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I want to hook up some driving lights on a 2001 dodge ram. They are going to be xenon lights. What I want to do is just turn them on for a second when someone won't turn there high beams on. My question is when do you need a light relay. I suppose it depends on the length of time they are turned on. Can you put a 100 watt xenon bulb in a 55 halogen's place. H-3 bulb. How do you know "ahead of time" before you burn the wiring up and maybe the pickup, if you need a relay or bigger wiring? Also, if you have driving lights and work lights on the back, with two different switches but a common hot, do you need two relays or just one.?

Reply to
Robin
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It's always good practice to use a switch or relay designed to handle that current continuously. A pair of 100 W bulbs will draw 200W/12V, or approximately 17A. You should use a relay rated to at least 20A. If you don't, you'll eventually burn up the relay or switch. I would use at least 14ga wire, preferrably 12. You could under-design for only short use, but it will invariable get left on longer.

Put in 2 relays. You can probably find a relay "can" that contains

2 sets in the same package. You can share the primary ground connections.

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Reply to
Jeff Deeney

You would want to use a relay to avoid burning out the control for a high power light. You can also use relays to allow more than one item to turn the light on.

You *might* be able to put a 100 watt bulb in place of a 55 watt, or you might burn out the housing or socket. Best bet is to buy a housing spec'd for a 100 watt bulb. You would definitely want a relay for 100 watts [or even 55 for that matter].

Then what you can do is drive these lights with whatever signal is available for running a driving light, plus pick the signal off your headlight flasher so that even if your lights are off, you can flash with these higher beams.

Kinda not thinking it is a particularly good idea to be flashing a 100 watt light bulb in someone's face. The only time you'd be doing this is when an oncoming driver is too drunk, sleepy, stupid, or just inattentive to pay attention to *their* lights. If you flash yours, you are likely gonna just wake them up and they will probably swerve, and perhaps right into you. At best you'd momentarily blind them and their accident would be on your conscience.

Perhaps fit a set of Hadley truck air horns instead, with a town/country switch. At least that way when you wake up the sleeping driver, they wouldn't be blinded.....and might be encouraged to take a break off the highway to clean their underwear.

Reply to
L0nD0t.$t0we11

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