i was thinking about putting some driving lights on my mini and wireing them up to a switch where i have a blank where the rear fog light switch would go. i was wondering if they are legal to drive with them on at night. if they arent is there a way that you can change something to make them legal.

 

Only have them on with the highbeams and you can only have the driving lights or the fogs on (not both at once) the best way to make them legal is tap into the highbeam power supply and use the switch to determine if they come on witht he highs or stay off. The OEM DIY instructions on (availible on Motoringfile.com) have there is also good info on the DIY thread here on NAM (I believe it is in this section as a sticky)

 

Check out this recent thread in the Classic section.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=87796

It really is dependent on state law. My limited experience says if you have it on seperate switch, you shouldn't have any problem, but should be careful of being stopped with all the lights on, (ie: fogs, headlights and aux lights).
Depending on power requirement, you may also need to boost alternator.

 

I originally wanted to use mine anytime I wanted, but now that
I see how freakin bright they are, I only use them with the high beams
on dark roads or when I'm really pissed off at someone who just cut me off.

 

I have mine wired to a switch (NOT directly to the high beams) and I have mine angled slightly more down and out than is normal. There are actually several different beam patterns out there (I Googled something like "aiming driving lights" and found a few different techniques), and only some of them are meant to extend the range of your high beams.

In my case, I aimed my lights so that they're set to use them with my LOWS on when I want to illuminate dark corners better. High Beams are fine for, well, seeing better further away with the roads I typically drive on.

Even aimed like this, I have to turn them on and off like High Beams though to keep from dazzling oncoming traffic, it must be noted.

 

Short answer:
- Driving beams with high beams only, or as high beams (separate switch or relayed so they'll come on only with the high beams)
- Fog beams on with low beams only, or alone is OK (but with very limited beam reach, only usable in severe fog)
- Fog beams make good cornering lights

Oh - pet peeve - if you have a REAR fog light, turn it on only when it's actually FOGGY! Otherwise we all think you've got a brake light lit, and we have to squint! It can get obnoxious, and is actually kind of funny when BMWs and Mercedes do it since the rear fog is only on one side! Their drivers look kind of, well, ill-informed.

Long answer and reasoning:
DRIVING lights have a spot beam and are meant for long distance illumination with a narrowly focused beam. They should come on with the highs only, and be offed whenever one would ordinarily dim the high beams.

Round FOG lights are available as well, which cast a wide beam with a sharp horizontal cutoff (no light above a certain point, and light off to the sides). If aimed correctly (check the directions, Hella has excellent ones) they can be used anytime provided they're DOT-approved, have max 55W lamps in 'em, and are also dimmed if you get flashed by someone (since they can seem pretty bright, especially if your terrain has a lot of ups and downs). They make EXCELLENT cornering lights since their beam pattern is short and wide. Even GOOD fogs, however, shouldn't reach further than low beams or they run the risk of irritating other drivers as well.

ImageOX has a point - Mis-aiming driving beams can make them less irritating to other drivers, but they don't have a sharp vertical beam cutoff so they'll still be pretty annoying to other drivers. Aiming them low also has negative effects on your night vision as they'll cast a bright spot right in front of the car, not down the road where you want it.

All for now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

thanks for all the help. i think im going to go with the mini madness 2 light kit. anyone have any experiance with them good or bad. DixonL2 i dont have the rear fog i was going to put a switch there and wire the driving lights to that switch sorry if i was unclear. again thanks for all the help

 

I've got em on mine. They are very nice casings. If you want to use them for day to day driving, you will need to switch out the bulbs (which I did on mine). They come with 100 watt ultra white bulbs and are illegal (by definition) on the roadways.