Anyone who works on cars know how to do this?

[The Stigenator]

I occasionally drive late night on deserted streets and open highways and mountain climbs.

Sometimes in these situations the standard low beam doesnt help you cant seem much more than a few feet in the dark. High beam is great but its not that clear the light is all spread out and it hurts because you cant see pot holes or other things lying on the road that eaisly.

Therefore when I drive I sometimes pull the light switch to passing and somewhere in between both high beam and low beam light up - problem is you got to hold it there - its not easy while climbing hills. I have also found the point between switching between low beam and high beam it does the same,sure takes one finger off that lever but it doesnt stay long enough for me. Most of the time it stays about 3 minutes before it moves away.

What I was wondering is if I could wire a switch to activate both lamps (when I set it to parking lights or other wise) and that way I have best of both worlds.

If so what are the possible problems:

1. law?
2. life of the bulb?
3. anything else I forgot.

I know about running lights and fog lights, I have fog lights on teh BMW which is good but still its nice to have the option of doing this.

Any ideas?

 

[MI6]

Make sure your alt will be able to handle this siutation so that the battery isn't draining. I personaly would go with fog lights, look cooler and function great. There are switches taht will do it, and headlights that can be wired so that you can use your exsisting switch. I am not sure about the names or anything about wither of them but i know my brother (who is actuly the car guy) has talked about doing this kind of stuff.

 

[perry]

You can get some pencil beamed driving lights that should help out. They are basically a long thin beam of light; they don't spread out to light the sides of the road like normal headlights do. They look like the smaller fog lights on the market and you can mount them in an opening on your bumper. Piaa makes some really nice ones, like the 912 Stealth. Pricey at around $300, but well worth it if you do alot of night time driving.

Or get a couple of Hella rally lights and mount em on the front bumper. Those ones that are like 6" round. Crazeee light powa!

 

[The Stigenator]

I was considering those fog/driving lamps, but to put that on a 94 toyota tercel? a car that has almost 100,000 miles on it.

MI6, can you ask your bro if they would handle it.
The cars all stock.

Edit:
I should mention I am trying to run this car to the ground, so I can purchase a new car.

for what its worth, I am even considering to add a bigger air intake to increase HP so I can take those climbs faster.

 

[beer]

On top of your car mount a floodlight. Just bolt it down.

Then run it down your window and power it off your DC lighter adapter, I hope you don't draw too many amps though

Problem solved. Ideally if you wire the switch right too you cna sequence it like an ambulence and turn all the stoplight green too

 

[MI6]

First of all don't run the car to the ground. IF you do that it will be worth less. Sell it (on your own if you have the time) and go shopping for a new car. If you can't spend a lot try saturn's, cheap ford/chevy, somthing like that. I know that saturn's lights are pretty nice.
About your alt/battery situation. If your battery is low right now from driving around like that then it isn't een going to come close to working. If your not sure go driving in the counrty some night for an hour or so, if your battery meter is lower than before, not good.
i don't think the HP increase with a wider air intake will matter too much when asking for electricity. This is just me talking here. Take wiht a shaker of salt.

 

[The Stigenator]

well I just went down and checked the alt is working a full 14.1V out with all lights on and all elects on (including the boom box)
so amp is not a problem. (I had this checked by toyota on the last service it passed in flying colors).

As for running it to the ground I didnt mean that literllay, just to an extent that it will be man handled on the race tracks. personally I havent created dents on this car however other drivers have created small dents on the drivers side - nothing that a good hammer wont do, but I am too lazy to fix that. it isnt hurting performance.

One of the dents is above my front left wheel (from the drivers point of view from inside) and it looks like a bicycle hit it. Its a dent that showed up after parking it at the YMCA. Other is behind the driver door on the left side of the car, a small dent dont know what created that but it had a slight white paint on it. THis time it was parked at the Y too.. after that I startd to walk to the Y.

Umm..over the top lights sounds good.. only thing are they street legal to use? esp in california?