so I fairly recently replaced my headlamp assemblies with aftermatket ones from specd tuning that use dual H1 bulbs for high beam and low beam independenty. My question therein is how would i got about wiring them up so that when i go from low beam to high beam my low beam will stay on providing better visability? any help is greatly appreciated. if this question has already been answered i do apologize and humbly request that i be pointed in the right direction.

 

I've got some spec ds in an old 92 hatch, H1 bulbs with led halos and running lights (LEDs on a separate switch). Installed em myself after the previous owners self install HIDs started to fail; this caused my combo switch to heat up and cooked the lubrication inside. (They had wired the led through the combo as well and I think this might have helped cook it)

After installation I was still getting allot of heat in my combo switch, had to remove it, clean up the contacts (they were very very dirty) and slap it back together. That cooled it off.

With what your trying to do, I would careful about wiring it though the combo switch. I don't think it can handle any "extra" juice ruining through it without heating up, especially if the contacts inside aren't clean as can be and smooth. (They are basically just tiny conductive plates that slide against each other to rout the power).
More than likely your gonna need a stand alone set of power wires ran to the low lights (not through the combo switch) with a pair of relays that picks up the voltage on both the low and high beam wire and flips on when it detects power. In my opinion that would be the safest way to wire it.
Though it does further complicate a very simple and reliable system and adds another "step" for failure if something goes wrong. (The relays failing)

Do not melt your combo switch. They are rare and hard to replace. (I got lucky and noticed mine was toasty, but could have totally lost it. Was gonna replace it but after seeing how rare they are I went with strip down and cleaning.)

I don't know if the wiring in my car is stock, last owners where a bit crazy and did some ridiculous things to the poor guy.
Nor am I a professional. Just have had some experience with wiring lights, and have taken apart the combo switch and know how it works. So take my advice with a grain of salt and research for yourself/read second opinions.

Good luck!

 

Thank you for the response. I figured i probably needed to run them off of a relay. My idea was to have the high beam be the trigger for the low beam. In all honesty I guess I really don't need to attempt this set up anymore as I have installed oem styled clear fog lights. They are bright enough to add light on to the road. I really have been putting off alligning the headlights. I was trying to figure this out since I was thinking about installing HIDs and im just worried that the current headlight wiring woud turn the hid off when switching to high beam.

 

Ya, that's why I went back to halogens. Original owners had low light only HIDs and every time I flipped my brights off to not blind people they where so dim (due to warm up time) that I couldn't see crap vs thier freaking OEM 2017+ LED light show jackwad lights.

You absolutely need to get those focused and aimed btw. Don't drive at night with un aimed headlights unless you just really really want a head on collision. + It's a dick move.

It's those who don't bother aiming thier lights and using the right projectors that got LED aftermarkets banned in the usa. I'm honestly sick of paying for other people's mistakes.

A good quality set of halogen bulbs is plenty of light. The main issue with them is bulb lifespan. (there are companies that produce LEDs that are designed specifically to work with halogen projectors. But lazy bungholes buy the cheapest/brightest ones they can get and toss them in reflector housings and have gotten all non OEM LEDs banned.)

HIDs are a bit overkill. Plus the warm-up time is not worth it in a car that isn't set up for having both lights on at once. (And in some states the bluish color of HIDs is an excuse for cops to pull you over.)

Srry, vented a little there .... Don't dick around with headlights. Be a responsible adult. I'm begging you.

Still, wish you all the luck with your system!

 

I completely understand where you're coming from. Luckily I'm in NC where they don't care too much but I'm trying to get the car to where I'm happy with it. If I can manage to stay up tonight I'm probably going to align the headlights. I've been driving the work truck until recently (quarantine due to wife and son catching covid) so I've been showing "Panda" (cars name lol) some love.