trained that high beams are not the default. Or, that daytime running lights are not a free automatic headlight option that the manufacturer put in. Those would be the idiots running around with high beams on, but no tail lights.

 

Firstly, many times you can't back off in a place as crowded as here. But critically the rear fogs are brighter than tail lights and make it much harder to see when someone brakes (when the tail lights merely brighten to about the same as the already-on fogs). That's an accident waiting to happen.

Front fogs are dazzling whether aimed or not (most aren't adjustable) at night. They simply should not be on and as I mentioned it's illegal. They made it illegal for good reasons.

It's probably not possible to convey how dire driving standards are here

 

Rear fogs are a fantastic Jag feature.
Did a Jag fest from PA to VA yesterday and experienced numerous
whopper thunderstorms on I 81.
The rear fogs made it very easy to track the Jag in front of you when the
road paint is invisable!
All cars should have this feature!
Maybe more idiots will turn their standard lights ON when it rains!.

 

All European car companies have a rear foglights included on their vehicles. I think its only American and some of the Asian car manufacturers that dont have them.

 

i think they are just to considered as extra set of tail lights that should be used for safety , usually heavy rain and fog , the brake lights are still pretty visible even with fog lights on ,
a great feature indeed , especially for people following you in dense fog and rain

 

on my vw you have to buy the switch, and change the light........then do coding changes....... just saying........

 

IIRC, one on the offside is compulsory in the UK and can only be used with dipped headlights.

 

If I'm annoying the guy behind me with my rear fogs on in bad weather then I'm fine with that cuz he knows I'm thier. I've bean rear ended in thick fog before, and don't like it! Rear driving lights can't always be seen till it's too late, rear fogs, well... I'm a fan.

 

If you get limo tint you'll learn to appreciate them when reversing...

 

CL asked "what is the exact purpose of having this on our cars? i only turn on the front for the look, but the rear red ones are brighter than the other bulbs in taillight.... do any of you use them??"

I realize this is an old thread, but in the UK about six weeks ago 9 people were killed in a 27 vehicle crash on the Motorway in fog that was aggravated by black smoke from a fireworks display that drifted over the roadway.

They get fog, rain, and snow in Pennsylvania too.

Rear fog lights are a great safety feature for all kinds of bad weather.

Cheap insurance to run with them on.

I even had the two in my US spec Volvo wired up to work while still in the US....they have the lenses built in for everywhere in the world but they don't bother to put bulbs or a switch in US cars.

Over here we have all kinds of bad weather and you will see everyone using them when visibility drops, front and rear, they work and people keep their distance.....no mean feat with the French tendency to tailgate regardless if there is no traffic or it is bumper to bumper otherwise.

I used mine on the XKR the first day I drove it back to Switzerland...the fog was so bad the airports were closed and there was plenty on the roads in the UK and France.

There are constantly fatal multi-car accidents in fog, rain, and snow in Europe even with them because folks don't slow down enough.

We have a family rule that once visibility drops to less than 50 meters we get off of the road completely somewhere as soon as possible and wait it out.

They work but you still have to live by the laws of physics and a lot of people don't.

The novelty factor alone should make them even more effective in the US.

Be glad you have them and use them freely to avoid whiplash injuries from being rear ended.

cheers,

jj