Daytime running lights on USA model?

My electronics shop was able to wire up two relays to mimic DRL functioning with my front foglights. Simple & effective.

 

I have seen DRL relay kits that were designed to give DRL function to headlights but a short Google session didn't turn one up. Might be worth a search for the OP.

 

There are after-market modules you can buy if you don't have a Prius with DRLs and want them. It's not a simple matter to rewire the car to Canadian spec. The module makes it fairly simple. You can choose which lamps you use for the DRL function. For example:
http://www.grote.com/product.php?product_number=44040

The US car doesn't have DRLs in any package. You can leave your lights on and they will go on and off with the car. They won't be true DRLs however. True DRLs will run dimmer than "standard" headlamps (the Canadian car uses the headlamps and runs them in series - not sure how they handle the LEDs). The tail-lamps are not used in DRL operation. Further, if you start the car with the parking brake on, the DRLs will stay off until you release the parking brake. Curiously, if you stop and put on the parking brake, the DRLs won't extinguish. Some other cars with DRLs will.

 

Just leave the headlights in the ON position and they will go off approx. 30 seconds after you turn off the power.

 

And if you do not like 30 seconds after you open a front door, the dealer can program 0 or 60 seconds.

 

However it has been reported elsewhere that if you turn your lights off and then back on after you have turned off your Prius, they will not shut off in 30 seconds or at all till the battery runs out of power.
I just leave 'em on all the time, using the dimmer switch to change the NAV system's day/nite display.

 

I turned mine on at the dealership when I bought it, and every 5000 miles during the oil change they turn them off, and I turn them on again for another 5000 miles.

I really prefer 0 seconds as it helps me never leave them on by accident.

 

I am building a circuit to add DRL's to my USA Prius II. The circuit requires 1 relay, power resistors, two diodes, ON/OFF switch, fuses, and connections into the fuse box under the hood. I have designed it to use the high beam headlights for the DRL's and run them at 70% of full voltage. When headlights are turned on, the DRL's will automatically turn off.

When I get it completed and tested, I will post the circuit design and the parts required. It's too bad that Toyota decided to go cheap on US built cars and not make DRL's as standard equipment in North America.

 

Or, you could go this route...

Fog Light/DRL Upgrade

 

Also the EU cars do not have DRL. But why do you want to dim the headlights for DRL usage? you don't save anything as you're using resitiors to burn the other 30%.

But why not simply using two relays (one for each side) and activate it when ign is on. The relays switch is parallel to the standard wiring and just connects the bulbs to the 12V source. When the light turns on normally the circuit is simply in parallel and doesn't do any bad. This causes to switch on the headlights all the time (that's how it works on our 2007 RAV4).

 

It's to avoid dazzle and is also a legal requirement of DRL's in most Countries - they have to be at a lower intensity.

Check out the following;

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lamp]Daytime running lamp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

This applies to additional lights only, not if you are using the standard headlights. Our RAV is programmed to turn the headlights on as soon ignition is on. This is also kind of DRL mode but without additonal lights. Additional DRL must go off or at least dim when headlights go on.

Btw, has anyone ever checked if the new Auris LED DRL fit the Prii in any way?

 

If the wiring was switched to series for DRL you would get half the brightness with half the power (approximately), and avoid the loss of the power resistor method. I think this would work for halogen bulbs.

 

Yes, you can wire the high beam headlamps in series so each gets half battery voltage. However, to do this you have to cut the ground wire to one of the high beam headlamps and cut the high side wire to the other high beam lamp. You then must wire in relays to put them in series. Apparenty this is done for some inexpensive OEM DRL setups. This does work, but the intensity is 50% and not 70%.

I have got the 70% intensity DRL's working today using dropping resistors. This was done without cutting any wires to the high beam headlamps. What you choose to do depends on how many relays and extra wires you want to run. I could design a pulse width modulated circuit using power MOSFETS to eliminate the dropping resistors. This approach will work and eliminate some power dissipation losses (about 25 watts), but adds the potential problem of EMI noise on the 12 volt buss. I decided not to mess with this.

 

Actually wiring the headlamps in series does NOT result in 50% reduction in intensity. ANY filament type bulb varies in intensity in a non-linear fashion. This is due to several factors, including the fact the resistance drops as the temperature of the filament rises. Also, the -human visible colour range- is only a small part of the actual colour range emitted by the bulb. At lower voltages (or power actually) most of the energy is in the infrared region. As the power is increased, more and more occurs in the human visible range.

So trying to predict what will result in an output of 70% is very difficult. I'd do it by making measurements, -then- designing a circuit. Or easier still, instead of re-inventing the device, just buy the module, as I posted above.

The second problem is that DRLs seen "in the field" do not turn on the tail-lamps, and will turn off the DRLs when the parking brake is applied. Whether you agree with this or not (I personally wish they would have the tail-lamps on with the way most people drive these days) without it you really don't have DRLs.

 

I use the parking lights...and turn the dash dimmer till it clicks they turn on and off automatically.

 

I am going to put Daytime Running Lights on my Prius V USA. I bought the LED bars that are available on Ebay for this purpose. The Audi's have these and I think they are really cool.

 

These LED bars/stripes are just not bright enough to be called DRL