hobson Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I've been doing something dangerous tonight; thinking. i have two Wipac 55w spots on the A-bar, which i have wired to the battery (via a relay) rather than to the high beam, as i can't see the point in having both on as i get better visibility with just the spots. the problem with this is that i have them wired to a switch on the centre dash panel, meaning i have to reach over to turn them on/off when cars are oncoming, fine when i'm on a field or little used road, but not so great when on a busier road. so i've had an idea: seeing as i have a Mountney type steering wheel, could i use one of the holes to mount an on/off switch for the spots? which would then be easily activated by my thumb. obviousley i don't want it too close to the rim, and it'll probably need some type of warning light to let me know when the spots are on, but i think it's do-able. any input and ideas please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Thats the reason I like the way mine are on with main beam, means I can't forget to switch them off/dazzle people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 spots aka driving lights IIRC can only be used with normal main beam headlights & must be switched off with them when the main beam is dipped, no chance of any forgetfull dazzling of oncoming traffic then. found this extract ---------- ..."driving lights" must be wired so that they go off using the same switch as your obligatory main beams.(Schedule 5, Parts I and II of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989) and... ...fog lights must only be used in conditions of seriously reduced visibility, and mustn't dazzle. (Regulation 27(2) of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989) on this forum ---------- http://www.ukpoliceonline.co.uk/index.php?/topic/26246-fogdriving-lights/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Range Rover Blues Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I agree, but to answer the original question you would need a rotasry coupler for the wiring, a car with cruise control would have one. You can use a lop of wire but it may become trapped and I wouldn't want to risk my steering control. You could look for a long stalk lever switch and mount it in the column shroud, that way you can reach it with your finger tip like the dip switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crwoody Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Or you could wire the spot light relay feed from the main beam switch in the normal way and then fit a seperate dash mounted switch to turn off just the main beam headlights when you don't want them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 I agree, but to answer the original question you would need a rotasry coupler for the wiring, a car with cruise control would have one. You can use a lop of wire but it may become trapped and I wouldn't want to risk my steering control. You could look for a long stalk lever switch and mount it in the column shroud, that way you can reach it with your finger tip like the dip switch. or use a curly cable -- this sort of thing, they are used in WRC rallycars for steering wheel switches. & as these cars must be road legal in various countries inc UK, it shouldn't case a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmannnn Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Although rally cars have super quick steering, none of that 3.5 turns lock to lock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 Thanks for the replies so far, i was thinking that i might be able to wire the switch through the centre of the wheel as it already has wiring through the centre for the horn, which isn't used... i like the idea of having it mounted on the existing lever, but i'd rather keep the original wiring and new stuff seperate as it'll make it easier to fault find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zim Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 You say that the spots on are more use than the main beam.... but what's the disadvantage of having both on ? Meaning you wire the spots relay from the main beam, so they go off when you go to dipped beam. This is a law back home that they have to switch off when going off main. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeSheds Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 I have a 3 position switch wired in so that: In position 1 the driving lights come on and go off with the main beam In position 2 they are off all the time and In position 3 they are on all the time (with a warning lamp next to the switch). One thing I do wonder about the original post though, is how you "get better visibility with just the spots." - surely it has to be better with both spots and main beam on? I have my driving lights set so they go beyond normal main beam but main still does a lot of useful work filling in the bit closer than the driving lights light up... If you see what I mean... HTH Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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