Adding driving lights possible

RK1975 · November 25, 2021

Hi all, another possible daft question. Is it possible / legal to fit driving lights to a CT and would it actually help? I've posted previously on difficulties I've had driving at night and so far nothing has worked (and my eyesight is fine). A friend suggested putting LED lights into the grille of the car and either have them wired up to headlamp circuit or have a separate switch fitted.

Having looked online, it seems that these are essentially daytime running lights which the CT has already. Part of me is thinking that it would work as the grille is very low to the ground and the lights won't dazzle other drivers. Anyone have any thoughts on this or tried it themselves? A concern is that my service and MOT is due in the next few weeks so I don't want to fit them and find it causing a failure. Any thoughts / comments appreciated.

adamhearn · November 25, 2021

What exactly are you trying to solve? Dipped beam reach/spread/positioning?

The CT has reasonable lights as standard.

RK1975 · November 26, 2021

The problem i'm having is difficulty seeing the road ahead at night. For the sake of argument, please accept that I've replaced my bulbs with the brightest and best money can buy, supposedly and they're adjusted properly. The lenses are super clear as is the windscreen. I'm looking away from oncoming traffic. I've tried adjusting height and position of drivers seat. I've tried night driving glasses. My optician has confirmed there's nothing wrong with my vision as has a consultant at the eye hospital.

The lights on the CT aren't as bright as many other cars, even cars of the same age or older. All I'm trying to do is see the road ahead of me a bit clearer with dazzling other road users.

So my question is can LED light bars be legally / practically fitted to the front grille and are they likely to ma e a difference?

Phil xxkr · November 26, 2021

23 minutes ago, RK1975 said:

The problem i'm having is difficulty seeing the road ahead at night. For the sake of argument, please accept that I've replaced my bulbs with the brightest and best money can buy, supposedly and they're adjusted properly. The lenses are super clear as is the windscreen. I'm looking away from oncoming traffic. I've tried adjusting height and position of drivers seat. I've tried night driving glasses. My optician has confirmed there's nothing wrong with my vision as has a consultant at the eye hospital.

The lights on the CT aren't as bright as many other cars, even cars of the same age or older. All I'm trying to do is see the road ahead of me a bit clearer with dazzling other road users.

So my question is can LED light bars be legally / practically fitted to the front grille and are they likely to ma e a difference?

Have a look at Hoya en-route lens, not cheap, but work for me 👍

adamhearn · November 26, 2021

2 hours ago, RK1975 said:

The problem i'm having is difficulty seeing the road ahead at night.

So my question is can LED light bars be legally / practically fitted to the front grille and are they likely to ma e a difference?

You have not specified what exactly is your difficulty so it's difficult to suggest options.

If it's reach then there are adjusters (in car or on headlight depending on spec).
If it's positioning then maybe the lights need adjustment resulting from accident damage/poor reinstallation?
If it's brightness then apart from changing the bulbs there's little than can be done. Bulb replacement is a minefield of marketing bull/illegal options.

Can you fit lights in the grille? No, I don't think the UK law allows that; I can't recall the specifics but you have to have front lights spaced apart. You also cannot use fog lights unless visibility is impaired [by fog].

Las Palmas · November 26, 2021

3 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

Hoya en-route lens

hoya en-route lens

Interesting.

Reduce glare from oncoming cars with a filter is possible, but having a filter extra in order to see more seems not very logic. The more filters the less light coming to your eyes, thus reducing vision.

Hoya make great filters for cameras in order to create effects, but beside that never heard of Hoya.

Oncoming cars with Xenon and LED can for most be not comfortable and after the popularity of SUVs with high placed lamps are more common.

What is shown here is what I would believe can be called marketing bull****. Top picture right shows more visibility and same time reducing red (brake?) light from car in front.

As lenses are not prescription, they should be possible to buy on-line, but have found no place selling the en-route lenses.

With regard to adding LED to a car that has not LED from factory many have answered that before: not recommended.

The CT models with LED light have fantastic light so I believe yours is with halogen.

That correct adjusted lamps are not blinding does not make installing LED in a car that does not have LED from factory legal. That the laws not always are logically made changes nothing.

Phil xxkr · November 26, 2021

16 minutes ago, Las Palmas said:

hoya en-route lens

Interesting.

Reduce glare from oncoming cars with a filter is possible, but having a filter extra in order to see more seems not very logic. The more filters the less light coming to your eyes, thus reducing vision.

Hoya make great filters for cameras in order to create effects, but beside that never heard of Hoya.

Oncoming cars with Xenon and LED can for most be not comfortable and after the popularity of SUVs with high placed lamps are more common.

What is shown here is what I would believe can be called marketing bull****. Top picture right shows more visibility and same time reducing red (brake?) light from car in front.

As lenses are not prescription, they should be possible to buy on-line, but have found no place selling the en-route lenses.

With regard to adding LED to a car that has not LED from factory many have answered that before: not recommended.

The CT models with LED light have fantastic light so I believe yours is with halogen.

That correct adjusted lamps are not blinding does not make installing LED in a car that does not have LED from factory legal. That the laws not always are logically made changes nothing.

Well John, you have not, as yet, suffered from cataracts otherwise you would know more light generally means for all practical purposes reduces your ability to see clearly. I have worn Hoya prescription lens for more than 30 years including en-route. If you didn't know that then that's myopia on your part. Or maybe you are long - sighted because you able to see from such a long distance the efficacy of the en-route lens 🤔

Las Palmas · November 26, 2021

44 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

Well John, you have not, as yet, suffered from cataracts otherwise you would know more light generally means for all practical purposes reduces your ability to see clearly. I have worn Hoya prescription lens for more than 30 years including en-route. If you didn't know that then that's myopia on your part. Or maybe you are long - sighted because you able to see from such a long distance the efficacy of the en-route lens 🤔

Not quite right.

I have had new lenses operated in about 20 years ago and now see perfect long distance and can still read without glasses. Getting approval from doctors every 5 years in order to renew driver's license.

RK1975 · November 26, 2021

4 hours ago, adamhearn said:

You have not specified what exactly is your difficulty so it's difficult to suggest options.

If it's reach then there are adjusters (in car or on headlight depending on spec).

If it's positioning then maybe the lights need adjustment resulting from accident damage/poor reinstallation?

If it's brightness then apart from changing the bulbs there's little than can be done. Bulb replacement is a minefield of marketing bull/illegal options.

Can you fit lights in the grille? No, I don't think the UK law allows that; I can't recall the specifics but you have to have front lights spaced apart. You also cannot use fog lights unless visibility is impaired [by fog].

Thanks for the reply. If I point my headlights down (position 5), I can see clearly a (very) short distance ahead of me but bugger all further afield. As I raise the position of the headlights, there is illumination further ahead but not so much (the headlights are properly aligned and positioned).

I'm aware of laws on fog lights (though do find the allowance of corner lights strange).

Just to give an idea, what I saw was something like this (but not the same) https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-accessories/styling-lights/ring-lyra-dual-function-led-day-%2F-night-lamp-242326.html.

I was hoping that they could be fitted on the lower part of the grille to illuminate the road better and not blind others.

Las Palmas · November 26, 2021

Does not look illegal to me.

adamhearn · November 28, 2021

On 11/26/2021 at 2:39 PM, RK1975 said:

Just to give an idea, what I saw was something like this (but not the same) https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-accessories/styling-lights/ring-lyra-dual-function-led-day-%2F-night-lamp-242326.html.

I was hoping that they could be fitted on the lower part of the grille to illuminate the road better and not blind others.

This provides positional information for DRLs:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/placement_requirements_for_retro

adamhearn · November 28, 2021

However, the following should be heeded:

Ideally retro-fitted DRL should be installed such that they activate automatically when the engine starts and switch off when headlamps are turned on. If this is not the case then you must ensure that you manually turn DRL off at night as they will cause dazzle and discomfort to others if used in low ambient lighting conditions.

Taken from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/daytime-running-lights/daytime-running-lights

NemesisUK · November 28, 2021

The MOT tester's manual also states that no more than two DRLs should fitted.

It also states that cars first registered before 2018 do not need to be inspected (wrt DRLs). I'd suggest getting professional advice before fitting extra DRLs, as opposed to additional driving lights, these should normally only come on when selecting main beam.

What does your insurance provider say? Might be prudent to get their take on adding lights?

ColinBarber · November 28, 2021

DRLs aren't going to help. They aren't designed to light the road, they are just there to make your vehicle visible to others and legally they have to dim when you switch on your main lights.

The best option would be to replace halogen headlights with HIDs or LED headlights - both types need to be self-levelling and have headlamp washers so to retrofit these legally is difficult.