Front Fog Lamps

Plus One

 

It means "me too". As in I would be interested in fog lamps for my 2016 Four...
By replying within the thread, I keep updated.

 

I was wondering this the other day. Does anyone know if the Prius comes from the factory already wired for the fog lights? My Subaru was all I had to do is was buy the OEM lights to install be interesting if you brought an ECO that you could install them.

 

I'd be surprised if they come with the switch and harness installed. The gen 3/3.5 don't.

 

The reports I've read are that these are cosmetic lamps rather than lamps that help you see in foggy conditions.

If this is so, how important is it that they be wired?

 

FWIW, the physical switch is an extra ring on the light stalk-- inside the ring for high beams, auto, DTRL, etc.

 

congrats on your purchase mark, all the best!

 

On my Subaru the stalk was already set up they sent you a switch and a lower dash cover for the new switch and you had to install a new relay behind the glove box. . Took about a hour at tops to install everything.

 

That's a bit disappointing, I thought they would be better this time beeing LED !

 

Not sure if there has even been one report from an individual who has tried to use the in the fog. If so, perhaps someone could provide a link.

They did help (at least in my imagination) me spot the tail end of a very brave raccoon, though.

 

A test you could do with 4th gen OEM fog lights: away from street lights, with low beams on, switch the fog lights on/off. Is it a "Whoa!" moment, or an "I think I see a difference" moment? The latter is the case with 3rd gen.

 

I had a quick look on the net to refresh what I remembered about fog lamps and learn a bit more. I'm no expert but this is what I came up with.

Fog lamps are intended for use in extreme conditions when high beam or low beam or driving lights are useless because so much glare bounces back into your eyes from falling snow, fog or heavy rain that you cannot see the road. (e.g. White-out conditions)

They are intended to provide a good enough view of the road immediately in front and to the side of the car to permit you to drive forward slowly in reasonable safety when visibility is so bad that otherwise you should stop.

For fog lights to be effective, the other lighting systems need to be off. In some cars this may not be possible and in some jurisdictions it may be illegal.

In less extreme conditions when its possible to drive at more normal speeds the other lights should be used and the fog lights should be off as they will not help and they will add somewhat to glare and distraction thus reducing net safety.

They should be mounted low and have a cutoff to minimize glare and so that they can penetrate below fog hanging just above the road surface.


I found this link useful. Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

EDIT: Underlines added for emphasis and because final wording had not initially displayed

 

I guess I allready said this,but fog lamps in Germany are only allowed to be activated if visibility in front of my vehicle goes down to under 50 meters !
This can happen if thick fog appears,its raining or snowing heavily.
They are ment to illuminate the sides of the road alongside the headlights .
At the same time a very bright red light must be activated on the rear of the vehicle, so drivers behind me know there's a vehicle travelling ahead of them !
If you drive around with fog lights switched on for no reason,especially the one in the rear you will get a fine ,because the rear fog light is so bright it can dazzle other drivers .
it's designed to cut through thick fog .
Unfortunately it makes absolutely no difference or at least it's very hard to see if the front fog lights are activated on my gen.3 Prius,so I am hoping for improvement !
Really they should be better now beeing LED or aren't they LED ?

 

Holy mackerel, that is HYSTERICAL

Seriously though, while cosmetic, I'd say only 30% of the cosmetic benefit (e.g., replacing the gray plastic plug with something that looks better) is achieved with a dead fixture (and quite expensively!), since its main appeal is the spiffy row of LEDs glowing and lined up below your headlights or DRLs. Along the lines you're suggesting, though, I'd give serious consideration to a reasonably priced reflector or dummy lamp to replace the gray sludge they stuck in the corners of my bright red bumper. Failing that, maybe it would be worth having a shop remove it and paint it with a durable black or silver finish, but I'd have to think that one through.

Honestly, it's annoying to have to do ANYTHING. An enhancement for Touring buyers is one thing; punishing everyone else is just lame.



Merged.

Judge for yourself:
LED headlight performance | PriusChat

 

Thanks !
Well they do seem to put out more light than my gen. 3 fog lights !

 

You need to look more closely at those pictures. Note that they're not to the same scale; taking that into account, there's hardly any difference at all.