For the record. Fog lights are low and best used without high beams since the high beams reflect the fog light back at you.

What you need are driving lights, often confused with fog lights. Driving lights a big mamba jamba lights to let you see farther down the road. Fogs just won't ever get you there, they are low and close by design.

 

Actually one of the best uses of fog lights is to use them WITH the highbeams as they do in fact light up the road closer to the car and offer a much wider light beam. Thus they are able to compliment the narrower beam of the high beams. Really useful when driving on twisty roads as using the fogs will illuminate the roadside much more than the high beams can.

 

If one is looking that close to their car to need the fog lights to light the ditches, well maybe they need to look farther down the road.

I'm in the more light is better camp, but the MINIs oem fogs are not very good. Adding driving lights plus decent fogs would be the best if you don't mind 4 big additional lights out front.

 

LOL.......not

Having the fogs on simply lights up more of the road. By their very design they have a shallow, but wide light pattern. A perfect compliment to the high beams.

 

I hate to do thing half-way. Lets get the fog lights to work with hi beams PLUS low beams and driving lights! The sun will have nothing on my MINI

 

Lumens FTW.

 

Fog lights are called fog lights for a reason, they are for the fog.

 

And let's all remember to turn those parking lights on when we park.

 

That is funny. On dark roads (I guess before zenons) leaving them on was for safety. Some euro cars still have it set where you can just light one side when parked to save battery juice by using the parking stalk.

People who have driven in the fog, with fog lights know how good they are (since they are designed for it) of illuminating the road and minimizing the glare. They also can tell you that high beams just about blind you in the fog. These lights are designed (and placed on the car) for different reasons.

To expand on what is suggested above. At 55mph the car is traveling at 88 feet per second. Something in the fog lights' area will be run over in less than 1/2 a second. You can't miss it, but you might be able to see what you just ran over better.

It's like the check list for crash landing a plane at night. Trim for max glide, check fuel tanks, check mags, open door, turn on landing lights...if you don't like what you see, turn off the lights.

 

LOL

You do realize that the MINI can have parking lights on either side left on now don't you?

Fog lights can be used for whatever purpose you want.....not just for bad weather. And they work great for lighting up the whole road, plus.

 

Using Fogs without fog is mean, They have no cutoff and blind oncoming drivers.

That being said, I always use my fogs because the Xenons are terribly dim with any type of water on the road or oncoming traffic. Due in part to thier high amount of blue light(less visible to the human eye than yellow).

Suck it oncoming traffic.

 

Hey now...don't knock the parking lights! I use the left/right parking lights on my MINI and my old Mercedes whenever they're parked on the side of the road. Not many of the roads are illuminated in my area and I think it's worth the slight drain on the battery to keep my cars visible at night.

 

Of course you can use them for anything you like. I always say any tool used properly is a hammer. It doesn't change what they were designed to do.

Driving lights are better for driving than fog lights. It's just what they were designed to do.

 

Yeah but apparently you never jacked deer in the night time with a spot light........Their eyes reflect like 3M schotchlight vinyl

And that is way before 88'. And since they most often come from the sides of the road, and as high beams have more a pencil patter, fogs while driving at least in New England area may be the difference between some white knuckles and lost rubber, and a totalled MINI.

 

Lots of Bambi's everywhere. Most everyone has had a close encounter with them. Yes fogs help & more light is better for spotting them. That doesn't change the fact that the MINI fogs are not so hot & lots of folks drive with them on all of the time even when they aren't needed. At least if they are on with the high beams there shouldn't be oncoming traffic looking into the brights & fogs.

I think a WRC light-pod would be best. It would be easy to see Bambi when it combusts from all that candle power.

 

It may just be that I have PIAA driving lights and when comparing the fogs to the PIAAs it is like comparing a candle to a light house. Though they are throwing light way off in the distance, they also light much better (and furthar) to the side than the fogs. Without driving lights, maybe fogs are better than nothing, but, if you get driving lights, you may see what I mean.

 

2 point here:

1) When the high beams are on, the low beams are on, too, so they complement
the high beam's pattern. Also, I think MINI didn't want six 55W bulbs going at once.

2) My front fog lights have a pronounced cutoff, and it is angled down and hits the road
about 2 car lengths ahead of the bumper. Everybody says the MINI's fogs blind the oncoming traffic
(fogs on many other cars and especially trucks often do), but it seems no one who says this has
actually stood in front of a MINI with them on to check this out. They don't.

 

1. If they didnt want 6 55Ws running they wouldn't include driving lights from the factory.

2. Its not vertical cutoff that they don't have. If you notice, the Lowbeams illuminate ahead and right, left side has a cutoff making the amount of light shot directly at oncoming traffic quite low. But the fogs illuminate nearly 180 degree arc infront of the car. That is the cutoff of which I speak.

 

1. Good point

2. My fogs only send light about 30 or 40 degrees to the left and the right.
Again, they're not going to bother the eyes of oncoming traffic.

Having said that, I rarely have my fogs on unless it's raining or foggy or it's deer rutting season.

 

Some observations.....

About every aftermarket fog light I have seen have reflectors, bulbs shields and fluted lenses to case the light out to either side of the roadway. Additionally, for fogs to be truely effective Amber colored lenses work the best bar none, and are the recommended color by all standards.

That said, if our lower OEM "fog lights" were intended to be true fog lights only to be used during rain/snow/foggy days, how is it that the lenses on the 1st gen MINI have no bulb shield for glare, and are neither fluted or amber in color ?

To me it seems like MINI/BMW, like so many other the manufacturers these days are making the auxillary lights as a cross between driving lights and fog lights.

So just my opinion........based just on their construction, their purpose is more like auxillary forward facing lights, not true fog lights, therefore not restrictive as to their use or circumstances.

 

The MINI fog lights & the fog lights on many other cars fall into the realm of automotive costume jewelry. They look good, but aren't quite the real thing.

 

Just get xenons and/or driving lights. There's 2 sets in the marketplace currently... plug and play.

 

What year/model is your Mini? What is the part # for the relay?