On my previous 2008 Honda Civic coupe has this feature when you press down the e-brake and then the highbeam side light up with low voltage. Looks pretty cool and I like it. I want to add it to my Ef hatch. How would I go around doing this? I do have some wiring experiences though. I've already searched and most of them are outdated or the links are broken.

 

most drls run it through a resistor to reduce the voltage...

but resistors get hot... so the easiest way is to run the highbeams in series when they are drls...

apparently this is how it was done in some saturns.

 

Right, its the same way with my 08 civic ex, it was on the high beam side instead of the low beam. So I want the same thing to be put on my 91 Civic hatch.

 

I thought you knew a little about wiring...

currently your lights are wired in parallel with the battery...

if you wire it in series, you are basically making the voltage from 12 to 6...
by running the lights at half the voltage, they will be dimmer, but still be "on"

to do that, the easiest way is to use relays...

set up the relays so that these states exist - independent of each other:

High beams on in series when ignition/accessory is on (grab this from the fuse box)
High beams on in parallel when you trigger it with the light stick
High beams off when low beams/parking lights are on.

more info on relays can be had at http://www.the12volt.com
there is also information about DC wiring: series vs parallel

as for how to do it...

you need at least 2 relays to switch the highs from parallel to series...

and i'm way to sleepy to think now...

 

I know a little bit, not too much. Relays setting up the is where I suck at. Would be nice if you made a diagram. Diagram is the only way and easier to understand, ya know what I mean? One part I understand when you said the relay will convert it from 12 volt to a 6 making it dim?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4DRmafia &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I know a little bit, not too much. Relays setting up the is where I suck at. Would be nice if you made a diagram. Diagram is the only way and easier to understand, ya know what I mean? One part I understand when you said the relay will convert it from 12 volt to a 6 making it dim?</TD></TR></TABLE>

While that will work (sending 6VDC to the high beams for partial brightness DRLs), I have heard that it can slowly damage the bulbs over time.

The aftermarket DRL circuits I have seen send a square wave, using pulse width modulation to control brightness. This is probably the best way to do it, with a complete plug in module.

That said, if I were to try to add DRLs to my car, I would first opt for the solution of 6VDC using relays and wiring the lights in series. Depending on if you wanted to preserve the "flash to pass" feature during the day would determine how you wire it up.

However, if you don't understand how relays work, or how to use them, then perhaps simply looking for a plug in module might be best. I know they exist, as when I once went searching on the net I found a nice selection ranging in price from $45 up to $250. (I'm so cheap that $45 made me start looking into using cheap Pep Boys relays instead.)

 

I'll see what I can find.

 

if u use the bulbs, they wear out...
using them at 6v vs 12v won't damage it... just add more wear...

its basically the same concept of using a dimmer on a bulb, reduce the voltage less light...

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actually after thinking about it, i came up with a solution that uses 5 SPDT relays.

3 SPDT relays to switch the lights from parallel to series

and 2 relays to control the 3 relays based on either highbeam or parking lights on...

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do i really recommend wiring 5 relays up together, just so you can get DRLs..
no, go look for a better way.