Lets talk about FRS lacking fog lights, why does everyone want them?

[post_break]

So my friend owns a BRZ limited, I have the FRS without fogs. Straight from him he says the fogs are pretty much useless. I've ridden in his car at night and the HID's are nice but I can't tell the difference between fogs on and fogs off.

So my question to you guys, what the hell is the big deal? I've seen the cost to import the JDM fogs, and it isn't cheap. For the amount you guys are going to spend on fog lights why don't you do a proper HID retrofit (projectors!) and drastically improve your night time driving?

I could see adding fogs if the option comes up and it's affordable ($200) but even then that's 2/3's the cost of a proper HID retrofit.

Is it just a visual thing?

[Cheddar]

There is a reason why they are called "fog" lights.

They are very useful in medium to heavy fog.

[Eurasianman]

I sort of have to agree. I have had fog lights on my two previous vehicles and never noticed much of a difference during 'foggy' conditions. The only thing that they did for me, in my opinion, was give my vehicle an more aggressive/complete look on the front of the vehicle. I was originally going to pay to get the fogs installed on my BRZ, but then I started to realize that I would rather spend that money on something more useful. Just my $0.02.

[Cheddar]

Here is their suppose use as per wiki.

Front fog lamps provide a wide, bar-shaped beam of light with a sharp cutoff at the top, and are generally aimed and mounted low .[10][11] They may produce white or selective yellow light, and are intended for use at low speed to increase the illumination directed towards the road surface and verges in conditions of poor visibility due to rain, fog, dust or snow. They are sometimes used in place of dipped-beam headlamps, reducing the glareback from fog or falling snow, although the legality varies by jurisdiction of using front fog lamps without low beam headlamps.
Use of the front fog lamps when visibility is not seriously reduced is often prohibited (for example in the United Kingdom)
The respective purposes of front fog lamps and driving lamps are often confused, due in part to the misconception that fog lamps are necessarily selective yellow, while any auxiliary lamp that makes white light is a driving lamp. Automakers and aftermarket parts and accessories suppliers frequently refer interchangeably to "fog lamps" and "driving lamps" (or "fog/driving lamps"). In most countries, weather conditions rarely necessitate the use of fog lamps, and there is no legal requirement for them, so their primary purpose is frequently cosmetic. They are often available as optional extras or only on higher trim levels of many cars. Studies have shown that in North America more people inappropriately use their fog lamps in dry weather than use them properly in poor weather.

[wbradley]

They were standard on a lot of boring GM vehicles in the 90's such as Sunfire, Grand Am.

On my Accord EX-L V6 they came standard and a rock shattered a lens on the highway. Cost me over $300 to get an independent garage to install the replacement Honda part before returning at lease end.

A coworker of mine drives the identical car that I had and he also has a shattered fog lens. Why they used glass I dont know. Maybe because it is profitable replacing the part regularly.

That's what I think of fog lamps.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Dunno. My BRZ has fog lights and they are piss useless at their low height.

[Areddi]

I have had them on multiple cars, and never noticed much of any difference in lighting. They are mainly aesthetic now, and I want them for my car because of that reason once they are readily available.

[jarviz]

fogs just aren't what they used to be...

[DarkSunrise]

My GTI has fog lights. I never use them. Don't really see the point since the regular headlights (xenons) are fine in foggy conditions.

[ron wright]

The main idea of the fog lights is to have them lighting up the nearby road surface from a low position. The assumption is that you are driving slowly in real fog, so what you need to see is the just the road surface for maybe a hundred yards max. They are also set up to spread the light in a wider pattern to help illuminate features at the side of the road so you can better see the stripes or road edges. Finally the low position helps minimize the the amount of fog that gets lit up by the lights. With the low lights, you get to look over the lit up fog. Imagine if the fob lights were above the windshield how much it would light up the fog right in front of you. You wouldn't be able to see anything through that bright lit up fog.

[whaap]

My only hang up is I don't like space that is fake. If a space is made for fog lights, there should be fog lights there. If there's a space made for a radio, there should be a radio there. An example all of us with FR-S's live with is: if there's a gaping hole in the top of your console there should be a cover for it. I got mine in the mail yesterday. It really dresses up the cabin nicely.

[Trashed675]

You are basically paying for the aesthetic appeal of them. I've got factory fog lights on my tC and the past couple nights have been quite foggy so i turned them on. Did they help? Not really, certainly not $400 worth, they do help complete the look of the front of the car though.

Just my $.02

[IntotheOcean]

Honestly I like them for cosmetics purposes.
I like how it adds depth, while also enhancing the line movement in the front-it compliments the front bumper on the frs
I know that sounds like bs-*shrugs* my eye notices things like that.

[norm24]

Why does everyone want them?

Because everyone wants what they don't have.

Just like everyone in NA wants a limited (86 GTS) trim. Because JDM!