Phillips Daytime Running Lamps

[MinusPrevious]

All my DD's have had DRL's until I bought a Scion XB 1 week ago. I knew that going into it & will not drive w/out burning the bulbs during the day

I thought about going w/ the Rostra LED's but at $350.00 or so, I kept looking until I came across a great product made by Philips:
Philips 12820WLEDX1 DayLight 4 High Powered Luxeon LED Daytime Running Light
The install is very close to plug & play. The pics dont do it justice, but they are bright white.

Just sharing for anyone who wants the added safety of running DRL's

Joe

 

[xBa380]

I find this kind of silly... I own a 2008 xB myself, but why not just put your main headlights on? Versus installing aftermarket ones? What is the point of having dedicated lights (I am really curious!). I don't understand the added safety either of using them either.

I personally love the fact there is not DRL's on the xB. Was easier to run HID's without having to bypass it. The cutoff on those projectors are quite good with them, I have NEVER been flashed except when I was carrying a ton of weight in the cargo area.

 

[MinusPrevious]

The DRL's turn on automatically, therefore no need to switch your headlights on & off. Not to mention, the headlights do not turn off automatically on the XB.

When you do toggle on your headlights the DRL's automatically shut down

Driving in the early morning or late afternoon, many drivers will not turn on their lights until they feel the need. Oncoming traffic sees these vehicles as grayed out silhouettes.

In Canada, its the law. Here in the US, many manufacturers have chosen DRL's as standard equipment, including Toyota, but not Scion. From what Ive read, DRL's have been a proven safety feature.
You do realize over 40,000 Americans die each year due to traffic accidents. That's more deaths in 1 year than all the fighting we've done the Middle East over the last 10 years

Personally, will never own /drive a car w/out them

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: MinusPrevious
From what Ive read, DRL's have been a proven safety feature.


Permit me to give you some more reading material. You will need to understand some rudimentary statistics.

AFAIK, this is the latest & greatest publication by the USDOT on the subject. The presence of DRL had no statistically significant effect on the three types of crashes studied: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811029.pdf

"Based on the results of our study we were unable to find solid evidence of an overall safety benefit associated with daytime running lamps ... The agency maintains its neutral position with respect to the safety benefits from the use of daytime running lamps."
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles...iated-equipment

Personally, I think they can be a good idea if implemented well. My considerably biased opinion is that any automobile company using the high beam bulbs for DRLs needs to be shot into the Sun.

 

[dparm]

If anything, DRLs cause the inevitable problem of not turning on the real low beams at night. I see this all the time.

 

[joaks]

I think DRLs can help a lot, esp for people who do not turn their lights on in the evening or at dusk.

I installed something similar on my car to avoid using my headlights when I needed to be seen rather than I needed to see. I am using the Xtreme Vision bulbs for my headlights which are a high-performance but short life bulb (which is why I do not want them on all the time).

 

[MinusPrevious]

Originally Posted By: joaks
I think DRLs can help a lot, esp for people who do not turn their lights on in the evening or at dusk.


LOL you guys, When I posted this I didnt expect I would even receive a reply, yet alone some push back

I agree w/the quote above. DRL's at dusk & dawn are very important for me. Some higher thinkers in Europe & Canada feel the same as noted by their DRL laws. (The US has always lagged behind Europe in overall technical automotive sophistication)

Sure, I agree, there maybe some quantitative debate on whether accident numbers have been reduced.
All you have to do is observe when driving in the early morning & dusk when those drivers do not turn on their headlights & are driving in the GRAY.
My install is clean & integrated into the front grill.

I never drive w/out DRL's.

Peace, Joe (BTW, Just installed Eibach Pro springs, TRD rear sway bar, 17x8 Enkie wheels w/ 255/45/17 rubber. Its by DD=)

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: MinusPrevious
Originally Posted By: joaks
I think DRLs can help a lot, esp for people who do not turn their lights on in the evening or at dusk.


LOL you guys, When I posted this I didnt expect I would even receive a reply, yet alone some push back

I agree w/the quote above. DRL's at dusk & dawn are very important for me. Some higher thinkers in Europe & Canada feel the same as noted by their DRL laws. (The US has always lagged behind Europe in overall technical automotive sophistication)

BUT, you bought a GREY CAR!!!!

Sure, I agree, there maybe some quantitative debate on whether accident numbers have been reduced.
All you have to do is observe when driving in the early morning & dusk when those drivers do not turn on their headlights & are driving in the GRAY.
My install is clean & integrated into the front grill.

I never drive w/out DRL's.

Peace, Joe (BTW, Just installed Eibach Pro springs, TRD rear sway bar, 17x8 Enkie wheels w/ 255/45/17 rubber. Its by DD=)

 

[HerrStig]

Many years of riding a morotbike with a 6 inch H4 headlamp on ALL THE TIME have taught me that the average comatose driver can fail to see a bleepin LOCOMOTIVE headlamp pointed right at him (or usually) her. (In fact there have been a number of interesting locomotive DRL set ups employed ove the years, including one that wobbled, but the beauties STILL "don't see" the locos at grade crossings.)
I got a set of really bright amber 1157 LED bulbs for my "integrated" turn/parking assembly, the amber is MORE visible than just another white light and despite their brightness they use LESS power than the filament bulbs I replaced. On my cars, the parking light system goees on and off with the key.
I think I gotta get

one of them thar "European" rear fog lights for backing up in the fog.

 

[HerrStig]

BTW, be nice if those expensive little decorations lit up the road a bit at night for ya. And, I'm wondering, if you are so worried about the "grey effect", WHY buy a GREY car?????

 

[MinusPrevious]

No disrespect, make an appointment w/your Ophthalmologist. Its metallic silver/blue

I see many unknowing drivers^^^in the early morning,late afternoon & in the fog running w/no lights.

DRL's are a proven technology. Some of you cavemen will never learn

 

[Klutch9]

I don't think that DRL's are the reason why so many people forget to turn on their headlamps after dark. I really do think it's because so many new(er) cars some with phosphorescent gauges (or something similar) that are always illuminated, even when the main headlamps are off. In older cars, or in my Focus for example: if my headlamps or parking lamps are off, my gauges are NOT illuminated. So even if I somehow forgot to put my headlamps on, I'd figure it out pretty quickly once I looked down at my speedometer and couldn't see a thing in the dark. In many new cars, the gauges are not only always on, but are actually brighter with the headlamps off than they are with them on. Thankfully, automatic headlamps are becoming standard on more and more cars.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: MinusPrevious
No disrespect, make an appointment w/your Ophthalmologist. Its metallic silver/blue

I see many unknowing drivers^^^in the early morning,late afternoon & in the fog running w/no lights.

DRL's are a proven technology. Some of you cavemen will never learn

You need a better camera. It ain't lime green like a fire truck, which I would expect from such an "advanced" party like yourself.

 

[surfstar]

You installed them in the worst place for safety - near the lowest point of the vehicle. Any undulations in the road (ever drive pearblossom hwy?) and your DRLs are invisible. (not to mention you lowered it also)

We salute where you're coming from, but it seems you missed the mark a bit.

 

[MinusPrevious]

More push back?

Most all European OEMs are mounting them in the lower than headlight position. Mercedes / Audi among others. (Maybe they dont know what their doing? LOL) My mount is higher than theirs & professionally mounted (By Me=)

I do not agree w/your inaccurate push back. Must be an older crowd here for sure & Im 49.

 

[Smokescreen]

You installed a good reputable set of purpose-set DRL's onto your car. Unlike light polluting headlamps that use the high/low beam at a lower wattage, these LED's don't sap power or reduce the life expectancy of the more important lamps on your car.

Unfortunately it is the world we live in that we have to have lights on so we are noticed on the road...so many unskilled operators, so many distractions warrant this.

In all...

Well done.

 

[MinusPrevious]

^^^Thank you Sir. Regarding distractions, Good thing I didn't post-up about cell phones & driving=)

I just want a passive system to be seen during the early / late hours (My other cars had them, the Scion does not)

Joe

 

[surfstar]

The low mounted DRLs are just "cool-looking" on the high end imports and I guarantee you that marketing had more to do with that than actual safety input.
People see those bright LEDs on a german car and (as you did) they emulate them b/c it if the germans did it, it must be cool.

I agree DRLs are a good safety feature and I'm bummed I can't easily trouble shoot the issue with mine in my Vue, but I think you didn't implement them (as the german marks also did) in the most effective manner for safety.

 

[MinusPrevious]

^^^I agree w/your beginning comments

I followed the directions & my mount is per FMVSS 108 which requires DRL's to be mounted 15" or higher (Im at 16") Width is as far apart as practicable

The ECE (European Economic Commission) requires a min of 9.84" & a max of 59" (Per the Philips instructions). The width requires a min of 23.62" & mine are at 29"

Anyways, I appreciate the responses & the debate

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

First of all, thanks for buying the Philips LED light - I work at the factory that makes the LEDs. As far as the debate goes about the DRLs, I remember sitting in a deposition for a lawsuit I was involved with after getting hit head on in an early morning crash. The first question the opposing lawyer asked was if my headlights were on.