Headlight Upgrade

I also run the IPF housings with the XT42 55/60W blue tinted bulbs. I didn't even upgrade my wiring and have had comments that they are almost offensively bright on low beam.





If I needed the wiring upgrade, ARB makes a pretty much plug and play universal relayed harness- Part #M002

 

Both my 59 cj5 12v and my 48 cj2a 6 volt have Sylvania halogen and I think they are pretty bright. Even the 6 volt jeep with original generator and everything but I have thought of adding led lights for better offroad

 

I did the H4 upgrade on mine, with a Glass Lens kit, can't remember the brand off the top of my head, was really pretty cheap after applying my employee discount while I was working at FLAPS, I want to say it ran around $100 retail to guy off the street. Excellent upgrade, even without having put relays in yet.

 

I agree on both accounts......some poorly aimed and some too bright and, some are both. I hate the new headlights. I feel they are a hazard to oncoming traffic as they often blind you and make it very hard to see anything. They create more problems than they help. I think the DOT should ban them.

And f*()in' people who drive around with their fog lights, or worse yet, misadjusted fog lights, on ALL the time,.... not raining or foggy,.....I wanna chuck some 4" ballast rocks at their windshields when they're coming at me. Grrrrrrr! That's torques me. Rant off.

 

Rampage head light kits are glass and are H4. They cost $77 on Amazon. My friend put some in his Jeep. He did not upgrade any wiring.

Keep in mind the legal limit in most states is 35 watts on low. 55/60 are definitely illegal in Texas as is the blue lights. Just putting it out there incase it matters to you.

It is getting really common for people to drive around with 90/110s or 10K HIDs.

Federal law does mandate the maxium but states sometimes augment the law. 90watts are always illegal but depending on the enclosure 55watts could be legal from a federal perspective. Just all depends

Either way, any H4 conversion, even the cheapest are more than bright enough.

Fog lights (which is what almost all cars come with from new) are always illegal to have on unless it is of course bad conditions.

Driving lights are questionable. Federal law allows them up to a certain light (which equates to about 15watts) but many states make them illegal period. Even if dealer equiped. The exception being adverse conditions.

What I want to find is some H4 bulds that are like 35/100 watts. They do exist. Then I could use the legal ones on road and the brights off road

 

I would argue that the brighter lights are never safer because they blind the crap out of on coming traffic. I can't think of anything more dangerous than having 80+watt headlights on your car driving on road. Having worked in the ER the most common reason mentioned is, I was blinded by their lights. That goes even more so for motorcycles. Me and my biker neighbor was just talking about that last night.

 

Really? I have never seen a light that offers that low/high wattage combination.

I do have 80/100 H4 lights on my Jeep. But I DO NOT drive at night on the road - actually very seldom drive on the road at all. More light is WAY better off road.

 

The first page of this thread has these 7" H6024 H4 DOT EURO CONVERSION HEADLIGHTS KIT

They come in a 100/55 watt combo which is close. I am not about to drive around with 55w though so I need to find a lower one. I have seen the bulbs before just can't remember where

I am with you for an off road only Jeep. I would put in the brighest the vehicle could handle. But I drive mine on the road way more than off these days

 

exactly my feeling!! Blue head lights should be illegal!

 

They are.

 

I wish they were illegal in Va

 

In most cases they are there also. Just need the cops to do something about it

Va law

A. Inspect for and reject if:
1. Any motor vehicle is not equipped with headlamps of an approved type. The approval designation letter that must appear is DOT or SAE-H, HG, HH or HR.

2. Headlights are not of the same approved type except sealed beam headlamps. At least two headlamps are required.

3. In any headlamp the lens is cracked, broken, discolored, or rotated away from the proper position, or the reflector is not clean and bright.

4. Moisture or water buildup in headlamp is such that it affects the aimable pattern.

5. Lens is other than clear.

6. Bulbs are not of an approved type (must have DOT stamp and the manufacturer's name) or are over 32 candlepower. (Sealed beam lamps including the ones which permit the use of a replacement halogen bulb are the only lamps approved with over 32 candlepower.) Ordinary lenses and reflectors were not designed for over 32 candlepower bulbs.

NOTE: The Sylvania 9003 (HB2), 9004 (HB1), 9005 (HB3) and 9006 (HB4) Cool Blue xenon bulbs were found to comply with FMVSS 108. There is a noticeable blue tint around the outside of the lamp pattern but the concentrated light is white. Only the Sylvania has approval and is marked with DOT.

7. Any filament or bulb in headlamps fails to burn properly or headlamps are not at the same location or configuration as designed by manufacturer. (Location and type of headlamps can be found in subsection F of this section.)

8. Wiring is dangling or connections are loose; or if proper filaments do not burn at different switch positions; or if switches, including foot or hand dimmer, do not function properly and are not convenient to the driver.

9. Foreign material is placed on or in front of the headlamp lens or interferes with the beam from the lamp. No glazing may be placed over or in front of the headlamps unless it is a part of an approved headlamp assembly.

a. Reject if vehicle has wire, unapproved plastic covers, any other materials that are not original equipment or any colored material placed on or in front of the headlamps.

 

that's good info. had never checked on this

 

I see a lot of discussion here about wattage but very little about patterns cast by the lens and reflector.
The difference between the cheap and more expensive lights (besides materials and quality) frequently is the amount of research to finding optimum cutoff and light patterns. A good quality lens and reflector will typically give better useable light than a higher wattage cheap fixture.
And higher wattage is not always better, even off road. If all you get is glare and reflection off terrain and foliage or shadows created by the lights then that light isn't much useable anyway.

 

Man that is so true Nick. Good point

 

True. But may I refer you to Post #22?


What I'm also not seeing is discussion of spectrum. (Wave-length/color).

A lot of "glare" problems in recent years I believe are actually due to HID and other types abandoning the warm spectrums we are used to, and which are friendly to the human eye as it has evolved.

Engineer types in the lab created bulbs that bring up more reflectivity in the ultra-violet range and so on. In a strictly technical way, it makes the road look brighter to the driver - but is really unpleasant to the eyes for others. (The cheap knock-off "blue" lamps are a poor man's attempt to emulate them.)

I think it is a big safety issue, and I sense the carmakers have maybe been quietly backing away from those systems.

 

I agree with the spectrum aspect as well. I hope the light makers for vehicles are backing off. Unfortunately I feel they are trying to meet Eurospecs for Autobahn use which simply doesn't work well here with our needs.
I just reviewed post 22. Kind of a no brainer that the cutoff on stock street cars would be setup for interstates and city streets since that's where the vast majority of consumers drive. I also agree that doesn't translate well to open country use.

I also hope your 80/100 watt lamp is a high beam only or a secondary lamp and not your low beam primary lamp or you are asking to be roadkill from an oncoming blinded driver. Cutoff means jack on a headlamp on a bike when the lamp dances up and down with road terrain

 

Mine may have a blue color to the bulb, but reflect white. The pattern is nice, so is the color. It has also been through a WSP inspection and passed just fine.