Time to do something about my dim headlights on my 1996 Dodge B2500 Conversion Van 5.2.

I have cleaned the lenses and they are almost like new. I have had the van since day 1 so I know that the headlights used to be much brighter. I suspect voltage drop at the lights (in fact I measured a 1.3 volt drop at the headlights -- using the combined + and - volt readings). I've read that you lose about 25% of the lumens with a 10% drop in volts.

My next step is to re-wire the headlights directly from the battery with relays and ground the lights back to the battery.

Are there any pointers for me on this project?

Also, I would like to wire in a "4 light High" using a 3rd relay. This would have both low beams and high beams on at the same time when the system is switched to high beams. Are there any known issues with a "4 light high"?

Finally, what is the best bulb for brightness? I'm OK with a 6 month bulb life, if they truly are brighter. I think the standard bulb is 65w on high and 45w on low. I see that Wagner makes a brighter low beam bulb -- 65w/55w bulb. Anybody have any experience with this bulb? or another "brighter" bulb?

Thanks for your advice.

 

I was getting nearly 3 volts of drop on my 89.

I made a 12 awg harness and got some new 12 awh h4 pigtailed plugs fed relays directly from alternator, and now voltage drop is 0.2 amps.

Significant brightness increase from my sealed beams h6054. Few vehicles which pull up next to me at night in pole position throw more light in the right spot.

You will likely melt the reflectors if you try to do the 4 high trick, and the bulbs likely cannot =handle it either, since I believe both filaments are in the same bulb.

The other consideration with the 4 high is that high beams are needed for seeing at a distance. When you light the foreground with the lows and the high beams for distance, your pupils will contract, reducing the light making it to your retinas and you will not see as well. Same with fog lights. they give more light, but this extra light does not help you see better, it just makes you think you can, cause in this consumer oriented economy it is taught that more is always better. If you want more effective high beams, add driving lights which are not fog lights, but supplemental high beams.

Thank you for not being one of those dimwitted nimrods who puts HID's into their halogen reflectors.

I hear good things about Osram bulbs and Phillips too.

Please read up on Daniel Stern's website for everything automotive lighting.
http://danielsternlighting.com/home.html

And candlepower forums has a lot of good info on automotive lighting as well, just don't suggest or ask about doing some upgrade which is not legal as the Moderator there enjoys getting his panties in a wad about such things .

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...cles-Included&

 

......

 

You can also get 55/100 bulbs. I've used these in motorcycles and they work well.
Steve

 

Two great sources. Thank you!

 

If I don't get back to at least the original brightness, I'm going to install these. Thank you.

 

I didn't know that you could get 9004 HB1 this bright. Thanks for the tip. I googled around and found 80/100 in the 9004 HB1 P29T base.

Note added July 17, 2014: DON'T ORDER FROM THE COMPANY BELOW. Their website is functional and they will take the money from your account but they don't respond to emails, phones disconnected and don't ship your order.

http://www.competitionlimited.com/hi...004-bulbs.html

I can't find readily understandable code descriptions for what is legal in FL. Basically, no more than 4 lights, positioned between 24" and 54" above the pavement, and no more than 300 candlepower. The problem is that candlepower is such an outdated measurement and not easily converted to today's common units. Seems that some calculate candlepower to lumens at a factor of roughly 12.7. so 300 candlepower = 3810 lumens. Daniel Stern's bulb chart sets 100w bulbs in the range of 2000+ lumens. With voltage drop I should be at the limit. Maybe I need to find my slide rule.

 

Some say that upgrading to higher wattage bulbs without upgrading the wiring harness is just asking for problems.
One has to realize that the headlamp current is first routed through the firewall, then to the headlamp switch, then through the dimmer switch, then back out through the firewall, then to each headlamp. The designers had to be aware that there would be excessive voltage drop and did not care. Asking this aged wiring to pass current to a higher wattage bulb will quickly reveal weaknesses.

Another benefit of the relay upgrade is that the other bulbs fed through the headlamp switch will get more voltage and be brighter when headlamp current is no longer flowing through the switch.

On my 89 van on the low beam, the wire went first to the drivers side, then back out and over to the passenger side, where the high beam wire split somewhere closer to the firewall. My factory service manual said all this wiring was 14 awg, but it was 16 or even 18 awg. Combine this undersized wire with the excessive length and multiple connections and I'm surprised the voltage drop was only ~3 volts.

Once the plastic lenses have been polished, they will haze up much much faster again as the original UV coating has been removed. Apparently all the aftermarket plastic lenses are total junk, despite claiming DOT or Capa certification. So keep on top of those polished lenses. Perhaps some aerospace 303 will work, or some other product which claims to have UV inhibitors.

I've a set of Hella Optilux fog lights pointed low, but only use them at slow speeds, or when trying to not shine my lowbeams on other people or their houses.

Part of the reason for not using them in conjunction with the low beams is that my alternator, despite an upgraded circuit and a smaller pulley, cannot keep up with the lights and blower motor on high, at hot idle speeds, and I'm usually wanting all the battery charging current I can get, rather than have the battery supplement the alternator when idling at a traffic light.

I hear Daniel Stern responds promptly to Emails or voicemails, but I think if you do the relay upgrade and add some higher wattage bulbs, you will be happy with the increased output. Just stay on top of those polished lenses, or shell out for OEM lenses, if even available, Do not waste money on aftermarket.

 

Earlier in this thread I made a reference to a company called Competition Limited in Traverse City, MI.

DON'T ORDER FROM THAT COMPANY. Their website is functional and they will take the money from your account but they don't respond to emails, phones disconnected and don't ship your order.

http://www.competitionlimited.com

 

What did you order from the scum?

I made my own harness from some Ancor 3 wire marine 12 awg sheathed cable, and some new h4 pigtails with 12 awg leads.



I still want to acquire higher quality relays, but so far they have not had issues, but I would expect those to show up on a long highway drive at night, and I've not done that in too long.