Headlamps

Hi all! :wave1:

My name is Jeremy and I am new to the forums (I joined back in November, but this is my first post). I'm a proud owner of a 1998 red Cherokee Sport 4.0. I love it!

Well, now to my question -- my last car was a Neon and I had some nice blue euro bulbs installed, which improved visability and looks as well. Since my Cherokee has a completely different headlamp, is there anything out on the market that has the 'Euro' effect? I haven't seen anything out there for Cherokee headlamps, mostly for bulbs themselves and not the whole assembly-type of headlamp.

Secondly, I got some "Cyber White" aftermarket foglamps. Is there a way I can wire them to my low-beams so I don't have to install the cheap-looking switch that came with the foglamps? Do you recommend installing them close together or near where the factory foglamps would have went?

Lastly, if you have any suggestions for my Cherokee - looks, engine upgrades, etc. - that I can install easily? Keep in mind that I'm a college student and I need to watch my budget! (Well, at least I try to!) I'm already looking for some helladeals on some nice rims on ebay!

The "If you can read this...Roll me over!!" windshield decal is on it's way... :jester:



Thanks for your time!

Jeremy :cheers:

AutoZZZZ sells H4 Headlamp conversions. I bought it and love them. It basically replaces the sealed lamp with an H4 type lamp.

(1) The stock XJ headlights are 6054 Halogen sealed beams. You can buy replacement sealed beams that have a blue tint to them, or you can buy aftermarket conversion units that use replaceable H4 halogen bulbs. From the way you worded your question, I'm not sure which way you want to go.

(2) However you wire the foglights, use a relay.

Having said that, you have two options for activating the relay. One is to tap directly off the wire to the low beam on one of the headlights. Doing it this way would mean the foglights will ALWAYS be on when the low beams are on. This way is also illegal.

The better and more legal way is to take the same tap off the low beam wire, but run the wire to a switch on the dashboard and then to the relay. If you don't like the cheesy switch that came with the lights, go to a dealer and buy a factory switch. It'll plug right into a space on the dashboard and look like it belongs there. Your option whether or not to wire it so the indicator light in the switch glows.

[Edit] Just noticed that you have a '98. Some people have had problems with the pilot light in the factory switch overheating and melting the switch. I'd recommend not activating the pilot.

i swapped out the oem lamps and placed HELLA vision plus headlamps. after about a month, i swapped out the HELLA bulbs and custom ordered some phillips HID conversions with 6300k ballasts and converter boxes. altogether, this cost me around 700 bucks. the installation and wiring is simple, so i did the labor myself. its expensive, but i don't regret it, not even for a second!

brandon

Two of my XJs have the Hella conversion - I have the Vision Plus set in my wife's 89, and the E-codes in my 88 - both are daily drivers.

From there, I put 55/80W Hella Super White in the 89, and I built a harness with relay box to support the 90/130W Super Whites in the 88. I spend more time in the mountains and in the dark, so I put a little more trouble into my DD. I chose the Super White bulbs for a couple reasons...
1) I find the pure white gives better colour and carries better.
2) It is a little easier to tell if I have trouble, as a "yellowing" of the beam indicates trouble
3) I REALLY REALLY can't stand those damn blue headlights, and they are (or are becoming) illegal in most states anyhow. I don't need any "fixit" tickets.

If you are going to go with an upgraded headlamp, I strongly suggest installing a slightly brighter bulb. I have been told that the OEM harness on the older models will tolerate a bulb up to 80W, but I'm going to do a harness and relay setup for the 89 when I get a chance. I'd definitely do it for the newer model XJ's - ChryCo isn't too generous with wire gages.

The purpose for a relay installation is twofold - 1) you can run right to the battery, and shorten the power path to the lights (allowing a higher measured voltage to the bulbs) and 2) you remove the strain from the headlamp switch, so you don't wind up eating them like popcorn...

For lighting, I order from Susquehanna Motor Sports (www.rallylights.com,) their prices have been even better than International Truck - the largest Hella stocking dealer I've found otherwise - and they have a better selection as well. Expect the light assemblies to go for about $40 each, and the wiring harness can be done for about $40 using hardware store parts (I use 12/3 extension cord for most of my lighting - the black rubber-jacketed industrial stuff, don't go cheap on wiring...) Oddly enough, my replacement H4 bulbs cost less than sealed beam H6054 replacements, and even with shipping, it's cheaper to get the Hellas from SMS than to buy the GE or Sylvanias from the local...

Upgraded lighting is a good mod - I even found 50W versions of the 1156 bulb at my local (Night Watcher brand, by Peterson Manufacturing) that I use for my reverse lights and turn indicators. I'm looking for 1157's with a 50W filament, but I don't want the Halogen version. I'm sure they're out there somewhere, and I've been using the 50W 1156 for four years on OEM wiring with no ill effects...

5-90

eBay has just about any type of headlight you'd ever need.

This is the situation on a 98 W/O factory fogs. First you have two sockets in the PDC but they have no pins or wiring installed so w/o tearing it apart and putting sockets in forget it's there. My 98 is an SE with rear wiper and defroster. I bought the internal Moapr wiring kit from the dealer, NOT THE LIGHTS. The wiring kit has all the wiring and relays you need to get the one wire up to the front of the engine compartment where you can hook it to a Hella FUSED relay and then to the lights. Everything more or less plugs in, the advantage of the kit is that it comes with a new panel that has the extra hole for the factory switch so you just mover your existing switches over to the new one, painless. If you use it you will be looking for a ground, check out that big aluminum support panel under the steering shaft that supports it, it has a nice threaded hole that will work fine. On my first set I used Hella 550 Fogs, mounted them where the factory ones go, what I did was open that oval shaped hole with a drift pin, very gently, till I could fit the hella studs in there. Total time was about 2-3 hours. I have seen the kit on www.jeepsareus.com for $79 or so. The factory kit makes life a bit easier. Ignore the plug that is behind the switch panel, it goes to the PDC and dies there but it will light the switch light up just won't do anything else.
As far as the headlights go, Hella E codes are the most reasonable, I generally get all my hella stuff from susquehanna motor sports in williamsport Pa. His prices are good and so is his service.
Any questions feel free to email or PM me with any questions.

I didn't realize until now that I would only need to replace the bulb itself and not the whole assembly. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on headlights; I just want some nice brighter headlights (with color if possible) that will improve visability. Suggestions? :rof: Thanks!

I did the Hella H-4 headlight upgrades and it ran me about $80 for 2 replacment lenses. Then, you can add blueish tint bulbs, but if you just want to add the euro style, go to autozone or discount, whatever is close, and pick up silverstars. There are afew guys here that are runnin em and love em and they are about $20 a pop or so.
Tylor

The stock headlights are sealed beam units, they do not have replaceable bulbs, the Hellas come on two flavors, good E codes, bad non E codes [can't remember their name right now]. The whiter the light the better the illumination, the H4 65/55 watt pure whites from hella are good, if you go bigger to around 100w and above you will need to put in an auxiliary wiring harness to keep from overheating the stock wiring and provide the correct current and voltage.

Are there any websites (Hella.com?) that I can go to rather than an auto parts store? I have an Advanced Auto Parts in my city and they don't have s***! Thanks again! (Have patience with me -- I'm not quite that car saavy as most of the people here and I'm stilll trying to learn!!) :roll:

Ok, I know some of you mentioned some websites...but I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars for some lighting! Reminder: I'm a college student! Thanks again!

BigRedJeepster0381 said:

Are there any websites (Hella.com?) that I can go to rather than an auto parts store? I have an Advanced Auto Parts in my city and they don't have s***! Thanks again! (Have patience with me -- I'm not quite that car saavy as most of the people here and I'm stilll trying to learn!!) :roll:

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Susquehanna Motorsport. I think the URL was posted higher up in this thread but, if not, do a search.

Any way you slice it, the best lighting is going to cost you over 100 clams. That would be an H4 conversion, which DOES replace the sealed beam lamps with a new housing that accepts H4 bulbs of your choice. The Hella E-Codes are a good choice if you choose to go this route. Don't forget, though, if you go that route you need to add in the cost of the housings, the cost of two H4 bulbs, and the cost of rewiring your headlights because the stock sockets and wiring are inadequate for higher wattage H4s.

The real budget approach is the one I suggested above -- head back to your Advance Auto or any Wal-Mart and poke through the 6054 headlamps. You should find some that are higher power or "super blue" or some BS name like that. I think someone above mentioned Silverstar, and I guess that's one of the sealed beam replacements. Cheaper than conversion units, plus you can carry your old lamps as spares.

BigRedJeepster0381 said:

... I had some nice blue euro bulbs installed, which improved visability and looks as well.

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BTW

While it's very debatable whether blue headlights improve looks, what's not debatable is that anything other than pure white does NOT improve visibility. Go back and read 5-90's novelette. How do you suppose they make a headlight blue? Easy -- by tinting the glass to block transmission of colors other than blue. Blocking any of the spectrum reduces the total amount of light available for seeing where you're going. You think you have improved visibility because the light appears similar in color to those $700+ mercury lights on the expensive cars, but unless you spring for the real deal the only way to imitate that color is to narrow the transmitted spectrum.

Go white or go home.

i've got to chime in in support of susquehanna motorsports. when it comes to lighting, i won't even think about calling anyone else.

• they're the cheapest AUTHORIZED hella dealer i've found
• when there is a problem (rare, but let's be realistic) corrections are quick and easy
• they're a wealth of information. dave (the owner) knows his stuff better than anyone else i've talked. if, perchance, he doesn't know he's knowledgable enough to tell you exactly that.

i feel like a groupie, but they really are the best i've found. their web site is http://www.rallylights.com/ or http://www.susquehanna.com/susq.

Yeah - even though the previous owner sold the outfit (I don't recall his moniker offhand...) the new guy seems to know even more than before. And, like I said, they do a better job that International, which is where I used to get Hella lighting (although they're still the only place I can find Per-Lux easily...)

Bear in mind that there are many jurisdictions where the blue headlights are becoming illegal, and the tickets for that can be a pain. A cop can cut that either as an "equipment violation" (read: fixit) or as "impersonating an official vehicle" (read: blue lights are allowed ONLY on police cars.) Of course, that would largely depend on you and your attitude when you get nicked.

While the "yellow" headlamps are supposed to reduce glare or somesuch, I don't see it. Besides, I like the best light I can get - that's the Super White bulbs I use.

If you were driving an AMC-spec XJ (up to 1990) I'd say you could get away with up to an 80W full beam without rewiring being mandated, but I would still recommend it. Given that you have a newer model, anything over 55/65 should bring along a new wiring job - it's really not that hard, and it's the only proper way to get the full benefit of the new lights.

The Vision Plus by Hella (the DOT-approved ones) aren't bad, but a minimum 80W full beam is needed to appreciate them. The E-code (not DOT-approved) are responsive to any improvement in the bulb. I have E-codes on my XJ, and VP's on my wife's. The trick to getting away with the E-codes is in aiming - you aim them just a little farther below the horizontal centreline and the left beam just a touch further to the right than normal - the full beam pattern will fill in. (Normally, the right headlamp is centred with the low beam pattern, and the left headlamp is a little "low and right" to prevent annoying oncoming traffic.)

If you are serious about better lighting, the first place to start would be with a new wiring harness. That's the big bottleneck in headlamp performance - with a decent harness and relay setup, you will cut the path the power takes by 2/3, and you will also remove the resistance of the small wiring and the dashpanel switch - both of which contribute to dimming of your headlamps. Even the OEMR headlamps will show an improvement if you build and install a new harness (or even buy one, but I find them pricey...)

Either way, a proper upgrade isn't really terribly cheap. I do prefer the H4 assemblies over any sealed beams, tho - the H4 sets from Hella use a REAL CUT glass lense and a REAL METAL bowl reflector, and that is simply due to economics - it isn't worth putting that much work into a disposable part. There is also the advantage that my replacement bulbs now cost, per pair, less than a single sealed beam here, and even when I include shipping (it helps that I order a few spare sets at once for both XJ's) I really come out ahead - AND with a better light.

Susquehanna Motor Sports - www.rallylights.com
Hella USA (tech info) - www.hellausa.com

5-90
:compwork: :compwork: :compwork:

I swapped mine out for Sylvania Silverstars. Best change I've made. They're all white, no yellow at all. They look like HID lights and they weren't too expensive either. It was a very drastic change from the stock lights. I recommend them to anyone!

as i posted earlier, real HID's costs too much... but after you drive with them, its hard to go back to anything else. although aftermarket HID's are available, usually the stock housings in any vehicle allow too much glare onto oncoming cars. its best to get HID from the factory...,but after i drove my dad's car around for a while, i opted to buy HID's for my XJ. they rock!