driving with off road lights on

i posted this in another section but no one seems to know....i figured some guys are from MA...can i drive with my headlights on and my off road lights that are the same height as my regular head lights....is it against the law...i tried to read up but i cant seem to find anything :read:

any info would be great



this is where the lights are at!!!aperwork

i don't think you're legally supposed to be driving with them on in regular conditions, only fog...but i see many many people daily doing it anyways. i'd just make sure they're aimed down and below the headlights.

you could always ask a local LEO and see what they have to say.

o ok...yea mine are pointed down about 20 ft infront of the car...i will ask the lady that rund the local driving school!!!

I had some PIAA 520s in amber fog and I drove around with them on a lot fo the time never really realizing how bad it was untill my buddy took my jeep and I was in his car and he aimed at me...Please dont do it its bad and by coincidence he got pulled over for them that night IN MY JEEP!!:flamemadolice man gave me a warning and I never rode with them on again..problem with PIAAs is that you dont have to take the little grill gaurd off to use them atleast with yours, you have the cap to save you from blinding folks

Andrew

ok cool..ill check the local laws...but for now i wont drive with them on....when i do use them i use them as a secondary high beams...they work better then my headlights

oh and I know you would never do this:rof:... but a friend of mine left his Hella 500s on WITH THE CAP ON!!..and it roasted the cap. looks like a melted candle pretty funny but dangerous

Andrew

yea i left the caps on once...i went to turn on the lights and nothing happened so i immediately checked the wiring because i had a bad wiring connection before, but then after ten minutes i smelled something, it was the caps starting to melt, but i caught it and they're fine now!!!oops>

bmyohn said:

yea i left the caps on once...i went to turn on the lights and nothing happened so i immediately checked the wiring because i had a bad wiring connection before, but then after ten minutes i smelled something, it was the caps starting to melt, but i caught it and they're fine now!!!oops>

Click to expand...

I hate the smell of burning plasticuke:

Andrew

Go to your local DMV branch, or your state's website, and peruse the vehicle code.

Here in CA, you can buy a printed copy - $5 for the asking. I get one every time I renew my license, and it's been money well spent. I've gotten out of a few tickets because something wasn't done right, or because the city/county/state wasn't in compliance with something, and been able to prove it (getting the tix thrown out.)

The Vehicle Code will also regulate how many lights you can put where, and the conditions in which you can use them - which also makes it useful for people like us. And lift laws, mud flaps, ...

5-90

The louvres keep the light from reflecting back in heavy rain and snow, and keep it out of oncoming drivers eyes.

Really the best on-road foglight there is.

I spoke to a local officer about auxilary lighting, and he told me that any auxilary lights need to be turned off when there is oncoming traffic.....including factory fog lights. People are rarely stopped for it, unless it is obviously too bright. Basically he said any lights other than headlights and parking/running lights should only be used when there are no other vehicles in your path. I was also told that there is a height restriction of 72" for auxilary lights. That is something to keep in mind when adding roof lights and lifting a vehicle.

Safest thing to do is keep any offroad lights covered when on the roads.

all good info so far. a few things to add, i do believe the brightest legal aux light is 55 watts. and if they are used on the street they need to be wired with the headlight switch so they do not operate with hi beams and are only used in weather that requires them. all technical stuff that they dont check but thats how its 'spoda be.

Actually the laws vary quite a bit from state to state. For example Michigan

257.696 Spot lamps; fog lamps.

Sec. 696.
(a) A motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than 2 spot lamps, except that a motorcycle shall not be equipped with more than 1 spot lamp, and every lighted spot lamp shall be so aimed and used upon approaching another vehicle that no part of the beam will be directed into the eyes of the approaching driver. Spot lamps may not emit other than either a white or amber light.
(b) A motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than 2 fog lamps mounted on the front at a height of not less than 12 inches nor more than 30 inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands, which fog lamps shall be so aimed that when the vehicle is not loaded none of the high-intensity portion of the light to the left of the center of the vehicle shall at a distance of 25 feet ahead project higher than a level 4 inches below the level of the center of the lamp from which it comes. Lighted fog lamps meeting the requirements of this subsection may be used with lower head-lamp beams.

257.700 Multiple-beam road lighting equipment; oncoming traffic; intensity.

Sec. 700.
(a) Whenever a motor vehicle is being operated on a highway or shoulder adjacent thereto during the times specified in section 684, the driver shall use a distribution of light, or composite beam, directed high enough and of sufficient intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a safe distance in advance of the vehicle, subject to the following requirements and limitations:
(b) Whenever the driver of a vehicle approaches an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, such driver shall use a distribution of light or composite beam so aimed that the glaring rays are not projected into the eyes of the oncoming driver.
The lowermost distribution of light, specified in section 699 paragraph (c), shall be deemed to avoid glare at all times regardless of road contour and loading.

sidriptide said:

all good info so far. a few things to add, i do believe the brightest legal aux light is 55 watts. and if they are used on the street they need to be wired with the headlight switch so they do not operate with hi beams and are only used in weather that requires them. all technical stuff that they dont check but thats how its 'spoda be.

Click to expand...

Some 55w lights are not legal though because In the case of PIAA they are 55w H something or other Ion crystal. Basically they are a lot brighter then my Hella 500 55w and I know they are illegal because I got a warning with them:doh:

Andrew

I had a ig:trooperig: warn me about my aux lights on my Ram. I ask him to show me in the MCL where they are illegal.

He couldn't.:moon:

i actually spoke with a town cop that was eating in a pizza joint in town...i told him about my situation and he said that they are considered fog lights no matter what height...they are supposed to give you a warning but they hardly ever do.. this was a MA police officer so i dont know about other states

I've got some KC 46 series with the Amber lenses on..people kept flashing their highbeams at me.. so I aimed them down abit and no more flashing at me..I've driven by local PD and County PD with the Amber's on without problems. I only use my KC long range light's when no traffic is coming or infront of me. Once I had them on during the day and some guy flashed his light's at me haha suck's to drive the civic

that happened to me too....i pointed them down a bunch and no one has complained...if they do, o well....some guy with thoes bright blue ones flashed them at me, and i didnt care cuz i hate the bright blue lights ARGHH!!!

Depends on the lights, if they are say Hella 450 or 550 FOG lights mounted even or below the headlitghts and ADJUSTED correctly they are perfectly legal provided they go off with the high beams on, which to me is kind of stupid. Driving lights are a different story. Fogs have a range of 500ft, it's the cut of the lense, Driving lights on the other hand advertise 5,000 feet, same bulb, different lense and reflector design. Real fogs throw a wide close in pattern that lights up the sides of the road, they basically cover the arrea UNDER the headlights when setup correctly. Driving lights out shine the high beams and light up further out but don't throw a wide pattern.
BTW, I left my 550's turned on one morning by accident with the covers on. melted the covers and crazed the lenses, they fell apart and I replaced them with the 450's but very rarely put the covers on, I leave my fogs on whenever my headlights are on low beam.

Here's what Utah has to say.

H. AUXILIARY LIGHTING​

1. Check auxiliary lamps for proper mounting and aiming. Auxiliary lights
must be USDOT approved, mounted between 15" to 56" in height, have a
separate switch to operate, and may ONLY be white, yellow or amber in
color.
a.​