Installing High-Mount Brake Light

[Erebus]

On the topic of compliance if I change my DRLs from being my low beams to the white park lights on the front are there any issues? I have seen a park type of light used on other vehicles.

Parking lights are very low power. What you've seen is probably more like turn signal.

Green1 and I have done our DRLs as not-quite the parking lights. On the Delica, the parking light is a single filament bulb. We changed that for a dual "filament" 1057 LED, changed the base for a dual contact, and wired it so that as DRL the bright "turn signal" filament illuminates. When you turn your headlights on, it goes to the normal "parking" filament. We've also added relay so that applying the parking brake turns the DRL off.

Check Green1's posting at http://www.delica.ca/forum/drl-the-hard-way-1045.html for details and wiring diagram for his (mine is slightly different)

Get the brightest LEDs you can find. Mine are only about 9 LEDs and aren't that bright -- 200 metres away in daylight they are pretty much invisible. Going to have to do something about that. Not sure what, if anything, the law says about how bright the DRLs have to be, or what beam pattern.

I wouldn't recommend using incandescent bulbs for heat reasons. A turn signal is on only 1/2 the time, and usually only for short periods of time. Whereas DRLs can be on for hours at a time. Suspect that would melt the plastic housing. That's why we went with LEDs, but then you get the issue of they illuminate straight forward, and the reflector at the back of the light assembly does nothing.

I'm thinking of adding some small "driving" lights, mount them on the bull bar and add them to the circuit. That's because I want to be seen, more that worrying about compliance.

Another reason for not using the lowbeams is that, when some guy in front of you at night doesn't have his lights on, now you can flash your lights on/off. And the same when a truck passes you. If the DRLs are your lowbeams, you can't. (Had that issue on my Caprice with automatic headlights -- when dark it was impossible to turn off the headlights.)

Just my 2.5 cents (U.S., 2 cents Cdn)

[EnviroImports.com]

Well , the last I checked, you could make it your marker lights, I believe thats its Prefered that you use the low beam, but last I checked you could use the markers.
but also your relay should be able to take 12V

[Schwa]

These are pretty bright, but they make brighter ones for other applications... http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=1 ... no=TLE-12W

ah... this place has the 3W version: http://superbrightleds.com/1157.htm

[Erebus]

These are pretty bright, but they make brighter ones for other applications... http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=1 ... no=TLE-12W

Notice they have a choice of "wide" or "narrow" viewing angle. Probably would want wide for DRL applications. Too bad the white ones mostly only come in narrow unless you go with 1156s and not have any parking lights, only bright ones.

Ah, found they do have a bright, wide angle 1157: the 1157-WLX3 bulb. 130 degree viewing angle. $25 each, so $50 for a set. And that's US, wonder what they are here.

ah... this place has the 3W version: http://superbrightleds.com/1157.htm

Note that "The V-Star1 is not DOT approved." Not that most normal bulbs are marked as DOT approved.

[DelicaMark]

I'll have to check these out. My main goal is not to have so much current running through the relay as is the case with running the low beams all the time. The super bright leds seem like a good solution that would not draw much current and still be visible. The main issue I see is figuring out how my low beam wiring has been altered to make them work as DRLs...

Thanks for the input!

[Green1]

If you look at vehicles that use parking lights as DRL you'll notice that they are on brighter for DRL than they are for parking lights, meaning you need to replace the bulb that's in there with a dual-filament one (like you have for tail/brake lights) and wire the "bright" filament as DRL, also note that by law the DRLs must turn off when the headlights are on, (or in the case of parking lights, dim back to parking brightness)
This is exactly what I am doing... as for legality... I *THINK* that what I am doing is fully legal, but I haven't got an official answer...

As Ruminante pointed out earlier here's more info on exactly what I did:
http://www.delica.ca/forum/drl-the-hard-way-1045.html

The LED bulbs I bought were from partsource and they're quite visible from a distance, as for viewing angle... DRLs are only needed to the front, I'd say narrow viewing angle is perfectly ok.... one thing that does help though with LEDs because they don't "fill" the housing as much as incandescents it's nice to have as physically large as possible so as to look larger from a distance (mine flare out a fair ways from the base)

[JMK]

I was a bit confused about the legal status of the high mount brake light in ALberta so did a bit of digging that was helped by another post that was either here or in the IVOAC forum by one of the regular members. As mentioned above, the regulations are province specific. In Alberta, compliance issues are covered in the Traffic Safety Act under Reg 322/2002, "Vehicle Equipment Regulation".Although this regulation appears to indicate you do not need a high mount stop lamp, the "Inspection Methods and Standards Manual" states that you need this as well as other items:



Hope this helps.

[Erebus]

Traffic Safety Act under Reg 322/2002, although this regulation appears to indicate you do not need a high mount stop lamp

Actually, the regulation seems to me to be very clear:

If [emphasis added] a motor vehicle has the following equipment or safety system installed by the manufacturer of that vehicle, the equipment or system must be maintained in good working order:
(a) an anti‑lock braking system;
(b) daytime running lamps;
(c) a centre high mounted brake lamp.

So if it has one, it must work. The rest of the regulation gives great detail of what is required and doe NOT mention daytime running lights or centre mounted brake lights. As I read that, none of our Delicas would require DRLs, although personally I think its a good idea. And I notice lots of North American-built vehicles that don't have DRLs. I presume they were brought in from the US (or just disabled by the owner). My importer said that the brake light wasn't needed, especially if registered as a truck, which mine is. But mine came with the centre light, so it was all moot. And we installed DRLs, regardless of the exact interpretation.

It might be an idea to print a copy of the regulation and keep it in the glove compartment to show a cop.

[Green1]

The problem is that the OOP inspection manual also forms part of the regulations, and it contradicts that stating that we need DRL if newer than 1990 (I think) and centre brake lights for cars around that same time, trucks much later...
I'm not at home right now so don't have a copy of the manual available, but I have it at home.

[shuggyss]

If anyone needs center brake light, have a look at Princess Auto in Coquitlam. $8.99, brand new in the packet. Cheers

Desmond