Daytime Running Lights

TG-2002-320i-328ci

TG-2002-320i-328ci

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Following up on a discussion I posted months ago, I've decided to retrofit a pair of Oracle Lighting 5.75" LED Halo headlamps into my coupe. Yes, this is not exactly a historical fit/concours move, but I am willing to forsake that for the safety of my coupe and my life. There are far too many distracted drivers out there and I could use the advantage.

Question: has anyone wired in daytime runners? I'd like them to come on with the ignition. The pair likely draw less than an amp, if that - so there should be plenty of room on an existing circuit.
 
I've always run city lights in my H4's. I don't know if you can find 5.75" H4 housings with city light sockets but you certainly can with 5.75" H1's. They aren't natively setup as DRL's but you can always use an igition hot to trigger a normally open relay. I just tapped mine into the 'parking light' power and would turn on my HL's one click.

Incidentally, if you can't find city light sockets they make little rings that go around the H4 bulb and hold a city light.
 
Halos shouldn't put out much wattage at all, so I would think, w/o having to use a relay, just run a wire from any source with IGN+ (fuse box?) and a local ground near the lights???
 
My 2013 X3 has "Angel Eyes" (Halo rings) as daytime running lights. They are plenty bright to catch the eye from over a half mile away. These aftermarkets have the same look.

I did contact Daniel Stern about his City Lights (I have seen these as parking lights in Europe). He thought the idea of using them as daytime running lights was insane - he said they aren't nearly bright enough. Bright White (~6000k) LEDs will definitely catch the eye.

Thank you, Teahead. I'll retrieve my wiring diagrams and see what I can tap into. Those diagrams mostly read like Mandarin to me, but I do well with the actual wiring.

Oh, and I did successfully install a third brake light (LED). Works great and found it on eBay for about $20.00.
 
TG-2002-320i-328ci said:
My 2013 X3 has "Angel Eyes" (Halo rings) as daytime running lights. They are plenty bright to catch the eye from over a half mile away. These aftermarkets have the same look.

I did contact Daniel Stern about his City Lights (I have seen these as parking lights in Europe). He thought the idea of using them as daytime running lights was insane - he said they aren't nearly bright enough. Bright White (~6000k) LEDs will definitely catch the eye.

Thank you, Teahead. I'll retrieve my wiring diagrams and see what I can tap into. Those diagrams mostly read like Mandarin to me, but I do well with the actual wiring.

Oh, and I did successfully install a third brake light (LED). Works great and found it on eBay for about $20.00.
Click to expand...

“Insane” is a bit dramatic. Agreed that city lights aren’t really bright enough for DRL’s. They are bright enough to illuminate the housing but don’t throw any measurable light. A super bright LED could help. I missed your first post assumed this was for aesthetics and not for safety. I also assumed that aftermarket angel eyes have gone full lifecycle and live in the same section of autozone as Altezza style tail lights for a chevy silverado.

Personally I wouldn’t look to Daniel Stern for anything other than a 100w halogen bulb in a glass housing with a metal reflector. His halogen is king rant has enough legs to last him another year or two then he will need to start yelling at kids to get off his lawn.

e46 City Light example:
668686BB-3E0A-419E-A409-BFE5903B4E13.jpeg
 
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teahead said:
I think it'd look pretty good.

E24 example:

View attachment 38294
Click to expand...

Honestly I think it looks pretty cool also. The aftermarket ones went gangbusters a little over 10 years ago to the point the people where got turned off by them showing up on every manner of vehicle. Played out to the point that internet memes were flying :) The dust has probably settled since then.
 
Markos said:
Honestly I think it looks pretty cool also. The aftermarket ones went gangbusters a little over 10 years ago to the point the people where got turned off by them showing up on every manner of vehicle. Played out to the point that internet memes were flying :) The dust has probably settled since then.
Click to expand...

best concept: The dust has probably settled since then.

TG-2002-320i-328ci said:
Following up on a discussion I posted months ago, I've decided to retrofit a pair of Oracle Lighting 5.75" LED Halo headlamps into my coupe. Yes, this is not exactly a historical fit/concours move, but I am willing to forsake that for the safety of my coupe and my life. There are far too many distracted drivers out there and I could use the advantage.

Question: has anyone wired in daytime runners? I'd like them to come on with the ignition. The pair likely draw less than an amp, if that - so there should be plenty of room on an existing circuit.
Click to expand...

have you tried to simply switch on the low beams,...it actually works !!
 
deQuincey said:
best concept: The dust has probably settled since then.



have you tried to simply switch on the low beams,...it actually works !!
Click to expand...
And, if you use low beams as DRLs when you forget and turn the ignition off, and we all do, only the "parking lights" stay on. Time enough to do the grocery shopping or have a tall one and not kill the battery.
 
deQuincey said:
have you tried to simply switch on the low beams,...it actually works !!
Click to expand...

Yes - but I have forgotten to turn them off too many times. My low beams stay on if I shut the ignition off - perhaps this was a Euro CSi thing?. Thankfully, I haven't run down a battery yet.

My daily driver has automatic headlights, so it's easy to forget to push the switch in.

teahead said:
E24 example:
Click to expand...

Mine are 6000k color temp. Those look like they are around 3500k. I should have probably looked for those - they look more incandescent and warm.

Thanks all.
 
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