Prius Daytime Running Lights

I think this is all a very interesting discussion. I am also a fan of DRL, as it improves visibility of oncoming vehicles. For now, I leave the headlights off (except at night or in rain) during summer, and I leave them on during winter (since my commutes tend to be close to sunrise and sunset in winter).

I wish my Prius had DRL, or at least auto-on headlights. Before the Prius, I drove a '96 Volvo which had always-on lights. The only things about the always-on that bothered me are that (1) it was all the lights, and replacing the dash lights was expensive and (2) there was no way to shut off the headlights while parked with the engine running. The only difference between the on and off positions on the headlight switch is that the dash lights were off when the switch was off. The funny thing is that the volvo-repair shop didn't believe me when I mentioned it to them .

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PA @ Nov 24 2006, 06:49 AM) [snapback]353668[/snapback]</div>

Glancing through all this info on PC can be overwhelming. Just found this thread on DRLs.

I am currently living in New Mexico but grew up on the East Coast. driving on the open roads out here is a new experience. DRLs are a definite plus for me to see the oncoming cars. I often go to see two of my children who live in Steamboat Springs Co. Six to 8 hours on open roads little or no shoulder. Speed limits vary from 55 to 70 mph and in the heat waves (mirage effect of sun on the black roads even in winter on clear days) it is hard to pick up oncoming cars at times (especially when passing a slow moving vehicle) so DRLs are appreciated.

Cy

 

My car insurance rates go down a few bucks when I tell them my cars have DRL.

At least they're convinced I'm less of a risk with DRLs, whether true or not.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ Dec 5 2006, 06:43 PM) [snapback]358181[/snapback]</div>

Have you ever noticed how many newer GM products with DRL's have at least one burned out? I suspect most folks just let them die and never replace them...and since there isn't any periodic test (at least in CA) that I'm aware of, it would take a fix-it ticket to force someone to replace a burned out DRL, right?

I don't know if I'd actually go so far as to "rely" on DRL's. Also, if I recall correctly, that 70's study also found that anything which differentiates a car from others helps safety...a possible conclusion being that once ALL cars have DRL's that factor is eliminated, and so are most reductions in the accident rate.

But then...the CHMSL has reduced the frequency of rear-end collisions, hasn't it...and most cars have those now...

Hmmmmm...

For me, I guess it comes down to issues of control: I'd like to be able to decide when the car lights come on and when they don't.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Dec 28 2006, 04:17 PM) [snapback]367793[/snapback]</div>

My 2000 GMC Sierra the DRL bulbs would last around 6 months. After replacing both sides twice, I said To Hell With It and left them burned out. Many Chevy/GMC trucks 1999-2006 I've noticed around here have at least one burned out DRL bulb, usually both are burned out

Like a lot of things on that POS, the idea looked nice and functioned correctly at first. And GM wonders why they are losing market share ...

 

FYI.
Daytime running lights are required on certain roads in Maryland. I have a 2007 Prius and I would prefer to have full function DRL without having to reset my NAV brightness and dashboard light intensity during the daytime whan I'm required to have my headlights on.

 

I recently purchased the Web Electric Product for my 2007 Prius. The original product did not work for the 2007, but they have a new product which I installed and it works great. The company gave fantastic service in finding the solution. Great to deal with!

 

I can't believe nobody has asked this question:

My Canadian Prius has DRL, and I see a lot of Prii from Michigan without them.

Which car can pulse and glide farther without discharging the battery pack? I kinda thought the Michigan cars could probably avoid recharging the pack for a longer time because they don't have to power the headlamps during the daytime.

 

Good question - I suspect that the overall draw may not be that significant on one car. But for consideration - how much gasoline could be saved if all the cars with DRLs had them shut off? I suspect that it would be quite a few barrels of oil a day. I am really surprised that a forum with Prius owners who mostly bought the car for gas mileage aren't concerned about the impact on the environment of the DRLs. I will be interested if anyone can estimate the gasoline saved - say 20% of the cars in NA have DRLs - each drives about 12K miles a year - at an avg. of 50 mph?

 

With all the Prius in LA, we'd be blinded if they all had the dreaded DRLs. I say, Thanks, Toyota! Its bad enough that almost all the SUVs have them on all the time!

 

If there were any way to convert the worthless fog lamps to DRLs, I would definitely buy it!

 

My owner's manual addresses the topic, "daytime running lights (if equipped)." So what's the truth? Is there a current model that has them? I expected my Package 5 to have everything except leather seats.

 

My Prius has DRLs, "Driver Regulated Lights". Its a switch on the left of the steering column. Turn it on and forget about it if you're into allthetime lights!

 

I would guess that the overall effect on mileage from having the headlights on is pretty low. If DRLs improve safety and reduce accidents, which I think is the accepted theory, then I'd say that's the 'impact' to be more concerned about.

 

I think the Mod forum has instructions on how to do this. It involves re-routing a couple of wires and a diode. The major hassle involved is taking the dash apart to get at the wires.

It's on my list of future mods.

 

Oh yeah, been there done that

 

Apparently there are some serious legal issues involving fog lamps being converted to DRL's. I found this thread when I went looking for the mod information you suggested. The second post is especially, ahem, illuminating.

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-modifications/44884-change-direction-my-lighting-mods.html

I'm staring down the barrel of a radar gun virtually every time I leave the house. I'll bet a cop would love to brag to his buddies that he nailed a Prius.

 

If I recall correctly, DRLs were the result of traffic studies that determined they would reduce the number of left-turn accidents. To that effect, I think they do increase one's visibility in traffic and personally have not objection to their use. I agree that it is unfortunate Toyota didn't implement them on the Prius - which could benefit most because it is such a small car.

Regarding motorcycles, I drive one and also feel DRLs could cause an inattentive driver to become complacent when recoginzing the difference between a motorcycle and auto. But it always comes down to the driver being as defensive as possible. To that end, don't get me started on cell phones.

 

We have a 2008 Prius Touring and just leave the lights in the on position all the time. No problems thus far. We logged over 12,000 miles so far. They are HID Lights BUT use a lot less energy/voltage.

 

Regarding energy usage - figure that the headlights are 55 watts each. That means that one is using 110 whrs when running with the lights. Which requires two little cars to be generated on the fuel consumption screen. If Toyota thinks that it is significant enough to show power generated in 50 watt increments, I would suspect that the gas consumed by DRLs over the life of the ca could be quite significant. Say 100,000 miles - 50 mph avg. Would be on the road for 2000 hours I think that the power required would be 100,000 watthours or 100 kilowatts!.