Light the way for style and safety
For $150 and an hour’s work, you can improve your forward lighting beyond stock halogen headlamps. Retro-style crystal headlights, such as the 7-inch rounds offered by United Pacific, can give your truck a distinctive look, while a Xenon White 80/100-watt bulb will provide more distance and brightness than a basic 55/60-watt bulb.
The drawback in newer trucks is that the electronic control module doesn’t like the extra amp draw, so high-beams can go out within a minute of being activated. Michael Forst of 4 State Trucks, who performed this installation, says he resolved the issue by “running the high-beam side of the headlights through a relay to keep the electrical load the same as it was with the stock bulbs.” He recommends a headlight relay for any upgrade to high-output bulbs.
The job
PARTS
• 80/100-watt Xenon White 9004 bulbs (#39101 / $19.50 pair)
• United Pacific 7-in. Round Crystal Headlights (#31387 / $79 pair)
• CSM High-beam Relay Kit
(#09-1606005 / $49.95)
• 12-gauge wire and connectors