Ok wait.... so you are talking about this kit, correct? https://www.cravenspeed.com/rally-li...f60-2017-2018/
Except that would have the same issue of being too bright to run in normal traffic, unless pointed very low, correct?

 

This PIAA 550 does say "SAE-Y Compliant beam that eliminates glare for oncoming traffic and gives you peace of mind that you are running a street legal product."
http://www.piaa.com/lp550led

 

No, incorrect. The PIAA LP550 lamps come in two models, SAE and off road night version. Ask Cravenspeed, they are probably street legal SAEs in the kit. The SAE is street legal and really low wattage. Like the lower ones in the front fender on a stock MINI. The illuminate the sides of the road (berms) and do little up front. You do not have to dim them, probably. Off road lamps are really bright. In the really old days, a friend had to drive isolated country roads and he changed his bright lights to aircraft landing lights. He could see a mile or so down the road.

MVPeters is correct. 55W for headlamps, 7W-10W for fogs/street legal lamps (Phillips website). You could mount "off road" driving lamps and it's like another set of headlamps. You would blind oncoming traffic and are illegal almost everywhere. If you drive lonely back country roads, you could (and I have) used off road lights. You just have be careful of oncoming traffic. It is also hard on the battery and may not work on a MINI. If you go to a manufacturers website like Phillips, they may be able to help you out with bulb options.

 

OK so the link i posted is probably what Cravenspeed has? I know, contact them... just trying to be clear.
In the link, the graphic shows a pretty intense beam pattern, far outreaching stock headlights. That makes it kind of confusing.

 

I have the same problem, isolated roads but in the mountains. Most good brands of driving lights are adjustable. It may take a few tries to get them setup right. Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

thread morphed from HOW

to CHOICE ......

start a new thread . . .

 

HOW #2 https://www.cravenspeed.com/f56-auxiliary-light-kit/ INSTRUCTIONS FOR WIRING
Perhaps the question should be WHY?

 

It's my thread and I'll do what I want with it. Na-na-na-na-na-naaaa

 

That's the thing though... as I was saying early on, I don't need the additional light to see. I live in a major urban area. I want them more to "be seen". Well, as the additional benefit to just looking good. lol
Because of this, I would never get to use them if they required that my brights be on. I never use my brights.
But yes, since they are adjustable they can be pointed lower.

I did confirm with CravenSpeed. Their kit is SAE 14w.

 

I took my power for my fog lights directly from the battery and put fuses in-line to protect everything.

You need to use a relay and a lighted switch so everything will work correctly.

If you are worried about passing any inspections, don't locate the switch out in the open; maybe place it inside the glove box
so its out of sight but reachable if you need to turn the lights on.

This set up allows you to turn on the fog lights any time you need them, with or without the headlights turned on low or high beams.

Also, you could pull the fuses so no power is going to the relay and switch during an inspection; tell them the lights no longer work.

Just a thought........

 

I'm not really concerned with inspection. You should see all the Jeeps running around here with all kinds of lightbars and other auxillary lighting with banks of switches, some right off the showroom floor.

 

Still have to get back to this project, but where did you get the yellow film? Pre-cut or you cut it yourself?

 

Have you ever thought to replace the bulbs in your fog lights? I replaced everything with LED. This has been a big improvement and I also drive isolated and mountain roads. I never liked the look of a Mini with the tiny driving lights.

 

Get out of this thread then.
oh, and my fogs and headlights are OEM led.

 

It's Oracal 8300 Transparent Brimstone Yellow. I had some laying around, so I cut some rounds and applied them myself.

 

[font=Arial]I think there's a little confusion over 'Watt' ratings - Watts measure electrical current consumption, not light output.
LED bulbs use roughly 1/3rd of the energy of incandescent bulbs. I say 'roughly' because LED performance varies drastically.

So as an incandescent baseline:
Parking, side marker & tail lights are around 10W
Directionals, brake & reverse lights are around 21W
Headlights, fog lights & driving lights are around 55W
DRL's are usually around 21W, often by dimming the headlight bulbs
& that's what's been fitted to just about every car for the last 40 years or so!

So LED equivalents are roughly:
Side etc - 3-5W
Directional etc - 7-10W
Headlights etc - 20-25W

So a 20W LED should provide about the same amount of light on the road as a 55W incandescent, it just uses 1/3rd of the current.

d2mini - for what you want to do - 'To Be Seen' - look for auxiliary fog-style lights with 7-10W LED bulbs.
These should be safe to use in all conditions, much like DRL's.
Just be cautious that some States limit forward-facing white lights to a maximum of 4, so low beams + fogs + the new ones could be a no-no (despite all the Jeeps!).[/font]

 

Finally got the lights from CravenSpeed and installed them!
Work great. Not too bright. Can turn on any time i want. Install was a cinch with really clear instructions. Perfect.