I've read as many existing threads as I can find on installing driving lights... haven't found the answer to my question yet, so...

I'm installing my own driving lights, using the standard brackets (bought from Outmotoring.com), and some WIPAC driving lights (pretty standard stuff).

I've installed the brackets and lights, but haven't wired them yet. As far as I can tell, I've got everything in the right place, and properly tightened down.

When I check my installation so far, the lights seem a little "floppy" - that is, they can move just a bit when I push on them, and when I close the bonnet by dropping it closed from about a foot high, those lights really "boing" or vibrate back & forth for a second or two after the bonnet closes.

Maybe this is perfectly normal, as in, "they all do that." That's what I don't know since this is my first MINI and my first MINI driving light installation.

If you're curious, I think the movement comes from the L-shaped bend in the bracket... the "vertical" part of the bracket is secured to the bonnet in three places, but that "horizontal" part of the L (which supports the weight of the lights), is not secured to anything... seems like that's where the movement originates... the bracket is just slightly flexible there because of the weight of the lights and because it's not fixed (bolted) to anything.

Does this make sense? Did I do something wrong? Are everyone's this way?
Does that movement show up when driving and using the lights?

Thanks all,

 

This makes sense. There is some give in the brackets themselves, and there is a little bit of give in the grille as well. The OEM driving light kit comes with additional supports which mount to the grille and make contact with the backs of the lights in an effort to prevent some of the shakiness. Being that installing these requires drilling holes in a grille slat, many dont install these because their effect is not all that great at stopping the wobbliness, and if the lights are ever removed or switched to a different style, the little dampers will have to be removed, leaving holes in their place.

In general practice, the lights dont wobble too much when driving when supported solely by the brackets.

 

I'll pretty much second Greatbear's assessment. I've got four Hella 500 lights mounted directly into the grill. The grill itself certainly has some give to it. Just make sure you've got everything tight and you should be ok. I notice might lights have a little wobble while opening and closing the bonnet, and when I push them they'll move, but the way those forces act upon the lights is significantly different than how engine and suspension vibrations will act upon the lights. The only time I notice any significant bouncing is pot holes I wish I avoided or railroad tracks.

 

cool... thanks guys. I'll proceed with the wiring.

 

Some people have put little rubber "feet" onthe underside of the brackets, cut and adjusted so that they rest on the upper surface of the bumper when the bonnet is closed. This gives enough extra support that the lights don't "bounce" or move.

Any hardware store will have rubber feet in a variety of sizes - best to get them a bit too large and whittle them down to exact size with an Exacto knife if you go this route. I'd also glue them onto the bracket with a spot of black silicone - the adhesive on the rubber feet will not, as a rule, withstand moisture or temperature changes, whereas silicone is basically impervious.

 

Excellent solution!

 

And cheap to boot! I never had to go this route - the OM brackets were motion-free with small driving lights installed (Hella Optilux 2500s), but I hear the larger, heavier PIAA and other lamps can cause a bit o' bounce. Let us know if this, or anything else, works out for you!

 

great idea... I may wait until I have everything wired and can actually drive at night with them, just to see if my WIPACs are going to bounce any, but that rubber foot idea sounds like the right solution if they do.

thanks again to all.

 

I couldn't find any rubber feet to suit my situation, so I improvised with something that seems to work for me... maybe it will help you too.

My solution is practically free and the raw materials are in abundant supply, unless you're a tea-totaler.

Take a wine cork and cut it in half so you have two short cylinders instead of one long cylinder.

One of these two pieces was enough for both my lights... put away one of the pieces you just cut, read on, and save that half of the cork for the future.

Take the remaining short cylinder and cut it in half again, but this time make your cut at an angle... you should then have two small pieces that are cylindrical, one end of each cylinder being at a right-angle to the cylinder wall (the end you didn't cut), the other end being at an angle (45 degrees?) to the cylinder wall... I thought there was a name for this geometric shape, but I can't come up with it.

Now take one of these pieces, angled-end down, and wedge it between the big bolt that holds your light to the bracket and the closest grill slat... (the part of the bolt that sticks out under the bracket).

This has helped my floppy/bouncy driving lights quite a bit. The cork will eventually compress a little and you'll get more flop/bounce... when you do just replace the cork. Also, as far as I can tell, the cork isn't marring or scratching the grill slat.

Voila!

 

That's a pretty good plan. Honey I need another cork for those darn lights again. Bring me a bottle of wine please.

 

Mine also are floppy (I accidentially threw out the support screws that came, not knowing what they were for). I noticed the other night coming back from an auto-x that the lights were shining on the trees; my guess is high speed on the highway + wind = enough aero force to tilt them back. After getting on lower speed roads they were back at normal levels. I may have to try one or two of these methods to prevent this in the future...

 

I installed the piaa lights on my R53. they look great but when i first ran them at night, they bounced like CRAZY. everything was more than tight enough so i didnt understand why they were bouncing. i added a strip of plumming runner in between the bracket and the grill and this helped ALOT. However after running them more, i thought they could be a little better so i switched out the rubber with wood. This helped even more but when im driving at night, they still bounce a little and the bounce in the reflection of the street signs is SUPER annoying. ( even on sorta smooth roads )...Does anyone have anything to say to this :(

 

Anybody tried the MINI Madness heavy duty brackets? Wondering if they make any difference.

 

i havent tried the mini maddness brackets ( YET ) . i thought about trying them but wasnt sure if i had to drill different holes.

 

I think any of those brackets that attach to the bonnet/grill are going to be flexible. Especially if the light has any heft to it. A two point mounting will make them very stable, but I was unable to figure out an elegant solution so I used mounts from Outmotoring that go through the lower grill & attach to the bumper beam, very stable.

Two point mounting...



Bumper beam mounting...