Looking for more light!!

mtbdemon · **Joined:** Fri Aug 24, 2012 5:15 pm **Posts:** 179

This is a two part question-
I ski in the winter often and sometimes in the need for more light. I thought about upgrading the headlight bulbs to something better, but curious what you guys have found to work well and isn't crazy expensive (Yes, subjective)

2nd question-My headliner door light want to fall out of the headliner every so often and curious if anyone has had that trouble and if there is an upgrade for that as well. Thanks in advance

Ken

APC9199 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 19, 2017 2:43 pm

mtbdemon wrote:

This is a two part question-
I ski in the winter often and sometimes in the need for more light. I thought about upgrading the headlight bulbs to something better, but curious what you guys have found to work well and isn't crazy expensive (Yes, subjective)

2nd question-My headliner door light want to fall out of the headliner every so often and curious if anyone has had that trouble and if there is an upgrade for that as well. Thanks in advance

Ken

Is the light just for driving purposes or are you talking about adding more directional light for illuminating the things you're doing outside? If just for driving, then you can upgrade to the XENON-style headlights that they sell in any old auto parts store. Beware, they will not last as long as standard replacements and if your headlights are not adjusted properly, you'll find out about it REALLY quickly. I used them for awhile to be seen better on the road (multiple accidents, long story) but the price and poor lifespan caused me to drop down to the next lower level, which are still much better than OEM and last a lot longer than the ultra-bright ones.

If you're looking for more light for activities, you can get one of the adjustable light bars that every "bro" with a lifted truck has decided to put on theirs, or get some KC Lights which is a much better option in my opinion, and supports jobs here in the U.S. instead of China. If you like the OEM look, you could always try to track down a Renegade light bar from a wrecked liberty and wire it up to your vehicle. That would require some moderate fabrication skills but looks great in my opinion.

mtbdemon · **Joined:** Fri Aug 24, 2012 5:15 pm **Posts:** 179

APC9199 wrote:

mtbdemon wrote:

This is a two part question-
I ski in the winter often and sometimes in the need for more light. I thought about upgrading the headlight bulbs to something better, but curious what you guys have found to work well and isn't crazy expensive (Yes, subjective)

2nd question-My headliner door light want to fall out of the headliner every so often and curious if anyone has had that trouble and if there is an upgrade for that as well. Thanks in advance

Ken

Is the light just for driving purposes or are you talking about adding more directional light for illuminating the things you're doing outside? If just for driving, then you can upgrade to the XENON-style headlights that they sell in any old auto parts store. Beware, they will not last as long as standard replacements and if your headlights are not adjusted properly, you'll find out about it REALLY quickly. I used them for awhile to be seen better on the road (multiple accidents, long story) but the price and poor lifespan caused me to drop down to the next lower level, which are still much better than OEM and last a lot longer than the ultra-bright ones.

If you're looking for more light for activities, you can get one of the adjustable light bars that every "bro" with a lifted truck has decided to put on theirs, or get some KC Lights which is a much better option in my opinion, and supports jobs here in the U.S. instead of China. If you like the OEM look, you could always try to track down a Renegade light bar from a wrecked liberty and wire it up to your vehicle. That would require some moderate fabrication skills but looks great in my opinion.

Thank you for the response. This would be for driving purposes only. I already have the light bar on the top like a Renegade, but the state police frown on you using them on the roads:)
What are the "next lower level" lights you speak of? Thanks again for your input.
Ken

APC9199 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 19, 2017 5:06 pm

Usually the lights are placed on the shelves in order from bottom (cheap - poor light output) to top (expensive - high light output). Most of the time you can literally grab the next lowest one on the rack with the same fitment number. The light color and output in lumens will both be a little lower than the fancy top shelf ones. If it doesn't make sense standing in front of them...just ask the guy with the nose ring and sleeve tattoo behind the counter, he can look it up for you!

krautastic · **Joined:** Sat Jun 03, 2017 9:52 pm **Posts:** 33

You could probably find some small LED lamps to go in the fog light holes. Those light bars put out quite a bit of light if you buy the right kind. I prefer Hella 500's, but they're pretty oldschool at this point.

One thing to consider is yellow light which can really help in wet and snowy conditions. Lots of companies sell amber protection film to put over fog lights. I've run yellow ~3k headlights as well, but found certain pavement really absorbed the light spectrum. But, in snow and wet, it was really great: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... color.html

As for headlight bulb upgrades, that daniel stern website will list a number of top rate bulbs which will far and exceed any bulb you can buy in the auto parts store.

mikey1273 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 24, 2017 4:53 pm

I had HID headlights in mine for about a year. OMG I love them they were so bright and the light color made thing looks so clear compared to halogen. Sadly there were not with out problems. I was having issues with random ABS errors that could never be found after several things had been replaced in the system, it would still say it lost communication to one of the rear sensors usually the left rear. Then the left light started to cut off after 5 minutes. I trued to swap the bulb. problem stayed to the left. I swapped the ballasts. that time problem moved.

the system had a "Lifetime parts" warranty so I called the vendor, left messages sent emails and they would not respond. so to avoid a ticket for a bum headlight I put the halogens back and the ABS issue also went away too.

HID is the headlights you want but given my luck with mine not sure its worth it.

mass-hole · **Posted:** Mon Jul 24, 2017 6:49 pm

I had a pair of Morimoto Mini D2S Bi-Xenon HID's until my wife hit a deer. Here is the thread, unfortunately the hosting site stopped hosting my images . . .

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=78479

By far the best headlights I have ever had in a car. They were so bright and the beam pattern was phenomenal. They had a nice solid cutoff so you were not blinding oncoming drivers on low beam, but when you opened them up on high they would go really far. They take a little work because you have to hog out the stock headlight bowl to fit the mounting flange on the projector. I painted the bowls to match the body color of the jeep. Rustoleum Colonial Red was extremely close to my jeep.

I now have a 26"(?) LED light bar off amazon, and while it throws a ton of light it throws it everywhere. I find that it lights up the foreground too much so that the background gets washed out. It would be great for off-roading on slow trails, but for 55+ mph driving it is not ideal. The HID's were FAR better.

I also have a set of Morimoto XB LED foglights that I retrofit into my ARB bumper. They supplement the stock headlights very well. You can basically run the XB's as a low beam and they throw more light off to the sides of the road than the stock lights do. I have the bambi mod, where my fogs stay on with my highs, so I will leave them on to supplement the high beams. If I had the HID's still then the XB's would not be so useful, but with the crappy stock headlights they do help.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Mon Jul 24, 2017 11:25 pm

I replaced the halogen bulbs with 6000k LED's. Love em, much brighter and truer whiter light. LED's produce very little heat and so far have not caused any other problems.
Replaced the Fog light bulbs with LED's as well...
Also added a 24 inch LED light bar, it lights up everything in front of the Jeep! :-)r

Bushman5 · **Joined:** Sat Jul 11, 2015 11:05 am **Posts:** 276

just drive around with these on :SOMBRERO:

mikey1273 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:04 am

WWDiesel Where did you find your LED headlights?

the only problem with adding a light bar or anything other than a set of fog/driving lights is a lot of us are not allowed to use them on public roads and highways. I would for sure get pulled over for that here. hell in some towns the police will even pull you over and give out a warning just for having them on your Jeep with out a cover over them, its doesn't have to be night and they can be off still pulled over.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Tue Jul 25, 2017 10:46 am

mikey1273 wrote:

WWDiesel Where did you find your LED headlights?
the only problem with adding a light bar or anything other than a set of fog/driving lights is a lot of us are not allowed to use them on public roads and highways. I would for sure get pulled over for that here. hell in some towns the police will even pull you over and give out a warning just for having them on your Jeep without a cover over them, its doesn't have to be night and they can be off still pulled over.

Got the bulbs at SuperBrightLeds.com
https://www.superbrightleds.com/

As to light bars, never been pulled over or stopped for using it in my Jeep or my two Dodge trucks which both have a 31 inch light bar and two 150 watt KC Daylighters each. I do have them all wired with a relay and and a cutout switch which only allows auxiliary lights to come on when the headlights are on bright and the cutout switch is in the "ON" position. I never use them in town, only out in the country where we have lots of deer to be on the lookout for. (reason for HD pushbars/brushguards on all vehicles) And, I dim headlights/light bar as quick as possible whenever I meet an approaching vehicle.

I will say here in the south where I live, law enforcement does not focus on trivial things like driving lights and / or light bars! You will see many, many vehicles with driving lights and / or light bars.
Guess they have plenty of other things of a high crime nature to be more concerned about? I have had driving lights on every vehicle I have ever owned for the past 40 years or so and used them all the time, and never once have I been stopped or questioned about them. I have 31 inch LED light bars and two 150 watt KC Daylighters on both of my Dodge trucks, they really reach way out there on dark roads...

:SOMBRERO:

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Tue Jul 25, 2017 11:35 am

Bright Lights and Loud Pipes save lives.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Tue Jul 25, 2017 11:38 am

GordnadoCRD wrote:

Bright Lights and Loud Pipes save lives.

Sure saves front end body parts!!!!! :ROTFL:

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 25, 2017 2:22 pm

WWDiesel wrote:

GordnadoCRD wrote:

Bright Lights and Loud Pipes save lives.

Sure saves front end body parts!!!!! :ROTFL:

More lethal where I'm originally from then any hunting rifle.

By the way if you buy good LED lightbars like from Rigid you can get covers for all of them.And yes there is a huge difference in actual light between those fleabay specials and knockoffs you see for cheap when comparing to Rigid or Vision X that justifies the extra cost,plus the lifetime warranty helps.

I have a Rigid 20" bar that is very noticeably brighter then my bosses fleabay special 50" and 30" bars combined.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Wed Jul 26, 2017 11:28 am

A daytime picture of all lights installed:

mtbdemon · **Joined:** Fri Aug 24, 2012 5:15 pm **Posts:** 179

Thanks guys for all the great info-Not sure if I'm only going to change the bulbs or add a set of lights to my ARB bumper. Thanks again!

DieselJeepLuvr · **Posted:** Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:02 am

For more light try driving closer to the street lights...unfortunately anything you do aftermarket will probably get you a hefty ticket from johnny law. Most states have laws that state alternate lighting (including fog lights) must be treated as high beams and must be turned off within 300 yards of oncoming traffic. Here the ticket is $174. Don't ask me how I know...

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Thu Jul 27, 2017 1:15 am

In The Dalles :shock:

!?!?!?!?!?

Wow.

Well, yeah if they're not dimmed, or cut to oncoming traffic, but.. Wow. A bit harsh.

As many miles as I've been up and down Hwy 97, I've never had a problem, and would hate to have to do it without extra lighting.

The fog light thing is different at the coast and in K.Falls.
Fogs only work on low beam but they also have to be directed more down than is very helpful to seeing distance at night. Otherwise they are considered driving/running lights and they do have to be snuffed with the high beams.

Over here by the beach, we're 10+ miles from any streetlights, so driving closer could be hazardous to livestock.

On a different note:
I want... no... I NEED to find a way to mount a front bumper like this... :ALONE:

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 27, 2017 8:55 am

GordnadoCRD wrote:

On a different note:
I want... no... I NEED to find a way to mount a front bumper like this... :ALONE:

Buy a JK,easiest way.

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Thu Jul 27, 2017 9:36 am

Unfortunately true, LOL
I really do like the look of the grille and bumper integrated armor.
And unless it's all in stainless, its just more things to rust anyway.
Plus, it's so far back in budgeting priorities, it's more of dreaming ahead than planning ahead.

Looking for more light!!

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