Driving Light wiring

aperson · Post by **aperson** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:29 pm

Here's my plan. I want to put driving lights on my car instead of fog lights because I do more back roads driving than fog driving. I know how to wire for foglights using factory harness', but I want the driving lights to only come on when I have the multifunction switch on and my high beams on, and for them to turn off automatically when I switch to low beams because I assume that the driving lights are as bright as the high beams and don't want to blind any other drivers. Is this true, or are they low enough to not bother anybody else. Or should I just get foglights? From what I read in a summit catalog is that foglights are shorter distance and wider beams than regular high/low beams. Looking at the driving light diagram, they go farther and wider than high beams, thats what has me concerned for the other drivers. Price really doesn't bother me because I will be saving up for this project anyways.

Problems:
Using multifunction switch for main activation
Controlling activation sequence
Dash Light for foglights will only come on with low beams on

Ideas:
Tapping into high beam relay for control for secondary relay to control driving lights. Then find a way to use factory switch to cut off power for control line.

I want this to look as factory as possible, I will be using the stock fuse boxes, just adding my own fuses/relays

hansken_yo · Post by **hansken_yo** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:03 pm

I'm curious... the fog lights provide light below where the regular beams go and spread out towards the sides more... so if you do these other lights they'd be doing the same thing as well as "bleeding" into other lit places... but then highbeams just spread everywhere with intensity... I'm not quit sure how this would be an improvement in lighting without offending other drivers...?

aperson · Post by **aperson** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:06 pm

The diagram I found was generic and said that driving lights have a longer distance than high beams and a wider beam. Either way, I'm filling the holes in my bumper cover. The idea of it automatically turning off with the high beams was so that I wouldn't blind any other drivers. I assume that since the beam is more powerful/ intense it would be worse than high beams.

hansken_yo · Post by **hansken_yo** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:09 pm

okay, okay... is this like those you occasionally see on rally cars? is this where you are heading with your neon (cause that would be cool)

drjeffreys · Post by **drjeffreys** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:19 am

Ive always wanted a rack of offroad lights sitting on the roof

aperson · Post by **aperson** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:58 am

No no no, I want to put some small driving lights in my bumper where the foglights would go. When I replaced the bumper cover I bought the one with foglight holes in it.

Panhead · Post by **Panhead** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:00 pm

id like to have a bumper with fog lights (03) but then again, i got my 02 bumper.

Post by **jonnymopar** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:21 am

Here's a quick way: Get a single-pole, single-throw (SPST) automotive relay. It will have 4 pins numbered 85, 86, 87, and 30. Connect it this way:

Pin 30: +12V battery source
Pin 85: splice into high beam +12V
Pin 86: ground
Pin 87: output to positive wire on your driving lights

That will switch them on when you have your high beams on. Plus, since you're drawing right from the battery, you don't have to worry about burning any wires in your dash. The splice to your high beam wire will only draw minimal current since all it's doing is energizing the relay. It isn't supplying any power to the driving lights.

aperson · Post by **aperson** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:12 pm

Okay, thanks. I was thinking something along those lines, but what about the foglight switch? Do I have to modify my multifunction switch to use this setup. Do I run the wires to the fusebox like I was going to then just somehow use it to cut a control wire for the driving light relay?

rannox · Post by **rannox** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:31 pm

splice ur multifuntion switch in between the relay and the battery + ground. I think that will work out.

Post by **jonnymopar** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:09 pm

How do you want your multifunction switch to work the driving lights? Do you want to use your existing fog light function on the switch to control the driving lights?

aperson · Post by **aperson** » Wed May 02, 2007 11:38 pm

Yes, I want to be able to not use the driving lights if the multifunction foglight switch is off.