Hello all. I'm the proud new owner of an '05 MCS (pic in my gallery). So, do the driving lights only come on with high beams?

Looking forward to this great forum.

 

Wow Its Almost Like Im Lookin At My Car. Best Color On The List. Well Yes Since You Got Factory Installed Rally Lights They Will Only Work With The High Beams. Mine I Had Installed Out Of The Dealer I Have Full Controle Of Mine. I Think If I Saw Right Your In Jersey, Im In Ny. Any Other Questions You Might Have Dont Hesitate To Ask. Good Luck With It.

 

stupid opition.......we didnt know this until we did one on a cust car and then got an ear full from after she found it only works on high beams.....i have no idea why mini did it that way but its an easy fix if you know someone whos le to rewire the power lead to your low beam power instead. As mich as it is an easy fix, were still not able to provide that for the customer for warranty issues.

 

Yes, the factory setup is that the rally lights only come on with the high beams, and even then, only after you activate them by pressing the "arm" button.

 

There is a very good reason why your driving lights only come on with your high beams: They're freakin' bright.

Anyone who intentionally wires up their driving lamps to come on with low beams is not only breaking the law in some states, but they're being irresponsible. You are blinding oncoming traffic.

Driving lamps (unlike foglamps), should not be on when there is oncoming traffic. They are only to be used when the roads are free of other cars, just like your high beams would be used. The intention of driving lamps is to see much further down the road, when you're travelling at highway speeds.

Now, if you indeed want more light for when your low beams are on, (which is fine), then you can install a set of fog lamps. There is a HUGE difference in beam pattern between fog lamps and driving lamps. Fogs are meant to be wide-dispersal beam patterns, low to the ground, so you can see all the lines in the road at close range, usually while driving slower than highway speeds. (Because it's foggy).

Driving lamps, like high beams, are just the opposite: very finely focused spot lights meant to light up the road several hundred yards further up, allowing you to read road signs, see deer in the road, and generally for higher speed motoring at night.

Let's not get these confused.

So please be responsible, and use driving lamps for the right reason, and don't blind oncoming traffic. You could cause an accident. Sorry to sound like your mom, but if you've ever been on the receiving end of a full set of driving lights at night, you'd agree with me!

 

yes daddy!

 

In most states, driving with auxiliary driving lights without the highbeams on is Illegal. In fact, the laws even say they must be wired together (depending upon the state).

 

I motor a lot at night. I'm often blinded by highbeams, AND fog lights that are on. In clear conditions, even fogs that are aimed properly, bounce off blacktop, and blind oncoming traffic. Like me.

The cool look is a pain in the eye

Use your lights as they were intended. Sure our MINI's have good crash ratings, but why would you want a tired semi driver drift right into you.

 

I believe that would be ILLEGAL in EVERY state of the union

What is wrong with these people????

 

Rude comes to mind. But after somethings we can't say here on NAM

 

Screw those lights......I changed my low beams and fogs over to Silverstars which are now sold at my dealership and any other BMW/MINI dealer. Alot cleaner burn and brighter than stock.

 

Those would be for the H7 High Beams. You can also get Phillips Vision Plus which are also highly recommended.

 

Silverstars are recommended by BMW for an aftersales bulb.

 

'screw those lights' being driving lights? if so....

Naw! you can't beat driving lights running superwhites over just your
silverstar high beams because the illumination pattern is different.
i know cause I've tried it.

540's with superwhites + H7 superwhites makes driving through
pitch black forests drivable. highbeams is pretty limited to just
straight ahead. Driving lights illuminate in a much wider pattern.
:smile:

but even if you don't do driving in such darkness, the driving lights
are a nice dressup mod. just having it on your car is cool, imo.
I rarely turn them on, but knowing that I have it is pretty comforting
when I drive in the wooded areas.

 

How do you figure that? Most Highs are 35 degree pattern. PIAA 540s are 15 degree .... straight down the road ... almost pencil beam like 5 degrees

So how do you figure that Driving Lights "illuminate a much wider pattern" when in fact they just put out "more" light within the beam pattern of the highs?

 

For one......you cant beat a 40 buck bulb over a 400+ driving kit. So your only right about being a look thing more than you using them .

Why would you care how wide your light pattern is when the road is in front of you and the cars field of view is wide enough...not on your sides even though ur lights sweap out far enough to see on the side of the road.

 

I can see his point on that. Drive down some 2 lanes in my area in the early AM and the deers will be right at the side of the road. On just Highs, you cant see them. Lots of Deer Kill.

WIth a wider beam AND the highs you could see the deers, So I fully understand his point about wanting a Wider beam. On the other hand, I dont think he has a wider beam with PIAA 540s, only a thing pencil beam with more light down the middle of the road.

 

hummm... did you know you can actually aim these 540's whichever
direction you'd like? perhaps I should've mentioned that before,
my bad. :smile: not sure about that 15 degrees though.

My high beams are straight (watever factory setup) and my 540's
aim slightly outward so it illuminates like in a wall pattern. can
almost see everything in front of me up ahead.

 

Then your original statement was confusing because you wrote:

"Driving lights illuminate in a much wider pattern"

No, your 540s have a 15 degree pattern, much thinner the H7s. However, if you got them pointed outward of the Highbeams pattern, then yes, you are getting a wider swath.

I guess thats a way to emulate a dichroic driving light but kind of defeats the purpose of a traditional driving light like the 540s (i.e., to increase the brightness and range of your highs as in that is exactly why the 15 degrees lies within the width of the highs). See http://www.sportscar-parts.com/beam.htm PIAA Lighting beam patterns

Good luck with it!

 

Are you talking about this illustration?
always confused me... 15 degrees at what distance?


but yeh, I use my driving lights to reinforce my factory lighting in
dark wooded areas so i should've probably said I chose to illuminate
to my preference (it's been a while since I was messing with lighting ),
but it does help heck of a lot more than just putting silverstars in
my high beams. actually, I started using PolargsH7's after my
silverstars burned out. worked just as good, if not better...but still
not very comforting in total darkness without more lighting.

I don't go flying through the woods at excessive speeds or
anything like that, so wider, total illumination is better for me
than just pin-pointing "15 degrees" straight ahead. It's
actually deer that Im most concerned about...and those guys can come
from any direction.

 

Yep. Thats it. Dichroic Driving lights are about 35. Pencil beams about 5 degrees. At what distance? ... distance doesnt matter. The 15 degrees is the angle from the car (or the light). Like the fogs spread out wide to 95. Some go to 110.

I agree 100% about the deer. They are dangerous here and get killed all the time and your car WILL lose. Any driving light will always be better than just the highs ... that is exactly why they exist.

I was just saying that the REAL reason for your lamps (and mine I guess) was to make the road "brighter" (your throwing more light on to the road) and to see "farther" (because the pattern is tighter, they project farther using the same "power"), Likewise, the fogs throw a "wider" beam with exactly the same power but the area under the light beams is just shorter (with the same area) ... its all in the lense.

Aiming a bit sideways DOES defeat their original design intent but no worries, what works for you works. If, for example, you lived in NV, KS or some flat state near long stretches of flat highway, you most definitely would want those things pointed straight down the road while driving at speed

My problem is that I drive every morning long before the Sun comes up and it is DARK out there at 5 AM on poorly light side streets before hitting a highway. Many mornings its misty, been raining, or just plain icky out there and I use the fogs all the time. But the OEM fogs are a weak bulb (H11) and really dont put out much light. I want a H3 bulb (as in the PIAAs) so that means additional pair of fogs. Just trying to figure out which ones to buy. I'd love to get the Hella Xenon fogs but I figure they would be stolen in a week!

 

humm... ok, so Im guessing im pointing outwards another 20 degrees or so
then, but the illumination is still pretty diffused, not 2 circles one on
each side of the road as if I had 2 spot lights. This is with only the
540's turned on (mine is wired so the lights can be turned on without
any other lights).


I see:




Not: _______________


and for those that are wondering wat the hell does this look like on the
car with em' lamps pointing outwards .... Just by looking at the
car you can't tell the lamps are pointing outwards.

 

I must've missed your post.

the 540's can be had about $200 range. You should get one too,
it's waaay cool.

 

and depending on how high you have them set is weather or not they will bother other drivers, my zeon hid head lights are brighter than the rally lights and they are not any bother to anybody.