HID makes fog lights useless

If you haven't changed the foglight bulbs to a warmer 2500 to 3000k yellow bulb do it. They'll provide more contrast on the road. Don't know if your HIDs will wash them out though.

You could use a relay harness to wire the fogs directly to the fuse box. You'll need to find a fuse that's only powered when in Ready mode, and you can add a switch in the dash to control it.

SCH-I535

 

I try to find the PIAA ion crystal replacement when I change the fog light bulbs. They produce yellow light.

SCH-R530M ?

 

They're really expensive though, I've had good results with the Nokya brand.

SCH-I535

 

I only knew about PIAA before. Thank you for the info about the Nokyas. Did you try the bigger bulb versions?

SCH-R530M ?

 

And that is the KEY to fixing your problem.
The bright headlights and fog is just like shining the lights into a mirror, both for you and other drivers around you.

It is possible that the low beams are adjusted too high too.
You are using low beams only......right ??

 

Try and find a level area with a flat wall about 20 to 30 feet away to see your cutoffs. They appear to be too high in your posted pictures.

SCH-I535

 

If anything, fog lights are meant to be seen. It isn't really to see the road. The 3000k bulbs are good.


iPhone ?

 

I think that's illegal; the low beams have to be on with the fogs.

FYI, the OEM fogs on our 2010 are pretty ineffective too, it's hard to see the difference, switching them off/on. At least we don't get much fog, and/or are rarely driving at night in areas without street lights.

 

If you are willing to do a little soldering, the instructions are here... Fog lights

Do keep in mind that in many states, law requires headlights on with foglights. Doubt you will get pulled over in heavy fog for it though. I also erred on being safe and apologizing later.

Les ---

 

That's what I thought too.
The low beams in both my new(er) cars have a rather sharp cutoff on the top but they aren't HID either.

Just when you think you have heard EVERYTHING........

NOT true at all.
Fog lights are mounded low to get light on the road without reflecting as much back in your face.

What caused you to believe that anyway ??

Reference please.

I think that is NOT true......as long as the fogs are bright enough.
A headlight is a headlight.
I am pretty sure the requirements are NOT that specific.

 

The requirements here are that low beams need to be on as well. It is illegal to have the fogs on without them. That is probably why Toyota wired them that way in the first place. They don't want any chance somebody will point their finger saying Toyota made it so I can turn them on without the low beams. The pictures of the low beams kind of make it obvious the benefit of their independence though. I guess the law makers here have never driven in bad fog, maybe are always being chauffeured around....

Sorry, I believe it is in the DMV handbook as reference.

SCH-R530M ?

 

Maybe there's a safety reason for not running fogs alone? I mean, why is this law on the books?

 

Because most common fog lights are not bright enough to properly illuminate the road in non-fog conditions.

And politicians are not smart enough to word it so that it ONLY applies when there is no fog or heavy snow.
And some people are dumb enough to do it just because they think it is "cool" even if they can't see the road good.

If the conditions were REALLY bad, the LEOs would certainly have other things to worry about I would think.

[soap box on]
If you get trapped in a fog or heavy snow related chain reaction crash, it is possible that you will DIE without having really done anything wrong.........EXCEPT driving when you should have pulled off and stopped. And that doesn't mean on the shoulder either.
NO commitment is worth risking your life like that. NONE.
[off the box]

 

I replaced my HID's DS2 with 5000k & fogs with 9006 5k from DDM Tuning: HID and LED Lighting Headlights are just R&R and VERY easy to replace. The Fogs (touring) is VERY EASY and is PLUG -N- PLAY. I chose the 5k combo cause i wanted the WHITEST bulb, 6k is BLUE & 4300K is stock. Makes a HUGE difference. BUT if you want it for the FOG i suggest a 3k for the fogs as they fill in where the headlights can't.

 

Coming from a Country that suffers more than its fair share of fog (front fog lights are standard on the Prius), I thought I'd drop my experiences.

If the fog is bad that your own headlights reflect back at you, so switch on the side/parking lights and fog lights only. Do not switch your headlights on. That way the lower fog lights enable you to see where you're going without dazzling back up.

The beam doesn't project as far but in thick fog you won't be going fast enough for that to cause problems anyhow. Then as conditions improve you switch your headlights back on.

The above is useful in heavy snow too where the snow causes that mesmerising tunnel effect in normal or full beam headlights.

In fog or heavy snow, brighter isn't necessarily better