Offroad lights in place of Highbeams? (1 Viewer)

[vadimb]

What do you guys thik are the options? I am thinking maybe install some HID lights instead of the highbeam lights or something esle? I saw some cheap headlight housings online that take regular bulbs(not sealed light), if I install an HID kit into them, would that work, in your opinion? Or are there other high output lights that would fit instead of the Highbeams?
Thanks in advance
Vadim

 

[Godwin]

You would be better off spending the $$ to install an auxillary headlight wiring harness and Hella, IPF, or Cibie reflectors. Then you can plug in whatever bulbs you want. I'm running a set of IPF's with 90/130 Hella bulbs and with this light setup have yanked the driving lights because they're no longer needed.

 

[RredFJ40]

I believe a set of offroad lights in place of the high beams would also be illegal for on-highway use.

 

[cullmancruiser]

I upgraded the headlights and wiring harness on my 62 to E code lamps. I used Bosch H4's with Osram 60/70 watt bulbs for the low beams and Cibie H1's for the high beams. The wiring was upgraded to 12 gage wiring throughout the system and power is taken directly off the alternator through 20 amp fuses and Bosch relays.
I swear these headlights actually have recoil. This is some of the best money I have ever spent on my rig. I was wanting some offroad lights too until I did this upgrade, now the high beams are so bright I don't need them.
I would recommend that anybody considering lighting upgrades consult Daniel Stern before doing so.http://www.danielsternlighting.com. There is a lot of BS about headlights out there and his website will help you cut through that to find what really works.
Just my $.02

 

[Mark W]

Cheap headlight assemblies for replaceable bulbs are usually...cheap. Lousy quality in both lens and reflector. Cheap HID conversion kits are usually (always?) junk.

Run quality headlights. Add some aux lighting if you want to, but trying to fit an "driving light" in you highbeam slot will not yield good results.


Concerns about legality of non-OEM style lighting have to be addressed on a local level. In some places you *might* have problems. Not everywhere. Not here.


Mark...

 

[agent orange]

I tapped into the high beam harness for the power to my aux light switch, so i can turn my lights on and off with the high beam selector. It makes it a lot easier to run them on public roads, because i can immediatly cut them and my brights off at the same time.

 

[MANUCHAO]

I found these lights, not cheap at all, but dont know how reliable they would be.

http://www.suvlights.com/product_info.php?products_id=267

Good luck to yah.

 

[vadimb]

I upgraded the headlights and wiring harness on my 62 to E code lamps. I used Bosch H4's with Osram 60/70 watt bulbs for the low beams and Cibie H1's for the high beams. The wiring was upgraded to 12 gage wiring throughout the system and power is taken directly off the alternator through 20 amp fuses and Bosch relays.
I swear these headlights actually have recoil. This is some of the best money I have ever spent on my rig. I was wanting some offroad lights too until I did this upgrade, now the high beams are so bright I don't need them.
I would recommend that anybody considering lighting upgrades consult Daniel Stern before doing so.http://www.danielsternlighting.com. There is a lot of BS about headlights out there and his website will help you cut through that to find what really works.
Just my $.02

What is the purpose of replacing wring harness? is it necessary?
Also, H4's would fit into the stock wiring harness, but H1's will not, is that why you had to upgrade the wiring? could I simply replace the socket for the H1 bulbs?

 

[GulfShoresFJ60]

Harness

What is the purpose of replacing wring harness? is it necessary?
Also, H4's would fit into the stock wiring harness, but H1's will not, is that why you had to upgrade the wiring? could I simply replace the socket for the H1 bulbs?

You need to upgrade the harness so that the lights get the correct amount of power which will cause them to be brighter. Also if you upgrade to a higher watt bulb you will draw too much power through the stock wiring and cause the wiring to melt. It isn't necessary, but it will even make a stock bulb setup a little bit brighter since you will be getting a full 14 or so volts to the bulbs.
Even though the H4 bulb will fit in the stock plug, the terminals aren't in the correct location. The factory plug has the common on one of the side terminals where as the H4 bulb has the common in the middle terminal. I'm not sure on the H1 bulbs. Haven't messed with them yet.

 

[89s rule]

I believe a set of offroad lights in place of the high beams would also be illegal for on-highway use.

You must be from Cali.

When does it matter if its illegal for stuff like this? I think its a good idea if you want your rig to look stock and have some performance lighting to it. But for most of us, we want our rigs to look way more than stock.

(Hench why I have some Lightforce 240's sitting in my garage. )

 

[cullmancruiser]

What is the purpose of replacing wring harness? is it necessary?
Also, H4's would fit into the stock wiring harness, but H1's will not, is that why you had to upgrade the wiring? could I simply replace the socket for the H1 bulbs?

You need to upgrade the harness so that the lights get the correct amount of power which will cause them to be brighter. Also if you upgrade to a higher watt bulb you will draw too much power through the stock wiring and cause the wiring to melt. It isn't necessary, but it will even make a stock bulb setup a little bit brighter since you will be getting a full 14 or so volts to the bulbs.
Even though the H4 bulb will fit in the stock plug, the terminals aren't in the correct location. The factory plug has the common on one of the side terminals where as the H4 bulb has the common in the middle terminal. I'm not sure on the H1 bulbs. Haven't messed with them yet.

GulfShores60 is correct on this one, the stock wiring is wimpy and causes too much voltage drop (~ 2.0 volts on mine). This is because the wiring is too thin and our vehicles are getting old so the connections in the wiring system aren't what they used to be. Also as he noted, the polarity on the H4's is different. The H1 polarity is the same as stock iirc. You would not see near as much benefit without the wiring upgrade if you switched to e code lamps.