Headlight Upgrades.

[Rambler100]

those look interesting. Will look forward to hearing feedback on these. In general I like LED from a power issue but have been slow to adapt to the coverage of light. Seems to me even color temperature info doesn't always translate into coverage or density or something. Maybe lumens. Plus my experience or knowledge is very limited.

 

[O-Gauge Steamer]

An H4 bulb outputs, on average, in excess of 1000 Lumens on low. The ad for the LED says 220 Lumens. Sounds kind of dim to me... Also, in general, the higher the Kelvin rating the lower the Lumens with 5500 being what some consider to be an optimum balance.

 

[BarFlyFisherman]

Here's my headlamp upgrade package:

• Pair of Hella E-code H4's (without the "city" lights). If you are inclined to add daytime running lights to your rig, you can go ahead & order the E-code H4's with this feature. However, you'll need to install another relay & some wiring, so that the relay is triggered by a circuit that is "on" with the engine.
• (2) H4 90/100W 5800K XD5 bulbs ($13 EBay w/free S&H). The output of these lights is a bright white - no blue coatings.
• Putco H4 Heavy Duty Wiring Harness (#230004HW - $31 Amazon w/free S&H). This harness is a generic plug'n'play prefabricated harness. A male H4 plug connects to one of the OEM headlamp sockets - to provide the voltage trigger for the relays. Included are 2 separate 30A relays (1 lo, 1 hi). The relays now switch power that is a direct feed from the battery - ensuring bright headlamps under all electrical loads. They provide (2) high temperature H4 sockets for connection to the new headlamps.
• After about 18 months the Putco "high temperature" H4 headlamp sockets started to melt from the heat of my bulbs. I spliced in new H4 ceramic sockets using waterproof heat shrink butt connectors & silicone friction tape.

I will say, that the E-code H4 Hella's are by far the best headlamps that I have ever found. I have run other brands on Rally cars, and the optics are far superior to the cheaper versions out there. Remember: you get what you pay for AND Germans have always made the best optics (e.g. Swarovski Optik, Schmidt-Bender, Carl Zeiss, Steiner).

The other benefit of the E-codes housings is their superior "cut-off" angles which allow the beams to be aimed straight ahead & level. The optics cut-off the light that would shine into opposing traffic. They also spread a wide swath off to the right & onto the shoulder where you need it. This is really important when making right turns, as normal beams stare straight ahead!

I've been using Hella E-coded headlamps since the mid-1970's and have NEVER been stopped by any law enforcement due to beam patterns or brightness.

HINT: You can protect the surface of your expensive bulbs from pitting by installing a plastic film overlay available from any "invisible bra" manufacturer ($45 kit from Xpel.com protects headlamps, OEM fog lights & front signals)

I was worried about a surface film providing sufficient protection for all of this work. I installed a pair of clear rigid plastic shields over my headlamps to protect them from rocks & debris (GT Styling, Part #GTS-GT0697C, SKU:172382, $65). They normally just press fit into the light bezel, but they were too lose for my tastes. So I placed a strip of industrial Velcro on the bottom of the bezel. They stay in place perfectly & I haven't had any issues with them coming loose.

Links to some images:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jG4fA1nXhmOGZf4T_SMiWA?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kAfqBb541D6woqDtk7e2Xw?feat=directlink

 

[hidperf]

I'm currently running this setup:

Autopal Glass H4 conversion housing
Nokya 80/100 Arctic white H4 bulbs
Home made harness with relays.

Cost me less than 50.00 total and I love them.

I'm also running 80w Nokya Arctic white bulbs in all my Aux lights and they are incredibly bright.

 

[bmpweXJ]

Harness is the biggest bang for the buck. Replace in this order:

1 harness
2 housing
3 shit in/on your GFs car
4 bulbs

Don't spend big $$ On bulbs, get a set of $23 GE nighthawks and be done.

 

[raypla]

Lot's of opinions here. I've discovered over the years that you truly get what you pay for. Many have bought cheaper headlight replacements and while the output may have improved, the cheaper stuff doesn't perform nearly as well as a better quality product- regardless of the wattages, etc.

The factory lights are worse than pathetic- they are dangerous!

For my money, I always come back to the IPF housings. I run them with the new generation Fat Boy Bulbs and they are an amazing difference over stock!:clap:

If I'm choosing stock lights and a harness or better lights and stock harness to start, I would definitely go with the better lights first! Add a harness later- unless you're gonna run some really high wattage bulbs- then get the harness at the same time. The IPF 4x41 bulbs work fine on the stock harness and even better with a good harness.

Here's a couple of pics of an IPF light on the drivers side and a stock light on the pass side- STOCK harness:
Low beam:

High Beam:

Pics aren't that great, but you get the idea. The difference is HUGE!
I really like the beam pattern on the IPF's. Sharp cut-off on top allows a lot of light on the road without blinding on coming traffic.

I run a set of IPF 968 driving lights on my BullBar aimed out more to the sides. Where the headlight pattern drops off, they pick back up. Awesome, wide display that lights up ditches, etc, so I can see those deer at night...

Cibie w/55/60 Osram bulbs- stock harness

I also have 5-90's 5 main upgrade which made a noticeable difference on Sucky Sealed Beams to stock

 

[cruiser54]

raypla, I'm sorry but I disagree. The harness upgrade and of course 5-90's cables make a difference. The reason I do not advocate upgrading the headlamps without first upgrading the harness is that the amperage draw of the stock headlamps can fry the headlight switch. Why gamble by putting more amperage through an under-engineered harness and switch?


For less than the price of the headlight switch, and less labor, you can install the eautoworks harness and see a very noticeable improvement. Then, you won't fry the switch........

 

[BarFlyFisherman]

I created a diagram for building your own dual wiring harness (for those so inclined). If you want to activate auxiliary lamps with your high/low beams, build a second harness like this one & place the on/off switches in the trigger wires to the relays (from the headlamp socket).

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cQoQqp0wBpg_eaLzGacsfw?feat=directlink

 

[twodoorXJ]

I have run both IPF e codes, and hella dots. I like the IPFs more. The light output is better, the hellas put a hotspot on the road, and the IPFs have a sharper cut off.

 

[Doublestack00]

Anyone tried this wiring harness? Looks the same as the eautoworks but about 1/2 the price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Xeno...Q5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_2713wt_1165

 

[cruiser54]

Why don't you try it and let us know?

 

[Doublestack00]

Anyone tried this wiring harness? Looks the same as the eautoworks but about 1/2 the price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Xeno...Q5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_2713wt_1165

It is for HID only. I bought it and the wires seem really thin that they use, other than that it seems pretty good quality. Even has a built in fuse holder with fuse for the positive wire that runs to the battery.

 

[Doublestack00]

It is for HID only. I bought it and the wires seem really thin that they use, other than that it seems pretty good quality. Even has a built in fuse holder with fuse for the positive wire that runs to the battery.

I installed the harness today and OMG! My HID's are WAY brighter than before and do not flicker or anything now. So worth the $8 I spent on it.

 

[96upcountry]

I recently installed 5-90 mains cables (very nice). The eautoworks harness, and Autopals. The yellow harness wasn't so bad as I was able to keep it behind the factory loom. The Autopals are ok, but they seem to have some weird scattered light shooting out to the sides. Between all of these I feel as if I had been in an old 6 volt Volkswagen in comparison. I think I might switch to IPF housings in the future after I focus on more mechanical issues for awhile, like lift and bumpers.

 

[cruiser54]

I can relate to the old 6V VW headlights. Great comparison.

 

[iwannadie]

I installed the harness today and OMG! My HID's are WAY brighter than before and do not flicker or anything now. So worth the $8 I spent on it.

I'm wondering why the lights would be brighter with the harness. HIDs draw much lower power during actual use than normal lights. The harness is really there for the initial power surge when you first turn the lights on. If they were able to get passed the initial power jump to ignite and turn them on, then you should have had no issues supplying the lower power to run them. If you couldn't supply them with enough power they wouldn't turn on, or 1 would turn on but once on it should be at full strength.

At least that's how I always understood it.

 

[FlexdXJ]

I'm wondering why the lights would be brighter with the harness. HIDs draw much lower power during actual use than normal lights. The harness is really there for the initial power surge when you first turn the lights on. If they were able to get passed the initial power jump to ignite and turn them on, then you should have had no issues supplying the lower power to run them. If you couldn't supply them with enough power they wouldn't turn on, or 1 would turn on but once on it should be at full strength.

At least that's how I always understood it.

If you have the full voltage going to them they won't flicker. Mine do flicker from time to time though even with the harness.

 

[BarFlyFisherman]

If you have the full voltage going to them they won't flicker. Mine do flicker from time to time though even with the harness.

Sounds like a loose connection or bad ground. It's easy to diagnose.

If the flickering happens on the high AND low beams, then you probably have a bad ground.

Add a secondary ground using a tapping connector. If the problem goes away, then you know it's a bad grounding connection - and you know what to trace/repair.

If the flickering continues, then it's in the power supply wiring - and again you know what to trace/repair.

 

[RedChuck]

i always wondered if these were any good.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/7X6-...e|Year:1999&hash=item45fbf4b3f5#ht_4928wt_940

i made my own harness its not hard and it defiantly made a big difference. but i still want more light. i know everyone says IPFs but i like the black look of these

i'm not a big fan of HIDs they have that cool factor because the warm up is neat. but i have multiple friends that have done the HID conversion and there is always a random flicker every once and a while. i blame the ballast.

 

[clean4drxj]

i always wondered if these were any good.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/7X6-...e|Year:1999&hash=item45fbf4b3f5#ht_4928wt_940

i made my own harness its not hard and it defiantly made a big difference. but i still want more light. i know everyone says IPFs but i like the black look of these

i'm not a big fan of HIDs they have that cool factor because the warm up is neat. but i have multiple friends that have done the HID conversion and there is always a random flicker every once and a while. i blame the ballast.

No those are junk, go with some IPF's or Hella's