E-code H4 headlight conversion with comparison pics Cheaper than Silverstars

[lawsoncl]

Mechanical relays are cheaper and don't have any voltage drop that you'd normally get with a solidstate relay. Even expensive ultralow mosfets will put some voltage drop when you're passing 10 amps.

 

[Daedalus454]

My legality claims come from reading in detail the California State Vehicle Code. Obviously this is only relevant for CA, check the DOT website for your state for the correct vehicle code document and read the lighting sections.

 

[Jonathan]

Surprisingly, neither the cost or the voltage drop are much of an issue. A mofset is the same or less than the relays I've seen. As for the voltage drop, if you rig up 3 or 4 mosfets in parallel, with 25 amps the drop would be only 6%. This would also have the benefit of redundancy and heat management.

My interest in this would be to build a headlight circuit that could be modulated like some modern daytime running lights. That way I could dial back really bright bulbs to a level that wouldn't bother people in town.



As for the legal issues, as far as I can tell the MT DOT has no published regulations for lighting. There's also no references in the MT Code Annotated (our official state laws) to follow the state or national DOT, which would lead me to think that the only applicable rules are those explicitly in the MTCA, and there's not much there. :dunno:

 

[lawsoncl]

6% is .8 volts, which translates into an even higher percentage power loss. Personally, I'd install relays if the headlight switch is dropping 0.5 volts. Why would I want to introduce more voltage drop? I believe some of the DRL modules just put the bulbs in series to drop the voltage.

 

[Jonathan]

Sorry, I dropped a decimal place there.

It should have been 0.6%, so it's totally negligible.

And of course that only applies if using the circuit at the maximum draw. The losses scale down as the headlights are dimmed or run on low beams.

 

[XJ01-08]

They must of added a metal deflector infront of the bulb now or it just doesnt look like you have one

 

[1bolt]

it doesn't, I just recently noticed this myself, the set I recently bought has the little diamond shapped deflector or whatever its called.

My old set seems to be better than the set with the deflector, marginally brighter and the cutoff is noticable more crisp.

 

[philagony94xj]

yes the set i just recieved from autopal on ebay has the reflector in the middle also. they probably updated seeing as many are being sold here in the US now.

have yet to install mine, working on my new upgraded harness.

 

[Red97XJ]

Ok, kinda wierd, but mine are old, approx a year and change. One has the metal reflector and the other does not.

It looks like you could easily remove it if ya wanted. I never messed with it.

 

[XJ01-08]

i have the 55/60w or whatever bulbs that came with it and it seems kinda dim but im gonna get a higher watt bulb for it, any body happen to whats the highest i could go with my 14ga harness?

And if it still seems crappy ill just rip it out

 

[Hamer460]

I just installed the lights with a Summit harness.
WOW!!!! What a difference.
I am glad I did it. Thanks for all the wrie ups and advice from this tread.

 

[Blaine B.]

They must of added a metal deflector infront of the bulb now or it just doesnt look like you have one

Isn't that the euro lense for lighing up sidewalks? Since they drive on the opposite side of the road in the UK and some surrounding nations.

 

[FransWhiteXJ]

i have the 55/60w or whatever bulbs that came with it and it seems kinda dim but im gonna get a higher watt bulb for it, any body happen to whats the highest i could go with my 14ga harness?

And if it still seems crappy ill just rip it out

In the home electricity world, 14 ga will handle about 15 amps (+/- depending on lots of things, like wire coating (insulation) type, length, bundling, etc.), so based on this, 15 amps times 12.8 volts= 192 watts. To be conservative, limit yourself to 150 - 175 watts. A 100 watt bulb on EACH 14 ga wire should be OK.

Fran

 

[Jonathan]

Unfortunately, once you take into account all the worst-case scenarios of an engine compartment, the home standards aren't even close.


I've got all the information around somewhere if someone wants it, but the bottom line is that temperature is a killer. The insulation on basic home wire (THHN etc) won't cut it at elevated temps. You have to get away from PVC towards cross-linked poly or better yet, silicone rubber.

If you're using a silicone jacket, for a pair of 130W bulbs with a decent safety margin, 10 gauge is required.

 

[derrickdrew17]

Where can you get the Autopal's H4 at? The Glass Lense not the crapy plastic ons.

 

[DanMan2k06]

Ebay. Search 200mm H4.

 

[rag]

i installed the autopal 200mm housings in my 89xj. i opted for the 90/110watt bulbs the seller offered.

made a harness out of 20bucks worth of 10gauge, 2 h4 sockets (link in gojeep's wireup), 30/40amp relays, heatshrink tubing, crimps, electrical tape.

since installing the whole setup in my rig i CANNOT drive my friend's 88xj at night, i keep thinking to myself "i cant see sh*t!, are his lights on (checks light switch only to find them on), oh... i have good headlights in my truck"

i was warned by an officer that was redirecting traffic around a block lane, he basically told me i have very bright lights and it would be a good idea to bring them down just a bit more. since i aimed them down a tad bit.

best damn upgrade i have done for under 100bucks

 

[TiRod]

I got the Susquehanna upgrade, with 80/100's, and made my harness, using gojeep's tutorial. Hella's are really nice, and not as pricey as IPF or Cibie.

Someone asked many pages back if they light up the road better? The real question is, Do you carry an extinguisher for long waits at an intersection?

My cost on the harness, buying bulk spools of wire, terminals I mostly had, etc was probably $65. So getting one premade right now is a bargain at $75.

There is a Daniel Stern page for aiming Ecodes and it would be a really good idea to do it. I'm still tweaking mine to get them down, don't want to alarm the polizei too much. But with all the HID systems out now, it looks like just another set of bright bluish lights. Plenty of those around.

I used to run Cibie (motorcycle) Z-beams on my '66 Mustang, and really love the light. This is even better. I hope it's pouring down rain tonight, I'd like to see how they work coming home.

 

[derrickdrew17]

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

here is the Daniel Stern page for aiming the Ecodes.

 

[derrickdrew17]

what yall think about the Auto Pal's on ebay?