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    Rally lights and electrical stuff
- Roger Fairclough
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                22 Mar 2023 15:54                #248167
        by Roger Fairclough
    
    
            
            
            
            
            
                                
    
                                                
    
        Replied by Roger Fairclough on topic Rally lights and electrical stuff            
    
        Earth wire to a suitable earthing point. Best of all is the neg. post on the battery. Power to lights from a relay connected to the pos. on the battery via a suitable inline fuse. Earth on relay to suitable earth either battery or chassis.
Power to switch relay is your choice and depends on local requirements and the sort of lamps you ultimately buy but can be as simple as a spur from your main beam to a separate switch linked either through the ignition, the lighting circuit or from the battery.
Roger
    Power to switch relay is your choice and depends on local requirements and the sort of lamps you ultimately buy but can be as simple as a spur from your main beam to a separate switch linked either through the ignition, the lighting circuit or from the battery.
Roger
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                22 Mar 2023 20:05                #248179
        by Vandoni
    
    
            
            
            
            
            
                                
    
                                                
    
        Replied by Vandoni on topic Rally lights and electrical stuff            
    
        Ok thanks, I'll also have a friend that has studied this in high school help me, so I think we'll be able to do it    
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                23 Mar 2023 08:36         -  23 Mar 2023 09:45        #248184
        by Busta
    
    
    
            
            
            
            
                                
    
                                                
    
        Replied by Busta on topic Rally lights and electrical stuff            
    
        You probably already know this, but for reading terrain and driving fast you definitely want the light coming from below your eye line. Lights on the roof are no good for driving quickly.
The Jimny electrics are earth switched so Roger's advice on how to wire a relay will confuse things. Have a look in the wiki section for how to wire a relay on a Jimny.
Switches are available to fit the blanks beside the steering wheel. The ones I've used were Robinson K613 like this: www.rotatingelectrics.co.uk/products/on-...-1006g-robinson-k613
    The Jimny electrics are earth switched so Roger's advice on how to wire a relay will confuse things. Have a look in the wiki section for how to wire a relay on a Jimny.
Switches are available to fit the blanks beside the steering wheel. The ones I've used were Robinson K613 like this: www.rotatingelectrics.co.uk/products/on-...-1006g-robinson-k613
        Last edit: 23 Mar 2023 09:45  by Busta.            
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                23 Mar 2023 09:35                #248186
        by JKemo35
    
    
            
            
            
            
            
                                
    
                                                
    
        Replied by JKemo35 on topic Rally lights and electrical stuff            
    
        Completely dependent on where you live obviously, in the UK it is completely legal    
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- Roger Fairclough
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                23 Mar 2023 10:51                #248187
        by Roger Fairclough
    
    
            
            
            
            
            
                                
    
                                                
    
        Replied by Roger Fairclough on topic Rally lights and electrical stuff            
    
        A quick check on the web and Lazer lamps say the higher the lamp is mounted, the better. My only concern would be reflection of light off the bonnet. Maybe this is why rally cars quite often paint the bonnet matt black.
Roger
ps I didn't tell Vandoni how to wire the relay. I suggested he fit one as a relay can cope with 30 amps whilst the switches mentioned by Busta are rated at 20 amps.
    Roger
ps I didn't tell Vandoni how to wire the relay. I suggested he fit one as a relay can cope with 30 amps whilst the switches mentioned by Busta are rated at 20 amps.
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                23 Mar 2023 12:10                #248190
        by Busta
    
    
            
            
            
            
            
                                
    
                                                
    
        Replied by Busta on topic Rally lights and electrical stuff            
    
        A light source below your eye line casts visible shadows on uneven ground, highlighting high and low spots and making it easy to read the terrain when travelling at speed. Bright light from above your eye line has the opposite effect and "washes out" uneven ground, making the terrain much harder to read. You can verify this at night with a torch, holding it below and above your head and observing how the presence of shadows makes prominent things much more obvious. On a sandy beach and the effect is very clear. With the light source coming from above your eye line even large holes can be almost invisible.
So while lights on the roof are good for throwing light far and wide, for driving quickly your brightest lights should be low down on the front of the car.
The switch is an example of one that is the correct size to fit directly into the blank slots in the dash, which is what the OP is seeking. As well as having a switch, auxiliary driving lights should be wired so they come on with full beam, which is best done with a relay and therefore requires understanding how the standard lights are wired. Assuming Vandoni will be using LED lights, 20 amps would allow for the equivalent light output of around 40 standard headlight bulbs but if that's not sufficient then a second relay can be used so the load is not all passing through the switch. This doesn't remove the need to have a relay wired into the standard full beam circuit.
    So while lights on the roof are good for throwing light far and wide, for driving quickly your brightest lights should be low down on the front of the car.
The switch is an example of one that is the correct size to fit directly into the blank slots in the dash, which is what the OP is seeking. As well as having a switch, auxiliary driving lights should be wired so they come on with full beam, which is best done with a relay and therefore requires understanding how the standard lights are wired. Assuming Vandoni will be using LED lights, 20 amps would allow for the equivalent light output of around 40 standard headlight bulbs but if that's not sufficient then a second relay can be used so the load is not all passing through the switch. This doesn't remove the need to have a relay wired into the standard full beam circuit.
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