Improving headlights

[ento45]

This harness is sold by other company that amazon , They don't ship to PR

[cruiser54]

gogmorgo and cruiser54:

 

Thanks for the clearing that up.  Makes this thread a great resource.

 

The harness alone should be the first step in lighting improvement.  It makes the stock lights much better and makes any additional lighting changes much brighter by simply delivering a full voltage and current load to what ever head lamps you use.  At $25, it is a no brainer

Absolutely correct.

[Jaime]

I did this up grade over the weekend and WOW what an improvement. My stock lights are so much better that I don't think I need stronger lights. I almost think I might be blinding other drivers.

[cruiser54]

I did this up grade over the weekend and WOW what an improvement. My stock lights are so much better that I don't think I need stronger lights. I almost think I might be blinding other drivers.

Typical result.....

[uncleben03]

So much talk about Halogens.  Since nobody asked, I'll tell you that the TruckLite LED headlights are well worth the money. Out of the thousands and thousands of dollars I've spent on upgrades and modifications on my TJ, the LED headlights @ $400 were probably THE best money I've ever spent on a mod.  I will eventually be getting a set for my new MJ as well.  I know they're expensive, but if you drive at night, consider then strongly.  They make a 5x7" version for us.

[HOrnbrod]

^^  I have to agree with this. I installed a set of TruckLite LEDs on my JK, and they are great. The low beams are equal or just slightly better than my MJ with Hella e-codes and 55w H4 bulbs,  but the LED high beams as compared to the halogens is like day to night. And the LEDs draw less than 25% of the amperage that the stock sealed beams, so no relay harness is necessary. If I did not have the halogens and harness already on the MJ, I'd definitely be getting a set of TruckLite LEDs for the MJ.

[benjy_26]

I wish they made LED 9004 replacement bulbs. :-/

[Dadinator]

Are these upgrades all legal? I would think the harness is, but some of you going brighter and brighter. I would think that you would be blinding oncoming traffic. No?

[johnj92131]

^^  I have to agree with this. I installed a set of TruckLite LEDs on my JK, and they are great. The low beams are equal or just slightly better than my MJ with Hella e-codes and 55w H4 bulbs,  but the LED high beams as compared to the halogens is like day to night. And the LEDs draw less than 25% of the amperage that the stock sealed beams, so no relay harness is necessary. If I did not have the halogens and harness already on the MJ, I'd definitely be getting a set of TruckLite LEDs for the MJ.

 

Very interesting, Don.    I have Hella e-codes on my Passat with a relay harness (not sure what bulbs I have).  The absolute best thing about the e-codes is the beam pattern.  They put the light on the road, rather than in the eyes of other drivers.  Especially with the high beams on.

 

Please tell me if it is just more lumens of light with the TruckLite LEDs or the "color" of the light.  Or is the beam pattern as good as the e-codes?

 

Recall reading a review in JP magazine of TruckLite LEDs (ver. 2.0) several years ago.  The reviewer was pleased with the lumens and the color of the lights, but did not say much about the highway beam pattern. 

[johnj92131]

Are these upgrades all legal? I would think the harness is, but some of you going brighter and brighter. I would think that you would be blinding oncoming traffic. No?

 

That is why the beam pattern is so important.  It is not just about the brightness (lumens) or the "color" of the light.   The e-code headlights are much better than the SAE lights for the beam patterns.  Way too many aftermarket lights are sold just for being bright with no attention paid to where the light goes or what it does to the other motorists.

[cruiser54]

My buddy from Alaska is removing his LED headlamps as they don't melt the snow off......

[HOrnbrod]

The Trucklite LED head lamps, both the round and 5x7 rectangular, are DOT compliant. The E-code H4s are not. There are plenty of articles around with photos showing comparison LO/HI beam patterns between the E H4s and LEDs around. There's good one on NAXJA; I'll post the link if I can find it later. Here are my unscientific observations:
 
LO Beam:  The cutoff of the E-code housings is sharper than the LEDs, but not by much. Both have a far superior cutoff line as compared to sealed beams. I've never been flashed with either vehicle, but I did align the lamps per instructions. The LEDs and E-code halogens have a different alignment procedure.

 

The light color for the halogens is much yellower than the LEDs. The LEDs are more like daylight, very restful on my tired old eyes. The yellower H4s get to me on long night drives.

 

The LO beam distance penetration is pretty much equal between the two. But the LEDs seem to get out farther due to the light color.
 
HI Beam: This is where the LEDs beat the crap out of the H4s. It's nearly daylight as far as you can see. Really lights up the road about twice as far as the H4s, and is great for twisty country roads.

 

One semi-annoying feature at first with the LEDs is the "X" pattern in the road where the four beams of the two headlamp housings beams converge. It's weird at first, but after awhile you don't even notice it. The NAXJA article shows this pretty well.
 
Overall, I much prefer them over the E-codes. The very low amp draw is good too. The biggest drawback of course is the cost. If and when they drop down in price a bit, they will be replacing the halogen E-codes in the MJ.
 

My buddy from Alaska is removing his LED headlamps as they don't melt the snow off......

Yes, they don't get hot enough to melt the snow/ice. Not usually a problem in 'Bama. But I've read TruckLite has a spray-on coating that prevents ice and snow from sticking on the lens similar to what is used on satellite dishes.

[benjy_26]

 

Are these upgrades all legal? I would think the harness is, but some of you going brighter and brighter. I would think that you would be blinding oncoming traffic. No?

 

 

That is why the beam pattern is so important.  It is not just about the brightness (lumens) or the "color" of the light.   The e-code headlights are much better than the SAE lights for the beam patterns.  Way too many aftermarket lights are sold just for being bright with no attention paid to where the light goes or what it does to the other motorists.

This. Also, you have to be careful witt the colors of the bulbs. Some cheap "upgrade" bulbs look like they produce whiter light because of the blue coatings they have. Not beneficial at all.

[johnj92131]

Don,

 

Thank you for your observations.  I will do some searching for more info on the LEDs vs e-codes.  Don't do enough driving, let alone night driving, in the Comanche to justify either e-codes or LED headlights at $3-400 for either one.  Did go to silverstars a couple of years ago on your input.  One of them burned out rather quickly, the other one is still working fine.  The relay harness should be about all I am willing to do on the Comanche.

One more question.  Any idea if a relay harness improves the LED light output the same way it does with an incandesent headlight?  I rather suspect not.

[HOrnbrod]

You suspect correctly. The LED lamps are either on or off, there are no varying degrees of brightness as with incandescent lamps. The typical LED headlamp draws a max of about 3.5A, much less than a typical sealed beam on HI beam. So the factory harness, if in good shape, is more than adequate. For the LED lamps, a supplementary relay harness would be unnecessary.

[johnj92131]

For more great information on headlights, see this thread on quad headlights from the Wagoneer:

 

http://comancheclub.com/topic/45284-4-headlight-conversion/

 

The 5th post has a link to an old Cruser54 post on the Cherokee Forum with all kinds of great information on lighting:

 

http://www.cherokeef...pgrades-151217/

 

Posts #1 and #5 have a bunch of very good links.  I especially suggest reading the DanielSternsLighting web site: 

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html

 

 

It has been in my bookmarks for several years.

 

This is just here to provide the links for anyone looking for more lighting information in the future.

[CoManChu]

when you say dim do you mean as if there were something wrong with your lights compared to a factory mj? If so I would first check to make sure your getting proper voltage to your pins on the headlamp connector. Inspect wires and connectors for corrosion. If you increase your headlamp wattage to 100w I would say anything 16 awg or larger will be plenty. I do not know what factory wire size is.

 

When searching for a bulb not only consider wattage but lumen output and color temperature. However you are limited by the parabolic shape of the housing its self as far as overall light projection. A better brighter bulb will only optimize the factories intended projection. I would either look for alternative options for housings to accommodate your preferred light projection or run auxiliary lights in combination with your factory lights.

 

Just my opinion on the topic.

[cruiser54]

when you say dim do you mean as if there were something wrong with your lights compared to a factory mj? If so I would first check to make sure your getting proper voltage to your pins on the headlamp connector. Inspect wires and connectors for corrosion. If you increase your headlamp wattage to 100w I would say anything 16 awg or larger will be plenty. I do not know what factory wire size is.

 

When searching for a bulb not only consider wattage but lumen output and color temperature. However you are limited by the parabolic shape of the housing its self as far as overall light projection. A better brighter bulb will only optimize the factories intended projection. I would either look for alternative options for housings to accommodate your preferred light projection or run auxiliary lights in combination with your factory lights.

 

Just my opinion on the topic.

There is a known problem with voltage drop through the switch. The proven fix is the supplemental harness. 

[gogmorgo]

IIRC from when I pulled my harness apart almost a year ago, the factory headlight wiring is 18 awg. But like Cruiser (and everyone else in this thread) said, the issue is the headlight switch, more specifically the connector to it. Whether it corrodes and builds resistance or if it's simply rated lower than the load it carries, I don't know, but it tends to get HOT. Mine caught fire... fortunately I noticed and put it out before it spread any further.

This is not an issue that only hits a couple Jeeps, it affects nearly all of them. When it happened to me, I eventually had to buy an expensive new connector for my new headlight switch because every single one I found at several wrecking yards was at least partially melted. I suppose I could have just used female spade terminals, but that's a little too jank for my tastes.

 

The headlight harness upgrade isn't just something that people do for extra light, although brighter lights is an added bonus. The harness upgrade is a supplemental harness that uses a pair of relays to unload the headlight switch, leaving the factory wiring in place only to trigger the relays. The popular Putco H4 harness I believe uses 14 awg wire to carry the headlight load, and I think it's rated for 100W, but do you own research as that's just what I remember coming across a couple times when the subject comes up. I made my own relay harness because I didn't want to wait for one to ship.

[cruiser54]

IIRC from when I pulled my harness apart almost a year ago, the factory headlight wiring is 18 awg. But like Cruiser (and everyone else in this thread) said, the issue is the headlight switch, more specifically the connector to it. Whether it corrodes and builds resistance or if it's simply rated lower than the load it carries, I don't know, but it tends to get HOT. Mine caught fire... fortunately I noticed and put it out before it spread any further.

This is not an issue that only hits a couple Jeeps, it affects nearly all of them. When it happened to me, I eventually had to buy an expensive new connector for my new headlight switch because every single one I found at several wrecking yards was at least partially melted. I suppose I could have just used female spade terminals, but that's a little too jank for my tastes.

 

The headlight harness upgrade isn't just something that people do for extra light, although brighter lights is an added bonus. The harness upgrade is a supplemental harness that uses a pair of relays to unload the headlight switch, leaving the factory wiring in place only to trigger the relays. The popular Putco H4 harness I believe uses 14 awg wire to carry the headlight load, and I think it's rated for 100W, but do you own research as that's just what I remember coming across a couple times when the subject comes up. I made my own relay harness because I didn't want to wait for one to ship.

Well stated and exactly right.

 

The bonus is the 40% increase in headlamp output. 

 

The harness is easier to install and only a bit more expensive than a head light switch, too.