I've read some of the posts regarding upgrading our XJ headlights but many of the links are dead. I'm looking to upgrade my stock headlights to another pair of glass/sealed halogen headlights but brighter. I like the look of the halogen light as opposed to the blue light LEDs produce. I believe I can make them brighter with a wiring harness.

Does this look right?
https://www.lmctruck.com/electrical/wiring-components/csd-1992-99-heavy-duty-headlight-harness

Will the harness fit any halogen headlights i can find that fit the XJ? Thanks!

 

The harness does 2 things, 1) it switches the stock headlight harness from switched negative to switched positive. 2) it provides another independent battery link.

Both are good as they take load off the primary headlamp switch and shift it to a set of independent relays. You should see less voltage drop and be able to run led headlights without issue


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I did mine a few years ago.... But I believe I used HELLA brand rectangular H4 replacement GLASS housings.
I used stock H4 bulbs and a headlight relay/wiring kit. with ceramic connectors for the bulbs.

I am VERY happy with the results. Night & day from stock lights.

couple points,
stock jeep sealed beams SUCK. actually any sealed beams suck.
jeep headlight wiring sucks also. ...... The aftermarket headlight relay/harness puts power directly to the headlights via a relay.... same way you would wire a light bar or any high powered light.

 

This is what I did years ago as well. Hella e-code housings with a dedicated harness and upgraded wattage H4 bulbs. I think they're 80w low beam and 100watt high beam, but don't quote me on that. I'm also running a pair of 100w Hella Rallye 4000 driving lights, so the setup is quite, uh, effective on high beam mode.

 

That headlight harness looks right. Pretty easy to install and makes a noticeable difference. You can use brighter/whiter sealed beam headlights like the Syvania silverstars if you want, but you should see a difference with whatever you have now. The harness I used was actually a bit cheaper but works great.
It's probably worth a few bucks extra to support LMC over Amazon though!

 

The harness update/upgrade is an excellent place to start. That alone makes a difference and any additional intentional effort for better quality or brighter bulb only suites to benefit you.

I just did the Harness upgrade, new headlight switch and also Amazon LED lights



This was very much a long overdue upgrade for mine

 

I got rid of the PO harness (that had problems) and replaced it with an eBay item, which was much better

Mine has what I presume to be stock glass headlight units and I replaced a blown bulb with the recommended 3pin bulb, 55W Lo beam I think, as per stock

Lo beam is is not good enough

Hi beam is fine (may be 80-90W)

I need something that gives me better Lo beam, so I am guessing 60+W

Can anyone give guidance, I would prefer not to go down the LED route, but may do if I cannot affect an improvement in Lo beam...that is what I use all the time

Trouble is there is no way of knowing if LED will be better without buy & fit

I will also fit my LED lightbar and other lighting, (when I fit my factory alloy bullbar in place of the stock bar)

 

Personally I don't like the looks of the LED light inserts .... they look corny to me.
It smacks of cheap chinese crap.

Plus the output is either blinding you or yellow within months.

I prefer the stock style look... Like I said, I'm happy with stock wattage H4's but a higher watt bulb works great too.

As long as your not blinding people going down the road..... Alignment is very important too.... a lot of people disregard that step.

nothing worse than one light on the pavement and one light in the trees....

And the worst are the Morons with the offroad LED light bar on in the middle of the day blinding everyone.... No common sense.

 

You get what you pay for.

 

My advice if you're looking for better low-beam coverage and are considering higher-wattage bulbs is to look at better housings/reflectors before anything else. IMO, the e-code (European spec) beam pattern is way better than the old-school DOT spec, and it'll put significantly more light where you need it, even with the same bulb. I've had great luck with Hella e-code housings and H4 bulbs.

 

well how else are you going to see if Owls are in the trees or if theres hidden potholes on the ground?

What if they are on during the daytime because they are actually On road LED light bars?

 

Very few "light bars" are DOT approved for on road use.
a few companies make DOT light cubes and retrofit super bright leds... such as Rigid for pickups and newer vehicles.

But I'm talking about the idiot that buys a 40" amazon LED light bar... straps it to his bumper and leaves it on all day.

I've got a $600 Black oak light bar on my XJ

ocassionally some jack *** with refuse to dim their high-beams..... THEN I light them up .... and it's so bright they usually just hit the brakes and pull over....

again, you get what you pay for.

 

At the end of the day, It's about having courtesy for your fellow drivers.
nobody likes to be blinded by oncoming traffic.

 

I think my system is ok, as Hi beam is quite adequate (still weaker than most vehicles in that I can drive around without getting flashed much at all)

Hi Beam is fine for all but the most difficult situations, where additional lighting may be worth switching on

I will search to see if I can find a pin matching bulb that has higher than 55w Lo beam

That would solve my issue, but it may be tricky, as I believe 55W is the mandated spec for Oz

I do not wish to spend hundreds of $ or mess around.

Stronger Lo beams is what I need. The cheapest way is higher wattage or (lumen output) Lo Beam.

I am cheap, dont care about regulations. Do not wish to blind other road users, just see them

 

im in the process of swapping out my harness and switching to H4 bulbs, but was wondering if any modifications are needed if the vehicle is equipped with fog lights? I thought I read somewhere about it but cant seem to find it now.