How to Aim Fog Lights: 3 Basic Tips

Learning how to aim fog lights will help you not only deal with low-visibility situations out on the road, but also prevent you from accidentally blinding other motorists in the oncoming lane. A poorly aimed fog light doesn’t help anyone, and having it shine in the face of other drivers is a nuisance at best. Check out these three basic tips that will have your fogs pointed in the right direction in no time.

1. Pick the Right Mounting Spot

Fog lights are designed to cut under the haze in front of you and reduce glare and reflections. This allows them to complement your headlights without simply throwing more light at the fog. From a mounting perspective, this means you’ll want to put them either just above or just below the bumper, no less than 10 inches off the ground but ideally no more than two feet above it, either. The idea is to make it as simple as possible to point the fogs under that 24-inch gap that usually sits between mist and the road surface.

2. Find a Wall and a Flat Surface

Once you’re got them mounted properly, it’s time to learn how to aim fog lights. To do this, you need an absolutely flat stretch of pavement with a 90-degree wall right in front of it. You’ll also need a marker and a tape measure to assist you in backing up exactly 25 feet from the wall so you can make the proper adjustments.

3. Wiggle, Wiggle

The last step in learning how to aim fog lights is to make the small adjustments needed to keep the beams pointed at the right spot. Make a small mark on the wall that is at the same height as the center of the fog lights as they are mounted on your vehicle (use the tape measure for each mark). Then, using the adjustment screws to wiggle and drop the aim of the fog lights about four inches under that bulls-eye. This will move the beam of light until it’s able to cut underneath fog while also avoiding the eyes of other drivers.

Remember: You may need to re-aim your fog lights from time to time, as the constant vibration of driving can knock them out of alignment, and so can the impact of bugs, stones and rubber out on the road. If you notice one light seems to be pointed in a slightly different direction than the other, simply head back to the wall and go through the process all over again.

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Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.