vger105

Our 2005 TSX is coming in next week (Yay!!!!), and I'm thinking how fog lights would enhance the appearance of those empty spaces in the front. However, in the past two decades, every car I've owned has had fog lights and I never, ever found them helpful to me. Even as recently as the other night; I was driving a car in a fog, with the foglights on, and they illuminated the ground for about 10 feet in front of the car. All my other cars did the same thiing and I've been told that's considered normal.
Has anyone ever found foglights helpful?

TSX 'R' US

I've got the foggies and they help quite a bit...especially driving around rural areas.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Foglights are useful in the fog.

ric

That's what fog lights are supposed to do - allow you to see just in front of you while you reduce speed and drive very, very cautiously so you don't hit other people, cars, buildings, trucks. They are not designed to be a replacement for regular lighting with a notion that you can resume driving at a conventional speed for the road. If you live in some place that has a lot of ground fog, they can be very useful. I think the low beams on the TSX are pretty strong, and I didn't option them. I've had fog lights on other cars, and in my driving area, I used them perhaps once a year. I see some folks in the east using them while it is snowing, which actually makes visibility worse............ the light catches on the snow, and you get to drive in your own moving blind spot...........

Fog lights have turned into something of an accessory and a fashion statement, and seeing them on cars that live primarily in dry areas always mystifies me. Most people who have them turn them on when they do no good, and don't understand how to use them when they do need them.

If you live in an area that has ground fog in the mornings, they're great. Otherwise, if you want to buy them to fill the holes in the front of the car, accept that they are a fashion statement and you will probalby use them a couple of times a year at most.

darth62

I like to have them because it makes my car that much more visable to oncoming cars.

There are really downsides to the fogs. They are easily damaged by rocks and road debris, and are vulnerable to theft.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I really could use them from time to time here in DC. The fog is really quite heavy at times.

STC

iTrader: (1)

I have the foglights, they serve absolutely no prurpose at all. They add to the appearance to the car, but when theyre on theyre barely noticeable even in the fog.

esk

Driving through Penn. this last weekend an 18 wheeler kicked up a fist size chunk of asphalt and it hit my car where the foglights would go. It tore up the black plastic insert pretty good. I was thinking about foglights but I think I'll pass.

savage

if you plan on a intake you can always do the mod of cutting slots in the fog light area covers so air can hit the intake directly...there is thread about it somewhere...

i am happy with the low beams and will probably do the mod of cutting the slots this spring when i put on a intake...

RMATIC09

I use them cuase they look cool.

tony4311

work for me in two ways. I drive through a lot of fog and use them and I like how they look :P

mg7726

they're there for a reason

VeniceBeachTSX

GOOD foglights are useful. Most manufacturer's foglights aren't especially good though.

Also, the foglights are mostly useful if you're able to turn off the low beams, which isn't possible with the Acura factory setup, though some of us are working on a re-wiring to allow them to work independently.

But as somebody else said, they are primarily useful for VERY foggy situations at slow speeds.

I sort of regret getting the factory fogs. I'm going to re-wire so they can come on independently, and will most likely replace the lights themselves with a set of small but good quality aftermarket ones that I'll mount under the center bumper.

mlabrie

The fact you can't use them alone and the lack a sharp horizontal cutoff in their light pattern makes them good only for the show. I never really use them.

divenow

Once got caught in a snow storm on a lonely stretch of Rt. 15 and Rt. 23 in central Ohio where everyone was doing 20-30 mph. I was using a rental car and the fact that you could turn off the low beams and use the fogs exclusively was the only reason I could drive home that night. With the low beams you'd just be blinded by the snow and wouldn't see much farther than the hood of your car. With the fogs on by themselves, I could pick out sign posts and guard rail reflectors a lot better and a lot farther out.

I was thinking of getting the fogs for my TSX but now that I've learned you can't use them independently, I'll pass on them for now...

DEI99662

Yes, they are useful. I use mostly use them during a storm to see objects better, otherwise the headlights by themselves are fine.

GIBSON6594

When I was reading the Audi forum, someone did a very techinical study about performance effects of foglights. This guy considered the extra weight and air-flow restriction caused by blocking the front side air inlets and figured out that the car was slightly faster without foglights... I'd still probably get them if I had the extra cash though. They do look cool.

divenow

I've used rental cars a lot on business trips and I'd say the only functional use of fogs is if you can use them independently of the low beams. With the low beams on, they really don't illuminate that much more. And since I haven't driven in heavy fog a lot (though I have driven in heavy snow driving up and down from Ohio to Michigan), I'm wondering about others here who've driven cars with independent fogs in heavy fog - how much better is it with low beams on or with low beams off.

TSX 'R' US

my last car had fog lights independent of the low beams...but I've never turned off my lowbeams and used just fog lights during heavy fog. I just adjust my speed so I can see where I'm going...

VeniceBeachTSX

In heavy fog you're going to have to slow down a lot regardless of what else you do.

The primary advantage of fogs is that they are mounted low and pointed low. They don't shine far ahead, but they also don't reflect back in your face, which is a problem in thick fog or snow. Independent foglights make it possible, to continue at a slow speed whereas with regular headlights you might not be able to continue at all.

Yellow fogs are also better than white. And most manufacturer fogs suck.

After paying for the OEM kit, I am now in the process of rewiring so they can work independently, AND replacing the OEM lights with compact aftermarket ones that will mount to the lower bumper. About the only original pieces left will be the OEM switch and relay. If you're really concerned about the light quality, I'd save my money and install a set of good qualtiy aftermarket ones (Hella, Cibie and some of the Piaa units).

keg1997

Let us know what/how you do it...I'd be very interested in improving the OEM fogs...
TIA!

VeniceBeachTSX

There's a threat in the FAQ section about rewiring foglights. I'll be posting over there when I have more.

corbs

You might want to check your state laws too . . . in Oregon fog lights can only LEGALLY be used when Highbeams can LEGALLY be used (no oncoming traffic for x number of feet, etc.) although it's pretty much never inforced, except when police need a reason to pull you over if they suspect you've got something illegal going on in your car.

asulak01

Where can I find the Yellow replacement bulbs for the OEM? I need to try to improve for real-fog conditions if possible..

VeniceBeachTSX

No such bulb exists. There are a few manufacturers that make yellow bulbs, but so far I've only found H3 type bulbs, not the H11 that Honda decided to use. Unfortuantely, this bulb is apparently quite uncommon (not even stocked at my local parts stores) and nobody makes yellow bulbs of that type.

Note that there are a lot of bulbs out there claiming to be "all weather" or some such variant. They're not really yellow, just a little less blue than standard halogens. PIAA makes real yellow bulbs that I've used before, but they are only in H3.

Most yellow fogs are yellow because the manufacturer made the lens in that color.

I've been looking at ways to tint our lenses yellow. There is a yellow version of the "stoneguard" stuff that some people have tried, but as you probably know by now, that stuff doesn't do well with the heat generated from our lights. If our lenses were glass I could easily tint them with glass paint (available at most art stores), but I'm not sure how this would work on plastic. Going to hopefully look into this a bit more. I'm about to move to a place where I'll finally have a private garage, so more ability to experiment.