Tell me one good reason why all cars aren't mandated to have daytime running lights?

[RootSkier]

JONG driver... I cut my teeth driving in Detroit and Chicago amongst other places so you can go fuck yourself.

Whatever, I learned to drive in a big city too. What's your fucking point? Totally different than two lane mountain roads at dawn and dusk.

[scoober]

Whatever, I learned to drive in a big city too. What's your fucking point? Totally different than two lane mountain roads at dawn and dusk.

You just keep being an internet tough guy.

[Adolf Allerbush]

I didn't know there was something to win here. What's up for grabs??? A date with Rootskier?

Yes, and on the date you guys will go to driving lessons and his appointment with an optometrist

[uglymoney]

I have no idea. I've changed out quite a few alternators in my lifetime and even ripped a few apart. I also know the basics of electrical motor/generator design. And nothing I've seen or know supports anything he's saying. In fact, everything I know says ugly is an ignorant, thickheaded douchenozzle. No offense man, but you need to do some more research on this and then come back and apologize.

Everything you know says I am a thickheaded douchenozzle? What the f? Shame I have to sleep and work while people who don't even know me take jabs at me like this.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

Drag from the alternator? are you fucking retarded? How do your lights stay on when the engine isn't running? Moron.

Umm, a battery. When the car is not running, the battery takes over. Seems simple to me. Are you fucking retarded? Is this why you can't understand the science behind global warming? You think energy just arrives at the headlights magically?

You've become the 0BernhardFranz of automotive threads.

Whatever dude.

I have to admit that's news to me and I've been a gearhead of sorts for 40-some years. The alternator is turning and producing ~14.5V regardless of electrical use; it's not like an AC compressor that causes noticeable drag when it's activated. It produces the same 14.5V output any time the engine is turning. And no, I have never noticed any engine on any car I have ever owned running slower when the headlights were turned on. I will take it on faith for now but I'll want to do some more research 'cause that wikipedia link doesn't say jack about why an alternator would have more drag when more electrical was being used - it just states it as fact.

So yeah, it does seem unlikely to me somehow. It sounds like I am probably uninformed.

Your confusing voltage with amperage. A good working alternator does put out 14.5 volts of current of close to that depending on the exact alternator. However the voltage regulator controls how many amps the alternator is putting out. If your car is drawing 20 amps total (all accessories, engine and battery), your alternator is putting out 20 amps. Say you then turn on the lights, the voltage will drop and in order to keep the voltage at 14.5 volts the voltage regulator will change the flow of current in the alternators windings so that the alternator is again at 14.5 volts, but that will mean its putting out more like 30 amps if we are talking low beams, maybe a little less for DRL's. Because there is more current going through the windings of the alternator, the alternator will be harder to turn, producing more drag, slightly lowering fuel economy.

+1 for DJMingus. Alternator drag due to additional current required by headlights is poppycock.

No its not. The energy has to come from somewhere, and that is from the alternator which is spun by the cars engine which gets its energy from gasoline.

Thanks Ugly Money, you have posted the most uninformed thing about cars I have ever seen on the web. I spose you saves many gallons of fuel a year by not turning on the headlights of your corn truck.

Uninformed? Nope. I'm absolutely right about the additional fuel that DRL's use. Remember the original poster asked for one good reason why DRL's are not mandated in this country. I gave two reasons. One, the science is very marginal as to whether they are actually safer and in some cases (you forget to turn on your headlights at night because you have DRL's) they can cause accidents.

Despite all of this, I still use the DRL's in my Suby as stated in an earlier post. I just question whether it is worth it, and have considered disconnecting them many times to save fuel. I think that the new low powered DRL's are probably a good solution. If there was a government mandate, I'd want it to go that route, mandate low energy DRL's to mitigate the environmental and security impact that using over a days worth of fuel per year on high energy DRL's would have.

[Blurred]

Umm, a battery. When the car is not running, the battery takes over. Seems simple to me. Are you fucking retarded? Is this why you can't understand the science behind global warming? You think energy just arrives at the headlights magically?

The alternator is always charging the battery per the voltage regulator. It doesn't engage and disengage, moron. Read that again, it is ALWAYS spinning when the engine is on, no clutch, nothing. Of course a fucking idiot like yourself can't understand this, you're a perfect tool for the global warming alarmists.
Try thinking for yourself using logic instead of parroting a bunch of garbage the next idiot feeds you.

PS-the plane WILL take off. Moron.

edit-I really like the part where you add that using DRLs causes global warming. That was a great little gem there, I just couldn't fit it into my sig.

[Tippster]

Yes, there is.
It's dangerous to motorcycles, which need to be more visible since they are much smaller and fragile than the 2.5 tons trucks you call cars. DRL had been abandoned in France on this basis alone.

In what possible way would DRLs negatively impact motorcycles? I ride one every single day - my headlight is constantly on - why not have lights on the cars?

[iceman]

I guess what he's saying is that if all cars have lights on then motorcycles won't stand out as much, so it'll be a more dangerous environment overall for motorcyclists. I don't think the cause and effect is really there - a light is a light - but who knows.

[Odin]

a light is a light -

What if it is also a beer bottle opener?

[cj001f]

What if it is also a beer bottle opener?

can a beer bottle opener burn twice as bright?

[iceman]

What if it is also a beer bottle opener?

It would only open light beer I guess.

[Tippster]

Because there is more current going through the windings of the alternator, the alternator will be harder to turn, producing more drag, slightly lowering fuel economy...

OK, I'm on board with the others. You have absolutely no idea how an Alternator works. More current does not mean more drag. The copper coils still pass the magnets at the same speed at the same friction (btw - only friction is the ball bearings and the magnetic resistance, which is constant, since all the wires pass all the magnets all the time.) The only difference is how much of that current is drawn off by the voltage regulator.

Alternators have Amperage ratings - that stays constant. You cannot cause an alternator to crank out more amps by increasing the draw. Your alternator will simply not do that. Thus heavy duty alternators exist that crank out more amps than the standard ones.

[Odin]

You are working for the portugese mole people.... aren't you.

[cj001f]

a portmanteau?

[Tippster]

I guess what he's saying is that if all cars have lights on then motorcycles won't stand out as much, so it'll be a more dangerous environment overall for motorcyclists. I don't think the cause and effect is really there - a light is a light - but who knows.

Now THAT's reaching a bit - innit? What if it's a German beer?

[cj001f]

what if it's a Viking bier?

[Odin]

We don't have light beer. We drink stout beer from the empty skulls of reindeers and feast upon flavored meats.

Thanks.

[Tippster]

I believe it's spelled "flavoured." Fucking Savage.

[Viva]

The copper coils still pass the magnets at the same speed at the same friction (btw - only friction is the ball bearings and the magnetic resistance, which is constant, since all the wires pass all the magnets all the time.) The only difference is how much of that current is drawn off by the voltage regulator.

Alternators have Amperage ratings - that stays constant. You cannot cause an alternator to crank out more amps by increasing the draw. Your alternator will simply not do that. Thus heavy duty alternators exist that crank out more amps than the standard ones.

I KNEW IT!!! The alternator will take off!

[cj001f]

I'll have a half-calf gingerbread reindeer no foam

[Odin]

Would you like that in grand or venti sized? We do have baby reindeer skulls as well.

incidentally. I just intentionally pronounced aluminum al u mini um.

[Crass3000]

The alternator is always charging the battery per the voltage regulator. It doesn't engage and disengage, moron. Read that again, it is ALWAYS spinning when the engine is on, no clutch, nothing. Of course a fucking idiot like yourself can't understand this, you're a perfect tool for the global warming alarmists.

I'm not necessarily saying you're wrong here cause I really don't know enough about alternators but I do have an electrical engineering degree -- after my response no doubt some may wonder how I got it.

As you say, and I agree, the alternator is most like likely hooked up to the serpentine belt and thus always turning when the engine is turning. You mention a voltage regulator which implies the output of said voltage regulator would be constant IF it can supply enough current to keep it's load powered. You can see the effect of it not supplying enough current when a person's headlights flash at a stopsign to the beat of the bass on a huge car audio system. Of course this does not imply anything you said was wrong, simply that the power is constant given the alternator is always rotating at a high velocity. When the velocity of the alternator is slowed down it can't put out as much current. I think you would probably agree with all this.

My point is that a voltage regulator does not always put out constant current -- it puts out constant voltage when it is not being overloaded. For simplicity let's assume we're not overloading the alternator. Your contention seems to be that no matter what the alternator is not just putting out constant voltage but also constant current. I could be wrong but it seems to me if this was true the battery would become overcharged and probably explode at some point. I think there must be some circuitry in the alternator that causes it to know when a greater load is being asked of it and thus responds by supplying the extra current (which I can only assume would cause extra strain on the alternator). If the alternator current is constant, where is it shunted when the current is not needed?

We already agree that the alternator is constantly turning for the most part. If the voltage is fairly constant due to the voltage regulator, and you seem to imply that the current is also constant, which does not seem reasonable, why doesn't the battery become overcharged and blow up at some point?

I'm not saying I'm right here but I generally am curious as to how this works if I am wrong.

[Blurred]

what if it's a bear? and by bear i mean a hairy gay dude, like blurred?

Frootskier is versed in gayness like Larry Craig. Bet you tap dance like a meth head when you step into a mens bathroom stall.

[Odin]

I'm not saying I'm right here but I generally am curious as to how this works if I am wrong.

Someone quotes you, states a contrarian fact, and then calls you a scum licking douchebag.

[cj001f]

incidentally. I just intentionally pronounced aluminum al u mini um.

colour me sur pris ed

[Odin]

Colour me BADD