I considered the OEM driving lights at purchase but decided the cost was too high, but now I regret it. But, I was wondering, how do you switch them on? I don't see room in the toggle bank...

And if I add some aftermarket lights, how are THEY switched on (or maybe better phrased "Where is the switch located?")?


Thing is, are the lights just to add "cool" points or are they really useful? I mean, where I live and where I usually travel, the traffic is too high to even use my high beams, can't imagine how often (or NOT as the case may be) I would ever get to use them.

 

if it's fitted per the official instruction, they get turned on only w/ the high beam

 

aftermarket lights (alta atleast) can be wired to either always on with high/low beams, on with high/low beams when switch is activated (placed where ever your wire it to), or could even wire it straight to the switch (on whenever your want)

 

So is it possible to wire the OEM driving lights to turn on whenever?

 

if you are inept with electrical systems, its possible, but aftermarkets tend to be a bit more simple in that their harnesses allow for a bit more customization check with the gurus in the electrical mods forum and see what they say (they probably have more knowledge on the subject then me)

 

The driving lights that are OEM don't use the toggle bank they have a seperate switch, that is usually mounted on the lower dash panel to the left. The OEM driving lights, as with my experience with them, the high beams didn't have to be on, for the driving lights to be on all I had to do was push the button and they are on. But as for state DMV law it states that a vehicle may not have X number of lights on at once so it may be illegal to have driving lights on.

 

I always liked to wire mine so I could turn them on when ever I wanted. They were independent of any other light being turned on. I would still do the same if I were to install driving/aux fog lamps.

 

I bought some PIAA lamps and how they are wired up is that I have the lamps running to a relay, and the relay hooked into the battery terminal under the bonnet. Then I have the relay wires running through the firewall to a switch located by my handbrake. And then I have the switch powered by a wire I hooked into the fuse for my rear window washer. Piece-o-cake. Oh I also upped the bulb wattage from 55w to 100w, its awsome, midnight becomes noon. And I know what you are thinking, you'll burn out the wiring! But it is being powered directly from the battery terminal through the relay and not through any car components. Oh and I guess to answer your question being hooked up this way allows me to turn it on any time the key is in the 2nd position.

 

i have the oe lamps and they turn on with the high beams only if the dealer installed switch is turned on, they install it on the left of the drivers position, above the knee area. I do not regret getting mine ....love em!

 

The OEM light "official" switch location is in the knee bolster on the door side of the steering wheel. In the factory configuration, the switch merely arms the lights, then they come on with your high beams.
I installed Ian Cull's rarely seen "rally light relay" which I have set to auto-arm my rallys and can be used to turn the rallys on without any other lights. This is useful for those long desert stretches of road, because I don't have to remember to turn them off when I get out of the car.
I use them almost every night when driving into my neighbourhood. Extra light is a plus in the residential area. Having them linked to the high beams is nice when an unexpected car comes around a corner towards you.
They DO decrease your fuel economy though.
If you want to come down to a Sin City club event, I can show you where the switch is mounted on my parcel shelf, and I have my original knee bolster with the hole the dealership cut for the switch when they installed my lights before delivery.

 

I have the ALTA kit, (with only two of the four lights installed), and I mounted the switch on my dashboard, to the left of the steering wheel. On my '04 dash, there is a vertical seam that seemed perfect to run the wire for the switch in.



I wanted to be able to easily see whether or not the lights were armed or not, via the switch's LED lights.

 

Hope to be there tomorrow night if I can get out of work in time.

 

Ok. I'll bring my original bolster with the factory cutout with me.

 

We meet again! Check out this thread, too...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=29482

 

i've got piaa's . they're useful on back roads. if you don't see the opportunity; you could probably do a nice engine mod for the same money.

 

I have the factory driving lights and added an additional 4 hella angel eyes below. I mounted the switches next to the factory one on the left hand side of the bolster panel. Works great! and lights up the world...!

 

i mounted my switch on the left side of the euro parcel shelf. There's a specific spot made for a switch there.

 

I will be adding a set of PIAA drivings tapped into the cars high/low beams and I understand from reading posts that I can add an option on/off switch. I was wondering if anyone has tapped the factory fog light switch.

To be clear the driving lights would work w/ high/low beams but would only work if the fog light switch was turned on. I've search but found nothing on the subject.

Anyone try this ? can you guide me to a place to tap into the fog light switch wiring? Any reasons this is a bad idea ?

 

Do you already have the factory fog lights, or just the switch? If you already have the fog lights, then I would use a relay to provide the main power source for your PIAA lights, and use a small-gauge wire from the factory fog light harness as the trigger for the relay.

Do you want the PIAA lights to always come on with the fog lamps, or do you simply want to make sure they don't come on *unless* the fogs are on as well?

 

I added a Hella driving light bar last fall. I had a switch set next to the side mirror controls, where a heated seat switch would be. Next week I'm getting OEM fog lights wired in like aftermarkets. The switch will be on the other side of the side mirror controls. I figure they'll look like heated seat switches. I don't have heated seats . Plus I don't need to order a new toggle switch set and I won't have to pay to have the computer updated for the fogs. Seems like a plan!?!

 

correct - the driving lights can only come on IF the fogs are on. The fog switch will act as a mater on off. Not clear how in my mind how I would wire this up.

 

Assuming that the fogs will act as the master switch, how do you want to actually turn on the PIAA lamps? Do you want them to come on automatically with the high or low beams, or will you have additional switches for the PIAAs?

The "fogs as master" part is easy. Get a standard Bosch single-pole/double-throw (SPDT) relay. (You can also use a single-pole/single-throw (SPST), but they're harder to find, and a SPDT can act as a SPST just by leaving one of the terminals unconnected).

Find a wire leading to your foglamps that's only energized when the fogs are on. Tap into that wire and connect it to terminal #85 on the relay. Connect terminal #86 of the relay to ground. Connect terminal #30 of the relay to a constant +12V source that can handle the current requirements of the PIAA lamps. The (+) terminal under the hood is great for this, or there's also a connector on the underhood fusebox that will handle the load as well.

Connect terminal #87 on the relay to your PIAA lamps, with a switch between the relay and the lights so that you can turn them on or off. Leave terminal #87a on the relay unconnected.

What will happen is that when your fogs are on, it will cause terminal #85 to see +12V (from the foglamp wire). The voltage difference between #85 and #86 (ground) will activate the magnetic switch in the relay, and cause terminal #30 (constant +12V) to be connected to terminal #87 (the feed for the PIAA lamps). Thus, the PIAA lamps can only receive power when the fog lamps are on AND the switches for the PIAA lamps are turned on. When you turn off the fogs, power is removed from the PIAA lamps, regardless of whether the PIAA switches are on or off.

The connections to #85 and #86 on the relay can be small-gauge wire, since the magnetic relay coil only draws a few milliamps of current. The wires to #30 and #87 need to be large enough to handle the current draw from the PIAA lamps (10-gauge would be fine). The Bosch relay can handle 30A of current, which should be enough for your lights. If you need more current capacity, you can wire two relays in parallel to provide the extra capacity.

Let me know if you have any questions - I could draw up a crude diagram of the circuit.

 

[quote=riquiscott;1451718] Do you want them to come on automatically with the high or low beams, or will you have additional switches for the PIAAs?

I want to tie into the HIGH beam and use the fog switch.

ON must = fog ON and High beam ON.

so what changes in yr diagram?

very helpful - thanks

 

No problem - that just requires a second relay. I'll write up the description and post it in a few minutes.

 

Here's the circuit description for the PIAA lamps. The PIAA lamps will turn on whenever the foglamps AND the high-beams are both on. Turn either the fogs or the high-beams off, and the PIAA lamps will turn off as well.

Both of the relays are Bosch SPDT/30-Amp units.

Relay #1:
#85 - tap into foglamp wire that gets +12V only when the fogs are on.
#86 - ground
#30 - ground
#87 - connect to #86 of Relay #2

Relay #2:
#85 - tap into high-beam wire that gets +12V only when high-beams are on.
#86 - connect to #87 on Relay #1
#30 - connect to heavy +12V terminal under the hood or fusebox
#87 - connect to positive side of PIAA lamps.

All of the connections can be small-gauge wire except for #30 and #87 on Relay #2, which should be 10-gauge or larger. Also, you can ground #86 and #30 on the first relay to the same grounding point - just connect #86 to #30, and then connect #30 to your grounding point.

Here's how the circuit will behave. When you turn the fogs on, that energizes #85 on the first relay. Since #86 on the first relay is connected to ground, the coil in relay #1 will energize, connecting #87 to #30 (ground). Since #87 on relay #1 is connected to #86 on relay #2, this provides the coil ground for relay #2.

Now, when you turn the high-beams on, it provides +12V to #85 on relay #2 and energizes the coil on relay #2, connecting #87 to #30. This completes the circuit from the +12V source under the hood to the PIAA lights, causing them to illuminate.

It doesn't matter whether you turn the fogs or the high-beams on first, and turning either one off will de-energize the PIAA lamps.

Because the +12V leads from the fog lamps and the high-beams are only connected to the relay coils, they're electrically isolated from one another, so you don't have to worry about your foglamps coming on when you turn on your high-beams, or vice-versa. I chose this configuration to avoid having to use an isolating diode to separate the foglamp and high-beam circuits.

Here's a good page with a visual and written description of how relays work:

http://www.bcae1.com/relays.htm

Let me know if you have any other questions.