what do you guys think/has anyone done this

the advantage would be to be able to control them both from the fog light toggle

i think it would look good

do you think there would be fuse issues (higher amp fuse could fix but may not be the best solution)

 

If you add amp draw on a circuit that has already been "programmed" into the car then, you may have issues. I am simply trying to add rear fogs with toggle, etc. and Mini dealer will not reprogram electrical as they do not have "factory authorization" yet. So, I assume that your addition of driving lights may require reprogramming. Best to check it out

 

If you want to be able to run both at the same time........not a good idea. Best to wire up the driving lights separately.

 

If i were you, i would run them to the parking lights instead

 

I would leave the factory fogs in place, so as not to confuse the car's computer by changing the electrical load. But, you could give your new driving lights their own dedicated wiring, and then use relays so that the driving lights would go on and off with the fog lights. The relays will draw a few extra milliamps from the fog light circuit, but that should be well within the "normal" range, and shouldn't raise any alarms with the car's computer.

 

yeah so kinda half way
use the toggle but have dedicated power wires
that sounds promising

 

To me that just sounds like a bad idea, the driving lights are pretty bright, and to use them whenever the fog lights comes on is just a bad idea. Plus the electric load is just going to mess around with the car's computer, which isn't a good idea either, why not just wire them up separately?

 

Well, by using relays to control the driving lights via the fog lamps, the car's computer won't know the difference, and this would keep him from having to install a separate toggle switch for the driving lights.

I do agree that the setup he's talking about will put him S.O.L. if he ever wants *just* the fog lamps (like when it's oh - I don't know - foggy).

 

Well, for some reason, I just don't see why not wire it separately?

 

on a separate note what type of bulb is the fog (its kinda lame in the fog too)
i use my fogs all the time any time my lights are on they are on

 

I changed out the bulbs in my fogs but I don't remember off the top of my head the type it was, but have you seen a MINI with driving lights? To have those on with fogs is pretty dangerous towards other drivers, those things are pretty bright, and to drive with them on all the time, isn't a good idea

 

heh yeah i figured that but i would only use them while i was alone... well now this idea is falling apart cause why wouldn't i just use highs then .... hum maybe ill have to rethink ... but i would still like to know what kind of fog bulbs for an upgrade

 

I'm using the Bimmian Xenesis bulbs on the fogs, they aren't cheap, but I like how they look. I know a few people who use PIAA bulbs, they are also nice, but like with the Xenesis bulbs they are also pricy!

 

ok what is the bulb type though for example the headlights have h7s

 

All of the first-gen fog lights were H11. I'm finding some application charts that list the H7 for the 2002 model year only, but that seems like a strange size for a fog light.

 

well thats a start i have an 06' S

 

Well, I've only upgraded my factory driving light bulbs so far, and not my fog lamps yet, but I really like the Hoen "Xenonmatch" bulbs, and they make an H11.

 

i'm thinking now does anyone know how to make it so that if i install driving lights that they would come on automatically when i turn on the high beams ????

has anyone done this

 

<Wrong - H7 is the MINI fog light bulb>
Corrected - it uses H11 in the fog lights.
In any case 5 minutes work will convert the sockets to accept H9 bulbs, which are a LOT brighter...

 

Same setup as I described earlier. Give the driving lights their own dedicated power & ground connections, and then control them with relays in the power wires that are actuated when the high beams come on.

When you turn on the high beams, this will activate the relays (drawing only a few extra milliamps from the factory high-beam wires), and turn on the driving lights, which will get their power from the dedicated wires you installed. Use appropriate fuses in the driving light power wires, obviously.

 

Unless you have a 2002 MINI, I'm pretty sure the factory fog lights are H11s.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you follow the directions on the OEM driving lights, thats what you'll basically achieve, driving lights that only work when the high beams are on

 

Yes, but the OEM driving lights don't come on automatically with the high-beams, which is what he's asking about.

 

Whoops - my bad! The factory fogs are indeed H11 bulbs and sockets.

However, it is correct that you can easily modify the fog light sockets to take H9 bulbs at 65 watts, which will give you 2100 lumens of light, compared to 1350 lumens from a 55-watt H11. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/p.../products.html

I did mine with a hacksaw blade - takes about 5 minutes to modify the sockets - you just remove a thin plastic barrier that blocks the H9 base from going into the socket.

 

My 2002 uses H7 in the fogs....would it be worth upgrading to the H9's??