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Legal lighting requirements?


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Posted

Short - What's the legal color requirement for front turn signals? Will white work? Or is orange required by law?

 

Long - I've been trying to find a place to put a good set of fog lights. I seemingly have a problem with hitting deer, so I want something that'll shine out into the sides of the road more so than the headlights do. The only place I've found is where the turn signals are mounted in the front bumper.. see where I'm going with this?

 

I assumed it would look quite ghetto. But much to my suprise, it blends in very well. I've got an old set of signal housings that I've worked the fog light housing into, so everything sits flush and looks good. (The only other problem I may have is how HOT these things are going to get stuffed up in there :shock: )

 

But I had to find a new location for the turn signals.. Again, to my suprise, the bulb and wiring fits PERFECTLY into the stupid runway lightbar in the front of the car - where the factory foglights are housed. Now I am wondering if WHITE is a legal color for turn signals. I remember having white signals in my old Lumina and never had a problem, but these are a little brighter I think. I'm kind of divided on how these look, so I may just swap things back and say screw it.. I can put up some pictures when I get back home tonight.

Posted
i'd put orange bulbs where ever your blinkers are :?

 

I don't believe they make orange bulbs for this application. Its like an 880 or 890 bulb.. not the standard 3057/3157's everyone is used to. I'd throw up some pics, but I'm back home on DIALUP. It's taken like 15 minutes just for me to post this one message, so I wouldn't even consider uploading pictures :willynilly:

Posted

the corner lenses in my GP are white...

 

but heres a quote from my Ohio law book

 

color of lights - no vehicle shall be equipped with a light of any color other then white or amber mounted on the front except for those operating on special permits, blah, blah, blah....

 

That's the Ohio law though...it may differ in your state but i doubt it

 

 

side note...Ohio's vehicle inspection requires a working parking brake...rofl...good thing they rarely ever do inspections anymore

Posted
the corner lenses in my GP are white...

 

but heres a quote from my Ohio law book

 

color of lights - no vehicle shall be equipped with a light of any color other then white or amber mounted on the front except for those operating on special permits, blah, blah, blah....

 

That's the Ohio law though...it may differ in your state but i doubt it

 

Thats kinda what I've thought.. my side signals are white.. I just don't wanna get stopped one night because the cop felt like being a dick.. because if he's a dick to me, I'll surely be a dick to him, and I'll leave with a whole bunch of tickets thanks to my short fuse and big mouth.

Posted

I'm pretty sure that the only color they will allow is amber. Can't exactly remember where I read that, but that's what I remember reading...

Posted

look at any volvo. they all light up white, or at least the rears do. so *shrug*

Posted

here in Missouri ANY exterior lighting that isnt 100% stock is illigal. same goes for Illinois

Posted
here in Missouri ANY exterior lighting that isnt 100% stock is illigal. same goes for Illinois

 

Well.. technically it is still stock. I don't know how they look at it.

 

I kinda decided against it anyway.. those fog lights get too hot for me to be comfortable with them touching the plastic bumper cover. I still have to move the signals back down.. if I get ambitious.

Guest Anonymous
Posted

Doesn't your car have foglights? They are integrated into the lightbar... I know when I have mine on they show up, but it may not be as bright as you want.

 

You should make those rectangular turn signals your fogs like you said. Our sidemarkers are blinkers as well with the headlights on... you could rewire it so that they are permanent blinkers.

Posted
Doesn't your car have foglights? They are integrated into the lightbar... I know when I have mine on they show up, but it may not be as bright as you want.

 

You should make those rectangular turn signals your fogs like you said. Our sidemarkers are blinkers as well with the headlights on... you could rewire it so that they are permanent blinkers.

 

I did. I took the harness that went to the amber signals and moved it up and put it in the location the foglight was in up in the lightbar. I bought some aftermarket foglights that fit perfectly into the spot where the amber signal used to be. So the foglights were where the blinkers were, and the blinkers were/are where the stock foglights were.

I took the foglights out because they got too hot.. I didn't want them melting the bumper. But the signals are still sitting in the lightbar.

Guest Anonymous
Posted

the sidemarker corners are blinkers only when the headlights are on- you should make them permanent blinkers... they already have amber bulbs, i think, so you wouldnt have to worry about bulb color.

 

Maybe a lower watttage fog would work? I dont know all about the fog whattage jargin, but how bright about do you want them compared to our stock jobs?

Posted

I'm not concerned with the brightness. It is the same bulb from the turn signals. I was just pondering the white color flashing. I've had clear bulbs in the side markers for the past three years. They aren't even close to being bright enough to be primary signals. They blink with headlights on or off.

Guest Anonymous
Posted
They blink with headlights on or off.

 

Did you wire it to be like that? Mine don't, and I couldnt figure out why. I always thought it was stupid that they only blink with the headlights on.

Posted
They blink with headlights on or off.

 

Did you wire it to be like that? Mine don't, and I couldnt figure out why. I always thought it was stupid that they only blink with the headlights on.

 

:? Nope.. its a factory design.

 

With the headlights on, the front and side signals alternate blinking.

With the headlights off, the front and side signals blink at the same time.

Guest Anonymous
Posted

Damn... mine do not do that. I studyed it one day. They alternate like you said with the headlights on... but off... its just those amber rectangles.

Posted

Rectangle?

 

Those do not light up period. The only thing that lights up on the side is the triangle one.

Guest Anonymous
Posted

No the things you replaced the fogs with... those are the only ones that blink for me w/o the headlights on.

Posted
No the things you replaced the fogs with... those are the only ones that blink for me w/o the headlights on.

 

Right.. so the triangle ones do not blink? Something is messed up somewhere then.

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