I had a 2 cylinder Honda that holed a piston one day, the white smokescreen coming out the left exhaust as I chugged through town was epic.

You'll only get a single cornering light on when in neutral or a forward gear. When in reverse both cornering fogs light up.

 

The reverse feature is useful but only in certain situations.

 

The front fog lights / cornering lights on my Superb not only shine forwards but also do a very good job of throwing out light to the sides.

 

If you are parked alongside a wall I've noticed that the extra light output can reach as far back as the door mirror.

 

All it takes is a very small amount of light to pick up the top of a concrete bollard, low wall or hidden kerb to reveal an obstacle that could otherwise have easily been missed.

 

I'd imagine if there are drivers out there that never make mistakes or never miss things they would be of no use. Personally on my commute through rural back lanes and dark tight urban streets they've been very useful to me.

 

They are designed to be a driver aid, you still need to check it is safe before maneuvering but we are all human. They only work at speeds under 40kph too.

The most effective cornering lights are those that are able to turn the actual headlight beam in line with the steering wheel inputs, often called adaptive headlights.

 

Some therefore believe that those that utilise the front fog lights instead are a gimmick. Less effective perhaps yes, but as this thread has demonstrated some see a use in them others don't.

 

The biggest issue for me isn't the function itself, more the fact that most other people don't understand what is happening. As a result they think the lights are defective, the driver has turned on their front fog lights deliberately (which for good reason really riles people when it isn't foggy) or that they are trying to attract attention.

 

Their effectiveness however can be illustrated quite well in these examples...

 

Cornering front fog lights on a Mercedes E-Class:

 

 

And on a BMW 3 Series...

 

 

And on a SEAT Leon...

 

 

And on a Ford Transit Connect...

 

 

And on a MkII Skoda Superb...

 

 

And on a Mercedes C-Class...

 

The Renault Clio used a separate bulb but one mounted up in the headlight unit...

 

 

The latest MkII Octavia vRS uses two bulbs in the same housing, one for the front fog light function and another for the cornering function...

 

 

Similar set-up on the KIA Sportage...

 

How often do we hear or read,

'You will only get'. or 'They do not do that'.

Then on Enthusiasts Car Forums people are Changing Bulbs, Changing Coding, asking can you do this and can you do that.

These Modified from Factory Setting and for UK Delivery must be out there some place on the roads.

 

Those cars with 'White' Rear Number plate Bulbs shining rearward and as bright as Reversing lights as an example.

They were there as fitted and designed with the function of illuminating a Registration Plate which in the UK is Yellow,

yet people worry about a pair of Yellowish Bulbs doing that,

but reckon people behind want to follow in the dark Red Tail Lights and also 2 White Bulbs shining back.

 

PS 

Nobody except people not interested in cars or Blind People, or maybe someone blinded by the lights mistakes a Mercedes in the dark from some Skoda or Volkswagen no matter how premium or upgraded the lighting is.

All diesel ones can be mistaken as Taxis in the Dark or when sitting parked up with the engine running.

Yes, you have to be very careful when replacing the number plate lights with LED's. If done properly they can look quite modern and be effective too.

 

If not then they can be a nuisance. I've see a few cars with overly bright ones that appear as bright as reversing lights, and often brighter than the red tail lights, especially when figuring in the glare / reflection off the number plate itself or silver bodywork paint etc.

 

The OEM ones fitted to BMW's and later Audi's look good though, which I'm guessing is what people are trying to achieve.

 

A bit too much...

 

On 25/09/2015 at 10:30, Llanigraham said:

 

Yes.

I find them very useful as it allows me to see what is to the side of the front of the car as I reverse.

Funny that nearly all the people who cannot see their usefulness are urbanites . Try living and working in places that do not have any street lighting and you might change your mind. 

I'm late to the discussion (as always), but it seems like having the puddle lights under the mirrors come on while reversing would help in this regard, too.

7 years on and nothing changes and many have no idea what the cars lights do or what others see when they have lights on.

 

I love where those that live on the dark side of the moon need all the lighting they can get.

Where there is no lighting and hard to see they can put on Full Beam, Dipped beam and front and rear fog lights and reversing lights to their heart is content.

 

That does not mean that just because when they select reverse they should have the Front fogs come on automatically regardless of location or need.

If they want Front fogs on to reverse and nobody is coming towards them then switch both on rather than a pair on and then one or other on as they reverse and steer.

 

PS

New annoyance to go with the usual, more and more EV's on the road where the driver has no idea the car has Headlights and Rear Lights that will not reduce the pathetic range their car might have so switching them on is Simply Clever and do not assume 'Auto' means there are Side light / Position Lights and even Dipped Headlights on.

Edited 29 June, 20223 yr by roottoot

Roll on the 360-degree camera with IR for clear viewing at night!