Posted by Paul Cook on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 at 12:02PM :
In Reply to: Re: What Driving Lights on your Tow Vehicle posted by MoparNorm on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 at 9:53AM :
Thanks to MN, I can add a comment without seeming to be the old guy here. Actually, this is information I got while sitting on my father's knee. >) (That's the sign for tongue in cheek.)
HC Hilites and their imitators were sold in off-road or street legal versions.
The off-road version came in two types, spot and flood. The spot was a narrow beam with a "reflective" range of about a mile. The flood was a wide beam that fanned out equally to both sides and was very bright. It was not "street legal" because of its brightness and its fanning out onto the left - into approaching traffic. The flood also had a high angle of light needed for off-road use. These lights came with covers that were supposed to be in place whenever the vehicle was operated "on-road" as a matter of law in most states.
The so called "street legal" lights were advertised as fog, flood, or driving lights. Common to all was that they did not have a high angle or much fan to the left. The fogs had a definite height cutoff and had amber lenses. The floods had a slightly wider fan on the left and clear lenses. Driving lights had a relatively narrow beam but to be legal, they were lower intensity than their off-road cousins. The instructions told us to wire the flood and driving lights so they could only be used when the high beams were on. Properly wired, they used a relay activated by the high beam circuit to energize the hot wire to the added light switch.
There are many aftermarket lights available. My observations in various discount stores and chain auto parts stores is that most of the lights they carry are suited to a different demographic. They sell lights that are bought for the car to be seen with rather than for the driver to see with. They are closer to under car neons that they are to a light that a serious off-roader or rally driver would consider.
But, to avoid any lawsuits, the stores pass the buck to the USDOT and all these lights are DOT approved. DOT lights do not light up the roadsides and let you see deer. DOT lights do not light up the road ahead so you could see a fallen tree limb. DOT lights are so safe they can kill you.
SEMA and other lobbies have forced the broadening of DOT regulations. There are some better DOT lights coming into the market, but they are pricey.
Consider the brighter available headlight bulbs. Consider using off-road lights wired in so they only operate in conjunction with the high beams. Since it’s illegal to drive with high beams into approaching traffic, anyway, maybe you could get away with the “bad” lights.
Another light that is legal is a left-side spotlight. In most states, you can drive legally with one if it’s aimed at the right edge of the road and a specified maximum distance ahead. When there’s no oncoming traffic, you can re-aim it as needed.
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