In reply to Knurled. :
Most cars with fog lights let you run them with low beams or with just parking lights. Personally, I've used them both ways in bad weather.
When running on packed snow, having the fogs on with the low beams can show the texture of the surface better (due to light hitting at a lower angle) but without giving up normal headlight range. And in really glary weather, I tend to run the fogs instead of low beams (although I'll kick the low beams back on when conditions allow both to reduce ice buildup on them if it's snowy and because technically running parking lights and fogs is illegal, although I've never been bothered for it).
In the Jeep, the fogs are very useful either way (but worthless in good weather where they're turned off anyway). They throw about 90% of the distance of the low beams and they're yellow, so the glare you do get is easier on the eyes. The BMW fogs, however, are a good beam pattern, but they don't throw very far forward and they're not very bright. So unless I've been reduced to crawling along at very low speed, they can't really be used on their own. In fact, I've yet to use them at all beyond making sure they work...
rslifkin said:
In reply to Knurled. :
Most cars with fog lights let you run them with low beams or with just parking lights. Personally, I've used them both ways in bad weather.
That isn't the way the auxiliary lights are wired from the factory, though. They can come on only with the low beams.
I remember many a time driving with only the parking lights on because turning the headlights on made driving impossible.
Knurled. said:
rslifkin said:
In reply to Knurled. :
Most cars with fog lights let you run them with low beams or with just parking lights. Personally, I've used them both ways in bad weather.
That isn't the way the auxiliary lights are wired from the factory, though. They can come on only with the low beams.
I remember many a time driving with only the parking lights on because turning the headlights on made driving impossible.
It depends on the car, and the year. For the longest time, Fords (the only thing I really paid attention to, since that's what my mom sold) only allowed fogs with the low beams. Later, they were allowed with parking lights *and* low beams.
I have one friend that has modified his Tiburon so that he can use the fogs with the high beams. I constantly try to convince him that, even though it *looks* more useful, it really isn't, because, at highway/high-beam speeds, anything that the fogs actually illuminate is too close to do anything about, and that the extra foreground light actually causes you to be less able to see out further, because it causes your eyes to think that there's more light available.
Also, according to the PA vehicle code, parking lights and fogs only is legal up to 35 mph.
Knurled. said:
That isn't the way the auxiliary lights are wired from the factory, though. They can come on only with the low beams.
Depends on the vehicle. Both of mine will run the fogs with just parking lights or with low beams from the factory (turning the high beams on kills the fogs, as it should be).
In reply to snailmont5oh :
On the distance illumination thing, the seeing distance issue has me thinking of another mod for the BMW headlights. I already swapped the stock low beam projectors for bixenons, so I now have plenty of light on high beam. The bixenons alone provide plenty of width for high beams, so I'm thinking of taking the inner lenses for the halogen high beams and de-fluting them. I already tested with the inner high beam lenses removed (which looks terrible) and it noticeably narrows the beam pattern from the reflectors and improves intensity in the center of the beam. So I'm thinking that by narrowing that beam pattern, I can get some more distance (letting the bixenons throw the full width high beam pattern and then having the tighter, more distance-focused pattern from the halogen high beams).
Two of my cars have fog lights. I have no idea how to turn them on. 
Actually maybe the other three do also. No idea. Never leaving the city is bad for you. 
My WRX was wired so I could run the fog lights independently from any of the other lights. Just push the fog button, and they'd turn on as long as the key was in accessory or better.
All cars should be wired that way.
In reply to nutherjrfan :
Owners manuals are good for that.
You do have them. right?
In reply to iceracer :
I don't think I have an owners manual for any of the cars I currently own. So he might not. I do know that both of my cars that have fog lights have clearly marked fog light switches that I didn't need much help finding. So there is that. I also never used the fog lights on of them and the other I haven't driven yet. So there is also that.
The subtle, but intentional, blurring of lines between vehicle types by manufacturers, marketing types, and the media:
They keep attempting to convince us that the Honda Ridgeline is a "truck". No, sorry, it's not - it's a minivan with a big chunk of roof cut off. What is it with the Crosstour, anyway? It looks like the unfortunate offspring of an Accord, a CR-V, and a Pontiac Aztec.
I am convinced it's a physical impossibility for a landscaping or contractor's utility trailer to have 4 matching, safe, correctly load-rated tires at any given time. Plus, there's usually at least one wheel bearing/hub assembly going out, with the wheel and tire running at about 15 degrees negative camber.
My random observation comes from spending this past summer in the SF Bay area.
When traveling on the freeways and interstates there, you can get where you are going quicker if you drive only in the 2 right lanes. Avoid the left lanes. Everyone else will drive as far left as they can, regardless of how fast (or slow) they are going and they absolutely will not move over until right before their exit. As long as you are willing to do a bit of lane changing, the right lanes will be faster for you. 
Bonus observation: The roads there are in truly terrible condition, shockingly so. I understand bad roads in the northern states, winter and road salt do a lot of damage, but it never snows or freezes there. With the crazy-high taxes in CA, you would think the roads would be better.......
Opti
HalfDork
2/10/19 2:24 p.m.
If a movie/TV show needs a non descript car for an undisclosed but relatively modern time period and it's not a part of the show (car chase or something like that) ...boxy Volvo.
99 percent of interior shots of cars in shows remove the headrests
In reply to earlybroncoguy1 :
The Crosstour is hideous BUT I've grown to like it. It pretty much behaves like the AWD V6 Accord it is until you for some reason need that bit of extra ground clearance then it's there.The 2 downsides are the ugly and the stupid fastback roof line ruining it's effectiveness as a real wagon. Other than that it's pretty good.
Daylan C said:
In reply to earlybroncoguy1 :
The Crosstour is hideous BUT I've grown to like it. It pretty much behaves like the AWD V6 Accord it is until you for some reason need that bit of extra ground clearance then it's there.The 2 downsides are the ugly and the stupid fastback roof line ruining it's effectiveness as a real wagon. Other than that it's pretty good.
Of course it's a good car, being a Honda, and the concept of the crossover isn't inherently bad. It's just that they decided to reverse engineer the Pontiac Aztec.
The aggravating squeak will stop right before you're able to look at it and start again when you're booked with something else.
