I used the front fogs on my 2012 Yeti in some real fog a couple of days ago and discovered that they cause more glare than the dipped head beams.

While I like the look of the round lamps, the fact that they are not low, flat and wide results in poor performance as fog lamps.

Has anyone found a way of improving the performance of the fogs?

 

Norry

 

On virtually all modern cars the fog lights are a styling feature rather than of any practical use. The last car I had with fog lights that actually improved visibility in thick fog was a 1989 Sierra XR4x4!

Fog lights on most cars are set down low in the bumper in an effort to shine below the fog and therefore prevent the light output reflecting off the fog back at you.

 

On the pre-FL Yeti they are set high, almost as high as the headlights, thus I'd imagine reducing their effectiveness.

 

Saying that I've rarely benefited from front fog lights in fog, they don't seem to offer much improvement in forward visibility.

 

Where their height does offer a significant advantage is when the same lights are used in the 'cornering light' mode. When I had a Yeti courtesy car the cornering lights were far more effective on the unlit rural roads near me than those on my Octavia, perhaps down to their additional height?

....On the pre-FL Yeti they are set high, almost as high as the headlights, thus I'd imagine reducing their effectiveness....

 

Diverging personal experience again... 

 

A lot of my local mileage is through woodland, often shrouded in mist at this time of year.  At night, the front fogs give a useful extra-bright area up to say 15 yds ahead and about 3 yds to either side of the road.  This deals with the mist (or pelting rain), the suicidal peasants, phartridges and deer, as well as the well-disguised broken shoulders and potholes on the corners.  I'm happy...

Edited 29 December, 201510 yr by Brijo

My A4 has them built into the headlight unit so I can have them on ALL the time and I don't get flashed. I am sure most people flash users is because they can see them separate from the other lights.

My A4 has them built into the headlight unit so I can have them on ALL the time and I don't get flashed. I am sure most people flash users is because they can see them separate from the other lights.

It just adds to light pollution and makes night driving tiring.

It just adds to light pollution and makes night driving tiring.

bs

Diverging personal experience again... 

 

A lot of my local mileage is through woodland, often shrouded in mist at this time of year.  At night, the front fogs give a useful extra-bright area up to say 15 yds ahead and about 3 yds to either side of the road.  This deals with the mist (or pelting rain), the suicidal peasants, phartridges and deer, as well as the well-disguised broken shoulders and potholes on the corners.  I'm happy...

I agree. I have always thought the Yeti foglights were genuinely useful. I have used them to great effect in torrential night time rain on unlit country roads to see puddles and verges as well as in night time fog. They are good enough to use with only sidelights on to reduce forward lighting and back-scattered glare.

The small, under-bumper foglights on my A1 are, by comparison, useless trinkets.

I use front fog lights in unlit lanes. They are great at lighting up verges, holes, puddles, rocks, etc. I do turn them off if someone is coming the other way, especially if it's wet as they can glare.

On my old Yeti (pre-FL) they were brilliant for this so it will be interesting to see how my new one compares when I get it.

I don't think the FL Yeti front 'fogs' are nearly as effective in their cornering light mode as the pre-FL ones - even after upgrading the bulbs (following Gizmo's lead).

 

They are better in fog as they cut underneath as they should whereas the pre-FL units are the same level as the headlights.

 

Regarding the legal/illegal use of one front 'fog' light, I have a sneaky suspicion that if they were illegal then the authorities might have done something about them by now - seeing as most new vehicles seem to have them.

 

Perhaps it is the fact that they are acting as 'cornering lights' when indicator/steering wheel angle activated - they are not being activated by the driver using the front fog light switch.

I don't think the FL Yeti front 'fogs' are nearly as effective in their cornering light mode as the pre-FL ones - even after upgrading the bulbs (following Gizmo's lead).

 

They are better in fog as they cut underneath as they should whereas the pre-FL units are the same level as the headlights.

 

Regarding the legal/illegal use of one front 'fog' light, I have a sneaky suspicion that if they were illegal then the authorities might have done something about them by now - seeing as most new vehicles seem to have them.

 

Perhaps it is the fact that they are acting as 'cornering lights' when indicator/steering wheel angle activated - they are not being activated by the driver using the front fog light switch.

 

If they were illegal then the car would not have been issued with it's Type Approval.

Perhaps a "defeat" device was fitted! :clap: