My understanding is if you have more than four bright lights (over 300 candela) you have to keep them covered when not in use so you don't accidentally turn them on when on a public road. The same goes for roof mounted lights. You can't use them on a public road so you have to keep them covered.

Hmm … interesting. IMO, keeping them covered saves you the hassle of being stopped and questioned by a “curious” officer. However, you can’t get ticketed for having them on your vehicle. I mean c’mon, some Jeep Liberty models come with a roof light rack straight out of the assembly plant. Security vehicles have spotlights, similarly, so do tow trucks and buses. Tractors have a pair facing the rear for backing up trailers at night. I’ve seen a guy get ticketed on the 401 for forgetting to turn them off, but not for having them installed. (Obviously commercial vehicle lighting regulations differ slightly.) Also, certain people have strobes that imitate emergency vehicle lighting, which they use for show purposes. There’s no law stating that you can’t have them installed, but there’s one restricting the use of them on public roads.
From what I’ve read and researched, the amount of extra lighting allowed on a vehicle, in my understanding, is free. As long as they’re turned OFF when using public roads. So, I think, as long as you stick by the rule that states "every motor vehicle other than a motorcycle shall carry three lighted lamps in a conspicuous position, one on each side of the front of the vehicle which shall display a white or amber light only, and one on the rear of the vehicle which shall display a red light only", you should be good. The rest should be OFF, and then you could have your vehicle literally covered with them, so that when you do go off-road, onto a public parking lot or driveway, (or when no one is looking), you can become that moving sun light beam.
Nonetheless, I agree, it seems way too vague when you hear stories like Anthony_T’s.

Jeff wrote on 01/16/9 at 12:09:09:


Lawfully you are only allowed 4 front mounted lights - rally or no rally.
Illegally though, you can do whatever you please.  

brynepp wrote on 01/20/9 at 17:32:15:


I actually picked up an off-duty police officer one VERY cold night a couple winters ago.  (His diesel Jetta had conked out on the way home... north of Norwood... around 11:30pm)  I was in the rally beater... rally computer, 4 Bosch 225's, stripped interior (stock seats and belts).  His house was only a few km's away on a sideroad... when I turned on the big lights, he commented on how nice they were and how well they lit up the road.  I mentioned what they were used for, how they were wired into the high beams, etc... and he said "If I ever pulled you over at night, I wouldn't have a problem with these at all".  That was when I discovered he was an off-duty cop.  

They aren't all bad.