SC- 1st Gen (1992-2000)

94 sc400 cornering light mod question

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Old 04-15-12, 06:30 PM
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Maik04
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Default 94 sc400 cornering light mod question

So today my family mechanic was checking out my car, he's our neighbor. Well he was checking out my tranny since its rough and then asked me to turn on the fogs, he wanted to see how they looked and i explained how theyre not fogs, but cornering lights and he just made this face -__-

I explained how when the car is insured and I am driving it, i will do the cornering light to fog light mod with relays and etc. then he told me all i have to do is tap into the wire that my headlights are in and theyll turn on as fogs and how I wont need to do all this. he said he's done it before but that my headlights will be a bit dimmer so he said i could tap the cornering lamps into the highbeam lights so that then the highs dim out a bit so they wont be highs anymore and that the corner lights will turn on which sounds good to me because i personally like how it would look if the headlights were off at night, but the highs were lit with the corner lights. And since the power is being drained, it wont really be highs anymore, which doesn't matter to me I have never needed high beams or used them.

Is this possible clublexus? I don't mind doing the relay thing, but I would love to just have the highs and corner lights to be my main lights at night.
Old 04-15-12, 10:09 PM
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O. L. T.
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Originally Posted by Maik04
all i have to do is tap into the wire that my headlights are in and theyll turn on as fogs and how I wont need to do all this. he said he's done it before but that my headlights will be a bit dimmer so he said i could tap the cornering lamps into the highbeam lights so that then the highs dim out a bit so they wont be highs anymore and that the corner lights will turn on which sounds good to me because i personally like how it would look if the headlights were off at night, but the highs were lit with the corner lights. And since the power is being drained, it wont really be highs anymore, which doesn't matter to me I have never needed high beams or used them.






Never go back.
Old 04-16-12, 12:55 AM
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Bassrocker
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think they main issue is the light dimming. you can install a wire harness that puts more power to both lights but that is just as much work as doing the relay mod that is in the DIY section
Old 04-16-12, 07:37 AM
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MooJohn
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Anybody who claims that wiring the cornering lights into the headlights (totally safe btw) will cause the head lights to dim clearly doesn't have any business doing 12v wiring. Your headlight circuit is easily capable of handling the extra amp draw per side.

I won't even get into the whole "dim the high beams so much they won't be highs anymore" aspect. And how can you never need high beams?

Just when I think I've seen it all...
Old 04-16-12, 12:31 PM
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Maik04
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Originally Posted by MooJohn
Anybody who claims that wiring the cornering lights into the headlights (totally safe btw) will cause the head lights to dim clearly doesn't have any business doing 12v wiring. Your headlight circuit is easily capable of handling the extra amp draw per side.

I won't even get into the whole "dim the high beams so much they won't be highs anymore" aspect. And how can you never need high beams?

Just when I think I've seen it all...
Well he does good motor work, i guess bad electrical work haha.

Well i live in the city and just never have the need to use highbeams, cops around here ticket high beam use a lot. I havent used my high beams in around 2 years in my car. My light lever is actually bent so it actually goes in which turns on the high beams, so i jammed a penny behind it so that it doesnt turn them on .
Old 04-16-12, 12:40 PM
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Maik04
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So ill just do the whole relay thing so the corner lights are activated by lights. Is it possible to throw highs in my regular headligeht and lows into the highbeams lights? So that way when i turn on my lows, the high beam lights light up? If that makes sense lol
Old 04-16-12, 05:05 PM
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MooJohn
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The high beams are only 10 watts more than the low. They get most of their "high" part from the aiming and reflector design. They will blind oncoming drivers even if you modified a low beam bulb to go in it.

You can cut the positive wire that feeds each cornering light and splice it into the positive wire for the headlight on that side. That will turn them on with the headlights and it won't hurt anything at all, no relays or extra wiring required.
Old 04-26-12, 04:05 PM
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Jmoney5611
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had the same question floating in my head, im gonna give this a try and see how it turns out.
Old 04-26-12, 04:15 PM
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OG Dada
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To the OP, you don't wanna do that. Not only its super ghetto, but the fact that you're gonna tap into one of the considerably important electrical wire of your car and causing your headlights to dim is a no-no.

What you want is very simple, I'm pretty sure you're gonna want HID's since everybody does. Just buy a HID kit with wiring harness included and relay, then tap it to the existing wires of the cornering lights. Done.
Old 04-26-12, 08:43 PM
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Converting this will only make fog lights that point mainly to the left and right of the car....correct?
Old 04-26-12, 08:56 PM
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OG Dada
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^^^Well, might as well change to '95-'96 fog lights that actually deflect light. '92-'94 corner lights doesn't really deflect light, it's more of a park light if you ask me.
Old 04-27-12, 05:59 PM
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Ugh - the last thing you want is a HID ballast powered by the stock turn circuit. HIDs don't like to be turned on and off repeatedly. They need to be on & stay on.

Tapping the low-wattage turn bulbs into the headlight circuit is easy, quick, and 100% safe. Adding a 5 watt bulb to a 55w bulb doesn't affect anything else and it sure as hell won't make the headlights dim.

My turn lights will be thrown into a trash can as soon as I get some decent projector fogs to go in their place.
Old 04-27-12, 06:28 PM
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OG Dada
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^^^Why do you have to tap it, when the corner lights are already factory wired in? All you need is an HID kit that comes with the entire wiring and relay kit and you're done. You even have the factory switch to use instead of some ghetto toggle switches.
Old 04-28-12, 07:56 AM
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The OP (and I) have cornering lights, not fog lights. They're on only when the blinker is on. Connecting a HID kit to this will still have it on only during turning, and only on the side you're turning to.
Old 04-28-12, 08:23 AM
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OG Dada
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Oh ok, so no matter what you still need to tap it to the headlights? Then you can just run new wiring and make your own switch then, which would be more effective.
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