re: Who do so many people drive with fog lights on all the time?

I'd say the same about a driving light then


I haven't seen anything posted in this thread that forms a legit argument against them being fog lights other than your and redbones opinions

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The lights on your f150 won't meet that requirement

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Link??

They also don't work in conjunction with my high beams...so what makes them driving lights?

So then you get to use an incorrect term by calling them driving lights?


Can you prove that they don't work like fog lights are supposed to?

That's what I asked for

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So then you get to use an incorrect term by calling them driving lights?

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Driving light is a much broader term than fog light.

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Can you prove that they don't work like fog lights are supposed to?

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They don't have the proper reflector to work how the SAE specs define a fog light.

Let me guess what's next... can I prove that?

I don't know what else to tell you.

This will explain it as simply as possible, and I'm done trying to convince you after that.

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The words "fog lamp", "spot lamp", and "driving lamp" may often be used in a generic sense when referring to any lamp mounted on the front of a car, which is totally confusing and misleading. If you see an ad saying "FT6 Fog/Spot lamp", the seller is confused and has no idea what he is selling. These words (should) have very different meaning referring to very specific features.

A "fog lamp" by definition throws a wide broadcast light output (flood light) which is intended to light a wide patch of road close to the car. These lamps should be mounted fairly low on the front of the car and be pointed slightly downward so they light the road full width close at hand and produce minimal reflected glare in fog. A fog lamp may be mounted below the front bumper for best effect (although may be mounted above the bumper as well). Lenses may be clear or amber and are usually fluted to break up the beam in random directions to reduce reflected glare. Some countries require a rear mounted fog lamp to be used to accent your visibility for a driver following your car in dense fog, in which case the lens may be red. Use of a clear lens in a front fog lamp is generally legal and common in older classic cars, but the clear lens can lead to identity confusion with other types of lamps.

A "spot lamp" by definition throws a near pencil beam of light to produce bright illumination on a very small area. These are commonly used in hand held lamps or a lamp mounted on the side of the windscreen which can be manually directed in any direction (to find a house number in the dark for instance).

A "driving lamp" has a slightly broader definition, most often referring to auxiliary headlights. Casual reference to any auxiliary front lamp as a driving lamp is erroneous. A fog lamp is definitely not a driving lamp. A "driving lamp" is used to see farther down the road in non-foggy conditions.

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More on different driving lights:

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The most common form of driving lamp is the standard equipment headlights. These throw light generally forward and just a little to the sides to illuminate the road surface farther forward and across the width of one traffic lane (or a bid wider). They have a flat beam so as not to waste light on the road surface close to the car, and not to shine upward into the eyes of oncoming drivers. They are common in LHD and RHD versions where there may be a sharp cutoff of upward light on the side toward oncoming traffic, and the dip beam may be directed slightly to one side away from oncoming traffic.

An auxiliary "driving lamp" may be large or small, round or rectangular, and may have almost any mounting configuration (usually not below the bumper). They should almost always have a clear (not colored) lens, although there can be a wide variety of fluting or plain glass or a combination of flutes and plain glass it a single lamp. Driving lamps commonly have a light throw pattern similar to headlights, although the aux lamps may be more concentrated in the forward direction for better illumination farther down the road and less to the sides. Driving lights like headlights are usually mounted above the bumper to be aimed straight forward with the top of the beam perfectly level for long distance illumination. In most government jurisdictions it is required by law that driving lamps be wired to or triggered by the headlight high beam circuit, so than when you dip your headlights for an oncoming driver the driving lights will go out. This provision of the law is often not enforced, as the cops are usually happy if you just have at least two headlights that actually work.

Another form of "driving light" is physically similar to the description in the prior paragraph, but can have a spotlight type pencil beam intended to shine only straight forward for the longest possible distance. This type of driving lamp is commonly called "spotlight". These often have higher light output and are usually illegal for use on public roadways. They are commonly wired to a separate switch to be used only off-road. They may be mounted above the bumper, or on the bonnet, or above the windscreen or on the roof or on a roll bar. The location is a matter of personal taste chosen for best illumination depending on the intended use. Law will commonly require these lamps to be physically covered when the car is driven on a public roadway, even when the lamp is not switched on. If you have these lamps mounted above the front bumper and not switched on, who's to notice, and you may be okay without covers. But God forbid any cop should ever catch you with these lamps switched on when on a public roadway, which could result in severe penalties (plural) including impounding of the vehicle.

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And summarizing all that:

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Now with the descriptions clearly understood, it is easy to tell the difference between a fog light and a driving light. Apply power and shine the light on a wall. A fog lamp will illuminate a wide area including somewhat off to the sides and may appear to be not terribly bright, as the light is widely dispersed. A driving lamp will have a light pattern similar to the common headlights, mostly forward, flat on top, not much to the bottom, and may (or may not) be distinctly asymmetrical for RHD or LHD. Single beam driving lamps are less likely to be asymmetrical. A spotlamp will have a pencil beam which will illuminate an area on the wall not much larger than the lamp itself.

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Based on your post and my experience with the light pattern of my lower lights, I feel that they are more closely related to the fog description as opposed to the driving description

I haven't measured their width, luminescence, etc...but I know they serve the purpose of providing better light in foggy conditions

Anybody still interested in this?