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Anyone else think their JK Headlights are crap?

13K views 73 replies 42 participants last post by  WatchThis! 
#1 ·
Not sure if it's just me, but the lighting on my 13' JKU Sport S is pretty bad. The quantity, the concentration and the aim is poor. The fog lights seem to throw more light than the headlights :confused:

I read a thread in another section that the wiring harness and bulb selection were used because the parts were "the cheapest possible". Is this true? What would it cost to upgrade the wiring harness and better bulbs?

What have you guys done to improve light output, for on road purpose of course.
 
#40 ·
The stock headlights are practically dangerous on dark twisty roads we have here in Colorado. I have to do something without going overboard. I'm thinking I will mount some driving lights (well-aimed) but the research has just begun.
 
#43 ·
The Hella lenses are glass. I went with the standard bulbs since the hotter ones have a shorter life span. Our winters are pretty dark, so the headlights are on all the time.

They don't look that different. However , they are much flatter than the stock plastic lights. Still curved, but not dome shaped.

Mike
 

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#49 ·
The kit is German engineered/design. It comes with 2 ballasts, brackets, wiring, and waterproof connectors. Finally the bulbs. They use to flicker and turn off, but that was before I installed the (for lack of the correct name) capacitor, I am trouble free. I've had them on since October or 2012. Extremely bright. Literally plug and play. Take ur time on install- 20min max. I can take pics of the kit tomorrow and post them.
 
#54 ·
Hey guys,

I purchased 2 sets of the JW SPEAKER 8700 Evolutions -
one set for me, and one set for my wife's jk.

Although expensive these lights are definitely worth it.. I LOVE them. I can finally see the road!!! ( we live in the country where there are no street lights so good lighting is imperative)


it was hard to pick these over the trucklites due to the price difference but this video convinced me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ1ivy90gZU

One thing i will warn you guys about just in case .....
If you live in Canada you require DRL's to be on during the day.
When you switch over to LED lights of any sort, you will have a problem with your lights flickering due to voltage change.(as mentioned by others) TLG auto sells aftermarket harnesses that supposed to fix the flickering problem with the lights, but this does NOT fix the DRL flickering issue. (Harness' are manufactured in California and they don't have DRL's so the harness is not designed for it)

On my 2010 JKU the DRL's were fine, you would get the odd flicker here and there but nothing noticeable especially during the day.

On my wife's 2011 JK no matter what harness you used the right headlight only would STROBE OUT when DRL's were on which was not ok.


What i ended up doing was ordering an AEV PROCAL unit for both vehicles and changed mine & my wife's DRL's to the signal lights which is still legal.

so total cost - - - it gets crazy -

$370.00 for each light x 4

4 x harness cables @ 69.95 pair

2 x Procal AEV 179.00 each

Its a lot to spend on something like lights, but for us it was definitely a safety issue at the end of the day.
 
#55 ·
Hi

I think it is a shame that Jeep give You US folks inferior lights when we get Hella H4 standard as stock in Europe, and it is also lit auto on day time and we have a switch to alter the light height. This switch is for to lower the light when You for instance have a trailer so You dont blind other on the road.

I dont even think that Hella H4 is good and not fit for a Jeep, and You say You have worse light, shit :eek:

A Jeep should have even better light stock than a normal vehicle, because it is for offroad and there are no street lights in the backroads.

You should complain to Jeep

The stock switch to alter light height on my 2012 Sahara in Sweden



My stock lights




You can se my Hella H4 stock lights here and Dually D2. Difficult to judge from my video and I do not know how Your stock lights are in US.

Dually D2 Driving beam from Rigid Industries on a 2 door Sahara Wrangler 2012, Part one - YouTube
 
#57 ·
I've read what there is to read about the headlights; does anyone have any comments on PIAA fog lights for the front end? I live in a rural area with deer around every corner. I find the brights on my Islander don't emit enough light for me to see them in sufficient time when I'm cruising to the house with my mind else where. however, my fog lights and dim headlights create a better viewing spectrum for me. I'd like to install more intense fog lights and see if I can enhance that even more. Suggestions?
 
#58 ·
I loved my PIAA Plasma Ion Yellow bulbs in my WJ, in the stock location they threw more light than my low beams. I'm sure the PIAA fog lamp housings are even better, but they are very expensive.

I was thinking about going with 55w KC fogs on brackets or a light bar. Don't think these would blind anyone if aimed properly. It seems the driving lights are more extreme.

To the guy from Sweden, I'm from Canada and we have the same garbage H13's in a plastic lens like the US. They skimped here and I'm sure a Wrangler is more expensive in Sweden that it is here. Unfortunately those H4's are not compatible with the daylight running lamps we have in Canada.
 
#59 ·
I just drove at night for the first time in the Jeep a couple nights ago. The lights are absolutely horrible. My hi-beams are not even close to the Silverado low-beams that I had. I can't believe they put these in vehicles, it's a good thing a Wrangler is measnt to go off-road cause with lights this bad you're more likely to. I didn't even bother switching to low-beams and never got flashed once.

I'll be looking into Truck Lites soon.
 
#62 ·
I installed these headlights and they are a definite improvement over stock (here in Canada). But they still aren't crazy bright. I still switch on my KC driving lights when I really need to see where I'm going. For the price, though, I think the kit is decent value, and simple plug and play installation.
 
#64 ·
If you call the guys at Rallylights.com, they will sell you the Hella headlights with a basic conversion harness in place of the custom wiring harness. This will allow you to run standard H4 lamps in the $100-150 range. The Hella housing is a much better housing optically than the one sold by KC.

The difference in the wiring harnesses are in voltage regulation. A standard H13-H4 harness uses the power feed from the CANBUS controlled system and the voltage can fluctuate. The custom harness that rallylights builds brings power directly from the battery without the interference of the CANBUS system. This provides a little more light from a standard bulb, but also allows you to run hotter H4 bulbs.

Mike
 
#66 ·
I agree. HID is great for the driver wanting to see, but the other guys get blinded. Can't stand that glare...
 
#67 ·
I proper projector retrofit can be done for about $300 if you DIY... but it's a real PITA to get it right.

Trucklites or H4 halogen housings seem to be the best bang for your buck
 
#69 ·
I was at my friends house and I told him about my lights, he couldn't believe how dim they were. Bulbs are 1/3 the problem, housings are 2nd and the current limiting wiring setup is the other 3rd. Hope my fogs will help:
 
#70 ·
I'm with the others that stepped up to JW. The JW's are the way to go. Absolutely hated driving the jeep at night after driving my other car with factory hid's. They work great. I got the last gen 8700s and it took a little more work than the evos, but at half the price and like new, it was no big deal.
 
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