Topic

The legislature have not the faintest idea about what goes on in the lower reaches of the neoclassic car fraternity. They will be equipped with new BMW / Range Rover / Jags & what flashes where is of no interest to them. I’d rather have several indications of another driver intentions, than non at all.
A taxi next to me at an interchange earlier today had an indicator fitting dangling out, on its wiring, winking at the floor.
We all understand that the MOT is a snapshot of your vehicles suitability to be on the road, during that half hour whilst the car is on the ramp, our taxi drivers car might have passed it’s test a couple of days ago & the fixing let go in the interim (very unlikely), if he had multiple indications those looking for a clue to his intent might have had an idea & be preparing for the ensuing “taxi driving techniques” that would be expected.
The police are now more interested in what you MIGHT be thinking, than the suitability of your car or whether you are eligible to drive. A driver was stopped the other day whilst on the motorway, he didn’t have a license, he had been driving illegally for 60years.
At least that bobby was worried about the legalities of driving instead of all the multicoloured bollocks.
Taking the knee ! ! Taking the piss.
If I don’t appear on here again, the implication will be that I’ve been dragged away & chucked in the Tower.
M

I totally agree with the observations made about the increased safety offered by the Halo modification.
But (although not defending the use of LED, HID, or similar) one must think back to the design, and what was possible with H4/H2 at that time. Whilst illumination might not be quite as good as expected by the standards of today the problem of masking other lights would not have been a problem.
And who knows what other consequences there are following additions to existing designs without assessment in a laboratory.
I understand the police might not be interested due to other more important work, but what about your insurance company in the event of an accident where the third party claims they were dazzled, confused, or similar
Just worth thinking about.

Personally I’ll probably go for the fog light position option. If I can find a suitable fitting solution for a round lamp.

Delbourt wrote:

Personally I’ll probably go for the fog light position option. If I can find a suitable fitting solution for a round lamp.

While I don't think it's an issue, having some DRLs there could conceivably still result in falling foul of the regulations should they be confused for fog lights by a traffic officer:

Rule 236
You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.

Law RVLR regs 25 & 27

Again, all this is entirely subjective as the wording of these regs are so woolly; it's hard for the regs to keep up with the rapidly changing vehicle technology landscape. I've also never yet seen anyone pulled over for misuse of fog lights which you tend to see a lot (particularly rears left on). When it comes to the insurance issue you spoke about, people who will claim something in order to swerve culpability are all too common but it will all depend on the individual situation and even the insurance company involved. I doubt anyone could seriously claim that they were dazzled by the headlights on an F or TF.

Another totally shit piece of legislation, written by complete idiots.
If they actually had a clue, they would know that properly set up fog lights would only be able to dazzle someone laying on the road.

Delbourt
I can tell that you are not technically informed, firstly the halo's are mounted on the periphery of the light so they do not obscure any light output. They do not affect the beam because the beam is formed prior to reaching the lens. You are not liable for anything in the event of an accident if you have informed your insurance company, it did not put my premium up because they considered it to be a safety enhancement, same as with the upgraded brakes, better than the standard ones. If I remember I will take a photo this evening with the headlights on.
As for the headlight design, obviously you weren't driving in the seventies, I replaced the sealed beam headlights in my MGB somewhere around 1975 with a pair of Cibie Z180's, they would still run circles around the "candles" fitted to TF's. There is no excuse for appalling design, far better lights existed long before the TF was conceived, admittedly the LED's fitted to my wife's daily driver are even better. If you search with Google you will find countless threads regarding the appalling lights on the TF, OTOH if you read car road tests from the seventies and eighties it was not uncommon for performance cars to have poor headlights, not that any TF can be considered a performance car. I bought a Vauxhall Corsa around 2004 fitted with "projector" headlights, they were equally poor casting a very odd beam pattern and far worse than those on the Fiesta that preceded it.
Cobber
"Another totally shit piece of legislation, written by complete idiots.
If they actually had a clue, they would know that properly set up fog lights would only be able to dazzle someone laying on the road".

I think if they are lying on the road then dazzle is the last thing on their mind as you speed towards them.

I can’t remember the last time I felt the need to use my fog lamps & I live in an area which can be misty, but nothing like historic pea soupers
I’ve heard fog lamps referred to as spot lights on any number of occasions & when pointing out the differences my message failed to make an impact.
Fog lights are as close to road level as is practical, spot lights, as close to eye level.
Everything on my car is interlocked, I can’t use my rear fog guard lamps without having my dip beam on & I can’t engage the front fog lamps without having the rears on. The fogs, front & rear are extinguished if main beam is selected, if you need your mains on you either want to see further down the road because the visibility allows or you want to illuminate the fog & for some reason which escapes me, want a whiteout.
I accept that the lights on both the f & tf could do with improvement but you cut your coat according to your cloth. It could be argued that if you find your head lights are inadequate you might be driving too quickly for the road conditions.
One of my favourite routes is just brilliant, illustrating just how capable these cars are & I can really push on. I wouldn’t chose that route at night In the f.
M

I personally have never had a problem with my TF's headlights . As for DRL's , I'll be keeping my TF standard as I prefer originality.

Airportable wrote:

I can’t remember the last time I felt the need to use my fog lamps & I live in an area which can be misty, but nothing like historic pea soupers
I’ve heard fog lamps referred to as spot lights on any number of occasions & when pointing out the differences my message failed to make an impact.
Fog lights are as close to road level as is practical, spot lights, as close to eye level.
Everything on my car is interlocked, I can’t use my rear fog guard lamps without having my dip beam on & I can’t engage the front fog lamps without having the rears on. The fogs, front & rear are extinguished if main beam is selected, if you need your mains on you either want to see further down the road because the visibility allows or you want to illuminate the fog & for some reason which escapes me, want a whiteout.
I accept that the lights on both the f & tf could do with improvement but you cut your coat according to your cloth. It could be argued that if you find your head lights are inadequate you might be driving too quickly for the road conditions.
One of my favourite routes is just brilliant, illustrating just how capable these cars are & I can really push on. I wouldn’t chose that route at night In the f.
M

It’s funny that in a country known for fog and crap weather that you haven’t had much use for foggies, yet here in Oz where our weather is widely regarded as the opposite, I quite often need to use them, we get a bit of fog here in Melbourne, but in the East Gippsland were I’m from we get serious pea soupers……fog so bloody thick that you need a machete to hack your way through it!

We would refer to London as the Big Smoke & I can remember as a boy going to London & being caught up in fog just as Cobb’s describes. London Transport had placed fog dispersal lamps along the white lines to aid busses & taxis to navigate around in a vane hope that they didn’t run into each other & the bobbys were out in force with there white oilcloth coats, torches & illuminated batons.
The fog dispersal lamps were like heavy duty coffee pots with wicks in the spout producing a won, flickering, sooty flame, which made me wander then & still now, just how effective they were.
M

We drove over the Blackdown Hills to Charnmouth then via Lyme aegis and Sidmouth to Greendales Farm Shop for a late lunch. First photo shows Charnmouth beach, second shows the TF with dipped headlights, third shows dipped headlights but no halo on driver’s side and the fourth shows dipped headlights with orange flashing halo. Although not scientific there is no difference in dazzle effect between photo two and three and no dazzle from halo flashing orange. All photos taken at twenty metres. And yes the MGTF headlights are definitely awful on those roads.