Aftermarket lamps

[Street Pirate]

So i want to see better but dont want to spenn a ton of money on new headlights, does anyone out there know of a good bulb to help solve my issue?
or are all the aftermarket bulbs just hype?

[not12listen]

i went from the OEM bulb to the Sylvania SilverStars. they're nice. then i got some Hella bulbs (just their standard 55/60 bulbs) - they're great and not expensive at all. :)

[anaonbd]

silverstars are probably going to be the best upgrade to your lights without doing HID, you'll notice a big difference. I had them in my VW and now i have standard ones in my L and i want my silverstars back.

[VermillionX]

I agree I have the Ultras in my car and I love them. I also put a set of Hella 500s in my fog light holes. I cant beat that. They really light up the road.

[RoadRunner]

Osram Nightbreaker +90!!! I love mine.. They're only $50, and wayy better than the $200 HID kit that I used to have.. Order them at candlepower.com.

[mrk66]

I have not used these yet, but my good friend who lives up in AK swears by them. 100/55w are not DOT legal, but WTFC?

http://www.suvlights.com/product_info.php?products_id=158

Keep in mind that you MUST upgrade your lighting harness. He fried his OEM harness and was lucky that he didn't burn his truck down.

Here is a link to a really good tutorial on building your own harness. I followed it for the most part to install dual head lamps on my motorcycle.
One thing I did to keep things clean was to use 12g, three wire extension cord for my main power lines. This keeps everything really neat, is easy to secure & you do not have to worry about putting the wires in a loom. It also cut the cost of wire down from about 50 cents a foot to 33 cents a foot.

http://fitchva.com/jeep/?p=57

The adapter and plugs that he links to are what I used and are worth the $.

[not12listen]

ok... here's the thing about high wattage bulbs.

i am running the Hella H4 55/100 bulbs and have ZERO ISSUES. reason? i dont leave my high beams on for more than just a few moments at a time.

so, if you are driving miles and miles and miles with your high beams on, then yes it could easily pose a problem. but, if you're just using it here and there, its no real issue.

also, i dont have my high beams on while i'm stationary. so, the wiring is getting air moving across it cooling it, and that helps a bit.

[StanBo]

I run hella 80/100w bulbs in my toyota truck. They needed an upgraded harness and the housings are glass. They get hot as heck but the output is great. I also run "E" Code lenses which point more light to the ground then scatter like American spec lenses.

Here is a link to the site where I got my harness:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Headlights.shtml#OnLineOrdering

[mrk66]

ok... here's the thing about high wattage bulbs.

i am running the Hella H4 55/100 bulbs and have ZERO ISSUES. reason? i dont leave my high beams on for more than just a few moments at a time.

so, if you are driving miles and miles and miles with your high beams on, then yes it could easily pose a problem. but, if you're just using it here and there, its no real issue.

also, i dont have my high beams on while i'm stationary. so, the wiring is getting air moving across it cooling it, and that helps a bit.

I use high beams when ever I can. City, country, desert, where ever.

Hope you have a battery disconnect switch and a fire extinguisher.
Its going to really sucks when yer car burns to the ground.

....and taking into account the "air moving across it cooling it" factor is just silly.

Have you heard of something called a "safety factor"?

Ah, hell. I guess common sense just isn't that common.

[mrk66]

Street Pirate,
Check this web site out:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html

It has a wealth of information for why you should upgrading your wiring harness now and is applicable if you want to add auxiliary lights in the future.

[dppaladino]

I went the Daniel Stern wiring harness + off road bulbs route, and my high and low beams are amazing. I have zero voltage drop at the bulbs, and my headlights are brighter than my dad's HID equipped audi. Dealing with all the wiring and relays is a bitch if you don't know what you're doing, luckily I had my uncle (electrical engineer) help me out. Only issue I have with them is that the fuse holders supplied by Daniel Stern are crappy, I highly recommend upgrading to higher quality ones if you go this route.

[dppaladino]

I should add that I'm running 85/80 W BILUX H4 Osram bulbs.

[mrk66]

As for wiring diagrams.....

Here is what I have for replacing the stock driving lights with something with a bit more punch. I am using E code lights with 100/55W bulbs. The aux lights are set up so I can kill them with an old school floorboard kick switch. They are also wired so the high and low functions are controlled by the OEM circuit.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc262/mrk66/P4060437.jpg

[Subisubitoo]

That's the first circut diagram I've seen laid out in 3D. Pretty slick. Happen to have this in a DWG file? I see that 85 and 86 are the coil side, I guess that makes 30 common, and 87 and 87A N.O. and N.C. Is that right? I'm also wonder'n what a stock alt will support.

[mrk66]

That's the first circut diagram I've seen laid out in 3D. Pretty slick. Happen to have this in a DWG file? I see that 85 and 86 are the coil side, I guess that makes 30 common, and 87 and 87A N.O. and N.C. Is that right? I'm also wonder'n what a stock alt will support.

DWG file? errrr... I kick it old school for my diagrams. Paper and pencil is the way I roll:D. I could mail you a copy or you could just rip the pic off the page.

Copied right off the Daniel Stern site:
86 is the relay switching (control) circuit input.
85 is the relay switching (control) circuit output.
30 is the power circuit input.
87 is the power circuit output.

Also, you need to know that there are two different relay that have dual outputs that are very different. The kind that I use have BOTH 87 and 87a outputs powered on when the relay is energized. The other kind will switch between the 87 and 87a output. So with the relay energized it will send power to the 87 output and with the relay deenergized it will send power to the 87a output.

I can't tell you what the stock alternator will support off the top of my head. I remember reading something about it a while ago and bookmarked this site for if I ever want to upgrade mine.

http://www.maniacelectricmotors.com/

Also, I got this site off this board a couple of days ago:

http://www.rallylights.com/

Their prices are half or less than half of what I have found at NAPA auto or similar stores. I wish I would have found them earlier. It would have saved me a lot of money.

[Subisubitoo]

Wow, a 40 amp. relay for just 8 bucks?... unbelievable. But there it is. http://www.rallylights.com/hella/Relay_Mini_SPST_12v.asp I'm think'n of maybe a couple of 150w Daylighters, their pretty cheap these days. How do the Hella 500 hold up to them? Had 2 on the roof of the Bug many years ago. I can't imagine anything brighter. I think they were 385,000 cp each @ 11 amps. They kinda got lost when it rolled.

Thanks for the links.

[mrk66]

I'm think'n of maybe a couple of 150w Daylighters, their pretty cheap these days. How do the Hella 500 hold up to them?


Anyone? Sorry I don't have any first hand experience with either of these lights.

[SubieDave]

Osram Nightbreaker +90!!! I love mine.. They're only $50, and wayy better than the $200 HID kit that I used to have.. Order them at candlepower.com.

I have to agree with blue. Just got some for the girls lgt and they are a huge improvement! Like night and day difference.