Sep 14, 2015, 04:15 PM
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HID headlights
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Model: Cherokee
Originally Posted by alpine.adrenaline
I'm upgrading to HID in a little while. I've done a lot of research and and HID setup demands specific beam patterns and a solid 12v connection (HID's flickering is BAD). In most cases, you'll lose your high beams because they're single-filiament bulbs (even though there's no real filiament - plasma activated by 23,000v). The only place I've seen a true projector housing is by NorCal MR2. The 7x6 housing will work on some Nissans,Toyotas, and our awesome XJ's. They can be found here under Pegasus projectors: www.norcalmr2.com. Now, these housings will be too deep when you try to put them in. Another member on here (edit:aj6 ^ posted while I was writing this) managed to secure them with longer mounting screws, so you'll need to hit the hardware store for the right thread and length as well. These new headlights will sit about 1/2" further out than your stock ones. Also, get yourself some decent ballasts. Buy the "Slim Digital" ones because they're most often waterproof. The ballasts drop your amperage from about 10 amps per ballast (compared to 20-30 per stock headlight) to about 3 amps and boost the voltage from 12v to 23,000v. So, less draw on your voltage system with more light. Plasma's sweet. The drawback to those Pegasus projectors, as I mentioned earlier, is that you lose your high beams. However, you can also find "Bi-Xenon" bulbs online in the usual H4 bulb type, and I'm pretty sure that base can be ground down to fit the H7 housing. The bulbs run in color temps (Kelvin) and the higher you go the less light they put out but richer the color gets. 4300K will be closest to a comfortable yellow/white. 6000k will create a white beam with really sharp shadows, a little intense for my taste.
If anyone can find a legit black housing I would be happy too.
CF Veteran
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,322
Likes: 6
From: Summerville, Ga
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 2.5 4 cyl.
Originally Posted by Wholikesjeeps?
Will those red, blue, green, or white Pegasus angel eyes fit. I know I'm not really asking anything different than the other guys here ("do they fit, do they fit?") but I would love to rock some red lights on the black xj.
If anyone can find a legit black housing I would be happy too.
CF Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,992
Likes: 0
From: West Bloomfield,MI
Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L, CAI, Edelbrock Breather, Optima Yellowtop
I bought a set of Xentec 6000k HIDs without the high beams and they've been great! I've had them for a little over 3 months and they're flawless. I don't have any problems with flickering either. Cost me $36 for the kit.
I'm running them with the fake sealed beam projector housings right now. When it gets a little warmer out, I'm retrofitting the housings with some projectors I got out of a Daewoo at the junkyard for $7. It'll have a nice cutoff and it'll be bright. Best part is, I'm going to run a kit that would have been hundreds of dollars, for a little under $80.
Seasoned Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 268
Likes: 0
From: Waterford, PA
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
I and several friends have had good luck with hidnation.com, cheap, and reliable. None of us have had a bad ballast our bulb. I'm running a set in modified hella housings for fogs, considering a set in my autopals, have a friend with fogs and headlights in a mustang gt, another friend with headlights in a toyota, another with fogs and heads in a cobra, and another with heads in a triumph daytona. All in all, all of us satisfied with both product and service.
Seasoned Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 296
Likes: 0
From: NYC
Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: I6
Think I posted these details in another thread somewhere, but I will repost a brief summary here as well.
The majority of HID kits that are sold on ebay or other sites are only as good as the price they cost.
I tried one of these kits and typically, you get what you pay for. $99 kit I bought for my old WJ lasted me roughly 10 months. Cheap bulbs that were warrantied twice, and cheaper ballasts that were warrantied once. When they died the second time, I chucked the entire kit and put together my own with OE-spec parts.
I used 2 Genuine Hella ballasts ($150), 2 Osram 2DR bulbs ($100), a relay harness ($18), and 2 halogen lense shields ($20). All in, I spent $288.....and guess what.....NO GLARE to oncoming traffic, fairly sharp (for a halogen housing) beam with minimal to no upward splash, and no parts that went bad. Bulbs and ballasts were perfect, even in winter use.
In the end, it does cost more to use better parts, but in the end its less aggravation having to replace bulbs that burn out all the time or ballasts that stop working after a rainfall.
Good luck!!
The majority of HID kits that are sold on ebay or other sites are only as good as the price they cost.
I tried one of these kits and typically, you get what you pay for. $99 kit I bought for my old WJ lasted me roughly 10 months. Cheap bulbs that were warrantied twice, and cheaper ballasts that were warrantied once. When they died the second time, I chucked the entire kit and put together my own with OE-spec parts.
I used 2 Genuine Hella ballasts ($150), 2 Osram 2DR bulbs ($100), a relay harness ($18), and 2 halogen lense shields ($20). All in, I spent $288.....and guess what.....NO GLARE to oncoming traffic, fairly sharp (for a halogen housing) beam with minimal to no upward splash, and no parts that went bad. Bulbs and ballasts were perfect, even in winter use.
In the end, it does cost more to use better parts, but in the end its less aggravation having to replace bulbs that burn out all the time or ballasts that stop working after a rainfall.
Good luck!!
CF Veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,290
Likes: 0
From: phoenix az
Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0l 6 cylinder
I have sylvania performance headlights are they a sealed light or can u put different bulbs in them they were on my jeep wen I got it so in not sure
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 731
Likes: 0
From: St. Albert
Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L I6
These are most likely sealed beams. I am pretty sure Sylvania doesn't make the housing for our Jeeps(Or if they make automotive housings at all...) But yes these definitely are more than likely a sealed beam unit, thus requiring new H6054 housings to replace or upgrade to an H4 style bulb.
CF Veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,290
Likes: 0
From: phoenix az
Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0l 6 cylinder
Originally Posted by xj_maniac_newb
sylvannia definitely does make the housings for our jeeps, and for many others. You can get them at any walmart, autozone, advanced, wherever
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 731
Likes: 0
From: St. Albert
Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L I6
I apologize i didn't mean to present unclear information. You can buy sealed beams (which include the housings, but are sealed, and for a reason [operate on internal gas pressure]), but I got the impression from his post that stev-o was talking about an H4 housing where you can just replace just the bulbs... And those I have not seen Sylvania stock on walmart shelves or produce in the H6054 size. But please, correct me if I am wrong, because then I just may have to go buy a pair 
CF Veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,290
Likes: 0
From: phoenix az
Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0l 6 cylinder
Originally Posted by EvstaG
I apologize i didn't mean to present unclear information. You can buy sealed beams (which include the housings, but are sealed, and for a reason [operate on internal gas pressure]), but I got the impression from his post that stev-o was talking about an H4 housing where you can just replace just the bulbs... And those I have not seen Sylvania stock on walmart shelves or produce in the H6054 size. But please, correct me if I am wrong, because then I just may have to go buy a pair
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 997
Likes: 1
From: Long Island NY
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee