BruceP

Do you really think it's a myth? My impression (living in a country where DTRL has been the law for a long time) is that the lights mark the presence of a car from further away, making it stand out from the landscape, so to speak. Motorcyclists, I think, would generally agree that it works for them defensively. I was pretty pleased when the rule came to Canada, and I've found it a big help in terms of improving situational awareness... knowing what's out there with your peripheral vision, letting you concentrate on the business at hand. I like it.

Now, do I like that my car has its Litronics lit up all the damn time? No. Even my crude old Land Rover has low intensity bulbs in the headlight assemblies specifically for DTRL.

GreggT

BruceP

Checked out their site, and I see that your previous post was copied verbatim from their position paper on the subject, so I guess I know where you stand.

<http://www.motorists.org/issues/drl/index.html>

Soooo you can disregard my question. Thanks,
Bruce.

MJBird993

I gotta ask - why the XK for sale so quickly?

I'm curious because I couldn't wait to sell my XJ8 but now I do occasionally toy with the idea of getting an XK (previous body style) when my Infiniti (daily drivers) goes off lease next year.

Michael

TamiyaGuy

It is not an urban myth. It was the result of a study in Europe on cars with headlights on during the day. It was shown - over time - to reduce the number of accidents on the road and hence their adoption in a number of countries including Canada. I believe the country in question was Sweden, but you can probably Google it to find the report. It would have been a study done in the 80's and was most effective during the twilight hours when glare was an issue.

jasper

No doubt that lights on makes you more visible, especially in the rear view or peripheral or things like that. Grey car. cloudy day. Yah - it's intuitively obvious that lights on make a car easier to see. On a sunny day, maybe silver car on coming with and without lights on. Again it's obvious lights on will only help. They won't hurt.

Now, do I agree with DRL - no. I'd rather turn em on and off myself. When I'm parked in a driveway, engine running, waiting for someone. I'd like the option to turn them off. I'm a big boy. Also, with HID or Xenon bulbs - no it's not necessary. the fogs are good enough.

Anyway - the question wasn't whether DRL are good or bad. I need them functional for a federal inspectin in Canada. I might even undo the hack after the inspection. Probably will actually.
cheers

BruceP

Agree with that. I wish it worked like cars with automatics, where they don't light up until it's in gear. And yeah, why they didn't use the fogs instead is beyond me.

Good luck with the project!

Bruce.

VGM911

I'm with Jasper on this one. I enjoy being actively involved in the driving experience and its attendant functions, and I enjoy exercising my judgement and abilities as the driver of my car. Hence, I dislike features like auto dimming rear view mirrors, rain sensing winshield wipers, automatic transmission, self activating door locks, daytime running lights, automatic canceling rear window defroster, etc.

Benjamin Choi

i can't stand DRLs - i just put on HIDs whenever i drive

MJBird993

I'm with you on all of those except for the wipers. I had a car with those once, and I was really impressed with how well they did, especially in light mist situations (where it's not enough to use the intermittent wipers, but hard enough to impair your vision every minute or so).

But then, I'm easily amused.


Michael

jasper

Actually - I have to admit that the self cancelling rear window defog is a neccessity for me. I have a *very* short memory

lexpilot

DRL's save lives if you live where most roads are 2 lane. Bend is 100 miles minimum from the nearest interstate. We drive through the forest to get to the population centers of Oregon.
I rewired my rear fogs to be a 5 watt lamp and use my front and rear foglights as my DRL in town or out. These cars are small and are not seen by everybody in traffic.
I don't wish to find out if my airbags work because somebody creams me because they did not see me. I want to be seen.
Most highway fatalities around here are when the oncoming traffic plows into somebody while they are passing. I want to be seen.

MJBird993

Was this an easy hack, or will I need to disassemble my car ('02 cab) to do something similar? That sounds like a great idea!

Michael

jasper

Ummmmm - turning your lights on when you drive saves lives. If you get creamed because someone didn't see you because you didn't turn your light on then it's your own d@mnd fault. Kinda like seatbelts. Seatbelts save lives when they are worn.

No one is arguing whether lights on during the day is a smart idea, ok maybe some of the more dimwitted people here are, but as I said, I'd like to be able to turn my lights off once in a while while the motor is running - say when I'm waiting for someone in their driveway at night, and the lights are shining into the kids bedroom, or even in a long traffic lineup. It used to be courteous to turn off you primary headlights in a traffic jam if they were glaring in the rear view mirror of the guy ahead of you. No more of that in Canada.

As a by the way - I ended up just jumpering the A6 heated seat fuse terminal to the A9 headlight fuse, passing the federal inspection, then removing the jumper. I now - get this - !!! turn my lights on during the day using the switch on the dashboard !!! Just like I used to do before the DRL law came into effect here in Canada.

lexpilot

Regarding rewiring your rear fog lamps: I pulled the high wattage bulb out of the rear fogs and replaced it with a 5 w bulb. I think the rear fogs were about 25 watts. I wired a jumper from the running lamps to the rear fog socket. I manually turn my fog lights on each time I get in the car. It has become a habit. Actually, I leave them on when I run into the post office or whatever. When the ignition switch is turned off the front fogs go off but the parking lights stay lit.
I also replaced my stock battery with an Optima Red Top. I have no fear of having a dead battery for the few minutes I leave my parking lights on. I do put a trickle charger on my battery intermittently if my car does not move for 2-3 weeks during the winter. A regular battery will go flat during the winter if you don't charge it every 6 weeks or so.