Headlights
- Thread starter the_03KJ
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The search bar is your bestfriend when you have questions! :gr_grin:
Had to give you a hard time.. anyhow- no there are zero aftermarket headlights for the KJ
Wrangler headlights are 7” wide and ours are about 7.25” or so, also ours have a different shape than the perfectly round Wrangler ones so there’s no adapter or anything to make them work
Some have tried putting cheap Chinese 7” LED headlights inside of the KJs housing but other than that you’re stuck with stock
I recently converted from HID bulbs to LED and I feel much better with my light output and not blinding people.. just don’t go cheap with whatever option you choose
Had to give you a hard time.. anyhow- no there are zero aftermarket headlights for the KJ
Wrangler headlights are 7” wide and ours are about 7.25” or so, also ours have a different shape than the perfectly round Wrangler ones so there’s no adapter or anything to make them work
Some have tried putting cheap Chinese 7” LED headlights inside of the KJs housing but other than that you’re stuck with stock
I recently converted from HID bulbs to LED and I feel much better with my light output and not blinding people.. just don’t go cheap with whatever option you choose
https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-Motor-Headlight-Bulbs-Conversion/dp/B079KYVY38/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=yo_pop_d_pd_title
The only reason I got these to try out was the price and they have almost 4,000 reviews with 4.5/5 so I figured they couldn’t be too bad. Light output could be better with the proper housing (projector) but I like the fact that they’re bright and I still don’t have to worry about blinding people anymore.
Just a heads up, since I see your in Australia.. check local laws and regulations on modifying OE headlights. What JeepLib05 did to his is totally doable in the US, but technically violates federal rules (laws?) about vehicle lighting... not that anyone ever gets prosecuted for it, but some of our States have inspections and would fail a vehicle for having such a modification.
AU might have something similar, maybe not.. up to you to figure that out.
sleepyjim
Full Access Member
Nothing needed but the bulbs. The bulbs have a fan on the back to keep them cool because they're so bright, so I had to cut the locking ring to get it around the base of the fan as it's too big if you don't.
They work pretty good for being in a halogen housing- much better than halogen bulbs and more controlled light than HIDs
It's much nicer for me because my HIDs didn't have high beams (reason for my light bars) so I finally have those back after 3 years! Like I mentioned though, in a projector housing these would be incredible.
GitEmSteveDave
Full Access Member
Is there any problem with the fan being on the outside of the body? What if the fans fail, do the bulbs still work?
tjkj2002
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They won't for long.
I happen to know of a kit coming out that will run JK LED lights, it may be a bit of time due to testing and such but this is going to be a complete plug and go!
It blows air internally to the LEDs, so as TJKJ said, if it fails the lights will be toast because they’re such high power LEDs
The good thing is they’re only 30W each, so take less power than a stock halogen bulb- no worries about overpowering your wiring
The good thing is they’re only 30W each, so take less power than a stock halogen bulb- no worries about overpowering your wiring
More likely, is that the fan moves hot air from the heat sink at the back of the emitter base away from the LED's. Same way a CPU fan helps remove heat on a computer.. the heat from the LED passes into the sink - the metal finned part at the back - and then the fan pulls the hot air surrounding it away, allowing the heat sink to absorb more thermal energy from the emitters.
If the fan dies, soon the LED's will cook themselves, as 30W for an LED is certainly enough to do so.
Charlesthe2nd
Full Access Member
Well that is good news! I can only buff the haze out so many times, would be nice to replace with something more modern.
If it's just the lens oxidation that bothers you and you don't want to spend on what will inevitably be a multi-hundred dollar kit for JK lights (I'm sure it'll be awesome though), why don't you just get new headlight assemblies?
When the lenses are clear, with good, fresh bulbs, the KJ headlights are NOT that bad at all.
Link here, dude, it's like $60 for a pair... even if they last you a couple years...
https://www.amazon.com/Jeep-Liberty-Replacement-Headlight-Assembly/dp/B0024NSM92
Charlesthe2nd
Full Access Member
Thanks JasonJ for the link and tip. The hazing is not horrible, but it ain't great. I detail her quarterly and do the lens cleaning then which usually lasts until the next detail. I don't notice an appreciable decline in their brightness over that time, so for now, it's all good. However, depending on the price, the ability to get functional DOT legal LED headlights would be pretty cool!
That's a good point, it would be easy to replace them. I hadn't really considered changing them as I thought the replacements were 150ea and my hazing isn't terrible. For only 60 though that tempts me to replace them eventually. For now, I'll just keep using de-hazing cleaner and wait patiently for a cool new mod. Also, am planning to move onto my next vehicle soon, and have the Liberty as the camping and adventure vehicle.
That works too. You may want to replace the assemblies in preparation for the LED bulbs anyhow, the hazing on the lens will still affect and reduce the output of the LED bulbs, just as they do halogen.
Also, I'd do more research before installing them, do not confuse "DOT Compliant" with being "legal". Just because the manufacturer claims that they conform to a certain standard (no one checks this), doesn't mean they do, and even if they do, modifying your original headlights away from as designed by the OEM may not be allowed in your State.
They certainly do put out a lot more light (once properly aligned, that is). I simply put the best performing Halogen bulbs into my clear factory housings as I could and supplemented my forward lighting with two Hella 500ff lights mounted to the frame extensions via the bumper.
Charlesthe2nd
Full Access Member
I was hoping that when TomMudd stated that there was a kit that "will run JK LED lights" it meant running the full headlight housing. If that isn't the case, then I will likely replace my current headlight assemblies and keep it all stock. You're certainly right when it comes down to legal, I'm not trying to blind people or have my Jeep fail inspection. I have silverstars in both my headlights and fog lights, and they do fantastic. Even properly aligned, I get flashed by people thinking I have my high beams on, and I prefer not to exacerbate that any further.
I also have a 20" LED bar from China which is plenty on top of the stock lamps when I need it. My end goal is to have all the same color lighting, so switching fog lights on or flipping on the light bar doesn't go from 2500k to 5000k to 3500k.
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Since I can now see you are in California.. we can address some of the legality a bit more closely. Let's start with that LED light bar you have. Some good things: You actually placed it in a position on the vehicle where it will do the most good. But you kinda had to, otherwise when on-road in CA you'd have to cover them all up.
BUT, if you were to ever use them while on a public road, that's illegal in CA. You can only have up to 2 auxillary driving lights in addition to the headlights. The total lights including headlights, fog lights, driving lamps, spotlamps, etc not to exceed 8.
California Vehicle Code Article 2, Sections 24404(a) and 24405(a).
Codes Display Text
The thing with LED light bars is that EACH EMITTER is a considered a "lamp"... it's technically an array of individual lights to make up the bar. So in your case, you actually have 46 white, forward emitting driving/headlights.
Of course if you don't turn them on while on a public road, no problem. Except not, because Section 24411 states that:
24411. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a vehicle may be
equipped with not more than eight lamps for use as headlamps while
the vehicle is operated or driven off the highway. The lamps shall be
mounted at a height of not less than 16 inches from the ground, or
more than 12 inches above the top of the passenger compartment, at
any place between the front of the vehicle and a line lying on a
point 40 inches to the rear of the seat occupied by the driver, shall
be wired independently of all other lighting circuits, and, whenever
the vehicle is operated or driven upon a highway, shall be covered
or hooded with an opaque hood or cover, and turned off.
Emphasis mine. Laws suck sometimes. That's not to say you're going to ever be stopped, hassled, ticketed, or fined for having so many lights and/or having them turned on.
Now, if as we suspect, Tom's kit that he mentioned uses actual aftermarket JK LED headlight assemblies and fits them with an adapter of sorts into a KJ, is that legal?
I can find nothing in California Vehicle Code to say no. So that modificaiton would be OK to do, PROVIDED that it still meets the requirements for vehicle lighting, specifically:
24012. All lighting equipment or devices subject to requirements established by the department shall comply with the engineering requirements and specifications, including mounting and aiming instructions, determined and publicized by the department.
Codes Display Text
The specifications, requirements, mounting and aiming instructions would need to be looked up from there, but no reason why a JK retrofitted headlight assembly using LED bulbs couldn't be made to comply.
Homework= DONE. :icon_razz:
Also, I am not a vehicle law attorney, but my first job was in a law office (as a file clerk).
CRAP! I see your profile says you are in Maine... but the image has a CA plate... you must have moved.. which state are you in now? OK, so if CA, great, all of that applies.. if in Maine, that was all for nothing and you/we will need to look up Maine's laws.
Here is some starting point for Maine, just inc ase:
http://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/29-A/title29-Asec1904.html
Maine is much more forgiving of modifications and additions of lighting it seems...
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