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Replacement headlights

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prusko

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City
Forest Hill
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Md
After a ride last night down some very dark roads and several comments from the peanut gallery I've decided to look into upgrading my headlights to something brighter. Any suggestions? After obsessing over it last night I seem to like the looks of quadratecs and a brand "Grote." Any thoughts? I'm not wanting anything complicated.
Thank you in advance.
 
A very easy and not expensive upgrade is to use 2 relays and heavier wire to make wiring harness for the headlights(or buy name brand harness. Don't buy a cheap harness on eBay or Amazon, the wiring won't be any bigger than factory, probably smaller actually). This just using factory wiring to activate the relays and sends much more power to the lights. I did this probably 25 years ago before all the fancy headlights and it made an insane difference. Should still benefit headlight upgrades(maybe not LED though).
 
Here is a relay harness I bought on ebay. Look how small the actual wire is and how think the insulation is. Looks good from the outside like 12 gauge, inside is tiny, maybe quality brand 18 gauge wiring inside. That is a AAA battery for size comparison.
20210807_182310.jpg
 
barrys said:
Here is a relay harness I bought on ebay. Look how small the actual wire is and how think the insulation is. Looks good from the outside like 12 gauge, inside is tiny, maybe quality brand 18 gauge wiring inside. That is a AAA battery for size comparison.
Click to expand...

That's gotta be one of them import on a slow boat ones, I have never seen that thick of insulation, from anywhere!
 
I put led h4 globes from superbrightled.com in my Hella H4 headlights. They are ungodly bright, use minimal power and are truly plug-and- play. The best part is they look like a halogen H4 and not like a retro-fit from a Fiat JK like the cateye does.

If you already have the Hellas, they are only about $65. If you need to buy the Hellas, add about $100.
 

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Chamba said:
I put led h4 globes from superbrightled.com in my Hella H4 headlights. They are ungodly bright, use minimal power and are truly plug-and- play. The best part is they look like a halogen H4 and not like a retro-fit from a Fiat JK like the cateye does.

If you already have the Hellas, they are only about $65. If you need to buy the Hellas, add about $100.
Click to expand...
part number please
 
I third doing the relays before or at the same time as the lamps.

Like with car audio - you can buy $200 speakers but if you don't add an amp they'll just be $200 versions of what you had before. The amp is like the relay in this case.
 
www.superbrightleds.com

H4 LED Fanless Headlight/Fog Light Conversion Kit with Adjustable Color Temperature and Compact Heat Sink - 5,000 Lumens/Set - Natural White

Increase your safety and visibility with this H4 LED headlight/fog light kit. Each dual-intensity LED headlight bulb comes with a glass sleeve and adhesive film options for changing the bulb's color temperature. The bulbs emit 5,000 lumens of cool white illumination per set (2,500 each) but can...
www.superbrightleds.com www.superbrightleds.com

I didn't use a relay as they draw significantly fewer amps than halogens so it's not needed.
 

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These are so bright that I rarely use my driving lights anymore. I really can't tell when the driving lights are on now, where with the halogens they made a noticeable difference.

The only drawback I've experienced, which no longer affects me in Florida, is that the headlights no longer get hot. Thus, when driving in snow they will get covered and you'll have to clear them periodically.
 
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Belizeit said:
Looks like this might not be road legal either.
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So far, no issues for me but then I've only had it for a few years. I'm sure somewhere there is a cop who will be happy to pop your hood to check whether your headlight globes have a DOT stamp or not, but since leaving Australia I've yet to encounter a cop like that in America.
 
Fairly certain the lights in my overlander are AUS versions. The light pattern is reverse of the US version due to right hand drive.

That is a bigger issue to be sure you are not blinding oncoming drivers.
 
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