larrymo Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I want to replace the original stock (read dull) headlights on my 1987 Comanche (and my '95 YJ also). I absolutely do not want anything that gives off a "blue" hue. White and bright is what I am looking for. The brighter the better. Tired of driving at night with the equivalent of 2 kerosene lanterns for lights. Also, will my original wiring be able to handle the new lights without any additions or modifications? Thanks in advance, Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backdraft Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I would suggest, based on my experience, hella e-code housings, osram bulbs, and the heavy duty harness with relays. check my build thread for the links. http://comancheclub.com/topic/27796-2001-eliminator/page__st__220 Btw, where in Texas are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I would suggest, based on my experience, hella e-code housings, osram bulbs, and the heavy duty harness with relays. check my build thread for the links. http://comancheclub....r/page__st__220 This is a good answer. I've done the same but with Autopal e-codes. Harness is super important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flint54 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 IMHO, harness and relays are a must do for the headlight upgrade. I'm very pleased with my headlight upgrade. My only regret is that nobody makes a "self leveling" headlight (similar in principle to a dash compass) because when I load up the bed oncoming drivers are unhappy. Even with MT springs and great shocks, a few inches down in back makes a big difference to headlight aim point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huck731 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 you can get HID headlights without the stupid ricer bleu look. go ddm tuning .com or http://www.ddmtuning.com/category.php?CA=85 get the 6k in 35w and you will have a crisp bright white that can't be beat. nice and cheap, plus an amazing warentee, they also have the conversion housings you will need. as a testemonial or whatever ya want to call it, I have run these on previous cars and my motorcycle and I have never had a complaint abotu them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrymo Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 Thanks for all of the good tips and suggestions. Also, are the basic halogen sealed beam headlights any good such as the Sylvania H6054XV? Will these need new wiring harnesses, etc. ? Just looking at all of my options. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganDuck Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Hella E-codes, harness/relay upgrade and some 55watt bulbs. I outshine some newer vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody4359 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 i put in IPF housings with silver strat bulbs. i love the cutoff of the housings, but i plan on upgrading the harness and bulbs down the road. browse around for some pictures and see what pattern you like the best. after i took these pictures i aimed them a bit better and was more pleased with the coverage stock IPF low IPF high Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I just put some new H6054XV's in my truck. They seem reasonably bright, but I haven't used them outside of the city, and I need to reaim them. They're not as bright as HID's, though. I just pulled my old cloudy headlights out and put them right into the factory harness. I turn my lights on whenever I'm driving, and haven't had an issue. They're better than the old ones, even pointed in whatever wonky direction they're in. I went down to my preferred auto parts chain store to get them, and that's what they had for OEM replacement. Took a bit of running around to get them to actually sell them, since they were buried in a back room somewhere, or something, so I came in three times before they were willing to sell them to me, which saved me $4 each off a $13 headlight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 gogmorgo and cody 4359, you need to realize that by not adding the supplemental harness that you are missing out on at least 20% of the available brightness of your headlights. Also, understand that the circuit breaker for your underengineered wiring of the stock system is in the headlight switch. Here's what happens even to folks with STOCK lights. Driving along at night, of course, the headlight switch circuit breaker trips and the lights go out. Sometimes in this process, the headlight seitch harness plug melts.You guys have increased the load on this poorly designed circuit and are playing with fire. Well, at least some smoke anyway. The harness is cheap and easy to install. No cutting, crimping or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Didn't realize I was doing much more than replacing the stock lights. Guess that's what I get for trusting the computer at the parts store... I'll look into the harness. Anyone got any suggestions as to where I should get one? I don't really know what I'm looking for there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Amazon has the bucket conversions. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00564BOVY/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1354330359&sr=8-2-fkmr0&pi=SL75 Ddm tuning has good hid kits, or once you get the buckets, slap in some silverstars and go. http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-HID-Kit-Slim-Ballast-35W-or-55W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Dude Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Don't forget that a headlight's wattage rating is for the power consumed, not the light output. A 55W tungsten sealed beam draws the exact same current as a 55W halogen bulb. The halogen is more efficient and puts out more light that the old tungsten bulb. The wiring and the headlight switch doesn't know the difference. But, as cruiser54 states, be careful if you are putting a higher wattage light than stock, you can fry the circuit, especially if it is "under engineered". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I think the box said they were 55/65W low/high. Anyone know what stock is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Dude Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I tried to look it up on google, but couldn't find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Yeah, I just tried it again myself, and Quadratec's website has a bunch of sylvania lights listed, the only one not called an "aftermarket upgrade" is the regular H6054, and it's listed as 35/65W. Unless the low beam circuit is different than the highbeam circuit (didn't look that way to me, but I was only at the socket end... all wires were the same size) I'm guessing the XV's now confirmed 55/65W won't hurt anything. Also, Sylvania claims you can just swap the H6054XV's in with no issue, so since I'd rather not spend more money than I have to right now (the starving student thing is beginning to look less like a joke) I'm just going to leave it as it is. If it cooks something, then whatever got cooked needed replacing anyway. The lighting in it when I bought it wasn't wonderful, but it was adequate. The only reason I replaced them was because one burnt out and the other had a hole in the lens. Another added bonus is that the Sylvania lights are made in the good ol' US of A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 http://www.eautoworks.com/Putco-H4--9003-Heavy-Duty-Headlight-Upgrade-Wiring-Harness-PRD7540.aspx The harness takes about 30 minutes to install. It's a supplemental harness and plugs right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 See, $50 after shipping isn't exactly what I'd call "cheap". If something happens, I'll have to spend the money, but until then, $50 is still a couple weeks worth of food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 See, $50 after shipping isn't exactly what I'd call "cheap". If something happens, I'll have to spend the money, but until then, $50 is still a couple weeks worth of food. Beats the cost of a headlight switch and associated melted plug/wiring and losing your headlights at night.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 That may well be, and if it happens, I'll let you say "I told you so" all you want. But considering I haven't increased watts over stock, I'll risk it. If it makes you feel any better, it's on my list for next summer. It's not that I don't respect your opinion, I just don't have it within my current means to do anything about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnj92131 Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 <snip> It's not that I don't respect your opinion, I just don't have it within my current means to do anything about it. Fair enough! We all have to set our own priorities and live with or learn from them. I have E-codes on my Passat. I love them, they are great. I don"t use the Commanche much, especially at night (the lights suck). But I keep spending extra money on other toys. Want the relay harness for the Passat first. One of these days, it is E-codes for the Commanche, then the relay harness for an extra $30 or so. BTW, E-codes for the Comanche (at $100 for the pair) are a HUGE bargain compared to the $400 and up cost for the Passat. Think I paid $20/25 for one Silver Star sealed beam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 See, $50 after shipping isn't exactly what I'd call "cheap". If something happens, I'll have to spend the money, but until then, $50 is still a couple weeks worth of food. Beats the cost of a headlight switch and associated melted plug/wiring and losing your headlights at night.. Cruiser, I'll let you say "I told you so" now. Sure enough, I never got around to doing anything about this, and not only did it melt the plug/wiring, it set the switch and wires on fire last week. If that's not encouragement for anyone else reading this thread, I don't know what else could be. $50 sure beats burning down the truck. I was fortunate enough to notice the fire and was able to put it out before it could do too much damage, and to have it happen in the daylight, but you might not be so lucky. As it is, no headlights when there's only eight hours of daylight, and having to pull the dash off to replace the wires and connectors for the switch as well as the switch itself sucks bad enough, in addition to having my Sunday Best smelling like burnt plastic. I can't quite imagine how much it would suck to lose the whole truck. Again, to everyone else, don't be an idiot like me. Not only does it beat the cost of the wiring, it could cost you your truck. This upgrade is definitely worth it, no two ways about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 See, $50 after shipping isn't exactly what I'd call "cheap". If something happens, I'll have to spend the money, but until then, $50 is still a couple weeks worth of food. Beats the cost of a headlight switch and associated melted plug/wiring and losing your headlights at night.. Cruiser, I'll let you say "I told you so" now. Sure enough, I never got around to doing anything about this, and not only did it melt the plug/wiring, it set the switch and wires on fire last week. If that's not encouragement for anyone else reading this thread, I don't know what else could be. $50 sure beats burning down the truck. I was fortunate enough to notice the fire and was able to put it out before it could do too much damage, and to have it happen in the daylight, but you might not be so lucky. As it is, no headlights when there's only eight hours of daylight, and having to pull the dash off to replace the wires and connectors for the switch as well as the switch itself sucks bad enough, in addition to having my Sunday Best smelling like burnt plastic. I can't quite imagine how much it would suck to lose the whole truck. Again, to everyone else, don't be an idiot like me. Not only does it beat the cost of the wiring, it could cost you your truck. This upgrade is definitely worth it, no two ways about it. You got alot of guts, bud,and a ton of respect from me for posting this!! Hopefully folks pay attention. AND, I'm glad your truck survived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMCJeepMJ Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 To beat a dead horse, I too suggest the Hella e-codes, Osram Silverstars [not Sylvania branded Silverstar even though they're the same company], and an upgraded wiring harness. Do it yesterday. With this combination, I outshine our 02 Escape with Osram Silverstars and our 94 LeSabre with Toshiba HIR bulbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64 Cheyenne Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Silverstars, ecode, IPF, whatever.... These things shouldn't even be part of a consideration or on the table for discussion until after the harness has been upgraded. Period. In my opinion why?...because I did the harness upgrade, afterwards would have sent the replacement bulbs back... the harness upgrade worked so well, my headlights were so bright, even with mismatched, who knows how old sealed beams. The harness upgrade makes makes the most overall improvement, bar none...best money I ever spent to see down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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