Lighting Upgrade for GU

[smith281]

Hi All,

Can anyone recommend a lighting upgrade for 1999 GU. My headlights lights are terrible! The exisiting wiring looks horrendous with lots of wires twisted together and covered with insulation tape.

Are there any good upgrade kits on the market. E.g. uprated wiring which I can install direct from the headlight fitting to the relay/fusebox to bypass the existing wiring.

I've looked at a few HID Xenon kits, but I'm not sure I want to go that far. I think the standard headlights should be adequate, provided they work properly.

Any advice?
Cheers, Tom

[BearGUST]

I would be getting the wiring corrected and add relays to the circuit while you're at it.
Plenty of people have fitted HID's but it is illegal. Only vehicles which were factory fitted with HID's have a suitable reflector, others do not which is why it is illegal.


---
I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?vgzvyz

[the evil twin]

It is a GU so will already have relays other than that agree with BearGUST. You can use any aftermarket H4 loom or make your own or repair what you have... just go back as far as you can and splice it in.

When the wiring is up to speed fit Philips +100 bulbs and you will be giggling. Low beam won't blind people and high beam will be almost up to driving light performance and all legal

[smith281]

Thanks guys. What size wire would you use for this work, 2.5mm2?

[PattyWgnOwen]

2.5mm wire from super cheap is not 2.5mm. Get hold of some rated 60 amp 4mm wire or use quality 6mm.

If you are in Brisbane ashdown-ingrams is a good place to start.

[Gas_Guzzler4800]

Get your wiring sorted out and then go to a wreckers and get a pair of series II headlights and corner lamps. Quite a big improvement over the series I lights. I have owned both and its like chalk and cheese

[PattyWgnOwen]

gas guzzler,
do you mean series 3? i can't see much visbile difference between my series 2 and my mates series 1?
the series 3 is when they changed to clear lenses, and I do remember my first patrol having pretty good lights by comparison?
perhaps a pair of aftermarket chinese ones will be ok as well if it is the clear lense that makes the difference?
i also read apost on the other forum about a guy who changed his series 1 to run eth square headlites from a series 4, b ut apparently you need to change the bonnett?
Owen.

[PattyWgnOwen]

I read an article about upgrading bulbs in 4x4australia a while back.

All H4 bulbs are 55/60 watt so if you want a higher wattage, you need a different bulb. I think you can get 55/100 bulbs but they may be illegal, and you would definitely have to upgrade teh wiring to carry the extra amps.
There are different types of H4 bulbs that range in colour from normal to blue, each with a different use. Blue lights are good for night driving but don't throw as much light.
then there are upspec ratings that relate to brightness of the bulbs.
+50%, +75% and +100%.
the article says that the brighter the output, the thinner the fillament (makes sense) and the more fragile it will be on rough roads.

You will pay up to $100 for a pair of +100% bulbs, and they will not last anywhere near as long?

I would suggest that unless you do only road driving, you should stick with the standard cheap bulbs and have somebody look at the rest so you know what the problem is.

If you go to any half decent auto electrician, he can tell you what voltage losses you are getting in the wiring and suggest remedies.

[jet]

ARB used to sell a headlight wiring harness upgrade kit so you can fit higher wattage bulbs. its expensive and nothing a sparky could do for you but its pretty much a drop in fit. Its in the third vehicle for me now.
The issue with upgrading globes is heat rather than watts, ie a 100W produces WAY more heat than a 55W
The newer headlights are all plastic and theres concern re discolouring or melting, Ive seen neither running 100/90 for the last 6 years, however I have used the heavier wiring loom to allow full current and volts to new globes
Original wiring is maxed out with the standard globes. Just putting higher watts globes in isnt very clever. The +100 are not higher wattage just a different design.

I actually blow a low beam 90 watt element every year or so.

[Gas_Guzzler4800]

Yeah sorry I missed an "I" there. I'm typing on a phone.... I was referring to the crystal style headlights. The reflector design is quite a big improvement over the older style.

[Tymeup]

[QUOTE=BearGUST;214449]I would be getting the wiring corrected and add relays to the circuit while you're at it.
Plenty of people have fitted HID's but it is illegal. Only vehicles which were factory fitted with HID's have a suitable reflector, others do not which is why it is illegal.

Is this state specific? I was thinking about upgrading to HID's. Currently in Queensland.

Cheers,

Ty.

[BearGUST]

It's not state specific but here's the RACQ info:

http://www.racq.com.au/motoring/cars/car_advice/car_fact_sheets/headlights

There's a lot of reasons - the reflectors aren't designed correctly for the brightness of HID, Vehicles with OEM HID's must be fitted with self-levelling beams, etc etc.

Anyone with the attitude 'I don't care' is a pig in my books. Being blinded by these people's lights is dangerous.

[PattyWgnOwen]

Good one bear.
If I get an on coming car with super bright lights I usually burn their retinas out with the spotties. I have bad eyes so being blinded is no fun. I have seen people road rage over it as well.

[mudski]

Anyone with the attitude 'I don't care' is a pig in my books. Being blinded by these people's lights is dangerous.

That would be from headlights not correctly leveled. I put HIDs in my wives SUV she had and we constantly got flashed from other cars. I readujsted them sow they were pointing down more than before and the effect of our vision didn't change but we got no more flashing from oncoming cars.

Snort... ;)

[PattyWgnOwen]

no more flashing does nt mean they were not still causing a problem of a dangerous nature, just that people did not think you were on high beam. People like myself that have light sensitiveity will be completely blinded by oncoming cars. Even brand new BMW's with ultra white halogen bulbs can be blinding to a large percentage of the population. HID's in standard low beam headlights are illegal for a reason - they are dangerous.

[Bob]

I have a 98gu and have found that the lights are more than adequate for normal use. I also have spotties that only get used when travelling on country roads.

[smith281]

Cheers for all the advice guys. I ended up sorting out all the bad wiring connections and then buying an aftermarket set of the clear lenses (series 3?). Much brighter now and It's great to be able to see where I'm going at night!

[gu4500]

I actually am running 1 90/110w (I think globe and one +30 55/60 - as the other +30 blew somewhere out the back of nowhere and the servo nearest had either the 90w H4 globes at a decent price or some plain old H4 globes. So I bought the pair of 90's and that side is noticeably brighter on stock wiring. Was going to look at a loom upgrade but have never got there, try not to night drive too much.

Also have a set of lightforce XGT with good wiring so the high beam side is no issue

[rowlund]

I had recently upgraded the stock headlights of my GU to HID. I had wanted to install additional lights, but have no other place to mount them unless I get me a bullbar. I believe I had seen on ebay or somewhere else that there were projector headlights with HID bulbs that could be purchased. I hope this bit helps mate.

[mick.]

I had recently upgraded the stock headlights of my GU to HID. I had wanted to install additional lights, but have no other place to mount them unless I get me a bullbar. I believe I had seen on ebay or somewhere else that there were projector headlights with HID bulbs that could be purchased. I hope this bit helps mate.They would be my kits mate. lol

I make full bolt in kits for all patrols or anything for that matter.

Cheers Mick.

[Superoo]

Hi all,
I've got a GU3 wagon and all I want to do is upgrade the globes to 100s is that just a process of globe change or not.
Do these globes generate more heat and eventually cause damage?
Cheers.

[mick.]

If your refering to 100 watts then you would need to upgrade looms but then you will eventally burn the reflective chrome off your lights. You will also annoy anyone coming the other way as 100 or even 90 watts low beam is way over the top.

Cheers Mick.

[Alitis007]

You can buy HOD globes that are 55/65w H4 and are as bright as HID but at a fraction of the cost.

Edite: The HOD globes operate @ 6000k like HID but are not as efficient as HID in light output. ( for those who don't know what the "k" means, it is the unit used to measure the temperature that the filament inside the globe ignites the gas. "K" is short for Kelvin)

[Squalo]

You can buy HOD globes that are 55/65w H4 and are as bright as HID but at a fraction of the cost.

It's simply not possible for halogen globes to be as bright as HID, and HID into reflector headlights is a terrible idea anyway.

I fitted 55/65w Phillips "+80" halogen globes to my 2008 GU, along with a heavy duty wiring upgrade loom that sent power directly from the battery terminals to the headlights via relays, and the lights were still crap - on highbeam they were not even as good as my Territory's low beam. And after a year both the globes blew (low beam) within a month of each other, so there goes $80.

I now have a set of Micks 3" HID projectors with Osram 5000k bulbs halfway through being fitted to a second pair of headlights and they will be far better than any halogen upgrade, while being as close to 'legal' as you can get - the projector style means there's no scattered light that you normally get when retrofitting HID to reflectors that aren't designed for it, so no blinding of oncoming drivers either.

Not cheap, but the best stuff rarely is.

[Winnie]

I had HIDs in the regular headlights on my old EA Falcon... lasted one night. Every single car I came across flashed me even though I was on low beam, took them out the next morning.

[taslucas]

I also hear of a lot of hid kits that fail prematurely, whether earth issues or ballast issues or maybe vibrations causing something to break?. There's probably a lot of cheap kits to avoid?

Tap, crackle, pop

[nissannewby]

Certainly stay away from the cheap stuff I have some of micks kits that I WILL!! be fitting tomorrow. I will take photos tonight of current setup. I also have a GQ with 35w hi/lo bulbs fitted into the headlights so I can have a direct comparison between just bulbs and projectors.

[Squalo]

Projectors are the only way to go for serious headlight upgrades (I've tried the most serious of the legal options), and there are at this stage no cheap projector kits...

The cost of my conversion was inflated by the addition of a second pair of used genuine (not aftermarket) headlights; this was not a necessity but I wanted to take my time with the conversion plus have a set of lights to return to standard if required. So I am in for around $700 so far... but considering what a serious set of HID driving lights cost, this is not bad value, because you get the massive high beam that renders driving lights almost redundant, with the bonus of well focused lighting power on low beam as well... it's not too bad an investment.


Micks kit is just about plug and play, open the lights, fit the kit, seal the lights up and refit them with the supplied wiring loom - and for well under $500 and in some cases under $400.

[mick.]

Unfortunately there are a lot of cheap conversions that give HID lighting a bad name. The cheaper ballasts are usally what fails. I can buy full projector HID kits including projectors, bulbs, ballasts, shrouds and angel eyes for about $50 total. I actually pay more then that just for a pair of ballasts as I'd prefer to sell less kits that actually work then 3 or 4 times that amount for half the price only to get your name dragged though the mud later when half of them fail. lol

About 80% of projectors, bulbs (even philips and Osram) and ballasts are made in China these days as no one else makes them. There is massive variations in quality though and finding someone you can trust is getting harder and harder. I've now got a couple of people who I can trust who have put me onto quality products.

As mentioned above projectors are by far the best lighting upgrade you can do. I've had half a dozen people now who have converted one 4wd and only to buy a kit to do there wifes car a couple of weeks later.

Cheers Mick.

[Alitis007]

It's simply not possible for halogen globes to be as bright as HID, and HID into reflector headlights is a terrible idea anyway.

I fitted 55/65w Phillips "+80" halogen globes to my 2008 GU, along with a heavy duty wiring upgrade loom that sent power directly from the battery terminals to the headlights via relays, and the lights were still crap - on highbeam they were not even as good as my Territory's low beam. And after a year both the globes blew (low beam) within a month of each other, so there goes $80.

I now have a set of Micks 3" HID projectors with Osram 5000k bulbs halfway through being fitted to a second pair of headlights and they will be far better than any halogen upgrade, while being as close to 'legal' as you can get - the projector style means there's no scattered light that you normally get when retrofitting HID to reflectors that aren't designed for it, so no blinding of oncoming drivers either.

Not cheap, but the best stuff rarely is.
These globes look like standard H4 halogen globes but are xenon gas filled so they burn brighter then halogen i think at around 6000k. I bought the last pair for around $50 thru a mate. Don't get me wrong Mick's kits sound really good and from what you guys are saying are good quality but all i'm saying is that there are other options out there you just need to know what to look for. I have fitted BI Xenon's in my Gu and in my rx7 and h3 xenon in the rx7's fog lights, h1 xenon im my brothers gtr and h4 moving shutter xenons in my old man hilux but spent a bit of time adjusting them correctly on the board i use for RWC's to aim head lights even tho all the kits are 35w they burn at 6000k and i know the legal limit is 4500k after i adjust them i never get flashed or complaints about them being too bright!

[mick.]

I think what people are saying is comparing those HOD bulbs to good HIDs and in particular projector HID is like comparing a Hyundai Excel to a Ferrari. They are no where near as good and never will be which is why all nearer cars have HID and some are going LED but the LED lighting I've seen will have to come a long way to get the distance of HID.

I used to have HODs in my patrol before I went projector HID and Ive got before and after shots. It's like comparing a candle to a headlight. There not bad for a halogen but there got nothing on HIDs especially projector HID.

HOD lighting is better then standard halogens but not as good as HID. Then Projector HID is better again.

Cheers Mick.

[Alitis007]

I totally agree with you Mick 100% and there is no comparison at all between the two, but i was just giving some options because not every one can go out and spend between $200 to $500 on lights coz of what ever commitment they have and its a cheap alternative for a slight improvement from standard and not a full blown upgrade as you, the other users and i have said in earlier post.

[mick.]

That's fine mate and I get what your saying but when you said originally the HOD bulbs where as bright as HID lighting that is a kick in the guts to guys like me who sell quality gear and it's also totally untrue. So I was just setting the record straight because if someone was to put those bulbs in there car thinking they where going to be as good as HIDs they would be disappointed. lol

Cheers Mick.

[Alitis007]

No dramas champ maybe i should have said it in another way i'll fix that up now. And i had a look at your stuff it looks fantastic, gives the old trol that TRANSFORMERS look haha

[Lawrence]

I have a brochure a few years old for the Gu. It has the lhd 4.8 with the option of HID.

[mick.]

I have a brochure a few years old for the Gu. It has the lhd 4.8 with the option of HID.I have a picture of the headlights your talking about somewhere. I'm got there part numbers here for the aftermarket version which I'm trying to find a way of getting some of the headlights into the country so I can see if there's room for doing a quad projector conversion.

They actually have HID low beam but halogen highbeam but these lights would give you endless projector options.;)

Cheers Mick.