Almost Perfect on Clear Roads and a Rainy Evening - 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited July 2015 in Dodge
imageAlmost Perfect on Clear Roads and a Rainy Evening - 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 Long-Term Road Test

Our long-term 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 is near-perfect on a miraculously traffic-free, wet evening on Sunset Boulevard.

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  • markinnaples_markinnaples_ Member Posts: 251
    Very well and creatively written prose. Well done.
  • schen72schen72 Member Posts: 433
    Indeed, it's hard to drive with halogen headlights after experiencing HID or LED.
  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    Ugh, fog lights when there's no fog...
  • schen72schen72 Member Posts: 433
    quadricycle said:

    Ugh, fog lights when there's no fog...

    I've noticed that German cars always default the foglight to "off" when the car is started. That's a good idea. Lots of cars now with LED headlights don't even come with foglights anymore. When I turn the foglights on, I can barely tell the difference. Even my old-school HID lights are plenty powerful enough by themselves.
  • jrizjriz Member Posts: 10
    I hear you, but the fog lights were actually for the photo. I wasn't actually using them. We always try to take photos with all lights on.
    -James Riswick
  • rwatsonrwatson Member Posts: 144
    Folks, the real purpose of fog lights isn't to help you see better in the fog. The purpose is to enable other drivers to see you with their piercing beam of light. Anyone who's been in really, really dense fog can attest to the fact of how hard it sometimes gets to see oncoming traffic with normal headlights, especially in the day. I lived in Germany for 9 years and remember every winter the fog was the densest I've ever seen. Depending on where you are, around December or January "Ice Fog" sets in. Sometimes you can see the bank of fog in the distance and in minutes you'll be enveloped for weeks sometimes. Driving home in that stuff is pretty hairy business. By the time you finally see the oncoming car (with lights on) you would have maybe a second or two reaction time. Fog lights help, but the greatest help are the REAR fog lights. It's almost impossible to see tail lights in the denser ice fogs, but the cars have one tail light (on the Left Rear) abnormally brighter than the others. It looks like an after-market lens that doesn't even come close to matching in color and intensity. In fact, it kind of looks like a piercing pink. When you turn your fog lights on, the rear one comes on too. That's so you don't get rear-ended in the fog. They could do away with fog lights in this country and I wouldn't care one bit, but a rear fog light should be mandatory as I'm sure the poor guy pulled over on the right shoulder stands a chance of being seen.

    Finally, it drives me bat-doo crazy driving in to work in the dark with everybody in a truck/SUV with fog lights on. I guess it can look cool in the right vehicle, but it doesn't look too cool when viewed in the mirror. In fact, it's illegal in some states and countries to have them on in clear conditions. Ever notice when it's clear they want to drive with them on, but as soon as there's dense fog or a heavy downpour (when you can't see other cars' lights) nobody seems to have them on? I guess it's the price you pay for living in a society where form overrules function.
  • agentorangeagentorange Member Posts: 893
    jriz said:

    I hear you, but the fog lights were actually for the photo. I wasn't actually using them. We always try to take photos with all lights on.
    -James Riswick

    ....and did you do know that the reading public that has half a brain considers it dorky? Look, I don't care what they teach in "Car photography 1.01" about headlights and foglights adding impact and drama. It's just annoying and juvenile, and I didn't buy into it when I bought my first motoring magazine at 16. I suspect many others feel the same.
  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    edited July 2015
    jriz said:

    I hear you, but the fog lights were actually for the photo. I wasn't actually using them. We always try to take photos with all lights on.
    -James Riswick

    Gotcha, glad to hear it!
    rwatson said:

    piercing beam of light.

    Huh, how does this light penetrate the small water droplets in the air any better than the identical light coming from a headlight? Maybe the height is different and they shine where the fog may be less, but no light can actually "pierce" more than another. At least, not according to our laws of physics.
    rwatson said:

    Fog lights help, but the greatest help are the REAR fog lights.

    AGREED! Downside, morons driving with those on when there is no fog.
    rwatson said:

    Finally, it drives me bat-doo crazy driving in to work in the dark with everybody in a truck/SUV with fog lights on.

    Welcome to the club! Don't forget your free shirt, meetings are on wednesdays. :)
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