…I’ve decided the family SUV needs some spotlights for country road night driving.

I’m competent to wire in with a switch or direct to full beams ( indicators stalk)

What do you think is the better way ?

Both have pros and cons.

Thanks in advance

You could wire in to come on with mains, and use a switch to enable/disable them? Best of both that way. Can’t think of a situation when you’d need spots on/headlights dipped, which is the only option not available to you that way.

That said I’ve never bothered with any sort of switch, just switching with main beam and it’s always been fine. My current vehicle came with a light bar on a separate switch and it’s a right faff, I often don’t bother with it, so I’d recommend anything but that.

If you need spotlights to drive at night perhaps you should consider an eye test first?

If you need spotlights to drive at night perhaps you should consider an eye test first?

In fairness, some cars headlights are woefully inadequate.

My old Audi was awful at night on dipped beam. Needed the lower spots to have any visibility.

Latest Subaru is about 10x better on dipped and 2/3 times better in full beam. I rarely turn on the spots.

I would relay them from main beam, but with an off switch as well.

Depending on the power of the spots, you might want to consider running a relay off lights / switch and taking supply power from elsewhere. The wiring loom will probably be rated for the preexisting lighting, not some billion-candle floodlamps.

Does the car model have them in a higher spec model? Probably find the wiring already exists.

Or go full redneck rally with bars and hella spots across the front…

Oh definitely go through a relay. I presumed that was a given 😳.

Switch wired via a spare slot in the fusebox would be my first thought.

Relay is a given !

Full beams are utter rubbish hence why wanting to fit.

Qashqai!!! No bull bars !

Relay is a given !

That’s good. Otherwise your wiring might get a bit… melty. #AskMeHowIKnow

Switch wired via a spare slot in the fusebox would be my first thought.

I think I’d want to have them on both a switch and the main beam. Switch means you can shut them off when not on country roads, and high beam control means it’s easier to flick them off quickly when meeting oncoming cars. Ie, for spots to be powered they have to be switched on AND on main beam.

I would relay them from main beam, but with an off switch as well.

… ie, what they said. Ho hum.

Don’t they have to be separate from main beam?

Heres something off Pistonheads.. I’m not pissing on your fire here, just don’t want you to blind anyone or come a cropper with a copper.

The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989
SCHEDULE 5
PART II: Requirements relating to optional main-beam headlamps
Any number may be fitted and the only requirements prescribed by these Regulations in respect of any which are fitted are those specified in paragraphs 7, 10 and 12(a) of Part I and, in the case of a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st April 1991, paragraph 5 of Part I.

SCHEDULE 5
PART I:
Requirements relating to obligatory main-beam headlamps and to o7ptional main-beam headlamps to the extent specified in part ii

5: Markings–
(a) Any vehicle not covered by sub-paragaph (b), (c) or (d): An approval mark or a British Standard mark
(b) A motor vehicle first used before 1st April 1986: No requirement
(c) A three-wheeled motor vehicle, not being a motor bicycle combination, first used on or after 1st April 1986 and having a maximum speed not exceeding 50 mph: No requirement
(d) A solo motor bicycle and a motor bicycle combination: No requirement

7. Colour: White or yellow

10. Electrical connections –
(a) Every main-beam headlamp shall be so constructed that the light emitted therefrom–
(i) can be deflected at the will of the driver to become a dipped beam, or
(ii) can be extinguished by the operation of a device which at the same time either –
(A) causes the lamp to emit a dipped beam, or
(B) causes another lamp to emit a dipped beam.
(b) Where a matched pair of main-beam headlamps is fitted they shall be capable of being switched on and off simultaneously and not otherwise.

12. Other requirements –
(a) Every main-beam headlamp shall be so constructed that the direction of the beam of light emitted therefrom can be adjusted whilst the vehicle is stationary.

The above is different from the MOT requirements, of course.

And the above means in layman’s terms ???
More confused now 😮

Reading that, it seems to me that you can have basically whatever you like wired in with the main beam, but they must go off at the same time as the main if you dip your headlights.
I must admit, that was my understanding before i read the above regs.
I’d go wired in with the main, via a relay, but I probably wouldn’t bother with the separate switch.
Unless you want to turn them off while the main beam is on of course.

I think basically you need to decide whether there’s a scenario where you don’t want them to come on with the main beams. If there isn’t, you just run a relayed loom direct from the battery and trigger it with the high beam wiring.

If you feel there’s a reason for them ever not to come on with main beam, then you need to find a way of isolating the circuit. Is there?

Triggering them from a separate switch just seems clunky. You basically want them to come on with main beam and go off when you dip.

And the above means in layman’s terms ???
More confused now

You too eh!
The only reason I pulled it up was because… waaaaaaaayyyyy back when, my mate had a S2Landy and it had spots on each door, on a swivel, so he could sit in it and shoot rabbits.

Anyway he got done because he’d wired them into the lights, I cannot remember if he’d wired them to come on when the lights came on or when the main beam came on.. He only got a fine and he took them off replacing it with a big single spotlight that was just wired direct from the battery, with a single switch.

It was the early 90’s.. and just pointing that out before you think I’m being annoying (which I am most of the time BTW)

Aren’t they just technically additional main beams as they would be with, say, something like a Mk2 Golf GTi, so as long as there are two of them, evenly spaced and with legal wattage bulbs and they come on and off with the main beam – ie: can’t be run with dips – it seems pretty much not an issue. As above, run them on a separate loom with fuses direct from the battery and trigger them via a relay connected to the main beam circuit so they go on and off with the main beams.

I’d also make the effort to use waterproof relays and fuses. It gets pretty wet under the average bonnet.

Anyway he got done because he’d wired them into the lights, I cannot remember if he’d wired them to come on when the lights came on or when the main beam came on.. He only got a fine and he took them off replacing it with a big single spotlight that was just wired direct from the battery, with a single switch.

It was the early 90’s.. and just pointing that out before you think I’m being annoying (which I am most of the time BTW)

So he didn’t follow the rules and got fined ?

I have light bars on two of my older cars due to car light improving so much that it makes my old car headlights look terrible even with good bulbs.

I have them wired in on relays from the main beams with switches (because light bars are not type approved so not fail )
But since you never drive towards anyone with your main beam lights on its a non issue.

I would wire them with a main switch that arms the relay, then they come on with full beams. This means you can leave the switch off to allow standard main beam use, switch on to have them operate with main beams.

You might not want them on in fog/rain, or if you want your lights on for 10 minutes to light up a campsite etc without killing your battery with the extra lamps.