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How do YOU drive in fog?


Ryeman

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I have an opinion, you have an opinion.... why do people need to be so aggressive, jeezo.

 

For what its worth, take a read of the following.... read it ages ago and does actually make some sense.

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/fog_lamps/fog_lamps.html

 

I gather from people older than myself (mid 40's) that fog lights on cars of old were a lot more powerfull and did cut under the fog really well. But due to the dullards using them as a fashion accessory the manufacturers cut the power down.

 

Oh, and seems that a few people agree with me - so maybe their opinion is not valid either..

 

For as long as I can remember, and that is a long time, fog lights have always used 55 watt bulbs.

Certainly when I was helping friends wire up their rally cars in the late 70's they were that, and the one I have recently changed on Dewi was exactly the same. 

The only ones I can remember being different were some old VW Beetle ones that had 45 watt bulbs in. They were good strong lights so we used to put 55 watt bulbs in instead.

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Back to the original question.

1. If i can sensibly avoid it I reschedule and don't drive in fog.

2. I f i have to or if I meet fog I didn't expect I follow the basic rule of driving at a speed which allows me to stop within the limit of my visibility- in real life on a multi lane road I follow another vehicle keeping back so I can just see them- so I can avoid their accident in emergency situations.

3. I use front and rear fogs so as to increase the chances of spotting any hazard or being spotted as a hazard by someone braver or more foolish than me. I have driven at walking pace ( in liverpool 45 years ago) and would never try to get out in such a fog again-I've never faced such conditions since.

4. Ancient scandinavian rally men used to say use every light on maximum-at the limit you may just gain a millisecond more warning of a hazard- they had what most would recognise were supernatural powers!!!

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I have an opinion, you have an opinion.... why do people need to be so aggressive, jeezo.

 

For what its worth, take a read of the following.... read it ages ago and does actually make some sense.

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/fog_lamps/fog_lamps.html

 

I gather from people older than myself (mid 40's) that fog lights on cars of old were a lot more powerfull and did cut under the fog really well. But due to the dullards using them as a fashion accessory the manufacturers cut the power down.

 

Oh, and seems that a few people agree with me - so maybe their opinion is not valid either..

Ok, this may strike some as being "selective quotation", but Daniel Stern's tables all use USian standards, and he actively says "In the past, many US-specification low beam headlamps... ". Do you drive a USian car, because I don't?

 

Also, every fog light I've used except a "Lucas Black Sabre" (55W tungsten) has used the same 55W H3 fitting Quartz-Iodine bulb, so the power has not been "cut down".

 

Equally, he appears to be addressing a point which is correct (fog lights do not improve vision except in fog or falling snow, although he doesn't address this directly enough for my tastes. Incidentally, this does also mean that so-called "cornering fogs" are pointless.) but never addresses the questions of driving in fog or falling snow which are the only ones I addressed.

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Front fogs 'should' help light up the edge of the road at night but in daylight fog they will not assist in that way at all.  They will however assist with you being seen by oncoming traffic which is a benefit.  I agree abut cornering fog lamps, spotlights call them what you like they are all but useless.

 

I am surprised no one has mentioned in daylight fog the wearing of sun glasses.  Obviously it depends on the thickness of the fog but it can (and does) help you to see further as it cuts down the reflection of light.  I read about it many years ago and have used them since then when I can.  It doesn't always work as sometime the fog is just too bad but it certainly does help to see further than without some of the time.

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Cornering fogs would be useless if that was what they were- the fog light which lights up when turning at low speeds is nothing to do with fog but is valuable for gate posts ditches low walls and other parking hazards when going into gateways, field entrances or other similar instances. it is an instance of dual purposing which is only confused in the minds of those who don't understand.

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Front fogs 'should' help light up the edge of the road at night but in daylight fog they will not assist in that way at all.  They will however assist with you being seen by oncoming traffic which is a benefit.  I agree abut cornering fog lamps, spotlights call them what you like they are all but useless.

 

I am surprised no one has mentioned in daylight fog the wearing of sun glasses.  Obviously it depends on the thickness of the fog but it can (and does) help you to see further as it cuts down the reflection of light.  I read about it many years ago and have used them since then when I can.  It doesn't always work as sometime the fog is just too bad but it certainly does help to see further than without some of the time.

Yeah, polarised sunglassses can help. I've used them sometimes during the fog in the day. What would be great is a video feed from my dashcam. Looking at recordings of my driving through the fog, it can see a lot better than me :)

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Cornering fogs would be useless if that was what they were- the fog light which lights up when turning at low speeds is nothing to do with fog but is valuable for gate posts ditches low walls and other parking hazards when going into gateways, field entrances or other similar instances. it is an instance of dual purposing which is only confused in the minds of those who don't understand.

I do understand them and as I have them and turn into an unlit drive I also understand that they are useless.  The amount of light they give out is insufficient to be of any real use and truthfully I can see no better with them than I could in the Skoda that did not have them.  I only speak as I find and for me I would just as soon they left them off and put something useful on there instead.

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I do understand them and as I have them and turn into an unlit drive I also understand that they are useless.  The amount of light they give out is insufficient to be of any real use and truthfully I can see no better with them than I could in the Skoda that did not have them.  I only speak as I find and for me I would just as soon they left them off and put something useful on there instead.

I now realise the tone of my post was a bit off. I wrongly thought you didn't know what you were talking about but accept you did so I was wrong to phrase things as I did. I find the cornering function of some value although not as useful as the dedicated cornering lights on my old Lexus(Toyota) soarer.

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Not when I'm Piloting my train, Line speed, Fog or no Fog

TWPS, / AWS must help no need for fogmen  any more.

 

I guess that signal visibility is still important though, are the newer LED colour-lights better in fog?

 

DC

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Cornering fogs would be useless if that was what they were- the fog light which lights up when turning at low speeds is nothing to do with fog but is valuable for gate posts ditches low walls and other parking hazards when going into gateways, field entrances or other similar instances. it is an instance of dual purposing which is only confused in the minds of those who don't understand.

You regularly turn into accesses at 30mph? If not, then they operate at too high a maximum speed.

 

Aside from that, do your fog lights have enough spread to exceed that of your headlights measurably?

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You regularly turn into accesses at 30mph? If not, then they operate at too high a maximum speed.

 

The fogs as cornering lights stop working as such at 25mph

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That's quibbling over a detail. 25mph is still much faster than I'd ever turn into an access, particularly an unknown one.

But at about 10mph they are very handy when turning as the spread goes well to the side.

The bi-xenons are very good swivelling with the wheels but the cornering fogs complement them well.

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But at about 10mph they are very handy when turning as the spread goes well to the side.

The bi-xenons are very good swivelling with the wheels but the cornering fogs complement them well.

I'm going to guess that this means you've never driven a car with swivelling mains and without "cornering fogs".

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TWPS, / AWS must help no need for fogmen  any more.

 

I guess that signal visibility is still important though, are the newer LED colour-lights better in fog?

 

DC

 

The new LED colour lights are very good but we have reported  that at night they are too bright. Most of my driving is on track with Semaphore signals, visibility in fog not very good. You only see them as you go past. The art is route knowledge, AWS and faith in onboard equipment. Fog at night is best, depending what sound you get and looking at AWS Sunflower you know you are running on Greens or restrictive signals.

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Andy, 

Lots of our semaphores now have twin LED bulbs in the lamps instead of yellow incandescents.

Don't seem to be any brighter but if one fails it means S & T can take longer to get out to replace it, and the batteries last longer when the power goes off.

 

Pre-retirement interview next week!!

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Andy, 

Lots of our semaphores now have twin LED bulbs in the lamps instead of yellow incandescents.

Don't seem to be any brighter but if one fails it means S & T can take longer to get out to replace it, and the batteries last longer when the power goes off.

 

Pre-retirement interview next week!!

 

Most of our Semaphore's have had new green Lenses fitted with LED bulbs.  It's only about 10ish years ago that the Paraffin lamps were replaced with ordinary electric bulbs but they didn't change the lenses.  The Lenses used with paraffin lamps were a blueish colour, ( blue lens and a yellow flame = Green ). Then the blueish lenses and a ordinary eletric bulb were used together the light was very faint hence putting in green lenses to make them brighter.

 

Does all that make sence   :notme:

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