OK, since I deleted the driving lamps off my order due to the outrageous dealer install charge of $555 (plus $510 for the lamps) I know need to purchase after market lamps. So I'm appealing to the people out there that have done this and asking for your opinions on the different ones available. I like the size of the mini lights so wouldn't want to go any larger than that, an last if anyone has any pictures they could post. thanks

 

I have similar issue with mine but want to have a "bigger" lamp anywhere I can get the after market lamps (like Hella) and then the wiring and inside switch separately? Pictures will be nice too

 

Guys, I had the OEM lamps on my Clubman, I wanted a bigger lamp, so I went to the Hella 1000 Black Magic's, its a 7.5 inch lamp. You can get a 2 or 4 lamp bracket from VIP coustom parts, they are a NAM vendor. I am very happy with the bracket. If you want a smaller lamp, you can use the same bracket with a Hella or PIAA kit, neither will have a bracket that will fit the R55. The Oem bracket wont work,( think they did this on purpose. Wiring and switches come with most kits, on my car, it is wired thru the OEM harness. On my R53, I had a set of %.5inch PIAA's, I like them very much. You can get a pair FF5oo hellas at almost any national parts store, and also at Walmart. The Black Magic's were $300, so there is plenty of varience in price.
I have pictures in my gallery, good luck with your choice.
Larry

 

Larry nice driving lights. They look like the perfect size & the black is great w/your clubman.

 

I have a pair of Hella 500 in the garage and ordered the 2 light brackets from VIP. They should arrive next week. Total cost $180 for the lights & brackets
The 500's came with the wiring harness, relay, switch and what some people might call instructions. In about two or three weeks I should have them on and will post the experience. We have a lot of deer running around here and I see at lease 3 each morning. I want to get the lights on before I see one up real close, like on the front end! I've already drilled one in the CR-V. It took off the entire front end and a added few white hairs to my head.

 

I liked the classic look of an all-chrome driving light, so I went with Wipacs. You can find them on eBay for about $59 a set.

As I understand it, Wipac made the driving lights for classic Minis of the '60s and '70s. They're still in business and you can order them directly from Wipac in London if you like. I tried that and my order got lost then sent back to London before it ever got to me. I then found the same thing on eBay from a British guy out in CA or AZ (can't remember) who sells parts for British cars on eBay. Just search for Wipac on eBay and look for a seller called "Britbits" or something close to that.

Mine are round, 5" diameter, chrome housings, and they were fresh, brand-new lights when I got them, not NOS that had sat in a warehouse since the '70s.

I bought some better bulbs (Silverstar?) that are whiter than what came in the Wipacs to match my Xenon headlights.... another $25 or so if you want to go that route.

I bought the brackets from Outmotoring.com, a NAM vendor, I think they were $49 or so.

I bought the switch, relay, wire, fuse, etc. as a kit from the local auto parts store for about $10.00.

Wired it myself with no trouble, no issues with the on-board computer, etc. Just be sure to include the relay in your wiring scheme.

 

Larry,

What did you do with those OEM lights that came on your Clubman? Still have them? Sell 'em?

 

Hella FF1000 kit from the best people out there... and the cheapest:

http://www.rallylights.com/

They're having some website issues, call them for details.

The FF1000 is a pretty big lamp, you may want something smaller. Ask them for advice on sizing and their bang-for-the-buck recommendations.

 

Goodwood, do you have any pix of your car with the lights?

 

Haven't taken any yet and it's getting dark outside here.

Will take some and post on Saturday morning.

Haven't posted any photos on NAM. Is it hard? Is there a "how-to" anywhere?

 

WIPAC driving lights on my '03 BRG/W MCS


Unichip, 15% pulley, one-ball, Madness CAI, short-shift, Whalen ****, Toyo Proxes 215/45/17, big fat rear sway bar, hot wires, hot plugs, estimated 205 HP at the wheels, chrome grill slats and boot handle.

 

Goodwood - the lights looks great! Love the rear sticker as well. Thanks for posting

 

Thanks. I guess I'm just into that "original" look. And the price was right too.

You might benefit from my write-up "floppy driving lights" too. Search for that thread "floppy driving lights" or read the gist of it below. I had problems with my driving lights vibrating when on roads that were anything but the smoothest... made those driving lights' beams bounce around all over the place... not good at all... I asked around and found others had the same problem to varying degrees... all seems to be because the brackets aren't the strongest and they're attached partially to the plastic grill which has some play in it.

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!

 

Very cool - where did you mount the on/off switch? Also, do yo uhave any simple instructions on how you ran the wiring? I may go the same route you did. Thanks!

 

There are several write-ups already on this sight about wiring and mounting driving lights... I referred to them, and I don't think I could add anything.

Just search for "driving lights" or "installing driving lights" or something similar 'til you find what you're looking for.

There does seem to be some disagreement over whether or not you need to wire your lights through the car's computer... something about if the computer doesn't know you've installed the lights something will get really messed up the first time you turn them on.

I didn't really follow what they were trying to say and wired mine just like I've wired driving lights in other cars over the years...

1) use good connection points for your grounds
2) be absolutely sure to use a relay
3) keep the wiring neat and check it to be sure nothing gets pinched when you close the bonnet... lots of zip ties!

I had no problems at all doing it this way.

If you buy a wiring kit it will most likely come with simple instructions.

In one of the write-ups mentioned above someone shows the .pdf file from MINI on how to install.

I put my switch on the panel under the steering wheel... roughly to the left of the steering wheel and just above where my left knee would touch it. Inside that panel is a little cutout that seemed to be made for the switch.

This is not hard, just take your time, go slow, and you can do it. I used a wire coathanger to fish the wire through the firewall to the inside for the switch... be careful and don't poke anything when you do that. Go through the big rubber grommet that already has other wires going through it.

Most of all, read the other write-ups first. Hope this helps.

 

I Went with the hella black magics also ,bought them on ebay and then bought mounting brackets from outmotoring.com but installation was a pain but I love the outcome check out my gallery

 

Porter, thanks for the link to Susquehanna. Today I ordered some conversion headlights for my son's Jeep Wrangler from them.... getting rid of those sealed-beam Autozone specials... now he can light up the night with some big H4 bulbs!