South African Grill LED Driving Lights

[ipclark]

Last year I installed a lighted switch for my SA Grill inner driving lights. I also installed a relay kit for the H4's. I worked well, the best part was that I could leave them on all the time and they function as Day Time Driving Lights. When you turn off the key the lights go off. When you start the car the driving lights come on. The main headlight switch is in the off position. The only problem was that the H3 Halogen's provided by Bus Depot were too bright. I got a few complaints.
So I sourced some H3 Led lights from Super Bright Led's.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fdrl.html
Just perfect! For some reason I sourced the amber lights. I think they look cool, but I am not sure of the leagality, expecially in the States. Anybody have any insights into this concern?

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1984 VW Westfalia Bostig Zetec Powered
Daily Driver 2010 VW Golf Wagon TDI, DSG

[dubbified]

Clean!

Need a night shot!

[James 93SLC]

[1971BugGuy]

I don't know about the States but since your photo shows Ontario plates and your user account denotes Ottawa to be your home base I'll give you a somewhat abbreviated version of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (Section 62) regarding front lighting on your vehicle. I've only included relevant passages.

Bottom line... I take this to read that the front can be illuminated by white or amber. It doesn't specify that these lights are to be headlights, parking lights, driving lights or fog lights. It simply refers to "lamps" and gives a maximum output.

It's a bit long winded but here we go:

Highway Traffic Act for the Province of Ontario

Section 62 (1) When persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernible at a distance of 150 metres or less, every motor vehicle other than a motorcycle shall carry (at least) three lighted lamps in a conspicuous position, one on each side of the front of the vehicle which shall display a white or amber light only.
Lighted lamps to the front are required at night and at any other time when “persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernable at a distance of 150 meters or less”.

Section 62 (4) Any lamp required under subsection (1) shall, when lighted, be clearly visible at a distance of at least 150 metres from the front or rear, as the case may be.”

Section 62 (6) Lamps on the front of a motor vehicle shall be so constructed, located, arranged and adjusted that…they produce under normal atmospheric conditions and on a level road a driving light sufficient to render clearly discernible to the operator of the motor vehicle any person or vehicle on the highway within a distance of 110 metres ahead of the motor vehicle.”

Section 62 (7) Attachments that reduce the effectiveness of the lighted lamps referred to in 62 (1), (attachments which would prevent them from fulfilling one or both of their purposes), are prohibited.

Section 62 (9) prescribes a maximum of 300 candella for the lamps referred to in Section 61 (1). But if the purpose of Section 62 (1) was to prohibit additional lights (such as LEDs) then why would legislators not have taken the opportunity to create a section to prescribe a minimum lamp strength as well?
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Only a fool or a child would judge a project before it reaches its completion.


1971 Super Beetle
1986 Vanagon Westfalia Weekender

[ipclark]

I found this on Wikipedia.
Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 requires DRLs on all new vehicles made or imported after January 1, 1990. Canada's proposed DRL regulation was essentially similar to regulations in place in Scandinavia, with an axial luminous intensity limit of 1,500 candela, but automakers claimed it was too expensive to add a new front lighting device, and would increase warranty costs (by dint of increased bulb replacements) to run the low beams. After a pitched regulatory battle, the standard was rewritten to permit the use of reduced-voltage high beam headlamps producing up to 7,000 axial candela, as well as permitting any light color from white to amber or selective yellow.

So I guess I am ok, in Canda at least.
I don't think DRL's are Federally mandated yet in the US. If I get pulled over in the US, I can show this standard or just turn them off. I have found that if the police see anything out of the ordinary it is a good reason to pull you over. Never happened to me, but I have heard this happens. I remember years ago, maybe back in the 80's, when all new cars in Canada first had to have DRL's, when driving in the states, people would flash their lights at me to let me know I had my headlights on. Just being helpfull I guess, but I sometimes felt that they thought I was stupid! At one time when you saw headlights on an approching vehicle, it was always a motorcycle. Those guys need all the visibility they can get. Now they just blend in with all the other traffic, I feel bad for them.
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1984 VW Westfalia Bostig Zetec Powered
Daily Driver 2010 VW Golf Wagon TDI, DSG

[1971BugGuy]

Anything that draws attention to you is cause to be pulled over I guess but, I have been running blue dots in the taillights of my Beetle for a few years and have been followed by police on numerous occasion without being stopped. Now, I suppose, if I was driving like a moron then maybe it would raise a keener interest in me.
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Only a fool or a child would judge a project before it reaches its completion.


1971 Super Beetle
1986 Vanagon Westfalia Weekender

[tam_shops]

These are COOL and modern! I've noticed more and more cars around w/ strip light Daytime running lights. Anyone have OTHER options for DTRL? Especially for the original square head lights.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-DIAMETER-ROUND-CHROME-HA...mp;vxp=mtr

I see the SA grill as a kit and a pretty big price difference, except I think the first one includes the H4 lights and the gowesty one (second) does not.
http://vanagonwestfaliaparts.com/shop/headlight-grill-kit/

http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=3636&category_id=&category_parent_id=

Which means I'd have to buy two sets of lights, hate that, but REALLY want DTRL. I was out on the weekend and it was really raining and then went through the American border to get gas and the guard so politely said, "you may want to think about turning your lights on." Of course I did and replied, "oh, thanks, my cars have always done that themselves. And, given how useless the stock lights are, turning them on during the day has never really occurred to me! LOL

tam
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1987 Vanagon Westfalia GL Automatic

Making it special:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=545885

[T3 Pilot]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5...;start=540

Your Daytime Running light dreams are about to come true.
_________________
1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[kamzcab86]

[syncrodoka]

http://dastern.torque.net/Mods/DRL/DRL1.html

[tam_shops]

So I need to buy THIS

[tam_shops]

Wow, on an Audi in the 90s! Interesting how you miss things and then one day notice them! LOL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Audi_R8_5.2_FSI.JPG

tam
_________________
1987 Vanagon Westfalia GL Automatic

Making it special:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=545885

[hopkin]

You could install a Euro version of the H4 light with City bulb using the module posted previously to light the City bulb.

The module could be hooked up to the City bulb, instead of your parking lights. Here is a picture of the UK version of H4 light with City on my car:

[tam_shops]

Thank you, that would get me both DRL and brighter lights. Will ask my guy about how much it'd cost!

[kamzcab86]

[thatvwbusguy]

There are a few issues that usually have to be dealt with when trying to get acceptable lighting out of the '86-'91 US DOT stock rectangular lights.

Pretty much every set of original headlight housings I see have a layer haze/fog on the inside of the lenses. Even a small amount of haze will scatter the light coming through the lens and decrease the performance of your lights. This can be corrected with a good cleaning followed by a rinse with 99% isopropyl alcohol.

The 9004 bulb itself is considered one of the worst dual filament bulbs ever conceived. With only 45W (700 lumen) on low beam, it is one of the least powerful legal bulbs on the road. Why VW chose to use this design for the Vanagon is still a mystery...

You can easily get more raw lumens out of your headlights by going to a higher wattage bulb (Hella 9004 80/100W is less than $10.00 on amazon.com). When upgrading to high wattage bulbs, be sure to install a proper set of headlight relays to keep your headlight switch from overheating and failing prematurely.

The final piece of the puzzle is to make sure that your headlights are properly aimed. There is a good method for aiming here: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

For daytime running lights, there are several options that work well. The simplest being to just turn on your headlights before you put the van in gear. The small marker or "city" lights found in some e-Code housings are typically only 5-7W, so their effectiveness as a safety feature is suspect at best. There are also kits available that will allow you to use the turn signal bulbs as a DRL, but rewiring is necessary when choosing this approach and the long term use of the brighter filament inside the small plastic turn signal lens could lead to lens damage over time.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[911pickup]

I have a set of LED lights I'm using as DLRs. They can be wired to come on with the ignition and go off when the headlights are turned on. I bought them from superbrightled.com.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/daytime-ru.../626/1896/

[911pickup]

Here's my Intermeccanica 356 with city lights. I swapped out the small, yellow bulbs for some directional (yellow) LED bubs.
I bought with from the same place as the DLRs.

[tam_shops]

Thank you so much! I was looking at and asking about lights at my last WetWesties get together. Someone said 1 of my 4 lights was a bit dirty, it was the smaller one (at least). If I keep this set up, I'll clean it when the new bulbs go in. Though, given I'm now having stalling issues, the lights won't be dealt with until the mechanical is...

Got to wonder why they kept using the 9004 bulb, just like that flippen closet door.

Ooooh, $10 for brighter bulbs, WAY cheaper than what I was expecting, but still need to do DRL and a relay, but still way cheaper.

No idea how to adjust head lights, never done that before. Will get back to that topic when I've fixed the lack of light problem. Mine seamed to be pointing the right way, just not bright or large enough. When the Lexus was behind me, it's lights just over powered mine up and all around. It was kind of cool.

Still laughing away at your easy free solution. Don't tell my DH that one, he agreed I needed new lights so won't complain when I spend too much money. 23 years ago I'd agree with you and did turn them on, but I've had them since ~1990 and there is just no going back on some things. IF I had a lights on bzzzz, I'd be more into that cheap easy route, but next I'll turn my lights on during the day and return to a dead battery b/c I forgot to turn them off!