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Let there be more light
A while back I started looking into bumping the light output from my truck. I do a fair bit of highway driving, much or most of it in the dark. A year ago I installed a set of Sylvania SilverStars, and loved them in comparison to the tired units I had before. Lately, however, the SilverStars have been getting dimmer, and I started looking into additional light. From what I've read, probably the only reason the SilverStars are still functional is the reduced voltage they get from the factory headlight wiring. (I have recommended the SilverStars before, I wouldn't now)
Adding aux. lights doesn’t appeal too much to me, as I had to remove one of the light tabs from my ARB bullbar to mount my winch, and anywhere else I thought sensible (top of the bullbar, roof mounted light bar) would stick out and kill the clean look of the truck.
Somewhere along the line, I came across a thread or two talking about upgrading to H4 halogen units in 60s and 62s (IPF, Hella, Cibié), and upgrading the wiring harness to reduce voltage drop to the lights, and allow for higher wattage bulbs (Moby reported a change from >1.5v to 0.03v in the voltage drop between the battery and lights). It was suggested that with such an upgrade and the 4 light setup of a 62, you wouldn’t be left wanting for aux. lights. Sounded good to me – more light output without affecting airflow to the radiator, or having lights sticking out all over the place. All run off factory switching to boot!! These threads recommended the services of Daniel Stern (www.danielsternlighting.com), so off I went to learn more.
In addition to a few featured products, Daniel’s website contains lots of tech info to educate yourself on auto lighting and debunk many common beliefs. You’ll find no shopping cart, as Daniel forces you to consult with him on your needs, and make sure you know what you are getting. If you have any curiousity about auto lighting, have a look through the tech stuff, really enlightening.
After trading half a dozen e-mails with Daniel (usually answered within the half hour!), I decided on what I wanted and placed an order. He gets really high marks from me, great to work with.
I went with:
A relay kit to feed power to the lights (an upgrade whether you get halogen units or stick with sealed beams). The relay kit is Toyota specific, as Toyota used a switched ground, and a finicky setup for the in-dash high-beam indicator.
A set of 2 Bosch H4 (high/low) and 2 Bosch H1 (high) headlight units. The Bosch units came recommended above the more expensive Cibié units (for the 4 @ 6.5” x 4” size of the 62). The beam peak intensity reference numbers (explained in the tech section) for these units total 90, apparently many countries stipulate that the total for lights on a single vehicle can’t exceed 75, so they should be good and bright (well intense to be accurate , and the bulbs play into this….)
2 - 100w Narva H1 bulbs for the high beam units.
2 - 70/65w Osram H4 bulbs for the high/low beam units (plus a couple spares).
Not a cheap setup (~$400 US without the spare bulbs), but considering a good set of aux. lights can set you back $200 or more…..
Here’s what it all looks like straight out of the shipping box.
Let there be more light
A while back I started looking into bumping the light output from my truck. I do a fair bit of highway driving, much or most of it in the dark. A year ago I installed a set of Sylvania SilverStars, and loved them in comparison to the tired units I had before. Lately, however, the SilverStars have been getting dimmer, and I started looking into additional light. From what I've read, probably the only reason the SilverStars are still functional is the reduced voltage they get from the factory headlight wiring. (I have recommended the SilverStars before, I wouldn't now)
Adding aux. lights doesn’t appeal too much to me, as I had to remove one of the light tabs from my ARB bullbar to mount my winch, and anywhere else I thought sensible (top of the bullbar, roof mounted light bar) would stick out and kill the clean look of the truck.
Somewhere along the line, I came across a thread or two talking about upgrading to H4 halogen units in 60s and 62s (IPF, Hella, Cibié), and upgrading the wiring harness to reduce voltage drop to the lights, and allow for higher wattage bulbs (Moby reported a change from >1.5v to 0.03v in the voltage drop between the battery and lights). It was suggested that with such an upgrade and the 4 light setup of a 62, you wouldn’t be left wanting for aux. lights. Sounded good to me – more light output without affecting airflow to the radiator, or having lights sticking out all over the place. All run off factory switching to boot!! These threads recommended the services of Daniel Stern (www.danielsternlighting.com), so off I went to learn more.
In addition to a few featured products, Daniel’s website contains lots of tech info to educate yourself on auto lighting and debunk many common beliefs. You’ll find no shopping cart, as Daniel forces you to consult with him on your needs, and make sure you know what you are getting. If you have any curiousity about auto lighting, have a look through the tech stuff, really enlightening.
After trading half a dozen e-mails with Daniel (usually answered within the half hour!), I decided on what I wanted and placed an order. He gets really high marks from me, great to work with.
I went with:
A relay kit to feed power to the lights (an upgrade whether you get halogen units or stick with sealed beams). The relay kit is Toyota specific, as Toyota used a switched ground, and a finicky setup for the in-dash high-beam indicator.
A set of 2 Bosch H4 (high/low) and 2 Bosch H1 (high) headlight units. The Bosch units came recommended above the more expensive Cibié units (for the 4 @ 6.5” x 4” size of the 62). The beam peak intensity reference numbers (explained in the tech section) for these units total 90, apparently many countries stipulate that the total for lights on a single vehicle can’t exceed 75, so they should be good and bright (well intense to be accurate , and the bulbs play into this….)
2 - 100w Narva H1 bulbs for the high beam units.
2 - 70/65w Osram H4 bulbs for the high/low beam units (plus a couple spares).
Not a cheap setup (~$400 US without the spare bulbs), but considering a good set of aux. lights can set you back $200 or more…..
Here’s what it all looks like straight out of the shipping box.
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