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Upgrading headlight?

No, this never gets discussed around here....

Probably the best thing you can do to start is to install a relay, or voltage, harness. Stock wiring drops the voltage to the headlamps significantly, a relay harness will deliver full voltage to the lamp.

I can't comment on your choice of headlights, I've never used them. Personally, I'd start at Susquehanna Motorsports (http://www.rallylights.com.) I run Hella Ecodes.
 
Google "headlight harness upgrade site:naxja.org" or something like that, do some reading and see what fits your needs and budget. You can spend as much or as little as you'd like on lighting.
 
Eautoworks harness is what I've had on my XJ for 2 almost 3 years it's pretty much the same as the putco harness. IT made a difference even with my sliverstar sealed beams.
 
I used some dot approved h4 housings that I got off ebay for $40 and put a dual hid kit in them. My headlights are just as bright as those European cars. Also most hid kits are plud and play. they plug into one of your head light plugs and then have a positive and negative. The relays and ballasts are on contained in their premade harness
 
eAutoworks harness and AutoPal H-4 housings.
 
I upgraded my whole front lighting harness with 12 AWG wiring on the head lights and fog lights. I chose to build mine myself, but there is nothing wring with buying one either. I currently run Autopal H4 E-Codes, but I like the Cibie E-Codes I had in the old Jeep a little better (They have a better beam pattern.) As far as bulbs I ran the bulbs that came in the Autopals for a while, but just a few weeks ago I tossed in a set of 80/85W Orsam Plus 50s. Last night I finely got around to finishing the fog lamp upgrade, and I have a pair of 130w H1s in them because I didn't have anything else on hand to install in them.

You definitely want to do a harness regardless of what style af lamp you want to run. If you decide to go with a H4 style headlamp I would recommend using a premium bulb in them. FYI you can now buy H4 Silverstars if you like Silverstars.
 
BPB said:
I used some dot approved h4 housings that I got off ebay for $40 and put a dual hid kit in them. My headlights are just as bright as those European cars. Also most hid kits are plud and play. they plug into one of your head light plugs and then have a positive and negative. The relays and ballasts are on contained in their premade harness
Click to expand...
DOT does not approve anything. Its up to the manufacturer to self certify. DOT crap + HID = glare and crappy beam pattern.
 
Does anyone have a good step by step writeup with part #'s for building a harness from scratch? I looked at the one on Amazon but some people have had issues with it resulting in lights cutting out randomly. Apparantly the relays and connectors that harness uses are pretty cheap, I'd like to build one with better components...
 
Talyn said:
DOT does not approve anything. Its up to the manufacturer to self certify. DOT crap + HID = glare and crappy beam pattern.
Click to expand...

+1, DOT=/= good when it comes to lighting.
 
Buy plain white bulbs.

Blue tinted bulbs are for high school boys, and crappy Chinese HID conversions in H-4 housings will glare oncoming traffic and then fail totally in about 9-18 months.
 
Tim_MN said:
Blue tinted bulbs are for high school boys,
Click to expand...
Not only that but that blue light isn't great for visibility and the coating actually reduces lumen output.
 
I put Sylvania Silver Star's in my 90. Much better than OE and priced right.
 
So I ordered a putco harness and it should be coming in today. But just to be safe I think I should put an inline fuse in to prevent and damage that'll be a pain to replace. So the question is, how big of a fuse should I get?
 
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