Daytime LED Running Lights

[bootymac]

Maybe a law for the manufacturers and not so much enforced on the driver?

Yup. They're required but not really enforced. Regardless, it's still illegal and a safety concern so I'd rather keep the DRLs. I'll be rewiring and enabling my own GTI's DRLs now that I can use a different bulb

[~tc~]

Makes far more sense just to defeat them, I hate the whole idea.

I've never understood this sentiment.

[licenseTOill]

Can anybody provide me with a wiring diagram pertaining to this topic or tell me where to get it. I work with a guy that thinks he can easily figure out the cause and a solution to the high/low voltage DRL. He works for the company I work for part time but his day job is all about electrical components. He also told me if I i show him a wiring diagram that he could figure it out easily and quickly.

So....Wiring diagram please!!!

[bootymac]

I've found the diagrams for the headlight circuit and attached them. Diagram 2 seems more detailed but both work. I also attached the circuit for the front position lights.

It looks like the white/blue and white/red wires from the DRL control module (E254) is what we're looking for. Fuse 21 and 22 are for the DRL control module circuit (right and left, respectively) in Relay Box No 1. The DRL control module is under the left side of the dash

Here's some background info about the DRL system:

DRL System
- The DRL system consists of the DRL control module, BCM, lighting switch, taillights, clearance light, license plate light and headlights.
- When the keyless push start system ignition mode ischanged to "ON" with the engine running and the lighting switch is set to "OFF", the DRL control module causes the headlight high beams to light at dimmed brightness.
- The DRL control module uses a reduced duty cycle to dim the headlight high beams.

[bootymac]

At this point I'm not really sure how to rewire the position lights as the DRL while maintaining high beam functionality. It appears that power to the high beams goes through the DRL control module, which regulates the voltage for DRL or high beam use. If the blu/blk and red/yel wires are rewired, then the high beam bulbs won't receive any power?

Hopefully you can find out how it was achieved on your Kizashi

[Woodie]

Makes far more sense just to defeat them, I hate the whole idea.

I've never understood this sentiment.

I hate anyone telling me what I should do "for my own good" or "for the children". I'm quite intelligent and very capable of deciding when I need headlights, thank you very much. No, someone who thinks they know better has decided that I should waste gas and burn out my lightbulbs on a bright sunny day.

[~tc~]

Ok, I'm with you on the "nanny state" regulation, but DRL actually DO make it easier to see cars in just about every weather condition. I would rather have government regulating things like DRL that add little/no cost/complexity than, say, back up cameras.

... And waste gas? Really?

As for the burning out headlights, I actually have had a low beam burn out, but not a DRL/high beam. I do wish they had used this marker light instead of the high beam, as you can't use Silverstars or any of the other high output halogens at the reduced DRL voltage - so it greatly limits your options on the high beam bulbs, but that's a pretty minor quibble really.

[KuroNekko]

I do wish they had used this marker light instead of the high beam, as you can't use Silverstars or any of the other high output halogens at the reduced DRL voltage - so it greatly limits your options on the high beam bulbs, but that's a pretty minor quibble really.

The position light bulb, if that is what you mean by marker light, is useless as a DRL. It's too small and too low wattage as a functional DRL. It's even only 5W. It will not offer the kind of light output you need as a functional DRL in most daytime light conditions.

Also, what's the logic behind not being able to use Silverstars or other high output halogens? The high beam bulbs I had in before my LED conversions were IPF Super Low Beams which are a JDM high output bulb. They worked fine as DRLs and High beams. In fact, they made the DRLs brighter than standard halogens.

I also used to have Silverstars in my former Legacy wagon which used a 9007 headlight bulb (one bulb for both high and low) as the DRL. It worked fine and was a superior headlight bulb in low and high beam use.

As bootymac stated, the only issue is that DRLs will constantly use the filament so the high output bulb is more susceptible to burning out faster; a concern when these high output halogens already have a shorter lifespan than standard halogens. However, these high output bulbs work just fine at the lower wattage of the DRL mode.

[bootymac]

Using the position lights is a compromise between disabling the DRLs and using the stock high beam bulbs. My GTI uses the same W5W bulb and they're bright enough to be noticed compared to having no DRLs at all.

For my GTI, this mod is mostly to prolong the life of the low beam bulbs or if I swap to projectors and HIDs. For the Kizashi, it would be so that I can use better high beam bulbs without sacrificing their lifespan.

If this works out, I'll be switching my high beams to Osram Rallye 65w bulbs. 2100 lumens versus 1400!

[~tc~]

The high output bulbs like Silverstars are very sensitive to low voltages. They rely on generating enough heat to vaporize and redeposit on the filament. It general, if you see bad life in these bulbs, it's because your voltage is too low. Believe it or not, your experience would have been even longer life had you not been using them as DRL