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Is there a way to keep the low beams (and possibly fogs) on with the high beams?

The easiest way to improve lighting is to swap out the sealed beams for H4 lenses and bulbs. The light pattern is a huge step above what the sealed beams are. You can get bulbs from standard 55/60s up to 90/130 or higher. Very bright on high beam, and the low beam has a horizontal cutoff that eliminates most of the glare in wet conditions. I could never get a decent light spread w/ the sealed beams. If you set them for good pattern on low they sucked on high, and vice-versa. Any of the H4 type lenses are pretty similar. I've got Hellas and have run 90/130 tinted bulbs and the 55/60's they came with. The cheap bulbs tend not to last real long. The ones that came with the lenses have been in there for over 4 yrs. now. One of the lenses is cracked from my stupidity, but the bulb is still sealed, so the moisture in the lens does not seem to affect it.
 
Turning on the low and high beams at the same time will cause a definate failure in short order.
 
I set up my YJ to run high and low beams at the same time using relays. It worked real good for about half a mile then POP!!! And 100 yards latter POP!! I had to drive home with my fog lights. Blew out both of my Sylvania silverstar headlights.

I think explorer has the right idea.
 
I can hold the bright light/turn signal switch half way and all the lights stay on. I do this if i really need to see something ahead. I've done it maybe for 3 min once with no problems. I have stock sealed head lights with Hella 100w fogs.
 
I have read (and it makes sense if you think about it) that as a general rule you should not have too much extra brightness in your high beams, or you will have a brief moment of near-blindness when you switch to low. I have no doubt that the pathetic sealed-beams of an XJ could be spruced up to advantage, but be careful not to overdo it.
 
There is if you're creative, but you'll go thru bulbs like popcorn.

Concur with changing to H4 conversions, and make a wiring harness with whatever bulbs you use. You'll get more power to the bulbs, and the cut glass lenses will give a better (sometimes MUCH better!) pattern than the moulded sealed beams. Since they plan on your keeping them for a while, they tend to put a little more care into making them (damn disposable stuff...)

H4's are also ecologically responsible, since there's less waste involved... :lecture:

But, there's no real practical reason to keep the fogs on with the high beams - if you want auxiliary lighting with high beams, do it right and get driving lights. Save the fogs (amber) for when it's foggy...

5-90
 
You can also enforce the lighting when you use new thicker cables and relais. the origianl cables are to thin and you don't get the full voltage to the bulbs. i managed this with 2 relais. 1 for the low and one for the high beam. both are connected via a fuse to the battery. then i used the origianl cables to switch the relais.
5645.gif


the thicker cables are about 1,5 mm² to 2,5 mm² (double to triple the square of the original)

i find that it is better now. :sunshine:

greetings from Austria
Rainer :wave:
 
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