I want some bright hi-beams...not for road use, just for utility use...can I put brighter bulbs in my existing hi-beams, or will I have to replace the whole housing, or will I just keep blowing fuses, or what? What's the brightest I can go without problems? Thanks...

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'89 RS LO3- 140,000 miles
14x3 K&N Open Element
Ram Heavy Duty clutch
Edelbrock TES (Jet-hot coated)
Catco cat
Edelbrock 3" Cat-back
Pioneer DEH-P77
Dual .50 caliber machine guns just under ground effects

Coming:
KYB shocks
Edelbrock Strut Tower Brace
South Side Machine subframe connectors

When your buddy reaches for a 10-pound sledge and says "I think we're gonna have to modify the floor pan, okay?" the answer is NO.

 

The stock head light bulbs have approx 50 watt filaments (about 4 amperes per filament). If you upgrade to higher wattage filaments, you will need to install relays to control the head lights (power from the battery lead), or you risk melting the insulation on the wires from the light switch, and the filaments will not burn as bright as they should. Also, if you wire relays to power the stock head lights, they will be much brighter, as the voltage drop through the harness is about 2.5 volts @ the RH side & a bit less @ the LH side. The luminous intensity of an incadescent lamp is proportional to it's temperature to the 4th power (T^4), so a small decrease in voltage greatly effects its luminous output.

Tim

 

So if I just stick relays on the power line between whatever and the headlights, they'll be brighter and not toast? Thanks a ton! I appreciate the response.

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'89 RS LO3- 140,000 miles
14x3 K&N Open Element
Ram Heavy Duty clutch
Edelbrock TES (Jet-hot coated)
Catco cat
Edelbrock 3" Cat-back
Pioneer DEH-P77
Dual .50 caliber machine guns just under ground effects

Coming:
KYB shocks
Edelbrock Strut Tower Brace
South Side Machine subframe connectors

When your buddy reaches for a 10-pound sledge and says "I think we're gonna have to modify the floor pan, okay?" the answer is NO.