Headlight upgrade

[rdubya]

I have a '95 YJ that I'd like to upgrade the headlights on. In Quadratrec there are several different types to choose from (IPF, Xenon etc), I'm looking at using the factory buckets and just switching inserts and bulbs if possible. has anyone done this conversion and/or got any recommendations? All I would like is brighter headlights, I'm not real crazy about the super blue ones but I can live with them if they are the best. Will there be any wire upgrades that have to go with it?
Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Utah_jeepster]

There is no wire upgrades needed to go from a sealed beam to a H2 type of lamp.
All you have to do is buy the headlamp housing from quadratec , 4 wheel warehouse or your local off road shop and put them in. The new insert bulb matches your existing plug.
I put them on my 01 TJ then went into work (autozone) and bought the Sylvania Silver Star bulbs (4000K, pure white) and put those in. By law its the brightest bulb you can put on your vehicle. But the housing will accept a HID type bulbs but then you have to buy a special ballast and wire harness to fire this bulb. You need to check your local laws about upgrading your headlights to a HID system. Most states say if your vehicle didn't come with them you can upgrade to them, that is why quadratec stopped selling them.

 

[Turbogus]

There is no wire upgrades needed to go from a sealed beam to a H4 type of lamp.QUOTE]

Actually the load on stock wiring can be overwhelming, depending upon the wattage of H4 bulbs you use.
My primary vehicle is a black Ford panel van (The Oven), Ford seems notorious for using light gauge wiring. I had to run relays, one for each headlight, then went from 16 to 12 gauge wiring from the relays to the bulb sockets. Then I installed a pair of Hella shells with 190/110 H4's with no problem.
I've 'tested the waters' on Betty with slightly lower wattage H4's and save for cleaning up some headlight ground issues (so what else is new) they've been performing well so far.

 

[rdubya]

Thanks guys for the input. Here is my problem, I am not in the least bit mechanically inclined, but I try, (screw up mostly). My last attempt was to get bigger tires which ended up with a new rear bumper (swing out tire carrier) and then a 2 1/2" lift which led to wheel spacers (the YJ looks great but...). I would like to get brighter lights but not fry any wires or overload my electrical system. I have no problem with getting the correct lights, and needed wiring, from the beginning, I just don't want to chase problems after I have installed the wrong lights. I was looking at the Delta Tech H4 or maybe the IPF H4 upgrades. Will this be my ticket or do I just get Halogen swaps?
Again thanks, the folks on this forum are truly great people.

 

[Utah_jeepster]

Like I said I went with the Hella Vision Plus High Performance Halogen Conversion Headlamp part # 002 395-301 a 200mm (7" dia) round light..
I replaced my sealed beams lamps with the lamp/shell just like I was replacing a burnt out bulb. The kit came with a HB2 bulb already installed but like I said I upgraded to a higher "K" value bulb (H13XV xtra vision bulbs). They are a standard 55\65 watt bulb that is the same as a sealed beam but the HB2's do put out a whiter light, that travels further.
I also installed a 165mm ( part # 003427291) (square head lamp) in a 90 XJ with the same bulb configuration and its been running for several years with no problems.
The wiring issue came with people running a 95/110 watt bulb that the factory wiring couldn't handle without an upgrade, or splicing in a H.I.D. kit. Which is also a 100+ watt type of light. Those kits now replace all of the wiring from the secondary power relay power box to a set of ballasts and then the head lamps.
But like I said earlier most H.I.D. upgrades are illegal if your vehicle didn't come factory equipped with them.

If you can change a burnt out headlamp you can convert to these bulbs in a few minutes time. They come with easy to follow instructions on the bottom of the box.