Guys,
I drive to work on a 2-lane road with areas of shade and sun. The blue Fiero has black trim and is hard for others to see when in the shade. Before I have a head-on collision, I think it would be wise to install some driving or fog lights. I would like to wire the lights up so that they will turn off when I shut down the engine. Any suggestions about which circuit to tie into? I do not have a rear defogger, so I am thinking about using that circuit - the only problem is that the defogger has a timed relay. Suggestions???

TIA, Jimmy

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1987 coupe; Blue; 2.5L; 5spd

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/F.../HTML/127667.html#p6

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)

Really kinda thinking about daytime running lights rather than fog or driving lights. Just want some lights to give a visual cue to approaching cars. I would prefer to have the lights on when the headlights are stowed.

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1987 coupe; Blue; 2.5L; 5spd

quote Originally posted by Macarchie: Really kinda thinking about daytime running lights rather than fog or driving lights. Just want some lights to give a visual cue to approaching cars. I would prefer to have the lights on when the headlights are stowed.

Could you just turn on your parking lights when you drive that stretch? That is what I do when it is gloomy but not dark enough to pop up the headlights

If possible Ide have,front and rear (brake), running lights. I have an article buried on my computer somewhere,that says, day time running lights reduce front end colisions by 17%.

Sections of this road have high contrast between bright sunshine and dark shade... I would be more comfortable with higher intensity lights, under these conditions, I don't think the parking lights are bright enough.

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1987 coupe; Blue; 2.5L; 5spd

quote Originally posted by Macarchie: Really kinda thinking about daytime running lights rather than fog or driving lights. Just want some lights to give a visual cue to approaching cars. I would prefer to have the lights on when the headlights are stowed.

Most areas is illegal to fog/driving lights w/o low beam HL on.
Running only park light when driving is a ticket magnet in most areas too.

Your goal is Daytime running lamp (DRL)...
Running DRL on old cars might be good but you need to install the "lights"/whatever that won't confuse others drivers or Cops.
(FMVSS 571.108 covers DRL. Reading DRL section might help to explain DRL works.)

Example:
Many Fiero owners have DRL on same turn/park light or very close to turn/park bulb.
Problem is DRL can confuse other drivers because DRL may hide the Turn bulb when turn in on. IE others drivers can't see turn signal and cops can stop you for that.

To stop that... Many new cars and some aftermarket modules/etc DRL will shutoff on the side when turn signal is active.

Also DRL should shutoff when HL are on.

MANY have reports running Turn bulb as DRL has problems from heat generated by normal bulbs Even when done by factory. GM and others has TSB that covers DRL problems.
LEDs may help but too many ways to do that...

Many people hate DRL...
www.lightsout.org
8 Reasons To Oppose Daytime Running Lights motorists.org

One reason is Lights can hide things...
Diffused lighting camouflage Wiki
Google: diffused lighting camouflage

I run H3-style amber LEDs in a pair of standard aftermarket driving light housings, tucked in the front valance. They are not super bright but I do think they help for visibility. I have them running directly off of a +12v line from the window wiper motor, powered whenever the car is in RUN. The amperage of the LEDs are low enough I am not worried about running them direct, without a relay. I still have an inline fuse for them though.

If you want full brightness halogen DRLs, you could use the same +12v source as a trigger for a relay, and then run a dedicated +12v line to the battery to actually power the lights.

I've never had legal issues with running DRLs without low beams. Never gotten any tickets and i've been running with them for awhile. I'll post some pics when I get home.

My '05 Sierra has fog lights that can be used with or without the headlights. When I turn on the fogs, the parking / tail lights come on and the DRLs turn off. I would like to have the same setup on the Fiero.

I also thought about a string of those LEDs positioned under the chin... not sure if that would look right and not sure I want to spend that much money.

The simplest solution is just to turn on the headlights

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1987 coupe; Blue; 2.5L; 5spd

quote Originally posted by Macarchie: I think it would be wise to install some driving or fog lights. I would like to wire the lights up so that they will turn off when I shut down the engine. Any suggestions about which circuit to tie into?

Try this thread except that to get the lights to turn off with the engine off, you'll need to tap into a power source that's "Hot In Run". If you can't find one just post back here and I or someone else will guide you: www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/127667.html

[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 08-31-2013).]

I run some bright blue lights installed in the GT grill opening. Since they are LED and don't require much power I tied them into the trunk light circuit. They are on when the park lights are turned on.
My B In L was in front of me once and thought it was a cop following him from a distance since they are a little bluer then the blue tinted headlights LOL...

Legal? not sure. Not been stopped in three years so far...

[This message has been edited by Dodgerunner (edited 08-31-2013).]

I had driving lights on my old GT. I had a toggle switch mounted on the backside of the instrument pod. Not the greatest spot as I left them on more than once!