Swap-out those stock bulbs for high-intensity halogens — but don’t forget the relay!

by Bruce W. Smith

Maximizing forward lighting capability with retro-style clear headlights fitted with high-output bulbs is a win-win situation; the brighter beams enhance safety, allowing you more time to react to what lie ahead, while the retro-style crystal headlights enhance the overall look of your truck.

What most truckers are doing is replacing their rig’s H6014/H6024 halogen headlights with United Pacific’s 7-inch round crystal headlights.

In the process they swap-out the 55/60W halogen bulbs with Xenon White 80/100W bulbs. The extra wattage provides additional road lighting distance and brightness.

The drawback, as many custom rig owners of ’07-newer 389 Petes have discovered, is the electronic control module controlling the truck’s turn signals and headlights doesn’t like the extra amp draw created by higher-output bulbs.

The result: The high-beams suddenly go out within a minute os os of being activated.

“The additional three to four watts of amp-draw is enough to overheat and trip the overload protection built into the control module,” explains 4 State Truck’s Michael Forst.

“So we 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.” (Forst recommends the use of a headlight relay any time stock headlight bulbs are replaced with high-output halogens.)

Giving your rig the retro-style headlight look with high-performance light output is an easy install, costs less than $150, and applies to both old and new trucks using the single sevens. The boyz at 4 State Trucks have all the parts in stock.