Driving, not fog, lights

[spl310]

A word of warning on the Eagle Eye lamps. Wax them well - the chrome isn't great. They also fog up due to the heat generated.

[bikermike]

I haven’t seen a lot of chrome putting or fogging on mine, however I have had the car in dry climates.

I snapped some pics of beam patterns. My phone probably modified the exposure from shot to shot, so I wouldn’t trust the brightness comparisons.

Driving lights + white LEDs in switchback bulbs in parking lights:

A25EAA7E-3BF0-4449-B8CB-2C3E5D39A28C.jpeg

Headlights only:

A8269F09-4404-4876-8064-71194B9B36EB.jpeg

Headlights and driving lights:

CB9F93FE-2CCB-4080-8680-E6677313B33E.jpeg

[mraitch]

Both my headlights and fog/driving lights are operated by relays. Takes ALL the strain off the original wiring. Course, you might have to upgrade the alternator.

[bikermike]

Good point. I have 4 relays for front lights:
1. For hi beam / low beam switch
2. Power to headlights - low beams
3. Power to headlights - hi beams
4. Power to driving lights

I also wired up my front lights so:
1. Driving lights only come on when either the parking lights or headlights are on and the driving light switch is flipped. I tapped into the tail light circuit to do this. This reduces the risk of leaving the driving lights on if used during the day. Stock wiring in my 67.5 had the driving lights as an independent circuit.
2. Parking lights are on when the headlight switch is in the 1st position - standard for all cars.
3. Parking lights are off when headlight switch is in 2nd position. This is stock wiring for 67.5 and earlier. Since I have white LEDs for parking lights, it is less distracting to oncoming traffic to have them off when the headlights are on.
4. A chime sounds if the lights are left on without the ignition switch in the on position, to reduce the risk of leaving lights on and draining the battery. I usually drive with the front LEDs and taillights on during the day to be more visible.

I also upgraded the alternator to handle current and future accessories.

[Ralph]

I'll be getting driving lights for next summer, and I'm wondering if (once wired correctly & probably using relays) there are cons to using the fog light switch in combination with the high beam switch. The driving lights would only come on if the fog light switch and the hi-beams were on at the same time.

[bikermike]

Certainly use relays. One downside of your proposed setup is lack of flexibility if you want to run driving lights without high beams.

In newer cars I have owned with factory driving or
fog lights, they would only work with parking lights or low beams, not high beams. I think there are DOT or state regs about having a max of 4 forward facing bright lights on. With high beams on you have 4 since the lows stay on. With lows and driving lights you are also at 4.

Those regs were likely not in place 50+ years ago when our cars were wired with an independent fog light circuit. Even if an overly aggressive trooper made an issue of driving lights and high beams on, you can likely argue grandfathered status.

I’d say do what you want, but try not to blind oncoming traffic.

[theunz]

I think the 100 watt bulbs in the Eagle Eye’s are enough to make you illegal regardless of how many lights you have

[redroadster]

I think the 100 watt bulbs in the Eagle Eye’s are enough to make you illegal regardless of how many lights you have

Yep it's 55 w limit here in Mo
Also if someone wrecked because of blinding lite ....law suit possible and not insured with modifications
Some people with glasses bright lites completely obsure the road

[bikermike]

Even more reason to not use them with oncoming traffic nearby.

[theunz]

With help with info from you guys, I settled on the Eagle Eye 100W driving lights which arrived as a Christmas present. I installed them yesterday and did it a little differently then most. First, I didn’t want the wires to show, so I drilled out the center of the mounting bolts and ran the wire through them. Second, I mocked one up on the apron in the factory location and tested for hood clearance. With only about an eighth of an inch between the lights and the hood the lights had to have a very slight downward tilt. While this would probably be fine for fog lights where you don’t want the beam to extend very far, I was looking for more range. I also worried that with such little hood clearance they might rub the paint if they vibrated while it was up and the engine was running. An easy solution, since I am not running overriders was to use the existing hole in the bumper. This also gives a wider light pattern while keeping the beam inline with the car.

I am very pleased with this product and the mounting, even though I think they look a little better in the stock location. The light they put out is better than any of my modern cars.

[redroadster]

15 amps together?

[theunz]

15 amps together?

More like 16.6, but who’s counting. I don’t see much chance that I would use them for more than a few miles at a time, so my wimpy alternator won’t be overloaded for long. They are too bright to use around oncoming traffic, but are the cat’s meow for the pitch black rural road between the Hi Way and my house.

[Solex68]

With help with info from you guys, I settled on the Eagle Eye 100W driving lights which arrived as a Christmas present. ...I am very pleased with this product and the mounting, even though I think they look a little better in the stock location. The light they put out is better than any of my modern cars.

They look great !

[bikermike]

Looks good. I’m not a fan of wires showing either. I found a braided sleeve to dress things up a bit.

[JackAuffeltrades]

Just searching the fog/driving light threads. I'm looking for some and wondering if anyone has had any experience with these.
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Chrome-V ... 96700.html