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Question regarding Daytime Running LED's on 5th Gen Explorer (Picture)

I guess the first sort of 'day time running lights' I saw was in the late 50's when it seemed there was a fad to install a single light in the center of the grille. BTW, DRL also help on those bright hazy days when the heat is simmering off the roads. It makes oncoming vehicle much easier to see.

Peter

Yeah Peter, I've seen old photos of that, and they were against the highway traffic act (HTA) regulations then, just as they are now. That is one infraction the police seem to keep enforced, or nobody wants to try it - you can't have a single headlight in the centre of a vehicle. Unless it's a motorcycle of course.

The studies I recall (there are so many variables that are changing the study has to be well-designed to give any meaningful results) had an initial benefit that diminished over time as people adjusted to always looking for just DRL's, instead of looking for anything coming that might not have lights on it.

As a motorcyclist, I would prefer cars not have DRL's, and motorcycles to have them. I think a bike would then have a better chance of being seen by someone who isn't looking. :D
 



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http://www.amazon.com/Alpena-77015-White-Litz-Strip/dp/B005GAGBF2

This is them, at a better price than I got, but I got them from the local Wal-Mart for easy return, and inspection, if I needed to. I spent quite a bit of time (over a 6 month period) trying to find quality ones that were suitable, there are a lot of them out there, and put off buying until the last minute hoping something perfect would surface on the market. The side-firing feature fairly unique, and is ideal for this application, IMHO. I'm sure more will surface on the market soon.

I originally wanted to outline the gorgeous curve at the headlight, but the body panels are too tight to the lens housing and would have needed some major shifting and disassembly to make work.

The wire lead (shown above) on the right light comes out the top, and the wire lead for the driver's side light needs to exit the bottom, in order for the side-firing LEDs to face forward. It was nice to figure that out ahead of time from seeing them in the store.

The is such a no-brainer mod for Ford to have done, but they abandoned developing the current models to focus on the next 2016's. The Explorer actually got criticism in the automotive press (and me) for not keeping the Ex current with simple things such as this. Especially when other Ford product lines, Edge etc, have had the improvements.

:)

pretty sic Mark!!!!!! :thumbsup: this looks clean and not APC autozone ghetto.......... this is next on my list.
 






Great topic. Kind of timely too. We have actually just committed to developing an Explorer specific LED DRL system that will fill the angled cavity between the headlight and the grill. Our LED lamps will be very bright and function as true DRLs in bright daylight. The universal LED products mentioned in some of the posts would be considered accent lights, not suitable for bright sunshine visibility.

Our DRL lamp housing design will form to the contours of the grill and surrounding surfaces. Our goal is to create a light that looks like it came on the Explorer from the Ford factory.

I am not going to give too much away about the design, but the photo below shows the direction we are heading. We are considering several types of LED emitters, reflectors and lens designs from our Ford Fusion DRL and our GMC Terrain DRL prototype. (see photos below).

I would love input from forum members on the design and any features or functions you would like to see incorporated in it. We are moving forward quickly on the development of this DRL, so get your suggestions in soon. If you want to discuss this offline, anyone is welcome to email me at info@daytimebrightlites.com or call at 913-304-0720.

Thanks, in advance,
Dan Smith - DAYTIME BrightLites, LLC & DriveBright.com

DAYTIMEBrightLitesExplorerDRLConcept1_zps832c6d2a.jpg


FUSION DRL
bFUSION-1DRL82_zps15e529be.jpg

bFUSION-1DRL83_zps4775fa04.jpg

bFUSION-1DRL81_zps5b5f435b.jpg


Prototyped - GMC Terrain DRL
Terrain1-DRL-Email_zps0fdf6833.jpg

DAYTIMEBrightLitesTerrianDRL1_zps6b3134b7.jpg


ExplorerBanner_zps85c57fac.gif
 






Hi Dan! Thanks for posting.

Affirmative on your assessment on the intensity of my lights. The "parking" lights by themselves fulfill the legal requirements for DRL's here in Canada. I can say this because I am aware of individuals importing vehicles from the US in earlier years who had to make this modification (running with "parking" lights always switched on) among a few other things, to meet the new standard. Are you aware of a brightness standard that these must meet (and maybe even not exceed) in order to qualify as stand alone DRL's?

Even though your lights alone might meet the DRL requirement (which is good of course), for aesthetic reasons I think the side marker (or "parking" lights) should remain lit at the same time. To me it gives the appearance of a manta ray (the animal), and also brings together the other lines that are already present in the design of the vehicle. Of course, this might be an option that you could leave up to the customer, depending on how much electrical connection installation hardware you are planning on providing with the kit.

I played with the two lengths that you have shown. While the shorter ones maintain a more horizontal and slimmer appearance to the front fascia, I went with the short extra downward lengths, and they also incorporated lines in the grillwork already present.

That little detail, always working with lines and contours already present, is one thing that can make the difference between something that looks complimentary and in place, and something that looks not quite right, even if it's at a sub-conscious, subliminal level. But I likely am preaching to the choir here!

You might find the shorter of the two easier to manufacture and fit to the car, though.

Good luck with the product!:thumbsup:

Brian Mark Smyth.
Industrial Designer,
Flextek Design.
 






Hi Dan.

For me I'd be interested in the version you have pictured on the right:

DAYTIMEBrightLitesExplorerDRLConcept1_zps832c6d2a.jpg


This was my original intent to add to mine however the strip I originally got was yellow when off and I didn't care for it, plus there was some issues of heat that I didn't want to risk. But depending on what you guys come up with my may have a customer.
 






Hi Dan! Thanks for posting.

Affirmative on your assessment on the intensity of my lights. The "parking" lights by themselves fulfill the legal requirements for DRL's here in Canada. I can say this because I am aware of individuals importing vehicles from the US in earlier years who had to make this modification (running with "parking" lights always switched on) among a few other things, to meet the new standard. Are you aware of a brightness standard that these must meet (and maybe even not exceed) in order to qualify as stand alone DRL's?

Even though your lights alone might meet the DRL requirement (which is good of course), for aesthetic reasons I think the side marker (or "parking" lights) should remain lit at the same time. To me it gives the appearance of a manta ray (the animal), and also brings together the other lines that are already present in the design of the vehicle. Of course, this might be an option that you could leave up to the customer, depending on how much electrical connection installation hardware you are planning on providing with the kit.

I played with the two lengths that you have shown. While the shorter ones maintain a more horizontal and slimmer appearance to the front fascia, I went with the short extra downward lengths, and they also incorporated lines in the grillwork already present.

That little detail, always working with lines and contours already present, is one thing that can make the difference between something that looks complimentary and in place, and something that looks not quite right, even if it's at a sub-conscious, subliminal level. But I likely am preaching to the choir here!

You might find the shorter of the two easier to manufacture and fit to the car, though.

Good luck with the product!:thumbsup:

Brian Mark Smyth.
Industrial Designer,
Flextek Design.

Mark since you and I are "working" lol, how do your DRL leds look or turn out at night with your headlights on? or day? NEVERMIND seen you've updated your original pic post.:salute:
 






Mark since you and I are "working" lol, how do your DRL leds look or turn out at night with your headlights on? or day?

They look equally good both ways, but the headlights are on (at reduced intensity?) for now until I get the dealer to turn them off in the daytime, which might be an improvement in overall appearance, I would say. Many lights might look OK on a transport truck, but too many on a vehicle can make it look too "busy". I like clean, simple lines in things that compliment each other.

At night they stand out well, even with the headlights on full.

Along the same train of thought, I do not use the fog lights - they are the most benign (from a practical point of view) thing that is routinely put on cars, IMHO. Never seen one that improved vision in fog, in fact, I've never seen fog lights that didn't worsen your vision in fog. They might make you more visible to other traffic (well, so do the headlights) but they also impair vision through the fog for others at the same time.

;)
 






Hi Dan.

For me I'd be interested in the version you have pictured on the right:

DAYTIMEBrightLitesExplorerDRLConcept1_zps832c6d2a.jpg


This was my original intent to add to mine however the strip I originally got was yellow when off and I didn't care for it, plus there was some issues of heat that I didn't want to risk. But depending on what you guys come up with my may have a customer.

has any put a LED light bar right above the bumper blow the grill for off road use? ? thinking about putting one for Glamis trips..
 






I don't know if anyone actually installed an LED bar but there was a member in another thread who was thinking about it.

Peter
 






I don't know if anyone actually installed an LED bar but there was a member in another thread who was thinking about it.

Peter

i think ill be the first and update when complete. On my way to big bear last weekend a jeep if front of me was using them and WOW what a difference in visibility.... thanks Peter.
 












Pictures....the night ones are not so great. Well, it's freezing cold here, and maybe I should have put a jacket an gloves on!!! I oil sprayed the car AFTER installing these. I am very familiar with the 3M VBH foam backed adhesive tapes; these are not coming off accidentally when the surface is properly prepped (for those who aren't familiar with it). Do it when it's warm, or warm both areas with a heat gun carefully first.

DSC_2039_zpsrksz3hr4.jpg


DSC_2042_zps5wf9eqcw.jpg


The two wires on the left lead into the pilot
(parking) light base housing and connect inside to the base of the bulb. A dab of silicone grease at the 1/16"hole makes a nice water and dust tight connection. They should make connections like that at the factory : )

DSC_2041_zpsxxwntinu.jpg


The photo doesn't show it up well with the lens flare, but it actually appears as a series of individual beads and looks much more aesthetically pleasing than this phone camera (even though it's a Sony, and HDR) shows. I would have liked them to be brighter, they are no where near being glarey, even at night when the headlights are turned off.

DSC_2045_zpspsticlfu.jpg


DSC_2044_zpsvykgjtsu.jpg

I took a few more pix at work today just before dark that might show them a little better...

DSC_2040_zpsfd6boj4b.jpg


DSC_2041_zpsyikfn12v.jpg

i blieve brightlites is trying to difuse the led lights to give it the stock look like so.
LEDstrip.jpg
this would be ideal. :thumbsup:
 






It would be pretty easy, I would think, to alter these to give that effect. Scuffing the surface (they are embedded in a clear urethane-type plastic) with something abrasive like a Scotchbrite pad would do that.

My personal preference is for the individual LED's to give a distinctively clear, crisp beaded look. The LED pitch is something that I also had to choose carefully, as different manufacturers have a different spacing between them. Scuffing would make the pitch less pronounced and so it would be less critical.
 






@ Brightlites ........I like the longer design better as I think it fallows the curves of the car a little better.

Another idea I had which I don't even know if its possible is to incorporate a plug at the end of each light and then design a splitter that allows us to split the power going to the parking lights. That way, you could label these as plug and play. I think these
Iights look good with the parking lights lit so that's how I'd personally run them. Of course you could also those the option of removing the plug letting them splice it into any power source they want.
 






I don't think Peter meant only a single headlight, but an add on third, mounted in the grill somewhere.

This actually reminds me of my dad mounting a 'third' brake light on the back of our car in 58.

BTW:When three headlights came 'standard', with the centre one turning with the steering...48 Tucker.

48-Tucker-48-DV-10-MB_d04_zps63881ddf.jpg


Yeah Peter, I've seen old photos of that, and they were against the highway traffic act (HTA) regulations then, just as they are now. That is one infraction the police seem to keep enforced, or nobody wants to try it - you can't have a single headlight in the centre of a vehicle. Unless it's a motorcycle of course.

The studies I recall (there are so many variables that are changing the study has to be well-designed to give any meaningful results) had an initial benefit that diminished over time as people adjusted to always looking for just DRL's, instead of looking for anything coming that might not have lights on it.

As a motorcyclist, I would prefer cars not have DRL's, and motorcycles to have them. I think a bike would then have a better chance of being seen by someone who isn't looking. :D
 






Yes you are correct JETZ. They were add-on lights that were mounted in the center of the grille. I first noticed them in the mid to late 50's when walking home from school. I don't think the 'fad' lasted very long.
Funny how some things come full circle. They had a safety inspection station not far from our house and I can remember walking home and pointing at some vehicle and yelling" Your lights are on" to those that forgot to turn them off after the inspection. Now it is the law here to have lights (DRL) on.;)

Peter
 






@ Brightlites ........I like the longer design better as I think it fallows the curves of the car a little better.

Another idea I had which I don't even know if its possible is to incorporate a plug at the end of each light and then design a splitter that allows us to split the power going to the parking lights. That way, you could label these as plug and play. I think these
Iights look good with the parking lights lit so that's how I'd personally run them. Of course you could also those the option of removing the plug letting them splice it into any power source they want.

Thanks for the input. Our DRLs will be powered using our own electronic controller and wire harness. The LEDs in our DRLs are powered with a lower voltage than the 12V from the stock parking lights. The number of LEDs and the power they will draw will be too much to piggyback onto the parking light circuit. Our simple to install controller harness will draw power directly from the battery. You will have the option to install the system so that the DRLs turn on and off with the engine (fully automatic) or you can install them so they turn on and off with the parking lights or from a customer supplied toggle switch inside the vehicle. Pretty much anyway you want.

Our Explorer DRLs will also have an integrated amber LED turn signal, similar to our Ford Edge and Ford Fusion / Mondeo DRLs. If you do not want to use the amber turn signal function and just want to run them as straight white LED DRLs, the turn signal function can easily be disable.

The Explorer DRL installation will be the easiest of our DRL products, since there will be no need to get behind the bumper to install them. Here is a link to our Edge DRL kit install. The controller and wire harness connections will be identical to the Explorer. (Although wire colors on the Explorer may be different). We will be producing a step-by-step installation video for the Explorer DRL also.

Ford Edge LED DRL Kit Install Video:
http://youtu.be/dB218f6NpnI
ExplorerBanner_zps85c57fac.gif
 






Thanks for the input. Our DRLs will be powered using our own electronic controller and wire harness. The LEDs in our DRLs are powered with a lower voltage than the 12V from the stock parking lights. The number of LEDs and the power they will draw will be too much to piggyback onto the parking light circuit. Our simple to install controller harness will draw power directly from the battery. You will have the option to install the system so that the DRLs turn on and off with the engine (fully automatic) or you can install them so they turn on and off with the parking lights or from a customer supplied toggle switch inside the vehicle. Pretty much anyway you want.

Our Explorer DRLs will also have an integrated amber LED turn signal, similar to our Ford Edge and Ford Fusion / Mondeo DRLs. If you do not want to use the amber turn signal function and just want to run them as straight white LED DRLs, the turn signal function can easily be disable.

The Explorer DRL installation will be the easiest of our DRL products, since there will be no need to get behind the bumper to install them. Here is a link to our Edge DRL kit install. The controller and wire harness connections will be identical to the Explorer. (Although wire colors on the Explorer may be different). We will be producing a step-by-step installation video for the Explorer DRL also.

Ford Edge LED DRL Kit Install Video:
http://youtu.be/dB218f6NpnI
ExplorerBanner_zps85c57fac.gif

Have you guys come up with a ball-park price for them, and possible release date?
 






Hi Dan,

I like both options for the DRLs and excited you moving forward on this. I think if I had to pick I would do the shorter one but I will be a customer either way.
 



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Here are a couple of pix and a few details on the connection of the wires to the parking light bulb base for anyone wanting to do this mod...

The holes, I think they were 1/16", were drilled in the left of the white piece shown in the picture. Take it apart and take out the bulb first, I think I drilled the holes from the inside of the socket to get them in the right spot. Strip lots of insulation back and twist it tight, pull it through the holes and attach it to the wire at the base of the bulb by twisting it through the loop a couple of times ans twisting it. You will have to prise the wire loop at the base of the bulb out a little to do this, then push it back in tight to the base of the bulb.

Then carefully pull the wires out from the base as you press the bulb back into its socket. Install the whole thing back into the light housing in the car and use a dab of grease on the outside to waterproof the wires at the holes.

DSC_000001_zpsmtutw1hs.jpg


DSC_000002_zpsdg8t2p3v.jpg


In the view from above you can see the stripped copper wires and the insulated part at the base of the bulb. The LED wires are on the left, the factory wires on the right. There is just enough room for them to comfortably fit. Keep the wires away from the actual bulb to avoid excessive heat on the insulation.

;)
 






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