Headlight upgrades?

[Redcap]

What have y'all done to get more light output? I need more light!

[heep70]

Wire relays in. Huge difference

[390Nut]

Y'know, I've seen this discussed a lot of times, even for adding fog/driving lights to motorcycles. However, with my limited experience/understanding of things electrical, I still don't understand what the relay is supposed to do, that makes it work, where not having one results in melted wires. The amperage going to the lights is still the same, is it not? So, what keeps wires and such from getting melted by using a relay?

I know, I know, you're not supposed to let the smoke out, right?

Seriously though, some laymens terms to make it understandable would be awesome, and I bet I'm not alone here!

[68F250]

The high and low beam wires under the hood go to relays instead powering the headlights. That's all they do is switch on the relays which require hardly any current at all. The relays handle all the heavy current, you connect them with heavy gauge wire coming from the battery and going to the headlight connectors.

[390Nut]

Good info to know. Any ideas on which ones to get, are they from a specific vehicle or are they generic and universal? Do they come with instructions? (for us electrically handicapped )

I've thought about getting the diamond-lites or such like I've seen on ebay, and going with a newer holgen replaceable bulb, with which there are all sorts of possibilities with style/color/output etc.

[BigRedTruck]

what would happen if you dropped in those halogen things without a heavy harness?

[390Nut]

From what I've heard, lots of bad things, mostly centered around melted wires. Badly melted wires.

[HOWDY69]

So thin nice new halogens I just plugged into my truck could cause the wires to overheat?

[bluef250]

Get a brand name relay - Bosch, Hella, T&B, etc., not generic. Better quality, small additional cost, but more reliability. The relay terminals are numbered and have a control side and a power side. Second, make the best connections you can. Notice that OEM connectors are double crimped. For our application, solder connections after crimping. Third size wire as needed. A 10 or 12 gauge wire will power 60 watt headlights nicely. The higher wattage light , the larger the wire needed. A larger wire will generate less heat and you will have less voltage loss. You can buy kits, with instructions and all the parts if you look around, but you pay for the convenience and for someone to put it together.

[QC]

Using relays shortens the distance the current has to travel so there is less resistanceand line loss. The relays mount by the battery so the electricity only has to go from the battery to the relay to the headlights, not all the way to the dash and back.
Relay kits are available for about $30.

[hardtailjohn]

I put new NAPA "bright lights" in and it made a huge difference!! Someday I'll throw the relays in, but I don't need them for now!
John H.

[390Nut]

So thin nice new halogens I just plugged into my truck could cause the wires to overheat?

Well, I'm thinking what I have heard is when people switch to the removable bulb-type headlights like on the newer vehicles (H3, H4, H7 etc) rather than the original, sealed beam type that was OEM on our trucks. They get the better bulbs, but those bulbs draw a lot more amperage, which creates much more heat than the old wiring could handle.

I know Hella use to make a conversion kit, but I haven't actually seen one in quite awhile. Wonder if they're still available. I seem to remember just a couple years ago, they were around $50-$60.

Time to do some research.

Thanks for all the info guys, numbered posts on a relay mean nothing to me, so I'ld probably be better off with a kit if I could find one.

[heep70]

I have the Hella headlamps. They are cool, but only run the recommended lamps. The 80/100 watt bulbs will crack the headlamps. To much heat.

I have an article that was written by someone else on how to wire in relays for headlamps. If you PM me your email address I will send you the link to it.

[68F250]

Painless makes kits, see Halogen Headlight Harnesses:

http://www.painlesswiring.com/webcatalo ... trelay.htm

[mrung0wa]

FYI: Try JCWHITNEY.COM or a site like LMC Truck, etc.

Halogen lights are superior in everyway compared to conventional incandescent lights. The light is much whiter as well as brighter. Another alternative is Xenon bulbs/lights they are even whiter than Halogens. Presently the best lighting for cars and trucks are HID lights but the are really really expensive $300 to over a $1,000, so forget those.

Lawrence