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Brighter Headlights? by 8v-of-fury on 11 Apr, 2009 19:13
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OK so I kno many people have thought it and have done it.. but I need to know some things
I have noticed that when you switch on your highs the lows get dim.. why? I still want to see where the lows are pointed! I have noticed also that holding the switch half way makes them all stay bright, people have said this will burn out your low beam. Does the low beam have two filaments? and when high beams are selected the lower power filament is turned on thus making it a dimmer light?? and by holding the switch your making both low beam filaments come on?
There is three plugs on the back of a low beam light as opposed to the two found on a high beam right? One for high, one for low, and ground. When high beams are selected is the power to the low beam wire stopped?
My idea.. If you take the wires that get power when you flick to high beams, and make them run all four. Will the low beams stay bright when you select highbeams?
Where i live, when im driving at night.. im really driving at night.. I may be only going to my gf's house.. but i gotta go through the bush to get there! I LIVE IN MOOSE COUNTRY! i need the extra light!
What'r ya'll thoughts about it ?
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#1 by zukgod1 on 11 Apr, 2009 19:34
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http://www.vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=18181&highlight=
That will fix you right up!!
From what I remember the lows stay on with this harness..
just the harness alone gets you brighter headlights. -
#2 by 8v-of-fury on 11 Apr, 2009 19:40
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Dan, those are cool. how do they work?
I guess I should have mentioned my headlights are relayed.
Could i just take the feed from the High beams and when it is switched make it trigger both relay's? or will power find its way back through the low beam power wire? -
#3 by jtanguay on 11 Apr, 2009 19:56
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the low & high beam are both separate so they *should* be able to be run at the same time. i can't see why having it on would be a bad thing... other than the extra current draw. maybe the heat burns the bulb out quicker???
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#4 by 8v-of-fury on 11 Apr, 2009 20:00
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Yeah, somebody said about it burning out faster.. but i dont see how.. unless they have some other filament..
What if you live in the city and hardly use the high beams? low beams are on ALL the time u have headlights on.. and it doesn't greatly decrease the life of the bulbs right?
What i was thinking is still have the low beam relay setup to be triggered by the low beam wire from the stock harness.. but then when you switch to highs, it will also keep the low beam relay on. I will have to disconnect the high beam feed on the low beam bulbs though.
Do the low beams have two filaments? -
#5 by commuter boy on 11 Apr, 2009 20:55
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You can either jumper the bits in the relay panel with a bit of wire or with a special bent bit of metal that slots right in.
If you've got a dual filament high/low setup (like a H4 bulb) you might end up overheating the unit or the wiring. The wiring's not a problem if you've already got a relay setup.
If you're running a dual beam setup, like Hella dual rounds, then throw them both on at the same time, no problems.
Here's one way to do it: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=965205 -
#6 by 8v-of-fury on 11 Apr, 2009 21:28
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i am just running good ol sylvania sealed halogens
do the lows have two filaments? is that how they dim when highs are selected? -
#7 by Turbinepowered on 12 Apr, 2009 02:50
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Quote from: "8v-of-fury"
i am just running good ol sylvania sealed halogens
do the lows have two filaments? is that how they dim when highs are selected?
Guessing this would be the car in your avatar picture over <- there?
If yes, and you're running a 4x rectangular sealed beam, yes, you have two filaments in your low beam lights (which would be why the plug has three wires on it, instead of just the two that your high beams have.
Aimed properly, the second filament in the low beam lamp should put their light a little bit further out than the low beam filament, which might make you think it's "dimmer." You're seeing the same amount of light, but put further away from you.
Are your headlamps upside down? Believe me, it can make a huge difference in visibility. :oops:
Simply adding a relay to shorten the trip and resistance between the battery and your headlamps will enormously improve the quality, brightness and longevity of your headlights. If you want to get fancy, get something like Dan's harness. There are also companies that make a mini harness that plugs into one side of your headlight circuit to get the triggers it needs.
If you want to make your own relayed headlights, drop me a PM. I have it all written out. I haven't done an A platform car, but only the wire colours are platform specific.
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#8 by 8v-of-fury on 12 Apr, 2009 08:42
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oh ok. that makes sense now. Yes thats my car, yes i have 4x rectangulars, and yes they are already relayed
So they are still putting out the same light, but in a different spot.. doesnt work for me.. lol because whereever the hell they are shining its to far up to make it worth while.. The highs point far ahead and when i go to high beams my lows that point to the road a little ways ahead of me (pothole detection system lol) I need them to stay lit up in that direction! lol guess it really is a minor fix. just make the high beam relay activate the other filament in the bulb instead of the one that points somewhere else
thanks guys -
#9 by jettabrendan on 17 Apr, 2009 19:04
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it definitely wouldn't help the life of your bulbs. It gets 2x hotter with the other filament burning. Think about 2 really hot burning filaments really close to each other, punch out your holes in the bumper and get fogs:p
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#10 by zukgod1 on 17 Apr, 2009 19:34
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What car are you doing this to? The one in your Avatar?
If so you can absolutely run all 4 at the same time without lessening the life of the bulb.
If you already have them relayed then just wire in a jumper so the lows stay on when you hit the high's.
Aim them properly and you can get some really good lighting out of them. -
#11 by 8v-of-fury on 17 Apr, 2009 20:12
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well wat i was actually thinking was.. the low beams have three prongs. Ground, Low signal, and High signal. SO instead of having the high beam relay trigger the high beam filament in the low beam bulb... Have the high beam relay trigger the same prong on the bulb that the low beam relay does
Ta-da! 4 really bright headlights! I think? unless im off on another crazy acid trip...
does it sound right? -
#12 by Turbinepowered on 17 Apr, 2009 23:53
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Quote from: "8v-of-fury"
well wat i was actually thinking was.. the low beams have three prongs. Ground, Low signal, and High signal. SO instead of having the high beam relay trigger the high beam filament in the low beam bulb... Have the high beam relay trigger the same prong on the bulb that the low beam relay does
Ta-da! 4 really bright headlights! I think? unless im off on another crazy acid trip...
does it sound right?
You will actually end up with less overall light output with running your inner highs and your outer lows. The low beam filament produces less light than the high beam filament in those bulbs, it just happens to put it where you think you want it. -
#13 by 8v-of-fury on 17 Apr, 2009 23:57
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Quote from: "Turbinepowered"
Aimed properly, the second filament in the low beam lamp should put their light a little bit further out than the low beam filament, which might make you think it's "dimmer." You're seeing the same amount of light, but put further away from you.
Contradiction! LOL Well.. I need to see where the lows point.. AND where the highs point.. so less over all light doesn't REALLY matter as long as its pointed in the right spot.. When i select the highs.. the lows don't point low enough.. (a ton of potholes round here) So i need where the lows point.. but i still wanna see ahead when i put highs on. Your right.. there most likely aimed wrong.. but to see the potholes i need the lows pointed lower than standard
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#14 by Turbinepowered on 18 Apr, 2009 00:20
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Quote from: "8v-of-fury"
Your right.. there most likely aimed wrong.. but to see the potholes i need the lows pointed lower than standard
You could, you know... slow down.