Night time towing

[cpaharley2008]

Just came back from 1400 mile trip to rally in Tennessee with the new Andersen Hitch see here http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tch-57733.html
and wanted to pass on the results of adding these for better visibility at night. They have a wider spread than your head lights and your peripheral visibility is enhanced. We left at 3 am and these lights really helped me seeing a lot better
on the road. Coming home they were used again since we did not arrive until after 9 pm. Highly recommended for night driving.

[Ken in Pa]

Jim
I need something like that on my FJ I get home from work late. Deer around here are everywhere I see a few most every night.
Ken

[cpaharley2008]

I ordered mine from Toyota but the dealer said there is a unknown freeze on the factory fog lights for now so the dealer order these instead and they installed them.

[fusedlight]

Just don't use 'em when you don't need 'em. Nothing like having some jerk coming towards you on a two lane road on a clear night with blindingly bright fog lights. They call them FOG lights for a reason. Grumblblblblblelelelele.

[Jon Vermilye]

I needed them for all of my Chrysler minivans, but the Toyota RAV4 has the best headlights of anything I've ever owned. I had pulled the add on lights from the last van to use on the RAV4, but never felt the need to install them. It does have the factory installed fog lights...

[Carol H]

Agree with Gary, hard enough to see without someone having seriously overpowered fog lights on when not really needed - especially ones that have not been mounted/adjusted to aim in the correct position. My answer to that type of situation is to put my headlights on high beam for a moment in hopes of waking them up to the situation. Usually works.

My last Outback had extra fog lights and agree they were great at night on foggy mountain passes but my current one doesn't have them although its headlights are pretty darn good so I haven't really missed not having the additional fog lights.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Another point of view or idea.

There is some things that a driver can do to improve your night vision without blinding everybody else. First off dim you dash lights to point you can barely read the speedometer. It just takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust, then you'll be able see the dash just fine.
Turn off fog lights... Fog lights light up the road about 10' in front of the vehicle very brightly. That's not area you want to see. You want see as far down the road as possible. By having the bright road right in front of you your night vision isn't a good as it is without that bright light.
Keep your eyes constantly moving, this improves night vision, staring hard at the road will kill you night vision.

I believe the lights shown are for "off road" driving where you're going slower and need to see all the bumps and holes in the way. A bit different than driving down a highway at much higher speeds. I believe they are NOT legal for highway travel.

[cpaharley2008]

These were installed by the Toyota dealer to meet factory specifications and the lights are not higher than my head lights. Certainly legal as installed, but some of those "blue" and LED's kids are installing in the regular lights really blind you, and yes they should be fined or removed off the vehicle, also ones they install on the roof, particularly.

[Glenn Baglo]

Are they fog lights or are they driving lights?
Huge difference.

[Francesca Knowles]

Good picture, Jim- see how those lights shoot directly into the camera lens? That's exactly what oncoming drivers get.



On the perhaps comical side, the brand name is appropriate...
"PIAA": puttin' the "all" in P.I.T.A.!

Francesca

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Are they fog lights or are they driving lights?
Huge difference.

I do not know, never saw the package, I'll have to research and get that answer.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I'm been doing a bit of research on these type of lights. Here's what I've found out so far. These not LEGAL statements, but are considered proper usage.
1. Use only in FOG.
2. Use only in conjunction with low beams, never in conjunction with high beams. FYI, my factory installed fog light turn off when I switch on high beams.
3. It considered rude to run with fog lights on when not needed.

[cpaharley2008]

It is wired to only be on with low beams, against the law to wire them with high beams, that is what the dealer told me. When I turn on high beams these shut off, just like factory is supposed to operate. But I think I have the driving lights, not the fog. They are not amber and are 35 watts, the fog I think are 55 watts.

[Mike Magee]

Welcome to the Critics' Corner, Jim! The lights do look nice on there.

Jon, how you feel about your Rav4 headlights is exactly how I feel about my Highlander's. But I will say that every time I go to Michigan, if I have to drive at dusk or after, I start wishing for some super-duper long range lights. My wife is my spotter; she's way better somehow at seeing the deer in the ditches than I am.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Are they fog lights or are they driving lights?
Huge difference.

My truck came equipped with driving/fog lights.
When properly aimed, they fill-in the area behind the low beam splash pattern and supply light peripherally from curb to curb. the enhanced splash pattern is no brighter than the low beams. I have seen no evidence of any complaints so far (twelve years).

[cpaharley2008]

I checked my receipt, I have the daytime driving lights, not the fog lights, they have the 15 degree angle which is for driving and approved in all 50 states.

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Welcome to the Critics' Corner, Jim! The lights do look nice on there.

Jon, how you feel about your Rav4 headlights is exactly how I feel about my Highlander's. But I will say that every time I go to Michigan, if I have to drive at dusk or after, I start wishing for some super-duper long range lights. My wife is my spotter; she's way better somehow at seeing the deer in the ditches than I am.

I know what you mean - my son got hit by a deer on his way home from work last friday (and I do mean hit by the deer, not the other way around). $3K worth of damage...

[cpaharley2008]

An insurance man once told me if you say the deer hit you, it's covered under your comprehensive, thus no deductible, if you say you hit a deer, it's collision and subject to your deductible. Might want to check that.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

But I think I have the driving lights, not the fog.

Driving lights are used in conjunction with high beams and shoot the light far down the road.
But, if those are fog lights, they appear to be mounted rather high up. Generally, the fog lights are below the bumper ( as on my RAV4 - factory ).
Although, the whole purpose of after market fog lights, mounted below the bumper, appears to be to collide with curbs etc.

I took a rock to one of my fog lights. Replacing the lens means removing the bumper cover, part of the inside of the wheel wells, etc. etc. Costs about $250 at Toyota. So, I made a new lens cover out of plexi and caulked it in place.

[cpaharley2008]

"Driving lights are used in conjunction with high beams and shoot the light far down the road. " not here in the lower 48, when you put on your high beams, both auxiliary driving and fog lights, factory or after market, must shut off.