Headlight upgrades

[kill_burst]

Needing to upgrade the headlights on my 1990 Comanche. There is a lot out there. Want something quality but doesn’t break the bank. Looking at the 100-200$ range. What’s the best bang for buck? 

[Marine1Texas]

these are LED and 30 dollars each. They are much brighter then oem. They take less power then the oem which is better on the wiring, and they make no heat. I have had good luck with these on my 87 mj and my 06 f250. I have had them for a year or so now, and they are still working great. They are plug n play.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013TMZUSM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[gogmorgo]

Best bang for buck is to upgrade with a relay harness. 

 

Not only will it increase the output of your factory bulbs, it will eliminate the risk of your headlight switch setting your truck on fire. After having done this I have never felt the need for better than the factory lights. 

[Dzimm]

38 minutes ago, Noriyori_Kudo said:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013TMZUSM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I had these for a while and they are definitely better than stock but the plastic lens scratches and fades quickly.  Also don't get these if you get snow or ice in your area.  Since they don't produce heat, they don't melt the snow thus requiring you to scratch the lenses getting it off yourself. 

 

I would recommend the Rampage H4 conversion instead.  They are more expensive ($75 on Amazon, cheaper elsewhere)  but way better.  They are brighter, have a glass lense, and are a standard H4 bulb.  I have since swapped all but one of my XJs over to these.  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OMPJHM/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_fObQAbFTM62C3

[kill_burst]

Awesome info gents. gives me some direction. heard good things about the harness upgrade

[johnj92131]

The harness upgrade should be the first thing you do.  It is inexpensive and will improve your stock lights.  SilverStar lamps are an improvement over stock at a modest cost.  Their life span is a bit shorter than stock lights.

 

I have a set of TurckLites on my 91 Comanche and they are really excellent.  Light pattern is great and very well controlled.  Not something you get in cheap LED kits.

 

Also have a set of Hella Ecodes to install in the 86 TDI Comanche and a relay harness as well.  The E-Codes will have an excellent, well controlled light pattern.

[gogmorgo]

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned yet, make sure your lenses are clean. My MJ saw a lot of gravel highways and was constantly dusty, and between the brush guard and then wire rock guards on the lenses themselves, the lights are not easy to keep clean... But it makes a huge difference. Since the washer fluid bottle doesn't hold a whole gallon I would splash the remainder onto the lights every time I filled it. Or you know wash the truck regularly... But for me the truck would look the same a day after I washed it as it did the day before so it didn't happen as often as it should have.

As to the silverstars I don't really find them much brighter, but it is a whiter light. I run my lights whenever I drive so they get used a ton... five years and 45000 miles later they haven't burnt out. 

[75sv1]

I have the E-Bay wiring harness and AutoPal H4 headlights. Either harness or AutoPals were an upgrade in themselves. Probably twice the light.  I am using the supplied bulbs with the AutoPals. I did change one of the relays in the wiring harness to an AR274, I bought at NAPA. I plan to change the other. The AR274 has longer blades. I also have some Flosser H4 bulbs, I plan to put in. They are stock wattage. I do think Hella and Cibie headlights are better than the Autopals. Pricewise the Autopals are good. I want to try the higher wattage Flossers at some point. Still, my plan is to have some driving lights recessed into the front bumper, with some fogs below the bumper.

[ParadiseMJ]

On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 11:38 AM, gogmorgo said:

Best bang for buck is to upgrade with a relay harness. 

 

Not only will it increase the output of your factory bulbs, it will eliminate the risk of your headlight switch setting your truck on fire. After having done this I have never felt the need for better than the factory lights. 

 

That's for sure.  My silverstars were pretty dim before, even on high beams I rarely got flashed.  Now oncoming cars flash me with my low beams on.   I made my own harness with good relays, all 10 ga. wire and I know it's all solid solders, not questionable connectors.

[gogmorgo]

And one other thing, regarding other people flashing you, making sure they're aimed properly will go a long way towards improving the headlights as well. 

[NHMJXJ]

I have knock-off TruckLite type headlights by Eagle Lights in my XJ.  Found them used on Craigslist and figured I'd give them a shot.  I inquired if anyone had any comparison to the Truck Lites in a different thread.   Crickets. 

 

For what it's worth, the Eagle Lights are a significant improvement over stock and 2/3's the cost of Truck Lites.  I always used Silver Star Ultras in the past and the LED light blows them away.   One difference of note is the LED light doesn't have the "fullness" the sealed beams have.  I notice it more in rainy, night driving.  I'm still mixed on this.  I guess the best way I can explain "fullness" is that they light up "objects" rather than everything.  Don't get me wrong ... you can see a country mile and the road is illuminated ... it's just a different view.  

 

I plan to put a set in the MJ.  Would be interested in comparison with the Truck Lites because they seem to get really positive reviews. 

 

I've shopped around and always come back to ebay for the Eagle Lights  >>>  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Eagle-Lights-27450C-5-X-7-LED-Headlights-2-Lights-FREE-SHIPPING/172598408704?epid=574642592&hash=item282faab600:g:qLwAAOSw4PxZ~LRx&vxp=mtr

[gogmorgo]

I've noticed a similar effect with LED's. Although I don't much care for "fullness". 

Part of it I think is that the light is more polarized from an LED than from an incandescent bulb, so there's a lot less scatter when the light hits things, and shadows become much sharper.

The other part I think is just that when you have a really bright light, the shadows just seem that much darker, as your eyes will adjust for the brightness and you'll struggle with the contrast, not being able to pick up anything in the shadow.

I think I might struggle a bit more than the average person with dealing with that sort of contrast. I've been fortunate enough to have mostly lived in places that rank a 2 or a 1 on the Bortle scale, and when it's dark out, its DARK. It almost seems like in terms of illumination it's more helpful to have a bigger, more even spread of light than an actual brighter light that's still fairly focussed in a typical headlight pattern. Past a certain level it just seems like you're blinding yourself. Especially with very white LED's, colours get washed out, the "brighter" shadows moving around through the trees as your lights move make it harder to pick out things that might be about to step out in front of you, and it just seems to get worse as light gets added.