Fog Lights

[Bainzy]

Found myself AGAIN caught out unexpectedly in thick fog out in the Spitfire tonight, this time was much worse and I could barely see 5m in front of me, less with full beam on. Not surprising given that I live right next to Ilkley Moor.

After recent events in the news I can't help but wonder if I should fit something.

My budget won't stretch to LR8s at the moment, has anyone tried Ring rectangular ones or another brand and how effective did you find they were?

p.s. I have an original Lucas fog light switch somewhere in the garage but no bezel for the dashboard to use with it, where can I get one?

[Deleted User]

Any foglight is better than no foglight and really an essential addition to any classic car that gets regular use.

Do you mean these ones?



Local trailer firm uses them and they seem perfectly adequate and should look good on a Spitfire.

[Hogie]

I think he means a front fog light (he couldn't see more than 5mtr in front)

Roger

[Velocita Rosso]

2601 wrote:

I think he means a front fog light (he couldn't see more than 5mtr in front)

Roger

...may be he was driving in reverse?

We have an account with a good motor factor
I can get details of all the Ring specs. I think I have some of those in my shed

[uksnatcher]

I have some Ring dual spot/driving lamps fitted to mine, bulbs 100w spot and 55w (amber) driving/fog.Both relayed, spots wired to main beam, driving lamps wired to a switch.
About 30 quid of ebay if i remember correctly
(the ambers came in handy when i lost dip beam due to a dodgy switch too)
Just the job and not visible if thats your preference  8)

[aar0sc]

I want to do some like yours Gaz; but don't they impede cooling?

[Fizzy]

forgive my lack of knowledge, but what do fogs do differently that avoids the problems high beam gives, as mentioned by bainzy ? i make regular night trips through low lying farmland within spitting distance of the norfolk broads. im more suprised when their isnt fog..............

i think ive aske before but id like some that sit like the ones in the photo below :

[uksnatcher]

Nice pic Fizzy....twitchy bum time..!

Fogs give a diffused beam and spots (like main beam) give a point pencil beam so in fog a diffused beam as low and wide as possible is preferable, just like the ones in the pic. Idealy you use side lights and low/wide fog lamps in foggy conditions.

With regards to cooling my 1500 with wide rad...no, lamps been on 2 yrs now and no issues at all.
Only probs i have had is in hot mid summer with standing traffic with no air flow but i use an elec fan so just override the thermo switch with a manual switch and temp drops no probs.

With the cooler weather now in place i am contemplating partially blocking the rad as cooling is a liitle too good, when moving the temp gauge is at 1/3 and motorway is 1/4 so air flow is no issue with the spots infront of the rad.

    

[aar0sc]

What do you think it would be like for a Spit 1500 with an original narrow rad?  :P

I'll have to get some, and some relays to relay everything up ;D

[Ridgetone Triumph]

I thought most moderns with these types of lights below the front bumper are for blinding on coming traffic when the weather is nice and clear or telling you they are following behind :(  They don't even get the hint when you turn on your rear fog light >:( I then realise it must be foggy out ;D
Isn't it in the highway code that foglights should only be used when visibility is 100yds or lest?

I have 2 older moderns and these so called front fog lights seem useless in the fog, especially when one is driving with just the fogs on :-/
Because I drive in fog regularly at night I have experimented with using different lights on, ie just side lights (not recommended) Hi beam (some times reasonable) dipped (seem the best) fog lights (these just give you low  down wide vision, good if you are a snail, and driving at 40mph or less as they give you no distance). Dipped beam and fogs seem the best combination up front ;)
However while riding in the fog on the bike, Hi beam everytime. Why is this, maybe its because my speed is much slower on the bike than in the car, then my only problem is the traffic behind me ??) Maybe time to fit a rear foglight on the bike???  

[piman]

Hello Ridgetone,

particularly at night, I prefer main beam, there is more reflection but if you come upon something in front of you it appears sooner, ie. gives a greater depth of view through the murk.

Low fog lights are a waste of time as their angle is such that their range is short; rally cars have long since ditched low level auxiliiary lights.

Alec

[Ridgetone Triumph]

piman wrote:

Low fog lights are a waste of time as their angle is such that their range is short; rally cars have long since ditched low level auxiliiary lights.

Alec

That will explain the use of fog lights during clear weather!!

Cheers
Pete

[CRAJ]

I fitted some Ring ones on the front of the estate just before the last RBRR, I found them to be very good going up through Scotland in the fog, mains were hopeless and the wide low beam pattern gives you more vision of where the side of the road is than just dipped beam.

Colin.

[Velocita Rosso]

Just priced up the Ring Twin spot/fog like Gazzers....£23.88 +VAT

[JohnD]

Fizzy,
Where DID you find that pic?
Best illustration of swing axle tuck-under I've ever seen, though the problem is overrated even for early Spitfires.
JOhn

[Velocita Rosso]

I have it my book on the history of the Spitfire..............only Ive tidyed the loft..... :B
Its called Triumph Spitfire Gold Portfolio

[aar0sc]

Have some from the Brown collection:

[Lord Sorbington]

You have to love that comedy suspension!

In fog and at night, I find main beam is often best as you can see the white lines and cats eyes better.  Drop onto dipped beam if the reflection gets too much and watch out for non reflective things which may be in the way!

I think fog lights are only useful for really dense fog where you have to crawl along at low speeds, as has been said, they don't give much range, but the left one should be angled to illuminate the verge and the right side to shine along the white lines.  They don't even have to be low down.  My Mercedes has foglamps built into the main headlamps but they still only give a very short range of extra illumination.  Effective in very dense fog but not a massive benefit most of the time.

Headlamp wipers help too.  It's amazing how much dirty lenses affect visibility.

Mk2 2000s came pre-wired for front fogs.  Switching them on extinguished the dipped beam headlamps giving low level illumination only.

On a Triumph, I'd be more concerned about rear foglamps, the tail and brake lamps are all but invisible by modern standards.

[uksnatcher]

3122 wrote:

What do you think it would be like for a Spit 1500 with an original narrow rad?

I fitted the wide rad 12mths after fitting the spots and there was no problems with the air flow using the narrow rad, ran slightly hotter than the wide rad but not much.

michael_charlton wrote:

Just priced up the Ring Twin spot/fog like Gazzers....£23.88 +VAT

£28.65 well done mate, Mike the bargain hunter... i thought these were discontinued years ago too... They come with 4x 55w 12v bulbs i just added 2x 100w to the bill to liven the spots up, and fitted the 55w in the amber driving lamps as they are plastic assumed they would melt with 2x 100w,admitidly not the best of lights but for £30 they are a bit different (and probably (whistle) dont meet MOT standards as too close to the middle but it passes every year..)  ;)  

[aar0sc]

Where from? I'd rather like some :)

[Bainzy]

Cheers guys, plenty of food for thought!

I guess if I'm putting front fogs on it'd make sense to also add the rear red ones too. The factory Spitfire rear fogs are very similar to the pic Wolfrace posted, slightly wider and a bit more rounded, you can still find them cheapl new on ebay, I'd use them for rears.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-NEW-Ring-RL023-Rectangular-Fog-Lights-/260578257691?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3cabacab1b

^ That's the cheapest I've found for the ones I'm thinking of for the front. £18.90 all in for a pair. No stoneguard for that one but the ring one is crap for anything smaller than a fist sized boulder, I'd make my own anyway.

[Deleted User]

Ooops, my mistake! :P

Front fog lights? Waste of time, use your main beams, they will allow you to see further - ask anyone who's done some rally driving.

[Greeks]

Haven't needed fog lights for a good few years  ;) But when I used to a long commute on windy country roads with a thick fret fog that could last all day the low level fog lights were essential for locating the left hand edge of the road. I'd play a game where i'd try to guess when the next corner was coming.

Of course they only show a short distance in front, that's the point, any further than 5 metres is too foggy!

I found if I used main beam on i'd get stuck like a rabbit staring at the bright white reflected focus of the beam and lose all sense of where the edge of the road was.

[Greeks]

3708 wrote:

Ask anyone who's done some rally driving.

Nonsense.

[Greeks]

sorbs wrote:

You have to love that comedy suspension!

In fog and at night, I find main beam is often best as you can see the white lines and cats eyes better.  Drop onto dipped beam if the reflection gets too much and watch out for non reflective things which may be in the way!

You be driving in southerner's fog  ;D

sorbs wrote:

I think fog lights are only useful for really dense fog where you have to crawl along at low speeds, as has been said, they don't give much range, but the left one should be angled to illuminate the verge and the right side to shine along the white lines.

Correct ... ie fog lights are good ... in fog!