some lighting questions...... front aux lights, I've seen 100w and 130w spot/driving lights advertised as not for road use, I was under the impression that you could wire-up 100w lights with the main beam legally, is this the case? or is there some kind of legal restriction on the number or wattage of aux lights for road use? (I'm thinking about a bonnet-mounted light pod from QT).
If I get around to fitting lights on the roof can these be wired to main beam also?
rear light, I have a 55w halogen floodlight (I may see if it'll be happy with a
100w bulb), can I wire this (through a relay) to the reverse lamp ? and does it matter where I mount it? (I was thinking about mounting it high).
On or around Sat, 22 Jan 2005 10:25:54 +0000, Mr.Nice. enlightened us thusly:
Keep looking at this. The road vehicles (lighting) regulations and C&U are inconclusive on the subject - more recent vehicles should have approved lights and that includes bulbs, and the 100W ones are not approved.
Mind, I don't really see what 100W or more bulbs gain you - fitting 2 55W spots on my disco gives more than enough light for road driving at night. If I wanted to be off roading at night, I'd probably fit 2 more, aimed divergent so as to illuminate sideways and fairly low.
Reversing lights are not allowed to be more than 24W ISTR, except that you're allowed a "work light" of higher output. Provided you put it on a separate switch with a warning light, then you can claim it's not a reversing light. Having it come on automatically is norty. I'd tend to use a fog lamp as a reversing one, for it's wider spread of beam, or a workight which diffuses.
No. Maximum wattage for an auxillary driving light is 60w, also for Main Beam. Maximum wattage for Dipped is 55w.
Auxillary driving lights - I don't believe there is a limit on the number you can have, including the main beams. Maximum of two Dipped beam lights.
No. There is a maximum height for auxillary driving lights, IIRC 1.2m or similar. Lights mounted above this are not permitted for on-road use (and in some EU countries must, by law, be covered up when the vehicle is in use on road) Those trucks you see with 4 spots mounted on the roof are not permitted to use them on-road either.
No. Maximum wattage for reversing light is 25w. Besides, you'd have to leave the gearbox in reverse for it to work anyway. Also, the wiring to the reverse light down the car will not be of a suitable rating for a 55w or 100w load. A floodlight mounted on the rear can be fixed anywhere you like, as it is not permitted to be used on the road anyway.
I plan to use one of the QT light pods, 2 pointing forwards and the other 2 pointing to the sides for the corners, it's like driving into a black hole otherwise.
Some roof-mounted lights would be a help offroad as it's driving into dips and ditches of unknown depth that makes them useful. I've not decided how to do that yet as I don't want anything above the roofline.
I've got this floodlight which is a fairly wide spread so I may as well use it, I'll wire it up to it's own lightup switch, or similar.
I very much doubt that is the case, many of the trucks with 4 spotlights on come from abroad, and I have never seen them covered, and have never heard of a case of them being prosecuted. Can you quote any relevant law?
Isnt that the point of a reversing light?
He did say he was going to wire it through a relay.
Be careful, their pods are not all that good depending on how you mount the lights into them. If you fit spots with a single bolt fixing (like you'd bolt to a bumper) then the fibreglass flexes with the lights wobbling due to vibration and eventually delaminates and splits. The QT pod isn't really all that good as it restricts the light size you can fit. Best to make your own, fibreglass is fairly easy (if a little messy!) to work with and you can design something that can take 4 full size lamps. That's what I did for my
110, except I finished it off with 2 layers of carbon fibre and lacquered it instead of painting, but then I was working in a composite structures repair bay at the time which made life easier. Just make sure you wear a mask if sanding!
Not legal, too high, can't remember the figures off the top of my head I'm afraid.
Must be on a separate illuminated switch and called a work lamp.
No, but I have heard of it within the commercial world. The laws governing vehicles are exceedingly complex, and different depending on which country the vehicle is registered in. Take Sweden, with its Daytime Running Lights, for example.
As for relevant laws, I'm not an expert, but laws differ between countries within the law. IIRC is a requirement to carry snow chains at all times in Germany (i'm pretty sure it's germany), but how many people bother? It is a legal requirement to carry a warning triangle in many EU countries, but again - who bothers? One or two of the EU countries make it a legal requirement for those who wear corrective lenses to have a spare pair in the car. It is compulsory in Greece to carry a fire extinguisher.
Just because people don't get prosecuted doesn't mean the law isn't there.
On or around Sat, 22 Jan 2005 14:04:45 GMT, Alex enlightened us thusly:
I suspect that main-beam-only lights can be pretty much anywhere. Dip beams must be between 0.5 and 1.2m from the ground.
This one needs putting int he FAQ along with the thing about tyre sizes and pressures...
excerpts form RVLR 1989: [my comments in square brackets]
schedule 5 [regulations pertaining to obligatory main beams]
Position-
(a) Longitudinal: No requirement
(b) Lateral- :-
(i) Where two mainbeam headlamps are required to be fitted- :-
(A) Maximum distance from the side of the vehicle: The outer edges of the illuminated areas must in no case be closer to the side of the vehicle than the outer edges of the illuminated areas of the obligatory dippedbeam headlamps.
(B) Maximum separation distance between a pair of mainbeam head-lamps:No requirement
[no vertical position requirement - see bottom of posting for the dip beam position regulation]
Markings-
(a) Any vehicle not covered by subparagraph (b), (c) or (d): An approval mark or a British Standard mark
(b) A motor vehicle first used before 1st April 1986: No requirement
[approval marks - mostly E marks]
Colour
White or yellow
Electrical connections-
(a) Every mainbeam headlamp shall be so constructed that the light emitted there- from- :-
(i) can be deflected at the will of the driver to become a dipped beam, or
(ii) can be extinguished by the operation of a device which at the same time either- :-
(A) causes the lamp to emit a dipped beam, or
(B) causes another lamp to emit a dipped beam.
(b) Where a matched pair of main-beam headlamps is fitted they shall be capable of being switched on and off simultaneously and not otherwise
Other requirements-
(a) Every mainbeam headlamp shall be so constructed that the direction of the beam of light emitted therefrom can be adjusted whilst the vehicle is stationary.
(b) Except in the case of a bus first used before 1st October 1969, where two mainbeam headlamps are required to be fitted they shall form a matched pair.
PART II REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO OPTIONAL MAIN-BEAM HEADLAMPS
Any number may be fitted and the only requirements prescribed by these Regulations in respect of any which are fitted are those specified in paragraphs 7, 10 and 12(a) of Part I and, in the case of a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st April 1991, paragraph 5 of Part 1.
Schedule 4 [obligatory dipped beams]
Position-
(a) Longitudinal: No requirement
(b) Lateral-
(i) Where two dippedbeam headlamps are required to be fitted- :-
(A) Maximum distance from the side of the vehicle-
(1) Any vehicle not covered by subparagraph (2) or (3): 400mm
(2) A vehicle first used before 1st January 1972: No requirement
(3) An agricultural vehicle, engineering plant and an industrial tractor: No requirement
(B) Minimum separation distance between a pair of dippedbeam headlamps: No requirement
(ii) Where one dippedbeam headlamp is required to be fitted-
(A) Any vehicle not covered by subparagraph (B): (i) On the cen-treline of the motor vehi-cle (disre-garding any sidecar form-ing part of a motor bicy-cle combina-tion), or (ii) At any dis-tance from the side of the motor vehicle (dis-regarding any sidecar forming part of a motorbicycle combina-tion) pro-vided that a duplicate lamp is fit-ted on the other side so that together they form a matched pair. In such a case, both lamps shall be regarded as obligatory lamps.
(B) A bus first used before 1st October 1969: No requirement
(c) Vertical-
(i) Maximum height above the ground- :-
(A) Any vehicle not covered by subparagraph (B): 1200mm
(B) A vehicle first used before 1st January 1952, an agricultural vehicle, a road clearance vehicle, an aerodrome fire tender, an aerodrome runway sweeper, an industrial tractor, engi-neering plant and a home forces vehicle: No requirement
(ii) Minimum height above the ground- :-
(A) Any vehicle not covered by subparagraph (B): 500mm
(B) A vehicle first used before 1st January 1956: No requirement
On or around Sat, 22 Jan 2005 18:00:32 +0000, Mr.Nice. enlightened us thusly:
see other post
yep. tsk. slapped wrist, or if you're unlucky, a ticket for something or other.
it'll be one of the things in C&U or somesuch place: "Used so as to be illuminated while the vehicle is in motion" or suchlike. There are a raft of such things, including the one that says it's illegal to use fog lights when it's not foggy...
I have a pair of (55W each) Hella fog lights mounted under the rear bumper. They're wired so that they supplement the standard (dim) reversing lights only if the lights are on, i.e. at night. The MOT testers have never batted an eyelid.
They did pass comment, but only a comment, on the fact that, when I have the rear fogs on, operating the hazard lights causes the fogs to flash out of phase to the hazards. But, boy, does it make following cars slow down in a hurry!
I do remove the bulbs from the rear side reflectors (RRC) before MOT tests tho'. They (about 5W IIRC) are each wired across the feeds to the tail light and indicator. Thus they come on simultaneously with either the indicator or tail light, using the 'off bulb' as a path to earth. But if I operate the indicators when the lights are on, the rear 'side' light flashes out of phase with the indicator! Useful when backing out of side roads (possibly!)
I don't know the specifics on this one either, but I have found various weird bits of law especially into Eastern Europe where things are yet to be fully integrated into the EU norms, so it's entirely possible.
For example in Poland, running lights (Scandinavian style) are required but only in winter.
The Austrians annoyed me the most with regulations, insisting on the removal of a Landie's tyre which was bonnet mounted. They almost tried to insist on the removal of the mounts, but thought better of it because there were enough of us to block several lanes of their toll post (at the Brenner Pass ;)
Thinking about it, Scania produce trucks with spotlights built into the sun visor, over the windscreen. If what you say is true, then one of the worlds biggest truck manufacturers is producing vehicles which have not been type approved, and which are illegal!
It's very well policed - by a quick flash on the 440 watts of main beam and aux lights on the front of my Defender most times I meet one of the pratts.
There is no maximum wattage stated for obligatory or optional main beam lamps it does however state that vehicles "first used after 1st April 1986" the bulbs must have an approval mark which is only on 60w bulbs BUT as yours is a 1984 LR then no problem
I had 100/130w in a 1984 Sierra can't say I noticed a big difference over 55/60w but if it was 4 x 130 extra I should imagine it would help
Ignore that bit. As Austin has posted there's no maximum height for optional main beam lights and when installing them fit an override switch so if you go abroad you can switch them off and just have normal main beam
On or around Mon, 24 Jan 2005 09:47:24 -0000, "Andy.Smalley" enlightened us thusly:
There's a point about wiring to consider. You're uprating the bulb to more'n twice the design power rating, and therefore you need more'n twice the current. Chances are none of the wiring, especially on a modern vehicle, is up to it, and you lose power as a result of resistive losses in the wire, the same may be true of the fuse and switch or relay. Quite honestly, I've found that fitting the extra-good-quality "50% brighter" Philips or other make bulbs makes almost as much difference, and is incidentally legal as well. 2 of them and a couple of 6"x55W spots makes more then enough light for road use. Off-road, I'd want at least another pair of spots, aimed relatively low and divergent, to light up the edges more.
It's been said of roof-mounted spots that they tend to "flatten" the terrain by removing the shadows from lumps and holes, and thus aren't as useful as you thought they would be. They do have the advantage of being above water level in deep wading, muddy water would make for a shortage of light if it covered the headlamps. I have seen a picture of a camel disco with half the roof lights under water, but I suspect that wasn't going according to plan, somehow.
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