high wattage bulbs

ScottyBoy · November 3, 2006

Is it safe to put 100 watt headlight bulbs in with the stock wiring? Or will I fry the wiring? Should I rewire the headlights with a high current relay if I decide to go with high wattage bulbs??

pwall · November 3, 2006

Let me start by saying that running lights of that high wattage may be illegal where you live.

Now that I've said that, I run 80watt lows and 100watt highs. Have been since the truck was first new. I'm using the blue xenon bulbs.

So over 4 years, no issues at all.

hoorders · November 3, 2006

Let me start by saying that running lights of that high wattage may be illegal where you live.
Now that I've said that, I run 80watt lows and 100watt highs. Have been since the truck was first new. I'm using the blue xenon bulbs.

So over 4 years, no issues at all.

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Don't mean to hijack this post but I was wondering where you got your bulbs pwall?

Thanks.......

pwall · November 3, 2006

Canadian Tire. They will order them from ekeystone.com. Took only a few days.

Don't remember the exact price, but around $40 for a pair.

bry21317 · November 3, 2006

Also sorry to hijack this thread, but it is still on the same subject.

So do these bulbs make a big difference? I have an 03 Burban and would love to have some brighter lights. Also is it illegal to put in 100 watt bulbs, what the standard wattage stock on these vehicles?

Thanks,

Bryan

Rolandd · November 3, 2006

Is it safe to put 100 watt headlight bulbs in with the stock wiring? Or will I fry the wiring? Should I rewire the headlights with a high current relay if I decide to go with high wattage bulbs??

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I would recommend that you install relays and heavier wire for two reasons:

1 - you don't want to overheat the existing wiring, which will of course happen on a rainy night when you are in the middle of nowhere

2 - the heavier wire will ensure a minimal voltage drop to the bulbs, which will keep them brighter

Install a wire directly to the back of the alternator with a 40 amp circuit breaker as close to the alternator as reasonable. You will need at least 12 guage wire, I would recommend 10 guage. Remember that you can turn all four lights on when you flash the high beams while your regular headlights are on.

Several details to consider. I would NOT run with 400 watts of light by setting up the relays to keep the low beams on with the high beams. You can really blind oncoming traffic and may end up with some poor driver in your lane when they cannot see and are trying to stay on the road. Also, make sure that you use a circuit breaker and not a fuse. You want the headlights to recover if they should overload for any reason. Take your time and do a good job with the wiring--solder your connections and use grommets when passing through sheet metal.

I became a true believer of good wiring techniques when my H-4 replacement kits' power lead came loose while driving down a very twisty and tree lined section of mountain road (Mt. Tam, for all of you familiar with San Francisco). It grounded out and killed the engine, leaving me with no power steering, brakes, or lights in a '69 Fury convertible.

juliedean · November 4, 2006

Roland added some very good points; I definitely second everything he suggested. His list may certainly read as "overkill," but that is actually a reason for and not againts going beyond "the reasonably good" safe minimums. With all our vehicles, everything we do, as far as maintenance and repair is concerned, falls in the overkill category. We do practically all our labor, so what we save on not having to spend on shop labor rate allows us to spend some extra on better parts and supplies.

Besides the gauge rating, also pay attention to the quality of the insulation.

Read the info on this website.

http://www.rallylights.com/other/wiring.htm

At this site, they specificly mention a scenario with headlights upgraded to 100W.

The owner's manual for the 2003 Suburban lists bulb numbers 9006 and 9005 as replacements for the low and high beam headlights. Just from memory, I believe 9006 is 55W. The 9006 should be around 65W or 75W. The big difference between stock low beam and high beam bulbs is mainly shielding so that the lamp projects light differently, meaning the low beam application doesn't blind the on-coming traffic as much as possible.

As far as the alternator is concerned, if I remember reading the brochures correctly, the half-ton models came with a 160A alternator. So, unless you add some other mega-power-hungry apps on the truck, the charging system should be able to handle upgrading the headlights to 100W bulbs.

Some other websites:

There's more general info about wire gauges and also a neat voltage drop calculator at this website: http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

http://www.kayjayco.com/techPractical.htm

ScottyBoy · November 4, 2006

I really just wanted to upgrade my high beams to 100 watt bulbs. The low beams are bright enough for me. I've already wired up my headlights so that all four stay on when I switch on the high beams. Maybe I'll try some 75 watt bulbs or something before I dive into more rewiring. But i know what you mean about the thicker guage wire. I have to do that on my wifes old car, a 200 Altima. I put 100w bulbs in there and ended up melting the socket that plugged into the bulb. I still dont know if the current did it, or the sheer heat of the 100 w bulbs. Because it only melted on the drivers side where it was all closed in behind the battery. I ended up buying high curreent, high heat sockets and rewiring everything with a relay to the battery. But before I try all that on my Suburban, I'll try other things first, such as fog lights(which I've been wanting to add anyways) and higher wattage but not too high bulbs.

hoorders · November 6, 2006

Canadian Tire. They will order them from ekeystone.com. Took only a few days.
Don't remember the exact price, but around $40 for a pair.

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Thanks..........I think I will order me some up...........

juliedean · November 16, 2006

. . . on my wifes old car, a 200 Altima. I put 100w bulbs in there and ended up melting the socket that plugged into the bulb. I still dont know if the current did it, or the sheer heat of the 100 w bulbs. Because it only melted on the drivers side where it was all closed in behind the battery. . . .

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The other night after about a twenty minute ride, I put my hand about half and inch to an inch in front of the left lowbeam headlight. I felt a lot of heat radiating from the lamp. So, as it was the case with the Altima, I'd say the heat generated in the lamp is the more serious issue. The headlight lamps are fairly small and tucked in so that I'd estimate there is not enough heat transfer from the air stream.

We didn't buy our truck new, so we can't vouch for what bulbs are installed (and don't feel like pulling them out); however, from the amount of light output it looks to me pretty much what I see on run-of-the-mill subs out there. So, it's safe to presume we are running the factory spec lights.

All in all, you are probably better advised to install an extra set of driving lights, preferrably on a bull bar or what not. That way you can get lamps whose housing is designed to take the heat. Plus, being out in front, there is better heat transfer.