I came across this part called a high beam splitter. Lets you keep your high and low beam on at the same time. Was wondering if this is possible, or would it end up frying the wiring/electronics?
High and Low beams on at the same time?
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It will fry an H4 bulb.
If they are a dual filament bulb that has to just kill it. Keep in mind that keeping the lows on makes your eyes adjust to the foreground and reduces your long distance vision, which is why on dual bulb setups the lows turn off. Foglights should turn off with the high beams as well.
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Originally Posted By: bepperb
If they are a dual filament bulb that has to just kill it. Keep in mind that keeping the lows on makes your eyes adjust to the foreground and reduces your long distance vision, which is why on dual bulb setups the lows turn off. Foglights should turn off with the high beams as well.
On dual bulb setups, the highs stay on, on every car ive owned with them made this way. My 91 BMW for example has dual 5 3/4" round lights, so I have the H1/H4 euro setup (just the light assembly, Ive not changed the wiring from the US spec in any way. On low, just the lows are on. On high, both lights emith.
If they are a dual filament bulb that has to just kill it. Keep in mind that keeping the lows on makes your eyes adjust to the foreground and reduces your long distance vision, which is why on dual bulb setups the lows turn off. Foglights should turn off with the high beams as well.
On dual bulb setups, the highs stay on, on every car ive owned with them made this way. My 91 BMW for example has dual 5 3/4" round lights, so I have the H1/H4 euro setup (just the light assembly, Ive not changed the wiring from the US spec in any way. On low, just the lows are on. On high, both lights emith.
With dual filament bulbs (like H4, HB5, H13, etc), the low beam filament will drop out when the high beam filament comes on. It will kill the bulb to have both filaments running at the same time.
With dual bulb setups (like HB3/HB4 or H9/H11), the lows sometimes stay on with the highs, but it's manufacturer dependent. I don't believe either implementation is required or disallowed by FMVSS 108...it can work either way.
Our Acura has HB3 highs and H11 lows, and the lows stay on when you switch to the highs. If the fog lamps are on, the fog lamps go out when the highs come on, and come back on when the highs go off.
With dual bulb setups (like HB3/HB4 or H9/H11), the lows sometimes stay on with the highs, but it's manufacturer dependent. I don't believe either implementation is required or disallowed by FMVSS 108...it can work either way.
Our Acura has HB3 highs and H11 lows, and the lows stay on when you switch to the highs. If the fog lamps are on, the fog lamps go out when the highs come on, and come back on when the highs go off.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
With dual bulb setups (like HB3/HB4 or H9/H11), the lows sometimes stay on with the highs, but it's manufacturer dependent.
And sometimes, like with quad halogen sealed beams, the "low beam" bulb also has a high beam filament that it switches over to, augmenting the high beam. I kinda miss the days of four vertically glass lensed crystal clear lights burning up the country roads at night. My cadillac cimarron had em.
With dual bulb setups (like HB3/HB4 or H9/H11), the lows sometimes stay on with the highs, but it's manufacturer dependent.
And sometimes, like with quad halogen sealed beams, the "low beam" bulb also has a high beam filament that it switches over to, augmenting the high beam. I kinda miss the days of four vertically glass lensed crystal clear lights burning up the country roads at night. My cadillac cimarron had em.
Im thinking about this for my wife's corolla, which is a dual bulb setup. Will the wiring tolerate this, or is there a risk of frying something?
Originally Posted By: eljefino
My cadillac cimarron had em.
As did my mid-sized 1983 LTD. They should have made a Lincoln version of that to compete with the Cimarron.
My cadillac cimarron had em.
As did my mid-sized 1983 LTD. They should have made a Lincoln version of that to compete with the Cimarron.
IIRC the Lincoln Versailles competed with the Cadillac Seville, the Cimarron came later.
The low beams turn off because that's the law -- can't have that many lights on at once.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Versailles?
Good grief, that's pretty much it. At least it didn't have the 2.3 L.
Versailles?
Good grief, that's pretty much it. At least it didn't have the 2.3 L.
Originally Posted By: dparm
The low beams turn off because that's the law -- can't have that many lights on at once.
FMVSS 108 allows for "not more than two upper beams and not more than two lower beams", S7.4(a). Further, in S5.5.8 specifies that the lower beams "shall be wired to remain permanently activated when the upper beam headlamps are activated" or "may be wired to remain activated when an upper beam light source is activated if the lower beam light source contributes to compliance of the headlighting system with the upper beam requirements".
In other words, it depends on the nature of the system, but they either "shall" remain on or "may" remain on. There may be any number of reasons why the low beams would turn off with the high beams in a dual bulb system. In the case of the OP, the lower beams apparently weren't required to remain on for the upper beams to pass the photometric requirements, but that doesn't mean that they cannot remain on.
The low beams turn off because that's the law -- can't have that many lights on at once.
FMVSS 108 allows for "not more than two upper beams and not more than two lower beams", S7.4(a). Further, in S5.5.8 specifies that the lower beams "shall be wired to remain permanently activated when the upper beam headlamps are activated" or "may be wired to remain activated when an upper beam light source is activated if the lower beam light source contributes to compliance of the headlighting system with the upper beam requirements".
In other words, it depends on the nature of the system, but they either "shall" remain on or "may" remain on. There may be any number of reasons why the low beams would turn off with the high beams in a dual bulb system. In the case of the OP, the lower beams apparently weren't required to remain on for the upper beams to pass the photometric requirements, but that doesn't mean that they cannot remain on.
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
Im thinking about this for my wife's corolla, which is a dual bulb setup. Will the wiring tolerate this, or is there a risk of frying something?
My 2009 Corolla already does it. Turn on your high beams and take a look, the low beams should still be on too.
Im thinking about this for my wife's corolla, which is a dual bulb setup. Will the wiring tolerate this, or is there a risk of frying something?
My 2009 Corolla already does it. Turn on your high beams and take a look, the low beams should still be on too.
My Malibu does the same. Low beams stay on with the high beams.
As someone else pointed out, if the vehicle lighting setup was approved with all four lamps on, that's the way it is set up. The regulations about NUMBER of lamps refer to thee number of additional fog or driving lights which can be employed. The usual regulation (varies by state) is "two lamps in addition to the SAE approved vehicle lighting system." You will not that lamps on US cars carry an SAE approval number, even the side markers and tail lamps. I don't think they give a bleep about back up lamps.
The regulations are in place for rear facing lamps as well. They mus achieve a certain brightness at specified angles and weather conditions. See Candlepower forums for details.
On my Grand Am I used to have (9005/9006 combo), the lows turned OFF when the high beams turned on. On our Fusion (H11/H9 combo), the lows stay ON when the highs come on. On my sister's Mazda6 (unknown 2-bulb combo, both halogen), the lows stay ON when the highs come on. As another member said, it is manufacturer dependent.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: eljefino
My cadillac cimarron had em.
As did my mid-sized 1983 LTD. They should have made a Lincoln version of that to compete with the Cimarron.
Versailles?
Uh yes, the old over priced Granada. ^^^
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: eljefino
My cadillac cimarron had em.
As did my mid-sized 1983 LTD. They should have made a Lincoln version of that to compete with the Cimarron.
Versailles?
Uh yes, the old over priced Granada. ^^^
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