[YELOTUS]

Has anyone thought about driving light install...keep looking at a pic (my desk top) of the Yelo Lotus sitting in the rocks and having driving lights...will dealers have as an accessory? or are we on our own..which is OK...then that leads to how to install lights themselves (of course what type of lights) and then location for cockpit switch...which leads to if dealer installed accessary what are they using for a switch? I assume car has not be prewired for driving lights.

Michael

 

[Randy Chase]

Unfortunately for some of us... the early cars were not built with the wiring harness for driving lights in them. Adding the harness would probably not be easy from what I see.

As I understand it, at some point, the future cars will be. It will be a factory option, not dealer. You will have to specify to your dealer at time of order that you want driving lights installed.

 

[Arno]

Unfortunately for some of us... the early cars were not built with the wiring harness for driving lights in them.

Really? Hmm.. They should be tucked away or tied up behind the front wheel arch liner and you have to feed them to the grille yourself through a little hole in the crash structure right at the top corner behind the grille.

Adding the harness would probably not be easy from what I see.

Actually it's very simple if you keep the way they operate the same as the euro-elises.

Remove the wheel arch liner at the front and just splice off the high beam cable from the headlight connector block and then run a short piece of wire to the grille.

That's it..

They don't have their own switch inside the passenger compartiment as they come on with the high beams.

Bye, Arno.

 

[Randy Chase]

Arno, someone at Lotus told me that these cars were not wired for it.

Having them come on with the high beams seems pointless to me. I feel the car could use better lighting for normal driving. It is fine with the high beams on.

 

[NtflBlueLiz]

PIAA makes a bunch of driving and fog light kits that come with everything needed to install. The wire harness that comes with these kits have a small switch with indicator light that can be velcroed to the cockpit. The kits cost around $ 250.00 and they are a pretty easy installation needing only to find a good spot to connect the positive and negative ends ( It would be nice if the Elise had a battery remote positive in the front of the car, the mini does have it) and the switch that cotrols the systems gets connected to the cars fuse box to any fuse that is powered when the ignition is on so that there is no danger of forgetting the lights on since they would eat the battery up pretty fast.. I installed one of these kits on my mini cooper than took it out when i sold it and installed in my wifes Jeep. Well worth it IMO.

 

[Stan]

>>Arno, someone at Lotus told me that these cars were not wired for it. <<

At a local dealer I heard one of the Lotus Reps talking to the Service folks about the driving light option. He said the wiring was there and that it's a simple install. Dunno which Lotus guy is right here. On BMWs, the fog lights turn off when you go to high beam...for driving lights I suppose it would be the other way around.

 

[Arno]

Having them come on with the high beams seems pointless to me. I feel the car could use better lighting for normal driving. It is fine with the high beams on.

That's simply how they work here in europe (hasn't changed from the S1, same situation)

I don't know the situation in the USA, but here in Europe the driving lights (because they are long-range lights and blind oncoming traffic) are by law not allowed to be switched separately and must either come on with the high beam *or* replace the high beam and be subject to the same regulations on proper use.

Foglights can be switched separately, although some countries only allow their use with the low beam at the same time (cars sold there are wired so they can only be used under these circumstances).

Bye, Arno.

 

[GabbaGabbaHey]

I wonder what the front grill costs with the cutouts. Any dealers care to chime in on this or if the wiring is in place in recent deliveries.

 

[YELOTUS]

Well..tomorrow I look for the answer>>>

up the car goes on lift and off go the front wheels and then off with the front wheel well covers...if they (wiring) are there I will find and post pics...

 

[Arno]

I wonder what the front grill costs with the cutouts.

No need to get a new grille. People usually simply cut the original one to make space for the lights.

Much cheaper and looks exactly the same

Bye, Arno.

 

[YELOTUS]

Well... completed front wheel well liner removals>>

Inspected both front wheel wells and area behind front grille and alas no wiring harness for driving lights...but this shall not stop me from installing such..now need to ponder details...

 

[mact3333]

driving lights seem pointless to me also...if they come on with highbeams, what would that do??...when highs on, it illuminates the road near and far and nothing else needed...what we need is better lighting with low beams on...the only REAL choice is retrofitting HID's IMO...will work well all the time w/out blinding people if done right...if Galpin would get me my damn car, I will try this first!...

 

[YELOTUS]

I plan to switch separate from headlights>>

Switching separately will give extra option on lighting and have no interest in tying into regular headlights switching.

 

[wstrohm]

This discussion reminds me of one of Lucas Electric's famous slogans... "Get Home Before Dark." (Kidding, folks... but now you know why Lotus needed a DOT waiver.)

 

[tonykomo]

I upgraded to HID lights and it's much better. I have driving lights too but they're shite because as stated they only work on main beam. HID is the best investment. Got mine from http://www.elise-shop.com/

Definitely worth the money.

 

[YELOTUS]

Tony... good site>>

HID set up is interesting..

 

[NtflBlueLiz]

I'm going to buy one of the PIAA driving light kits and install them independently of the high beams in my car. In order to do the best job possible I wonder if I could bother one of our overseas friends who has a car with driving lights installed to take a picture or describe how the driving lights attach to the car and also what is the diameter of the driving lights. The installation should be fairly simple once I know this info. I'll post pics of the install for other Elise talkers who might be inclined to do a little DYI.