high and low beams on at the same time.
- Thread starter donny939
- Start date
- Status
I'm sure you can do this however it may be illegal in your state, even then i doubt you would have trouble with local leo, but you should figure it out beforehand.
Also you may have wiring problems with stock gauge wire. I have done this modification on my jeep low high and fogs all at once and this is illegal in California, however i only use this off road, along with my overhead light bar and bumper mounted driving lights, so it's all good. In my case the stock wiring is more than able.
Also you may have wiring problems with stock gauge wire. I have done this modification on my jeep low high and fogs all at once and this is illegal in California, however i only use this off road, along with my overhead light bar and bumper mounted driving lights, so it's all good. In my case the stock wiring is more than able.
I did this on my saturn with a custom harness. Not only do the lows stay on with the highs, but they are both brighter due to less voltage being lost in the wiring.
If they are two separate bulbs it is doable. I would buy a relay upgrade kit, then you would just need to place a diode in the correct position.
DRL's are a waste, yet you want to run H and L beams at the same time?
I stop cars for failing to dim their lights, but this is Indiana.
Electrically it could be the straw that breaks the camels back, as far as you electrical charging system goes. You might want to upgrade to a larger alternator.
My car has separate bulbs and if I pull back the high beam lever part way but not so it clicks, I can hold both the high and low beams on at the same time. Great for backcountry roads at night.
The whole reason the lows, and fogs turn off with your high beams is so that your eyes don't adjust to the bright foreground and reduce the length of your view.
That being said (it's a bad idea if you do drive in the country as you will reduce how far you can see) it shouldn't be very hard to do tapping into your steering column wiring.
That being said (it's a bad idea if you do drive in the country as you will reduce how far you can see) it shouldn't be very hard to do tapping into your steering column wiring.
Originally Posted By: donny939
zaedock? you make no sense
i dunno how old you are but i dont need orange lights on during the day. that has nothing to do with having double the lights on at night
WTH does my age have to do with it? FYI, I've been driving a long time.
My point is; Wanting to disable a proven safety device, claiming it is wasteful, only to run both H & L at the same time is an oxymoron.
...and I make no sense...
zaedock? you make no sense
i dunno how old you are but i dont need orange lights on during the day. that has nothing to do with having double the lights on at night
WTH does my age have to do with it? FYI, I've been driving a long time.
My point is; Wanting to disable a proven safety device, claiming it is wasteful, only to run both H & L at the same time is an oxymoron.
...and I make no sense...
You don't want to do this when the low and high beams are in the same bulb.
I'm pretty sure my Saab 93, which has separate bulbs for high and low beam, keeps them both on when the high beams are turned on.
I'm pretty sure my Crown Vic, which also has separate bulbs, keeps them both on at the same time too.
I'm pretty sure my Saab 93, which has separate bulbs for high and low beam, keeps them both on when the high beams are turned on.
I'm pretty sure my Crown Vic, which also has separate bulbs, keeps them both on at the same time too.
I must be spoiled, I always thought both the H and L beams came on at the same time in all cars. Since my car has separate assemblies for the brights, both come on at the same time.
Originally Posted By: bepperb
The whole reason the lows, and fogs turn off with your high beams is so that your eyes don't adjust to the bright foreground and reduce the length of your view.
Correct.
Your eyes naturally focus to the nearest source of light. This is exactly why the low beams and fog lamps are turned off when the high beams are on. If you high beams are on, you should be looking at where the light is... far down the road, not just over your front bumper. This is also why it's not a good idea to leave your fog lamps on all the time. All that foreground lighting causes you to look directly over the bumper. Fine in bad weather when you're driving slower or trying to reduce glare, not the best plan when it's clear and you're at speed.
Most cars will illuminate low and high beams during pass-to-flash, but this is intended to be used in a temporary situation, which is why the stalk doesn't lock into that position.
The only situation I could see turning on the high and low beams as an advantage would be during off-road excursions, when you're driving slowly and just trying to throw as much light out as possible to see the trail ahead.
The whole reason the lows, and fogs turn off with your high beams is so that your eyes don't adjust to the bright foreground and reduce the length of your view.
Correct.
Your eyes naturally focus to the nearest source of light. This is exactly why the low beams and fog lamps are turned off when the high beams are on. If you high beams are on, you should be looking at where the light is... far down the road, not just over your front bumper. This is also why it's not a good idea to leave your fog lamps on all the time. All that foreground lighting causes you to look directly over the bumper. Fine in bad weather when you're driving slower or trying to reduce glare, not the best plan when it's clear and you're at speed.
Most cars will illuminate low and high beams during pass-to-flash, but this is intended to be used in a temporary situation, which is why the stalk doesn't lock into that position.
The only situation I could see turning on the high and low beams as an advantage would be during off-road excursions, when you're driving slowly and just trying to throw as much light out as possible to see the trail ahead.
I guess it depends on what type of lighting system you have. In a 2-headlight system, it's probably going to require some creative wiring. It's possible with a 4-headlight system with older vehicles.
I had a friend at a shop that could wire out the daytime running lights so the lights would work only when you switched them on. I'm not sure how he did it.
I had a friend at a shop that could wire out the daytime running lights so the lights would work only when you switched them on. I'm not sure how he did it.
I think most 4 headlamp systems have the lows on all the time. It is likely in either the light switch or dimmer switch. Power always to the lows and switched to the highs by the dimmer switch.
The last time I had vehicles that could have on both low/high beams was on the old style 4 headlight system pre 1987.
The old 4 headlight system actually had 6 filaments, the "low beam" bulbs had three prongs and high/low. That was a pretty nifty setup.
An extra couple 35 watt low beams aren't going to kill an alternator, it's less than a rear window defroster. But as said above the focus will be off. Might be better to get some name brand (hella, cibie) driving lights with BIG (
An extra couple 35 watt low beams aren't going to kill an alternator, it's less than a rear window defroster. But as said above the focus will be off. Might be better to get some name brand (hella, cibie) driving lights with BIG (
- Status
