DRL deactivation/discussion
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Here is a "small" explaination from the online version of the 2006 Solstice owner's manual:package said:
"The DRL system on U.S. vehicles can also be turned off by using the off/on switch for one ignition cycle."
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Can someone translate that to English for me? Do you have to do this each time you start the car? Oh, verily, I say unto you, that would suck mightily.Small Dealer said:
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Is there a particular reason you don't like running with the Daytime Running Lights on? When I'm in the driver's seat, I certainly don't notice them, and I've gotten to the point that I just ignore them.WaitingForBoost said:
One note in the plus column, I no longer have to worry about turning on the lights in the rain to comply with the "wipers on, lights on" law.
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I don't think I'd turn them off. In my experience with smaller cars, a lot fo drivers just don't notice you. You get cut off a lot, pulled in front of, etc. They tend to look beyond you, because the car is small and they just don't notice it. Its a similar problem to what motorcycle riders experience, but not quite that bad.
The DRL's help draw people's eyes down to the car, and make it more noticeable.
The DRL's help draw people's eyes down to the car, and make it more noticeable.
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Sounds like you are talking about Auto On Headlights and not Daytime Running Lights. Two different items.MAKsys said:
Auto On Headlights use a sensor (usually a little black dome in the dash near the windshield) to turn on the headlights when it's considered "dark" enough to require them.
Daytime Running Lights are lights (older cars used the High Beams, current GM I think all use the turn signal lights) which are on at all times when the Headlights are not on.
I believe, and I am not 100% certain, that Canada requires DRLs on cars... maybe that has a reason to play on why it automatically turns back on after each ignition cycle... it prevents you from driving forever with them off. I don't know, just a guess.
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Personally I love the bright orange DRLs on the GM vehicles I've seen them on, but that's just me of course. I hope ours are as nice and bright as the Corvette/CTS lights I've seen on the roads. I think they're a great safety feature too. I already drive with my parking lights on all the time as is.
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Up here in Canada DRL's are required by law. Honestly I have been surprised by, on more than one occasion, an older car, or an American vehicle, barely noticeable in twilight or low light conditions because they did not have any headlights or DRL's on. Whereas the rest of the traffic was easy to pick out because they did have DRL's. So I flash my headlights at them to remind them to turn on something a candle or lighter even to help traffic see them! :willy:
Americans seem to be the ones most averse to DRL's and I have never seen a logical argument in support of running without DRL's just because they "don't like them". I have read some posts written elsewhere, where people actually thought that DRL's would ruin their car/suv's fuel economy! :willy: I guess they didn't consider their own driving habits, stop-and-go traffic, red lights, excessive speed and excessive loads (hills + weight) that would massively impact fuel economy much more than the wattage required for DRL's.
Americans seem to be the ones most averse to DRL's and I have never seen a logical argument in support of running without DRL's just because they "don't like them". I have read some posts written elsewhere, where people actually thought that DRL's would ruin their car/suv's fuel economy! :willy: I guess they didn't consider their own driving habits, stop-and-go traffic, red lights, excessive speed and excessive loads (hills + weight) that would massively impact fuel economy much more than the wattage required for DRL's.
I share your opinion. The only time I didn't like having my DRL's was a few years ago when I went to a drive in theatre. Everytime I turned on the engine to defog the windows, those lights also turned on and annoyed the people in front of me. Since then, I've learned that if the parking brake is on, the DRL's don't activate.psycho-squirrel said:
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Don't you know American's by now? They just don't like things that are done for the sake of safety. It goes against he "rebel" in us.psycho-squirrel said:
Seriously, I bet only about .01% of the population really is against having DRL's on. On the internet, you always hear the vocal minority complaining about them, but I don't see many DRL equipped cars on the roads with them disabled either.
The worst thing I can see with DRL's (the orange turn signal DRL's anyway) is that replacement bulbs cost a lot more than a typical bulb.
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On most recent model GM's you simple turn the light switch to the left to turn off DRL's. But as others have said they will come back on the next time the key is turned on.
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I do see the lack of logic in my not liking DRLs, but it's not a logical thing, it's an emotion. As a former motorcyclist I'm a very strong advocate of helmets (and helmet laws) and headlights being on all the time. I guess I just don't like certain auto manufacturers dictating what we can & can't do. If you've ever had a car with a marginal battery, you won't like DRLs. (I drive 6 miles each way to work. I've had cars with batteries that would just barely keep the battery charged with that short drive each day, particulary after sitting over a weekend. DRLs will probably cause just enough drain that the battery won't start the car sooner rather than later.) Nobody asked for DRLs in the US. There was no public debate, they just appeared suddenly in 1996 or so because some other countries required them, so to make assembly lines easier, the mfrs added them to the US cars, too. Will I disable the DRLs on my Solstice? Possibly, if I can find out how. Possibly not.
Here in Florida it used to be against the law to drive with just your parking lights on. I guess GM (& VW?) got that law changed.
Part of the problem may be that I seem to see people driving with DRLs only in the rain.
I hate clutch interlocks, too. Maybe all of this stuff just seems like lawyers & corporations pandering to the lowest common denominator. We end up with more stupid people breeding, and society suffers.
Like I said, it's emotional, not logical, so it's hard to come up with a logical explaination. Maybe this grumpy old man will calm down by the time his 07 Sol arrives. It's not a huge issue for me, really. I mean, I'm not going to bypass GM or anything over it. I just wish it was an option.
Here in Florida it used to be against the law to drive with just your parking lights on. I guess GM (& VW?) got that law changed.
Part of the problem may be that I seem to see people driving with DRLs only in the rain.
I hate clutch interlocks, too. Maybe all of this stuff just seems like lawyers & corporations pandering to the lowest common denominator. We end up with more stupid people breeding, and society suffers.
Like I said, it's emotional, not logical, so it's hard to come up with a logical explaination. Maybe this grumpy old man will calm down by the time his 07 Sol arrives. It's not a huge issue for me, really. I mean, I'm not going to bypass GM or anything over it. I just wish it was an option.
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brentil said:
If you look at this picture, which is in the gallery it appears to have the orange lights on as the DRLs.
http://www.solsticeforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=488&sort=2&cat=3013&page=1
Also, look at the picture at the top of the forum. It appears to have the DRLs in orange.
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Which one? I don't want to set off the self-destruct!dori-san said:
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Since the blinker/fog housing comes directly from the grand prix (I remember reading somewhere that its a shared part) the DRLs will most likely be the orange kind. Expect a look similar to the CTS or new Grand Prix for this reason. I know on my Grand Am, I had the "dimmed headlight" type of DRL. Very ugly and yellow looking. This was because there isn't a separate high-beam bulb. Older GM vehicles mostly used the highbeam DRLs (Alero, Impala, Monte Carlo to name a few). Newer GM vehicles now use the orange turn-signal type of DRL (G6, C6 Vette, Malibu, Cobalt, CTS). I hated the high-beam and headlight DRLs of old, and I'm glad GM has moved to the orange DRL style. Its just so much cooler. I disabled my DRLs because I hated them so much. (Plus they were burning up my expensive PIAA bulbs). I did a special wiring mod, and I don't get any "SVS" lights or blown fuses. Somone on n-body.net figured it out. Now I run with my parking lights and fog lights on when its cloudy out - looks cool during the day.
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