I'm new here, just purchased my 1st Ford ever back in March. Totally love it: 4x4 Supercrew F150 2002, red, leather, 5.4, etc. Great truck!

Now for my question. I see all the articles on how to run the fog lights with the high beams. Easy enough.

Has anyone hooked the low beams up to stay on with the high beams? That is what I'd love to do. I need instructions, any ideas?

 

I'm only asking this as a question.
Why would you want to do this?
I ask because it is not legal to do these things. Not even having stock driving lights on with hi-beams is legal. This is why the company has a seperate headlite detent to prevent this use.
I hope you have some mercy for an oncoming vehichles, if this in done on public roads.
I realize being illegal and doing it anyway are two different things.

 

Aside from the legality issue, anything is possible with a little time and ingenuity.

That being said, how much work are you willing to do? The way I see it from the schematics, it would involve more than just a simple splice.... you'd need a diode to prevent back-feeding from the low beams to the high beams if you even tried it that way, and I'm honestly not sure that the switch itself could feed the power to both sets of lights through a single contact, so you'd probably need to run a separate relay to feed the low beams when the high beams were on.... it's not impossible, but there would be more involved than a simple splice.

-Joe

 

The reason I wanted to do this is because on all of my Chevy's I have this mod where the lows & highs are on on high beam. It is much nicer at night. I do have mercy towards oncoming traffic because I never leave them on, I hate being high beamed myself. It is more of a safety thing to me on our country backroads around here - more light, better to see dangers that lie ahead. I was really pleased at how much light my other truck has on high beams with lows on, much much safer in my opinion.

 

That's completely understandable.... My comments weren't meant to discourage you, just my honest opinion on what's necessary to make it happen. With any luck, Thermo will be along soon to enlighten me.... he might have a better idear.

-Joe

 

Find a set of Sylvania Xenarcs (yeah, I know, easier said than done). The low beam HIDs are always on, and the high beams are just a halogen bulb that add to the HID when the high beams are on.

 

Has anyone checked out the LightForce 170mm lights? I'm asking because I want to install a set, but I would like to have them turn off when I use the dimmerswitch to go to low beam. Does anyone know if the daytime driving lights are run off the high beam or what? If anyone has experience in this setup, can I hook my LightForce lights to the lights or do I have to hook both red wires to the battery?

 

No hijacking allowed.

Try starting a new post.

.... and talk to Matt Adams about the LightForce lights.

www.mattstruck.com

-Joe

 

If you want some bright lights,have the high and low on at the same time.This is what I'll looking at to get (The BRITE Box) go to this site http://www.motorhaven.com/home.php?cat=43 and read adout it.Easy plug in install from what I read about it and at some time you've pulled your light swich back on low and saw how bright the road lit up.This setup keeps you from frying your system with both on.Check it out

 

It a matter of wiring in a relay to keep the lows on when you turn on the highs. If you wire a relay so it latches from the low beam power supply and then feeds from the parking light or the highs if they overlap enough.

 

:o
Sorry about the hi-jack. I thought this was an electrical systems topic. Thanks for the redirect.

 

I read somewhere someplace that having both filiments on at the same time causes too much heat and will destroy the plastic components of the headlight assembly

 

That may be the case in some vehicles.... but with the engine running and the vehicle moving, I doubt there would be any issues. I suppose it's possible though.... the ground is capable of carrying the load of both filiments, and that would be your worst-case heat generator.... Not sure.

-Joe

 

The ground is not the heat source problem in this scenario. It it both FILIMENTs being energized at the same time that creates too much heat. They are side by side in the same capsule. I did melt the housing in an Explorer that used the 9007 bulbs by hooking up for both on at the same time.

 

I haven't seen a biotch slap like that in a long time....