I got tired of seeing the yellowish glow of standard headlights and decided to check into my options on a lighting upgrade. HID conversions were still too far out of reach, and the ones setup for H4 style bulbs are low beam only. Granted, the "low" beam produced from HID is tons brighter and whiter than the high beam that came from the stock setup, but I wanted the versatility of having more light on demand without extra mounting and switches. I chose to go with the APC H4 conversion pn# 40.3665.HL @ $24.99 each from 4 Wheel Parts.

      This nice light setup has a crystal clear lens, which transmits more light than the housings that Hella and others sell, because the fluting, or lines, in the glass diffuse the light. On the APC setup, the diffusion, or direction, is created by the multi faceted reflector, and the lens doesn't take anything away from it. I chose to run the APC plasma white 80/100w bulbs - PN# 50-H4-PW @ $30.99 a pair from 4 Wheel Parts, which provide an 80 watt low beam, and 100 watt high beam. It has a color temperature of 4000K, comparable to the Sylvania standard HID conversion (priced at $450) which has a color temperature of 4100K.

      They do offer an auxiliary beam that bumps it up to 5400K, but for the price difference, why? Cost of the upgrade is about $100 with tax, depending on the bulbs you choose to run with the lights. Some people like the PIAA bulbs which run $69.99 a pair, but I cant see a visible difference. Another cool option is the ARB Afterglow bulbs, which have a blue or green colored glow-in-the-dark ring around the base. They aren't any brighter, but when you turn your lights off at night, they glow for about 20 minutes.. a semi-bling factor.

      Here's where it got weird... the difference in light output is HUGE! Much brighter and whiter. But now I have a second problem... after about 3-4 minutes, they start to flicker. After checking to make sure all the connections are tight, I have come to a conclusion it is an issue with the wattage and amp draw. The factory wiring wasn't designed to handle an 80 watt low beam, and when I hit the high beams, the dash lights go out. Time for a wiring upgrade.

      Since I hate piecing wiring looms together from scratch, I decided to go to Painless Wiring and use the PN# 30185 Headlight Relay Conversion Harness @ $94.99 from 4 Wheel Parts. It features a fully assembled harness designed for just this problem. They did their homework and made the hookup simple and fast. There is no splicing of wires needed, one of the plugs is a female of the headlight socket, so now your factory wiring and switch will only see enough draw to trip the Hella relays. No overheating the switch or factory wires. The full 14.4 volts from the battery now goes straight to the headlights, instead of through the loom, through the switch, and back through the loom again to the lights, losing voltage, and thus power for the lights. And all the wiring already has a split loom installed, so if you run it near sharp items, it wont cut the wire.

The total components going into this project are as follows:

APC 40.3665.HL H4 conversion light housings 2 @ $24.99 each
APC 50.H4.PW Bulbs........................................$30.99 pair
Painless Wiring 30185 Relay kit .........................$94.99
Total for all parts: .........................................$175.96

      Here's what comes in the Painless relay kit box; the pre-assembled harness, a decent set of directions, a bag of screws for the relays and fuse holder, and some stickers.

      Fully assembled and wired Hella relays. This system is rated for bulbs up to 150 watts per side!

      Rear view, the fuse holder is a weatherpak waterproof setup, very nice, and includes a 30 amp fuse. The relays are commonly available 12V Hella Relays, so if you ever do need another, they are easy to find.

      Here are the 2 new headlight sockets and Painless Wiring's very nice hookup to the stock headlight plug. You don't have to cut or splice anything... just plug & play,

      Step 1: Disconnect the battery for safety.

      Painless provides the tiny black screws on the left, but I had some self-tapping screws leftover from my Gorlilla Warflare install, so I chose to use those instead.

      Decide where you want the relays and fuse located, mark & drill to install. I chose to mount mine directly behind the battery for convenience.

      Here's the hookup for connecting the wiring... the stock headlight plug just goes into the Painless female socket. A tight fit insures it will not come apart with vibrations or bumps.

      A very snug fit, you will feel one "snap" as the plug slips into the socket, press a bit harder and another "snap" insures the terminals have now engaged and seated making a good connection.

      Then unplug the opposite side factory plug, and plug in the new painless plug from the harness. The old plug can be taped up to seal & protect it if desired.

      Then just hook up the positive and ground terminals from the harness and youre done. Painless Wiring didn't seem to remember that most terminal bolts are 5/16" because the ring terminals they provide are 1/4" and wont fit over the threads. Drilling them out doesn't work, ( ask me how I know ), so I cut a notch out of the ends and spread them just a bit so they will snap over the bolts.

      Simply put the terminals between the terminal and nut, then tighten them down. You are now finished.. easy huh? And the extra vision they provide at night is amazing.

      Here's a nighttime comparison with low and high beams. The vehicle on the left has Sylvania Halogen headlights, the APC's in this article are on the right.

     

Tech article by Terry Baker (DoughBoy)