Head light upgrade: K-Tech suspension $25 wiring harness any good?

Goatman

Goatman

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So I went and got that 'improved' wiring harness. Now I only have my phone for a camera, and took all pics at 3:00 AM with no flash, and no moon out. Hopefully I can get these pics to go on
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This is how it came in the mail. No instructions, just a business card with that box to take a photo of. That takes you to their sight and Utube installation videos.
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These are lo and hi beam using stock wiring. Have Sylvania sealed beam headlights installed.
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This is with the new harness installed. Lo and hi. Plus a bit of my puppy's head in the hi beam. The telephone pole (kids ask your parents) across the street is aprox. 150 ft. The log pile on the left is aprox. 75 ft. The actual increase is more than shows up in the pics. The medium range has a lot more than it appears. And I suspect if the lights were aimed better it would be even better long range light. So, is it worth $25? If you plan on LEDS at some point I would say probably not, but if you have a hard time seeing with LEDS (like me) then you will likely be happy with this upgrade. While the company says it's the increased voltage that improves the lights I suspect it is actually the ability to flow more amps that is the real difference.
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I may have shown 2 'lo's pics for the stock set. This is a pic of the 'hi' before adding the harness. (If I did it right this time)
 
Chris said:
Did you take before pictures?
Click to expand...
The first 2 pics are before the harness. The last 2 were after the harness is installed. I should add that after I installed the harness pulling the headlights out, it looks like on a TJ you could just pull the harness off the back of the headlights and add the new wiring without having to touch the lenses.
 
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That's how my headlight harness came - in a no frills box. The installation couldn't be easier - the link to the video is more than sufficient. I think it took 15 minutes, if that long. The headlights need to be unplugged, but nothing needs to be removed or disassembled.

As far as whether the dramatic improvement is due to an increase in voltage or an increase in amps through the wiring, bear in mind Ohm's Law that current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points, i.e. I = V / R or V = IR or R = V / R. Its all related,


Here is the link to the $25 headlight harness: https://www.ksuspensionfab.com/store/p6/H4_Upgraded_Headlight_Harness.html#/

Well worth the money. It may cost a burger and fries more than similar harnesses found on Ebay, usually from China or Southeast Asia, but this guy is American with an American business so I have no qualms about him enjoying that burger rather than me.
 
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Interesting. I have LED bulbs in my IPF H4 housings. They work great, but the beam pattern is a bit... meh... because I had to aim them in a way that didn't blind other drivers. If I ever stick regular bulbs in the housings I might get this harness. I had IPF H4 housings, Hella 80/100 watt bulbs, and a better harness in my XJ's headlights and it worked great.
 
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I installed Hella E code housings and was less than thrilled with the output. After I swapped in this harness they are awesome lights and a great, easy mod.

I made by own harness for my XJ but this was by far easier and my time included - cost less.
 
Ordered up a set of Hella E-Codes and Philips Xtreme Vision +130 by many recommendations on this forum.
Also was looking at the K-Suspension harness but adds up to be $80 to get in Canada.
@Mr. Bills You seem to be the expert on this set-up, does this amazon harness look the same as the K-Suspension one? Pretty sure it is but doesn’t list that it’s for any Jeeps so wanted to make sure.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07M6W1PMK?tag=tjforum-20
 
James9100 said:
Ordered up a set of Hella E-Codes and Philips Xtreme Vision +130 by many recommendations on this forum.
Also was looking at the K-Suspension harness but adds up to be $80 to get in Canada.
@Mr. Bills You seem to be the expert on this set-up, does this amazon harness look the same as the K-Suspension one? Pretty sure it is but doesn’t list that it’s for any Jeeps so wanted to make sure.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07M6W1PMK?tag=tjforum-20
Click to expand...

It is not the same. It is the same general idea, but I cannot vouch for the quality of the connectors, wire gauge, wire lengths, etc.
 
Mr. Bills said:
It is not the same. It is the same general idea, but I cannot vouch for the quality of the connectors, wire gauge, wire lengths, etc.
Click to expand...

Sorry, same as in functions the same by powering the headlights directly from the battery.

Edit: read some reviews and although it has a decent rating, several reviewers stated that it’s closer 20awg wiring with thick insulation even though the description says it uses 14awg.
I think I’ll hold off for the harness upgrade until I feel like spending the $80 on the K-Suspension one.
 
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Heres what I will tell you
Dont even have to see pictures to KNOW it helped

The age of the OEM harness and most importantly non weatherproof connections subjected to moisture and seasonal change for over 2 decades has deteriorated it immensely. This attenuates the electrons flow and create resistance and heat

Many LED headlights come with free new 6-8” plug harnesses to cut in and replace your tired , aging, rusted connectors and will do the samething this did.

Many classic car owners also just add a headlight relay to improve voltage to the headlights for brighter lights
 
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CreepinDeth said:
Many LED headlights come with free new 6-8” plug harnesses to cut in and replace your tired , aging, rusted connectors and will do the same thing this did.

So while it helped, it was not a necessity had you just bought new LED headlights with new plug harnesses
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The pigtails that come with LED headlamps do not do the same thing. All they do is replace the connectors at the bulbs. Current for the headlamps is still routed via thin gauge wire through the headlight switch.

The K-Suspension harness uses thicker gauge wire and relays so that current for the headlamps comes directly from the battery rather than through the headlight switch.

The modified circuit is designed for incandescent and halogen bulbs, not LED headlamps. Those of us who prefer the color temperature of halogen bulbs to the harsh light of LEDs do indeed benefit from maximizing the current.

Those of you satisfied with LEDs may not see the benefit of a K-Suspension harness in terms of brightness, but will still benefit from not running current to the headlamps through the headlight switch.
 
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Mr. Bills said:
The K-Suspension harness uses thicker gauge wire and relays so that current for the headlamps comes directly from the battery rather than through the headlight switch.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh I just woke up and didnt see the relays obviously
In that case, I change my opinion to YES WORTH IT

LED or not, this is replacing old wiring with new terminations and a relay. No brainer. I am not as familiar with TJ harness to know if a relay was used from the factory

If i can find an old picture of voltage readings at the headlights of my classic cars before and after relays I will share them

12volt.com use to sell kits for this
 
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The only issue I've had with the kit is in the relays. I mounted mine on the front side of the distribution panel. I sometimes have to tap the relays when I go to hi beams. My guess is the contacts on the relays have corroded over time and seasonal climate changes. I steer clear of water crossings and big puddles, so I don't think they are getting very wet under the hood. Maybe a better quality pair of relays could help. Everything else with the kit looks to be good quality. The ceramic connectors to the bulbs are nice. I run the Hella E-code housings and Phillips Extreme Vision +100's.
 
bobthetj03 said:
The only issue I've had with the kit is in the relays. I mounted mine on the front side of the distribution panel. I sometimes have to tap the relays when I go to hi beams. My guess is the contacts on the relays have corroded over time and seasonal climate changes. I steer clear of water crossings and big puddles, so I don't think they are getting very wet under the hood. Maybe a better quality pair of relays could help. Everything else with the kit looks to be good quality. The ceramic connectors to the bulbs are nice. I run the Hella E-code housings and Phillips Extreme Vision +100's.
Click to expand...

I assume you’re referring to the K-Suspension harness and not the amazon one I linked?
 
I upgraded to the Hell H-4 conversion. It made a Big difference in the reach of the headlights. I went for the Hellas because they are glass lenses and the price was reasonable. I’ve used other K-Suspension items and have been happy with them.
 
James9100 said:
Ordered up a set of Hella E-Codes and Philips Xtreme Vision +130 by many recommendations on this forum.
Also was looking at the K-Suspension harness but adds up to be $80 to get in Canada.
@Mr. Bills You seem to be the expert on this set-up, does this amazon harness look the same as the K-Suspension one? Pretty sure it is but doesn’t list that it’s for any Jeeps so wanted to make sure.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07M6W1PMK?tag=tjforum-20
Click to expand...

What about the Toyota lights that come with a harness? Still cheaper even if you only use the harness.
 
Figured I’d put this info out there regarding this type of harness since it’s not on the forum…

For places that require DRLs these harnesses require that you either disconnect or bypass the DRL function.

I was wondering this and have no electrical knowledge so I e-mailed
K-Suspension and they confirmed it, though I’d guess that there are ways to rewire it in differently.
I live in Canada and require DRLs, don’t have the knowledge to rewire so the harness is a no-go for me.
 
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