Tech: Quad beam headlight mod

[Rollin Thunder]

Depending on where you live, you'll be asking for a ticket if you're running all four headlamps plus the fogs. Most states specify no more than 4 forward-facing lamps at a time (not including low-wattage marker lights).

Besides-- the Tahoe fog lights are so pathetic, you won't be able to tell they're on from inside the truck!

your not using highs where other people are anyway, so whats the difference, you would get a ticket for highs on anyway.

 

[road1will]

Depending on where you live, you'll be asking for a ticket if you're running all four headlamps plus the fogs. Most states specify no more than 4 forward-facing lamps at a time (not including low-wattage marker lights).

Besides-- the Tahoe fog lights are so pathetic, you won't be able to tell they're on from inside the truck!

I know. I dont ever have my high beams on when other cars are in front of me or if there is oncoming traffic facing me.

 

[D'Hag]

your not using highs where other people are anyway, so whats the difference, you would get a ticket for highs on anyway.

I guess that all depends on who you are, your experience, and where you are.

38 years as a long-distance motorcyclist has given me an endearing love for high beams. No.... make that 100-watt high beams. My opinion is, you can't have too much light.

Accordingly, "where other people are," I run high beams on the interstate unless I'm coming up behind somebody. I normally keep them on high even with approaching traffic, unless I'm on a right-hand curve and my lights are shining directly on the other lanes. On 2-lanes, I always run high beams, and don't dim them for approaching traffic until very near the legal distance limit. Here, that's 500 feet, or (at 60 mph) 3-5 seconds before passing the approaching car. (2 vehicles approaching each other at 60 mph, 500 feet equals 2.84 seconds.)

Why?

There are just too many deer around here, even on the interstate. Two wildlife-related crashes on a motorcycle (one of them a deer) have made me love bright lights, and given me an attitude that approaching drivers can look to the side line (as they were instructed in Driver's Ed) until I dim within legal limits. My attitude really changed, though, when I had a deer slide over the top of my Firebird. He ran up out of the dark left side ditch when I was running a break-neck speed of 35 with my lights on low beam (beams pointing down and right).

I can get by with that with law enforcement. They know the law. But if I run 6 lights up front, that will get me pulled over. Again, they know the law. They won't bother to have me pull out my bulbs to check the wattage. But they'll sure use 6 lights on the front as an excuse.

Yeah, I know. I got a bad attitude. Also road rash the length of my left arm, and 2 plates with 17 screws in my right leg.

 

[JKmotorsports]

Just like D'Hag stated, in some states it is against the law to run more than 4 forward lights, and to run fogs with your high beams.
But my family and I travel a few hundred miles of pitch black deserted roads when we go visit my in-laws every now and then, and the more lights, the better. I have HIDs in my lows and highs, and have the lights wired so I have all lights (fogs included) on at the same time. Makes for a safer trip when your lights can cut through dark better. Though it's against the law, I'll take my chances of getting pulled over to have a safer trip. Besides, something of this nature will usually only get you a warning instead of a ticket anyway.

 

[Rollin Thunder]

Just like D'Hag stated, in some states it is against the law to run more than 4 forward lights, and to run fogs with your high beams.
But my family and I travel a few hundred miles of pitch black deserted roads when we go visit my in-laws every now and then, and the more lights, the better. I have HIDs in my lows and highs, and have the lights wired so I have all lights (fogs included) on at the same time. Makes for a safer trip when your lights can cut through dark better. Though it's against the law, I'll take my chances of getting pulled over to have a safer trip. Besides, something of this nature will usually only get you a warning instead of a ticket anyway.

HOW CANT HEY TELL???




your hids are so beight you could not tell that there are more than 4 on.

but i need them more for off roading, which all lighting laws go away, so i can have 20 forward faceing lights on if i wanted.

 

[D'Hag]

Just like D'Hag stated, in some states it is against the law to run more than 4 forward lights, and to run fogs with your high beams. ...
I have HIDs in my lows and highs, and have the lights wired so I have all lights (fogs included) on at the same time.

I'd love to put HID's in, but the price makes me go OUCH! :eek2: I can buy enough replacement 100-watt bulbs to last as long as I'll own the truck, for about a tenth the price of an HID upgrade.

And what have you done with your fogs to make them worth burning, especially with your high beams? See the thread I started at http://www.tahoeforum.com/showthread.php?t=3621 . Or do you have HID's in the fogs, too? (Must be nice to have money! )

HOW CAN THEY TELL???
your hids are so bright you could not tell that there are more than 4 on.

Easy.... No stock headlamp on any vehicle is as wide as both lights on one side. You can spot that all 4 are on right away. (I guess I never mentioned that I once was one of them cops that have to enforce that stuff.)

 

[Rollin Thunder]

I'd love to put HID's in, but the price makes me go OUCH! :eek2: I can buy enough replacement 100-watt bulbs to last as long as I'll own the truck, for about a tenth the price of an HID upgrade.

And what have you done with your fogs to make them worth burning, especially with your high beams? See the thread I started at http://www.tahoeforum.com/showthread.php?t=3621 . Or do you have HID's in the fogs, too? (Must be nice to have money! )

Easy.... No stock headlamp on any vehicle is as wide as both lights on one side. You can spot that all 4 are on right away. (I guess I never mentioned that I once was one of them cops that have to enforce that stuff.)

actully from the distance (500 ft supposed to be when you turn them off) you cant reall tell what lights are on, only that you have bright lights. and yes i bit the bullet and am gunna get hid fogs too. gunna look sweet. :cool2:

plus about 150 for fogs, and 300 for lows, aint that bad concitering their the last bulbs you will ever buy, and for the lighting upgrade, its so worth it.

but i would not feel comfortable having 100 watt bulbs in my highs, that would melt the housings. enless you have had no trouble.

 

[D'Hag]

but i would not feel comfortable having 100 watt bulbs in my highs, that would melt the housings. enless you have had no trouble.

This may seem unrelated, but you'll see the point--

I've ben a biker for nearly 40 years in the saddle. And specifically a Gold Wing owner since 1978. My last Wing was a '96 GL-1500 Aspencade.

Since 1988, Gold Wings have had dual headlamps. The headlamp housings are made of ABS plastic, with mirrorring on the inside surface, and mineral glass on the front. For years I was active on the "Wings on the Internet" mailing list, and over those years the discussion of hot bulbs was brought up regularly.

There's a group of Wing owners who insist that hotter-than-stock bulbs will melt the wiring, the headlamp housing, or both. Especially with extended use.

For 10 years, I ran either 100/80 watt bulbs or 130/100 watt bulbs in my Wing. I made uncounted runs in endurance rallies where the lights were never turned off for up to 24 hours at a time. I even tested to see if the wires got hot. In 10 years of running those bulbs, the wires never even got warm to the touch, and the lamp housings never melted or degraded in any way. (I did not continue to use 130/100 bulbs because the wiring could not supply the current they needed for full brightness, without installing larger wires and relays. Call me lazy!)

To summarize-- When you talk about running hotter-than-stock bulbs, there will always be a group of nay-sayers who will insist that your lamp housings will melt, the lenses will melt, the wires will burn, or your vehicle will explode in a mushroom cloud.

The truth is, if the wires aren't large enough, the bulbs simply won't burn full brightness. The wires won't get that hot because the bulk of the resistance in the circuit is in the bulb, and that's where the heat occurs. The stock wiring on a Tahoe will easily handle 100-watt bulbs.

100 watts will not generate enough heat to damage the housings or lenses. I mentioned the Wing lenses were mineral glass. And yes, I know the lenses on a Tahoe are plastic. Specifically, they are polycarbonate (Lexan). If the ABS housing won't melt, the lenses certainly won't melt, either.

100-watt halogens are brighter than OEM replacement HID's, measured in actual light output in lumens. What you "perceive" as brightness has everything to do with light color in degrees, and how the reflectors/lenses of the lamps focus the beams. Bluer light, focussed closer, gives the perception of better vision. But yellower light, focussed farther out, lets you actually see more of what's coming up, and with less glare. (This is what makes Silverstar bulbs "appear" brighter. They have a blue filter on the bulb to remove some of the yellow light, and they are configured to focus the light closer and wider. They actually put out less light than stock halogen bulbs!)

But discussing lights can be like discussing motor oil. What's most important is what makes YOU feel safe and comfortable as you drive at night. I just personally prefer higher-watt halogens, with no blue tint on the bulbs.

 

[CJR2]

Looks like a great mod

 

[Rollin Thunder]

HOW THE HECK DO YOU DO THIS????

i just got back from breaking my back trying to lay down on the seat track and not bang my head, or burn my arm on my light.


i found the BCM. found both wires. put the grey band in on the black and white wire, found the pink and white and there are so many wires there that its hard to tell wheither im in the pink hole or not. plus it will only go in one side, wheather i start from the pink wire or the black wire one side goes in easy and the other just is not long enough or stiff enough to get leverage.

so how did you guys do this so easy??

 

[JKmotorsports]

HOW THE HECK DO YOU DO THIS????

i just got back from breaking my back trying to lay down on the seat track and not bang my head, or burn my arm on my light.


i found the BCM. found both wires. put the grey band in on the black and white wire, found the pink and white and there are so many wires there that its hard to tell wheither im in the pink hole or not. plus it will only go in one side, wheather i start from the pink wire or the black wire one side goes in easy and the other just is not long enough or stiff enough to get leverage.

so how did you guys do this so easy??

Remove the two 7mm screws from the knee bolster cover (under dash trim panel). This will make it easier. And don't just insert the leads of the diode into the pin openings. Actually strip some of the insulation back on the wire(s) itself and then solder the leads of the diode on the wire.

 

[road1will]

unplug the harness and pull it out a bit so yu can see what your doing. it literally took me less than 5 minutes to do this mod.

 

[Rollin Thunder]

you mean i cant just stick the metal things in there and it works. shoot. should have had my tech do it today while at the shop. last time i soldered i did my hand more than the wires.

 

[JKmotorsports]

you mean i cant just stick the metal things in there and it works. shoot. should have had my tech do it today while at the shop. last time i soldered i did my hand more than the wires.

Well, it will work like that, but it won't be reliable. If you don't want to solder, then strip back about an inch or so of insulation, poke through the center of the wire. Stick the lead of the diode through the hole in the stranded wire and wrap it around a few times. Then use electrical tape. Put a zip tie over the electrical tape to keep it from coming unraveled down the road.
But soldering's the best way

 

[Rollin Thunder]

Well, it will work like that, but it won't be reliable. If you don't want to solder, then strip back about an inch or so of insulation, poke through the center of the wire. Stick the lead of the diode through the hole in the stranded wire and wrap it around a few times. Then use electrical tape. Put a zip tie over the electrical tape to keep it from coming unraveled down the road.
But soldering's the best way

cool, im gunna do that.

just curious? What does the diode do?

also.

i bought a 1000v 2.5A diode at radio shack, is that right?

 

[road1will]

the diode allows current to go one way but not the other.

 

[road1will]

and yes that diode should be fine

 

[JKmotorsports]

Yep. Negative current flows from the cathode (striped end) to the anode, but not the other way. Positve current flows from the anode to the cathode.

 

[Rollin Thunder]

so it takes the power from the high beams and powers the lows also then??

 

[JKmotorsports]

Once the diode is in place, the neg current from the BCM's high beam signal wire will also trigger the signal wire for the low beams. These wires close the contacts on their respective relays, powering up the lights.