That's strange. I haven't a single problem with mine and I converted to LED bulbs and I always get a thumbs up and big smiles.

 

Yes, I read your post. And just like you, I am putting in my 2¢.

 

LED and HID are very different monsters. I run LED Trucklites on my rig and they're a good upgrade from stock. HID have a much brighter discharge (high intensity discharge) and without proper housings to focus the light, you're just blinding oncoming traffic, illegally, I might add.

I have been looking into an HID setup, which is why I stumbled onto this thread. Anywho... doing projectors is on my to-do list, not just shoving some bulbs into an H4 housing where light is going to scatter everywhere, including into the faces of oncoming drivers.

 

How many people do you think are illegally not running mud-flaps/fenders/ Illegal bumper height etc. on here? How many put a non-stock replacement of a cat on? How many states require crush seams in bumpers and how many offroad bumpers have them? How many people leave their fog/kc lights uncovered?

I personally could care less if people are running illegal lights. Modern lights are soooo bright that the XJs lights are easily over-powered on the road (especially when lifted). Not to mention the fact that hardly anyone else does the right thing... Its not just Jeeps who change their lights... Almost every ricer has the illegally blue lights. Almost every lifted truck has terribly aimed lights. Tons of people slap in eBay lights with no regard to anyone else. For what reason should we be held to a higher standard?

It is easy and I think most people have become accustomed to looking at the white line for the 3 seconds it takes for one of the said cars to go past. It is not easy to constantly be driving under flashlight power in a stock XJ. I would rather cause a few people to look to the side and live.

 

Lights need not be illegal to be effective and/or upgrades over stock. Trying to excuse irresponsible choices by saying that every one else does it is lazy and cowardly. Be a man/woman and do the right thing--do it right or don't do it at all.

 

I am neither lazy or cowardly. If you feel you are a better person for spending a ton of cash on "legal lights".. all the power too ya.

I will rely on the people who's job is to keep the roads safe/uphold the law to instruct me if mine are too bright and could care less about the rantings from a high-horse of an online forum.

 

Take instructions from whom you want. It doesn't require a cop, it doesn't require a high horse. Being illegal is being illegal. There is no need to get defensive about being illegal, but you should consider making it legal for the well being of others. That's the reason laws are in place. It's the right thing to do.

I have read people's stories about being pulled over with illegal lights. It's not a matter of if you'll get pulled over, it's when. Some strange scenario can happen any day of your life, whether you blind a police officer, or your approach angle exiting a parking lot catches their attention, or someone local complains.

But if you feel like the gamblings are in your favor, fine, but there's no reason to defend illegal behavior and say EFF IT to everyone that points it out. That's just... oh I don't know... unreasonable?

 

Meh. Too each their own. I purchased the Black Mamba LEDS that everyone was tearing apart for not having a clear cutoff line. I have ran several different illegal/legal lights on different XJs and in my opinion/experience, there is almost nothing you can do with the stock XJ harness that is going to be anywhere near as blinding as a stock car 2010 or newer. The wiring has its limits.

I understand I am taking the "illogical" side of this argument but the truth is, I do thousands of miles of night driving through mountain passes every year. Some of them are safer, some have 4000 foot drop offs... There are times where you will only see 10-20 people in 200 miles of road at night and almost always will see twice as many animals. I would rather make someone squint for a second and be able to see. When near the more populated regions, half they people don't even turn their brights off, the other half have some form of illegal light so yea. EFF it.

 

If you guys care so much, Ide happily take a free set of the JW speakers lights Or the GE Nighthawks so I don't blind any more poor souls

 

You seem to be implying that doing it right is expensive, and that is a straw-man argument.

Putco harness $30 (could be homemade for much less if not free http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm)
Autopal E-code housings $40 (can be found cheaper, really)
Bulbs $20-40 depending on what you buy


The best? No, but worlds better than stock, and incredible bang-for-your-buck considering this hovers around $100 +/- and is honestly not all that inferior (at least not hundreds-of-dollars inferior) to Cibie (halogen), Morimoto (HID projector), or JW Speaker (LED).



If you don't care what we think then stop trying to give us excuses you know we won't accept. Own it. Be a rebel. Otherwise... do it right or don't do it at all.

 

you just really don't get it... LOL. LEDs are so much more efficient than halogens, so they can produce MUCH MUCH MUCH more light with the same (or less) current. Ever wonder why people complain about trucklites not melting the snow off of the lenses? Because LEDs are so much more efficient, all that current goes into making light! Not heat! Not to mention, when you get into legit HID lighting, you'll end up using a harness that completely bypasses the stock harness and only uses it to switch on a relay which routes current from the battery directly to the ballasts...

Just because you might not get pulled over TODAY for it doesn't matter. You've probably not been on the receiving end of being blinded, given you drive a lifted Cherokee... but it's no fun being on a back road late at night and unable to see anything at all because some dbag bought some "sick lightz yo" without any thought for how it would affect anyone but them....

 

Lol I have 6 vehicles currently at my disposal, 4 that I own... Only one is a lifted XJ. I don't care what they look like or having "sick lights"-I just want to see without spending a fortune on something I have a high probability of breaking.

Like I said, I've had several different lights in different XJs... I have the putco in both my xjs. My newer Tacoma's lights are easily 3x as bright as anything I've been able to put in the Jeep (including a few different projectors/HIDs).. Heck my 1966 Ford puts out more than the XJ.

You guys act like its the same as taking a set 6 million candle power KC and shining it through someone's windshield... It is not lol It is a slight annoyance that everyone has to put up with anyways. And yes... I have been blinded thousands of times and will continue to be. There are so much worse things that can happen to you while driving lol.

It doesn't make a difference... I am going to run them and not get pulled over (still not that bright despite what you think lol) and you guys can knock on whoever wants to do it in some way you don't approve of.

 

autopals. I drive a 2015 model year vehicle and its lights aren't "3 times brighter" than the XJ with Autopals. IDK what planet you're from.

 

I've had a few different H4s over the years on different XJs. Ebay ones are trash.. Hella ones were okay. Rampage ones were decent but weak. Haven't tried Autopals yet. Decided to try out some of the LED options out there for now.

 

I'm just saying man. Driving cars (not SUVs or pickups), I'd be blinded often to the point of danger. Not just an annoyance, but literally not being able to see. Just think about others a little?