Eagle Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Aging eyes don't see as well at night. I don't want to deal with an H4 conversion at the moment but I wouldn't mind having a few more candles on the road at night. What types of non-OEM sealed beam replacements have y'all tried, and how did you like them? Sylvania Silver Stars sound good, but do they really put out more light or do they just make the like look more bluish (which would actually reduce total output)? TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motion Offroad Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I know you said you didn't want to deal with the H4 conversion, but can I ask why? They are simply "plug-n-play" and would be no more work than swapping out the sealed beam light. Keep the wattage down on the bulbs and you'll not have any worries with the factory harness. I think you'll get much better results with them over any sealed beam setup. Just curious as to why your against them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadinator Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I've heard good things about the silverstars. However, if you're headlights are old, any new ones will brighten them up. I read an article somewhere that halogen headlights don't go out that often, but as they age, they lose some of their brightness. I replaced the ones in my wifes '97 TJ last year and it made a huge difference. I have also heard of folks redoing their headlights by running them straight off the battery via a relay. Haven't tried that myself though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffN Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 2nd the silverstars, made a huge difference at a low cost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1987Comanche Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Silver Stars make a big difference. I've put 3 sets in my vehicles and recommended them to a friend with an '01 XJ who has a hard time seeing at night. He's quite happy with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComancheKid45 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Have Silverstars in my XJ and 88 MJ......plenty happy with the output :wrench: :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepdoggydogB Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I know you said you didn't want to deal with the H4 conversion, but can I ask why? They are simply "plug-n-play" and would be no more work than swapping out the sealed beam light. Keep the wattage down on the bulbs and you'll not have any worries with the factory harness. I think you'll get much better results with them over any sealed beam setup. Just curious as to why your against them? I have the IPF lenses and finally found the perfect H4 bulb in the Hella. I previously had the IPF lenses with the IPF Fatboy bulbs and got flashed by on coming motorists more than I care to remember no matter how well adjusted I had the lamps. The Hella's seem to be just as intense but have a more direct low beam that does not scatter and overwhelm oncoming drivers. I use the Biggoffroad adapter on the factory harness with no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 :agree: I too have poor eyesight at night; upgrading the head lamps is no time to cheap out. The Silver Stars are slightly better than the stock sealed beams, but nothing beats the Hella H4 housings, IPF H4 bulbs (I use 85/55 watt) with an upgraded harness. And don't waste your $$ on the crappy Autopal H4s. You think they are okay until you try the Hellas then you wonder why you ever bought them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TylerJY Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 :agree: I too have poor eyesight at night; upgrading the head lamps is no time to cheap out. The Silver Stars are slightly better than the stock sealed beams, but nothing beats the Hella H4 housings, IPF H4 bulbs (I use 85/55 watt) with an upgraded harness. And don't waste your $$ on the crappy Autopal H4s. You think they are okay until you try the Hellas then you wonder why you ever bought them. :agree: I am 17, night blind, and saving my money for these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 I know you said you didn't want to deal with the H4 conversion, but can I ask why? They are simply "plug-n-play" and would be no more work than swapping out the sealed beam light. Keep the wattage down on the bulbs and you'll not have any worries with the factory harness. I think you'll get much better results with them over any sealed beam setup. Just curious as to why your against them? I see no point to doing an H4 conversion if I have to keep the wattage down, and I don't care to deal with a harness upgrade at this point. I want a sealed beam because I want a sealed beam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I see no point to doing an H4 conversion if I have to keep the wattage down, and I don't care to deal with a harness upgrade at this point. I want a sealed beam because I want a sealed beam. Then get the Silver Stars and settle for a slight improvement. BTW, Are you related to Andy Rooney? :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 BTW, Are you related to Andy Rooney? :yes: Not that I know of. But I probably do share some common curmudgeonly lineage with him. For some reason, as I get older, I find it increasingly difficult to understand why people who don't know or don't care to respond to very clear and specific questions are nonetheless willing to waste both their and the questioner's time responding to questions that were excluded from the original question. Some psych major is probably doing a study on the phenomenon even as I type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaquaro Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Just do the plug and play harness ( $20 ) . You will exceed the Silverstars performance . .......But I'm with those who clearly see (at night ) the Hella E-codes are the way to go :thumbsup: ( yes , I read your question . ) :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I would rewire the headlights through an relay and inline fuse straight to the battery as well for some extra brightness. The stock headlight setup has a lot of resistance in the circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Just get this: http://www.eautoworks.com/Putco-H4--900 ... D7540.aspx And do this: Cruiser’s Headlight Upgrade Harness Instructions Absolutely plug and play. Remove grille and headlamp bulbs. I fed my harnesses from the passenger side starting between the battery and the back of the headlamp housing, over to the driver side. Plug the driver side bulb into the new harness. Attach the new harness's ground wire under one of the small bolts on the radiator support after scraping the paint off under it. Attach the harness to the existing harness behind the grille working toward the passenger side. . Plug the new harness plug into passenger headlamp. Plug original headlamp plug into receptacle on new harness. Attach the ground for the passenger side just like you did the driver side under a radiator support bolt. Attach relays with provided bracket on the passenger side inner fender. Connect power wires to battery. Your stock headlamps will be about 30% brighter as a result. Installs in less than half an hour. Prevents your headlight switch and it's associated wiring and plug from melting down as they are known to do with stock headlamps. Only increases that risk by adding more powerful lamps without upgrading the harness. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I did the autopal housings and the upgraded harness. I'm not sure what makes the autopal housings crappy, but for the money and performance I am completely satisfied. They were extremely easy to install too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I would rewire the headlights through an relay and inline fuse straight to the battery as well for some extra brightness. The stock headlight setup has a lot of resistance in the circuit. I don't understand why the XJ/MJ never had headlamp relays from the factory. The fogs did. Just the voltage drop, undersize wiring, and corrosion over the years cause the otherwise satisfactory sealed beams to operate maybe at 75% efficiency. Plus burn up the headlamp switch prematurely. So a good upgrade w/o much time and $$ would be to install a ready-made harness (or make your own) with HI and LOW relays and use Silver Stars. About a 150% improvement. I did the autopal housings and the upgraded harness. I'm not sure what makes the autopal housings crappy, but for the money and performance I am completely satisfied. They were extremely easy to install too. Maybe crappy is too harsh a word. Certainly better than the sealed beams. But the way they spray light everywhere really hurts their performance. They are simply brighter with no real pattern. Once you see the difference between the Hella light dispersal and the Autopals you can really tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'87 fuel-miser Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 my vote's for hella ! i used the hella h-4 headlights back in my volkswagen days ... the fluted lenses where pretty cool , not to mention the differance at night ... not knocking the silverstar ( not having used them yet ) but hella always meant quality in my book , i'm sure they still do ... happy holidays ! :banana: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motion Offroad Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 For some reason, as I get older, I find it increasingly difficult to understand why people who don't know or don't care to respond to very clear and specific questions are nonetheless willing to waste both their and the questioner's time responding to questions that were excluded from the original question. And for the same reason I find it difficult to understand why people get so upset when you ask for the reasoning behind something. You stated you didn't want to do something, but gave no details as to why until asked. Then you criticism them for asking why. Maybe the question was asked for a reason so we can give you a better response as to what will work best in your wants/needs/desires. Maybe some of us have been there and are simply trying to offer advice (isn't that what you asked for?) before you spend money on something that you may/may not be happy with. I simply was just asking why you wanted to keep with a sealed beam headlight. Regardless of if I think a H4 type conversion is better or not I was just curious as to the reasoning you had behind not wanting to convert. I see no need to ask a question on a public forum to begin with if your not willing to get different responses. -Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 For some reason, as I get older, I find it increasingly difficult to understand why people who don't know or don't care to respond to very clear and specific questions are nonetheless willing to waste both their and the questioner's time responding to questions that were excluded from the original question. And for the same reason I find it difficult to understand why people get so upset when you ask for the reasoning behind something. You stated you didn't want to do something, but gave no details as to why until asked. Then you criticism them for asking why. Maybe the question was asked for a reason so we can give you a better response as to what will work best in your wants/needs/desires. Maybe some of us have been there and are simply trying to offer advice (isn't that what you asked for?) before you spend money on something that you may/may not be happy with. I simply was just asking why you wanted to keep with a sealed beam headlight. Regardless of if I think a H4 type conversion is better or not I was just curious as to the reasoning you had behind not wanting to convert. I see no need to ask a question on a public forum to begin with if your not willing to get different responses. -Adam But my question asked specifically what sealed beam replacement is brightest. That leaves the field open to "Sylvania Silver Star" or "GE Super Dazzler" or whatever else might be out there in sealed beams. Discussion of H4 conversions when the question clearly stipulates sealed beams is not helpful, it's off topic. I know the intention is good ... but the result is not helpful. It's like when someone comes on a gun board and wants to know what would be a good revolver for his wife's first gun, and fifty people immediately suggest a Glock. What difference does it make WHY I want to stick with sealed beams, or why so-and-so's wife wants a revolver? It's a parameter of the question; the reason is immaterial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Silver Stars are the only sealed beam upgrade lamps I have used. I have used them in a TJ and XJ conversion. They were much brighter over a stock style replacement. The down side is they cost over double of a standard replacement and don't last as long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParadiseMJ Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Silver Stars are the only sealed beam upgrade lamps I have used. I have used them in a TJ and XJ conversion. They were much brighter over a stock style replacement. The down side is they cost over double of a standard replacement and don't last as long. I have Silverstars on both Jeeps and Silverstar Ultra bulbs on my Nissan GXE. I am also an old geezer at 59, don't see well at night. The Silverstar's are adequate and I drive to work at 5 am (always dark) on deer infested country roads. As far as lasting long...I have yet to need to change them after 2-3 years. ...but then you could do the 747 aircraft headlamp upgrade...nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 2-3 years is about how long my Silverstars lasted in both rigs. The stock TJ lamps from 02 were still burning when I replaced them in 06 with Silverstars. Two years later, in 08, a Silverstar burned out and I replaced them with IPF housing/bulbs. Now approaching 4 years with the IPFs and they haven't let go yet. The Silverstars in the XJ last in 3 year increments. Currently on the 3rd set. Regardless if I want to continue using Silverstars, I should upgrade to a relay harness to prevent a melt down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Well this thread inspired me. I bought everything I need to build my own harness from scratch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I like the 747 lighting idea myself......just sayin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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