Headlights Recommendations?

[Bacim0rteKJo2]

I am looking for a new brighter headlights to replace the stock headlights.

Curious. What you think of LED Halo lights? Retrofit? Hid lights?

I am looking for a bright lights with a shade of blue in it.

Any feedbacks is greatly appreciated. :help:

 

[jeeplib05]

First off, the halo headlights are cheap and don't provide any projection of light
They're just for show
The retrofits are way too much work IMO but if you want to take on the task then go for it
Just expect to pay roughly $400 or so for the right parts
Personally, I have 6000k HID headlights (I know I know, "halogen housings weren't made for anything but halogen bulbs") but it's the cheapest way to have brighter light output
People will say "the hue causes you to think you can see better" but I can see immensely better with HIDs than I ever could with a halogen
They have the slightest amount of blue tint as you can get from HIDs and they're BRIGHT
You just can't be a ******* and keep them aimed up high because they will blind people and that's how you get into trouble with the law
People will say the light is scattered from HIDs but mine are perfectly fine, they have the same spread of light as a halogen would but 10x as bright
I'm lifted and I have them angled down and I can still see far down the road
Your best bet is HIDs if you're wanting a slight blue color because halogens just aren't bright at all and will not produce any amount of pure white light or slightly blue
Any brand that claims they're the "closest thing to HID" is BS, I had the Sylvania ZXE that claimed that exact statement and they weren't even close
Although hardly anyone will agree, that's really your only option because nothing will perform like an HID but an HID bulb

Oh and if you're wanting a quality HID, contact me via PM and I'll give you some info

 

[tommudd]

You do not want any type of blue in your headlights
when you get into that color its less light really , the blue tint tricks your eyes into thinking you see better when in fact its less
As far as LEDs etc, the headlights were not designed for them and you either have to turn them way down or blind everyone
Good set of Phillips Extreme and you're much better off and I won't have to turn on extra lights to blind you when you blind me

 

[tjkj2002]

I am looking for a new brighter headlights to replace the stock headlights.

Curious. What you think of LED Halo lights? Retrofit? Hid lights?

I am looking for a bright lights with a shade of blue in it.

Any feedbacks is greatly appreciated. :help:

Go to danielsternlighting.com to get the real info of HID's.

 

[tommudd]

Go to danielsternlighting.com to get the real info of HID's.

Used to post up his website all of the time, but found no one would take the time to actually read what is posted on there. Some great info on lighting though if folks would read it

 

[jeeptorino68]

I like the Sylvania silverstars, running them in the liberty and cherokee (i know, one is sealed beam, one isn't...)

 

[Bacim0rteKJo2]

Thank you all for the info. I will look into it.

 

[tommudd]

Phillips Extreme is the best I have found for the KJ

 

[LibertyTC]

Upgrade brightness to 65 watt (fog light mod)
Link: http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/f202/fog-light-mod-65-watt-upgrade-02-04-a-58960/

 

[JasonJ]

Clean and align your existing housings and then throw in a set of Phillips Extreme bulbs. Then see where you're at.

HID retrofit into halogen reflector housings is not just not ideal, while it may kinda work, it is also ILLEGAL. If you have inspections in NYC for your vehicle, it'll probably get caught and you'll be fined and forced to undo it.

I'd have to ask what the current problem is that you're having? Is it putting light down right in front of the vehicle, seeing a long distance down the road? Overall good light coverage, just not enough light output?

There are different solutions to each problem.

 

[dude1116]

I like the Sylvania silverstars, running them in the liberty and cherokee (i know, one is sealed beam, one isn't...)

Had em. Good brightness but longevity wasn't there.

Phillips Extreme is the best I have found for the KJ

Running these now. They're pretty good.

 

[jeeplib05]

I'm not trying to get a whole debate started on lighting because I know nobody likes HIDs
I've seen terrible setups that blinded people and put out horrible light
But, ever since I put mine in I haven't looked back
They are so much brighter than any halogen you can get and I've never blinded anybody
I have mine angled to where I get plenty of down road light but still not blinding anybody
I've also never had an issue with the law because I'm not a ******* that has them straight out like you would with a halogen
I obviously have no testing or inspection here in Ohio
I have 6k temp HIDs and they have very slight blue, so I don't get attention from others for having them dark blue or purple
My light isn't scattered at all:

You must be registered for see images attach

Cameras don't do them justice but this is after being lifted and before I aligned them a little higher (they were still low enough to not blind people after doing so)
I've tried Sylvania's time and time again and they're junk
My HIDs last much longer than any halogen I've ever had
So, until I have a truck with projector headlights from the factory or I can purchase some KC or TruckLite headlights I will continue to use HIDs and not have any problems

 

[Bacim0rteKJo2]

My headlights and fog lights are a little cloudy. I know how to polish the headlights to make it clear again. I am just wondering if it is worth it to polish the headlights again or just buy new headlights. However I am curious if it is worth to get brighter lights without blinding anyone at night.

Since the stock headlights only have 42 watts, I would like to go little bit higher.

Believe it or not, the streets of NYC at night, can be a little dark and I am always afraid of not seeing the roads clearly. I had the same problem with my civic and wanted brighter lights.

I haven't tried headlights and fog lights together for night time yet. If I can go a little bit brighter and be able to see a long distance without getting into trouble then let be it. I just want to make the right decision.

Clean and align your existing housings and then throw in a set of Phillips Extreme bulbs. Then see where you're at.

HID retrofit into halogen reflector housings is not just not ideal, while it may kinda work, it is also ILLEGAL. If you have inspections in NYC for your vehicle, it'll probably get caught and you'll be fined and forced to undo it.

I'd have to ask what the current problem is that you're having? Is it putting light down right in front of the vehicle, seeing a long distance down the road? Overall good light coverage, just not enough light output?

There are different solutions to each problem.

 

[tommudd]

My headlights and fog lights are a little cloudy. I know how to polish the headlights to make it clear again. I am just wondering if it is worth it to polish the headlights again or just buy new headlights. However I am curious if it is worth to get brighter lights without blinding anyone at night.

Since the stock headlights only have 42 watts, I would like to go little bit higher.

Believe it or not, the streets of NYC at night, can be a little dark and I am always afraid of not seeing the roads clearly. I had the same problem with my civic and wanted brighter lights.

I haven't tried headlights and fog lights together for night time yet. If I can go a little bit brighter and be able to see a long distance without getting into trouble then let be it. I just want to make the right decision.

Polish the headlights, install Phillips Extreme in the headlights, there is a mod to use different fogs if you have an 02-4 , change them run them together and will make a huge difference

 

[jeepbeep]

Just Some FYI from my past research: The only HID-like halogen bulbs are the GE NightHawk Platinums. The rest are all halogen-amber with off-color. All of them wear back to halogen-amber within a year or two so its a waste of money.

With my 03 I just stick with clean OEM lights. I think I seen some black projector lights for it once but they were too expensive.

If it all isn't ECE R99 certified they are illegal. Either way expensive though..

 

[tommudd]

Just Some FYI from my past research: The only HID-like halogen bulbs are the GE NightHawk Platinums. The rest are all halogen-amber with off-color. All of them wear back to halogen-amber within a year or two so its a waste of money.

With my 03 I just stick with clean OEM lights. I think I seen some black projector lights for it once but they were too expensive.

If it all isn't ECE R99 certified they are illegal. Either way expensive though..

Phillips Extreme are not amber off color , plus they are highly recommended by Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

 

[jeepbeep]

Phillips Extreme are not amber off color , plus they are highly recommended by Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

They will be within 2-years with daily use. They are coated halogen bulbs just like the cheap Chinese ones they just have better engineering for the coating.

They are just the best of the "white" halogen options. Might as well do HID as I'm pretty sure they have no practical performance difference from OEM halogen and you'll be spending $40.00 every couple of years.

 

[JasonJ]

They will be within 2-years with daily use. They are coated halogen bulbs just like the cheap Chinese ones they just have better engineering for the coating.

They are just the best of the "white" halogen options. Might as well do HID as I'm pretty sure they have no practical performance difference from OEM halogen and you'll be spending $40.00 every couple of years.

"They will be" ? Show me some impirical data to demonstrate this, or provide your World Psychics membership card.

Not trying to be an ****, but I don't follow anyone who makes blanket statements based on zero provided evidence to support the claim.

Anyone run multi-hour, simultaneous bulb tests? Light output measurements over time, monitoring color temperature? Candela output/lux on target at a specified range for each bulb type over time?

A Cadillac or Mercedes is built with 4 wheels and an engine just like the cheap Chinese cars too... but with better engineering; I still wouldn't compare them.

Even if proven true, I don't necessarily subscribe to "might as well do HID" either. I'm not picking on you, but c'mon, not everyone wants or even likes HID, and 3/4 of the drivers on the road couldn't install them properly if they tried.

Nevermind that for the cost of a proper kit, retrofitted as legal as possible, using your figures of $40 every 2 years, I could replace my Phillips bulbs 10 times, over 20 years before I broke even with the avg cost of an HID retrofit.

 

[jeeplib05]

I have 5,000k HIDs in my stock housings and they're perfectly fine, no blue light just pure white
No scatter of light or blindness to other drivers
Oh and to make things even better, I payed roughly $60 from a reputable company for everything and the bulbs will last me years

I had the same kit in my old Pontiac and they lasted me 2+ years without dimming or anything (would've lasted longer if it didn't get totaled)
I did not get the bi-xenon bulbs (although I will sometime soon) because I have auxiliary lights that I use for brights
I get plenty of down road light that's much brighter than any halogen
I've never ran into any problem with the law or other drivers either

I fully get that some people cannot run HIDs in their location for whatever reason, but the KJ housings have been my favorite for HIDs so far and I will continue to use them to for the best light, cheapest cost, and longest lasting performance compared to a halogen bulb
Some expensive bulbs claim they're "as bright or as white as an HID" which is a complete lie
I've had the Sylvania ZXE, Philips, etc and none compare to my HIDs in any way

Now, don't get me wrong, I hate when people have the 8,000k-12,000k HIDs that are blue/purple and don't adjust them and blind everyone
That annoys me to no end, and I light them up with every bit of light I can when they come toward me

But, if you use your head and aim them down slightly, you still get plenty of light and you're not blinding anyone; I see no reason as to why more people don't use HIDs
Unless of course, you like yellow looking light (older folk most of the time) or you simply can't due to inspection and whatnot in your area

So you tell me, you wouldn't want better down-road visibility in all direction ahead, bright white light, or longer lasting light for less than the cost of a halogen?
I'd take all of those before spending another $60-$70 on a halogen with much less capability

 

[tommudd]

They will be within 2-years with daily use. They are coated halogen bulbs just like the cheap Chinese ones they just have better engineering for the coating.

They are just the best of the "white" halogen options. Might as well do HID as I'm pretty sure they have no practical performance difference from OEM halogen and you'll be spending $40.00 every couple of years.

Wrong, had them in my 04 for over 5 years and were still nice and bright, could tell no difference between them and the new ones I installed in my 03