Headlight Harness Upgrade

[shoon]

A while ago I remember reading a thread about upgrading the harness for the headlights. The idea was to run heavier gauge wire from the battery to the headlights while using the existing harness connections to drive relays.

By running heavier gauge wire its supposed to reduce resistance; effectively reducing voltage drop to the lights.

Now, has anyone with a Gen 2 done this, and does it really make a significant difference in brightness? I live way up north, and being winter its always very dark here. Stock headlights don't seem to cut it. I've already replaced my headlight housings with new ones, and put Silver star Ultra bulbs in. It has made a noticeable improvement; but still isn't quite as bright as I'd like.

Are the results worth my time rewiring the harness and spending $20 -30 in parts?

 

[Art5]

A while ago I remember reading a thread about upgrading the harness for the headlights. The idea was to run heavier gauge wire from the battery to the headlights while using the existing harness connections to drive relays.

By running heavier gauge wire its supposed to reduce resistance; effectively reducing voltage drop to the lights.

Now, has anyone with a Gen 2 done this, and does it really make a significant difference in brightness? I live way up north, and being winter its always very dark here. Stock headlights don't seem to cut it. I've already replaced my headlight housings with new ones, and put Silver star Ultra bulbs in. It has made a noticeable improvement; but still isn't quite as bright as I'd like.

Are the results worth my time rewiring the harness and spending $20 -30 in parts?

your bulbs will start becoming dimmere and dimmer after this winter, hopefully not before. By calculating all that stuff you're trying to do and money wise, I think you were better off going HID.
I think not too long ago, there were relays that you could simply put on your regular harness and they would increase power up to 25% but I think that would reduce your bulb life.

 

[gmorrell]

I'd install a relay harness and give up a little bit of bulb life to have brighter lamps/better night-time illumination, and to eliminate the possibility of burning up the headlamp switch, or the high/low beam switch in the turn signal stalk. Bulbs are cheap, running into things in the dark isn't...

http://www.competitionlimited.com/harness.htm

I put a relay harness in my Gen 1 after the high/low beam combination switch let out smoke, and the low beams went out completely driving home one night.

 

[ForcedSHO]

I always wanted to do this upgrade from suv lights.
http://suvlights.com/index.php?cPath=24_73
$50
Best thing I have done so far was get new headlights.

 

[Art5]

i just don't understand why wouldn't you guys spend the same amount of money on HID lights and not only it will be brighter as long as the bulb last, but it will drain only 70 watt from your battery instead of 110.

 

[Ishodu]

Because HID bulbs just don't work correctly in Halogen head lamps. The focus is way off and there is way too much light scatter.

By changing where the filament is you can see it changes the way the lens reflects and focuses the light.

 

[Art5]

Sho is not a honda civic. That in the picture is most of honda headlights with hid. Our cars have reflectors on a lense, so it gets a little brighter'than stock and if you put headlights down a little, there won't even be any difference.

 

[quikSHOilver]

suvlights.com harness

I got harness from suvlights.com in 2007, installed in '90 and still using same blub. I love it. Only draw back is that the lamp out light came on so that prompted me to remove yellow light behind cluster. I was told you could either do that or remove the light out module. Its well worth money and definitely brighter.

 

[SHOtime2511]

I have the suvlights.com harness as well.
After sanding out my stock headlights to showroom condition and adding the new harness with silverstar blubs it is more than enough light.
I would also not recommend HID lights in stock SHO headlights for the reasons noted above in the diagram.

 

[crazy_canadian]

I made myself a harness with new pigtails, two bosh relays, and 10ga wire.

Even with stock light bulbs, I HIGHLY recommed that mod. To understand go out and pull your headlight switch. It will be all melted up.
Just to remove virtually all electrical draw from the OEM circuit may result in a car not burning up (had hapenned before on other tauruses)

 

[K-Dawg]

I just got in from installing a suvlights.com harness that I took off a car years ago. One of the best mods for a SHO, IMO.

The biggest reason I don't want HIDs is because you lose the high beams, which I use quite a bit.

I've said it before, with good driving lights, clean headlight housings/lenses, good bulbs, and an upgraded harness, all aimed correctly, I have plenty of light for high speed driving at night.

 

[shoon]

Thanks for all the input!

So I went ahead and built my own harness. Was a little more pricey ($55 in material) but it's of high quality.

All connections were crimped, soldered, and then heat-shrunk. There are no splices in-between, everything runs straight. I ran #10 to the relays and then branched off the relays using #12 to the headlights. If anyone has any thoughts on how to further drop resistance and make it better, feel free to throw it out there.





As for the lamp out issue, If you disconnect (or cut and tape both ends of) the Red/Light Green wire on pin 8 you can eliminate the lamp out indicator for the headlights but keep the functionality of the indicator for all other lights.

The module is located on the top right of the glovebox, if you push the 2 tabs on the glovebox in and drop the glovebox down it can be reached fairly easily.

 

[K-Dawg]

What year is that last diagram for? I think I clipped a Gry/Lt Blu wire and the indicator went out. Not sure if it still works for other lamps.

 

[shoon]

What year is that last diagram for? I think I clipped a Gry/Lt Blu wire and the indicator went out. Not sure if it still works for other lamps.

it's for a 95'

 

[SHOtime2511]

anyone have what wire to clip for a 90?
I'd like to get rid of that little issue also.

 

[shoon]

anyone have what wire to clip for a 90?
I'd like to get rid of that little issue also.

Hard to tell. Brown/Light blue or Red/Black are both connected to the headlamps. That's the best schematic I can get for it. I'd try and experiment by disconnecting one or both of those wires to see if it makes a difference.

 

[shoon]

Yep... definitely brighter. Bus driver flashed his lights at me, to which I kindly in turn flashed mine.

 

[tompumped]

I'd like to just add something rather than start a new thread and post my experience with suv lights. I installed an upgraded harness from suvlights and it was impressive with the stock bulbs and clean housings. I hooked up right to the alternator for power and ground.

Then I decided to get Phillips visionplus clear bulbs +50% from suvlights also after reading about different bulbs. Today I received the package and on the outside written was upgraded to Phillips Nightguide +50%. Needless to say I was kind of disappointed. Nowhere on the package it said +50% and the bulbs were tri color with a white beam in the middle? I had wanted clear bulbs, because I experienced problems with silverstars in the rain.

Anyway I just received a phone call from suvlights like an hour ago, and the guy was a real *******. From the start he was basically snickering at me. I said how's it going. Then he was like it appears like it's not going good, you seem to think getting a free upgrade is not good, the proceeds to laugh again. I said yeah you're right I said that exactly thank you for putting words in my mouth. I then said that wasn't the issue at all, I received an entirely different bulb, I wasn't notified, and it took long to ship compared to the harness I ordered. I explained why I wanted clear bulbs, because of the rain issue.
Then he went on about the free upgrade and laughed again and I lost it. I wouldn't do business with them again. I would buy from the other company. I ended up installing them before the phone call, they appear to be brighter than stock. Hopefully they aren't dangerous in the rain! I should've waited, mailed them back and got my money back. I've never been laughed at by someone from customer service and spoke to like i'm an idiot.


***EDIT*** I only had to cut one wire to get the lamp out light off, someone wrote you had to cut two in another thread? I'm pretty sure it was the brown/light blue wire.

 

[K-Dawg]

I'd like to just add something rather than start a new thread and post my experience with suv lights. I installed an upgraded harness from suvlights and it was impressive with the stock bulbs and clean housings. I hooked up right to the alternator for power and ground.

Then I decided to get Phillips visionplus clear bulbs +50% from suvlights also after reading about different bulbs. Today I received the package and on the outside written was upgraded to Phillips Nightguide +50%. Needless to say I was kind of disappointed. Nowhere on the package it said +50% and the bulbs were tri color with a white beam in the middle? I had wanted clear bulbs, because I experienced problems with silverstars in the rain.

Anyway I just received a phone call from suvlights like an hour ago, and the guy was a real *******. From the start he was basically snickering at me. I said how's it going. Then he was like it appears like it's not going good, you seem to think getting a free upgrade is not good, the proceeds to laugh again. I said yeah you're right I said that exactly thank you for putting words in my mouth. I then said that wasn't the issue at all, I received an entirely different bulb, I wasn't notified, and it took long to ship compared to the harness I ordered. I explained why I wanted clear bulbs, because of the rain issue.
Then he went on about the free upgrade and laughed again and I lost it. I wouldn't do business with them again. I would buy from the other company. I ended up installing them before the phone call, they appear to be brighter than stock. Hopefully they aren't dangerous in the rain! I should've waited, mailed them back and got my money back. I've never been laughed at by someone from customer service and spoke to like i'm an idiot.


***EDIT*** I only had to cut one wire to get the lamp out light off, someone wrote you had to cut two in another thread? I'm pretty sure it was the brown/light blue wire.

So, did you ask to exchange them for the bulbs you wanted?

 

[tompumped]

Yes I did, and I didn't receive an answer on the phone call nor in an email yet. I used them so i'm not going to try and send them back. If I had known I would be treated like an ungrateful idiot I would've sent them back and got a full refund. I never had to get one yet from paypal.

I'm used to summit's great customer service. My last car I bought most my parts from there, but this guy was being a douche from the start. I would've liked to choke him.
Rock auto's is good only had a problem twice, but it just so happened to be the same guy. Shosource has been good, but I never had a problem. The fuel pump issue was known in advance.