Hey, don't post here much these days... until I bump into a problem like this.
I picked up a HID headlight conversion kit for my 86 Camaro. One like the ones you can get from Ricks Camaros or Hawks. Basically I bought two kits- one set for hi and one for low. A few posters on here mentioned just buying 2 of the same kits and they could be used for both high and low? They are those "plug and play" kits and each bulb is 2 wire. As you all know, the low beam connectors are 3-wire (H4) and the hi-beam, 2 wire. Just connecting the +/- for each bulb, they all work. However, I can have either the lows on, or the highs. Not both at the same time, like factory lights. Switching to hi-beams turns the low beams off and vice versa. The only other setup I could get working was all 4 lights on at once with low-beams on. Obviously, I can't have that.

Looking more into it, that's sort of just how the third gen lights work. They switch from high to low, but the connections from low to high beams are relayed buy the bulbs. I have 2 pairs of H4-1 HID bulbs to replace the original halogens. Not very plug and play. I hadn't expected the kit to not come in high beam or low beam kits. They sent me low beam replacements with 2 wires each. Now I'm guessing I need an aftermarket relay harness of some sort, but not sure which one will do what I'm looking to do. I'm not that great with wiring so this has had me stumped. I want the lows to stay on while the highs can be switched on and off.

Anyone else had this issue? I looked around the forums here but no thread really answers my question. I saw the tech article (https://www.thirdgen.org/headlightupgrade/) and mentions a relay harness too but I'm hard to follow. If I make my own, what relays can I use? If there is one I can just buy, what harness could I get that would work this way? Looking to see what you guys have used. Any help appreciated.

Can I use this harness to achieve the factory hi-low function? Should I use 2 harnesses?

 

Its not an issue, rather it is designed that way so you don't blind other drivers. New cars are no different. Try them out first at night before you wire them on the same circuit.

 

I'm sure there's that reason. High beams aren't meant to be used around other drivers in general. I get what youre saying, it makes sense. I don't plan on using them that way though. Not trying to be talked out of it, rather to know if it is possible. I will post back when my parts arrive.

 

Stock, the four sealed beams on a Camaro consist of two main headlights featuring both, a low beam and a high beam, using a standard H4 3-prong connector, and two high beam headlights featuring high beams only, using a 2-prong connector, correct? The two low beams are on normally, but when the high beams are activated, all four headlights illuminate as high beams, correct?

Regarding the HIDs, the output of an HID bulb is determined by its ballast; the bulbs are all the same. So to have two HID headlights for low beam, you'd need two 35W ballasts. And to have two HID headlights for high beam, you'd need two 55W ballasts. However, when activating the high beams, because there are no high beam filaments in the HID bulbs, the two low beams are blacking out, instead of staying illuminated with the high beams, like the stock high/low sealed beams do? Is that the situation, and the question is how to make the two low beams stay illuminated, too?

Checkout these for your low beams: H4 HID "swing" bulbs that provide both, low and "high" beams. The bulb doesn't actually increase in brightness when the high beams are activated, but it repositions itself deeper in the housing, which projects the light farther outward, producing high/low results in a reflector housing or a standard single beam projector housing(one that is not bi-xenon). They require a special relay harness that powers the movement of the bulb. Paired with a couple of 55W HID high beam headlights, they'd serve as the two main headlights(high/low) in a four headlight system, like a Camaro's. And they'd keep the two main headlights illuminated, along with the two high beam headlights, so all four would be illuminated, like they're supposed to be. They'd work as high/low beams in two headlight systems, too, such as in 91-92 Firebirds. Here are a couple of links to them. And from the look of them and the harness they require, that relay harness you linked from Amazon might be the type these HID bulbs require. Read up on those bulbs and that relay harness. Just might be the combo you're looking for.

Cheapies all over ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/i/173912155470?...72e80c131bfa4c

Better quality from Headlight Revolution. And by the way, for anyone else who might read this, longtime TGO favorite vendor for retrofits, The Retrofit Source, and my favorite vendor, Headlight Revolution, have merged and are operating out of TRS' facility in Atlanta; HR was formerly in northern Minnesota, near Canada, and they'd go out in the snow in winter and make videos, shooting(literally, with real guns!) cheap headlight products, having a lot of fun, but no more LOL. Individually, they're the two largest top-quality aftermarket headlight companies in the industry. Now, together, it's a BIG operation. They've each retained their respective company names, but they're ONE now. I've been a customer of Headlight Revolution since 2012. Awesome people! Top-quality products. Hundreds of videos on YT. Same with TRS. So TRS Matt and HR Chris have everything covered!
https://headlightrevolution.com/gtr-...-harness-pair/

 

Honestly when switching from the horrible stock halogen sealed-beam head-lights to HID lights... I saw no need to use all 4 headlights together.

I use 35w HIDs for the 2 low-beam head-lights via the original wiring and head-lamp switch (They draw less amperage than my original low-beams).
The original wiring uses a high-amperage head-lamp switch and NO relays.

I also use 55w HIDs for the 2 high-beam head-lights.

The 35w HIDs for the 2 low-beams are significantly brighter than all 4 of the original sealed-beams combined.
I have almost no real need for the brighter 55w HIDs.

Since the HID arc-tubes are a single circuit... switching the high-beams on, will shut off the low-beams (no second circuit/ or filament like in the sealed-beams).
The 55w HIDs are so bright that there is really no need to also have the low-beams on at the same time.

Have fun!

 

Thanks for your posts guys. Some good tips here. I'm sure the way I had it originally would be fine, with lows switching off with the highs on. One set of lights probably is enough (not to mention much less wiring). I still have the idea in my head to have them both illuminate like stock bulbs. I have 4 55w ballasts and 4 single beam bulbs. Had the kit sitting around for the past couple years still in the box, so I sorta just wanna use what I have. Plus I like to experiment.
My relays came in, and had only enough time to get one pair of lights installed. So far they stay lit regardless of high beams being switched. Just what I want. I will still need to run the wiring for the high beams. I suspect all I will need to do different is swap 2 of the pins around where the factory plugs are. I have low beams running off a relay on the passenger side. Since there are 2 plugs, one on each side, I will extend the power wire across to the battery and hook the second relay into the low beam socket on the driver side.
Will probably have more time over the weekend to check it out but if all goes well I will post a few pics and maybe a diagram should anyone else want to copy my setup.

 

I forgot to say: Make sure you use high quality lamps made of glass.
The cheap plastic stuff can melt from the HIDs.

 

I saw people saying that reading up on it. Luckily my kit came with some really nice glass lenses. Furthermore, the headlight buckets are to be modified for them to fit properly. I sent mine out to be powder coated along with the trim rings, new adjusters and springs. Should be a nice upgrade overall imho.

 

So I put together a quick diagram of my setup. Kinda rough but it works as I had intended for my lights to function. Hopefully it can help if there's anyone else looking to do what I did. I used 2 of the harnesses I posted previously. I'm sure most similar ones will do the same thing.I left the high beam pin on the passenger side relay. It probably works the same without it but I don't think it matters for the low beams. The benefit of this here is that the lights are powered directly from battery and do not go into the factory harness. The original plugs are only used to trip the relays on and off. Also circumventing the "either-or" behavior of the high beam switch. Waiting for my new buckets to come in and ill post a couple pics once the bulbs are installed.

 

This would be purposefully set up as dual H4 head-lights...

The closer to stock replacement composite light-bulb system would have H4 lamps as a low-beam/ high-beam and then H1 high-beam ONLY lamps.

 

I believe you're correct seeing as low beams would be duals and highs, single. For me, this is what I was looking for, using bulbs and ballasts I already had laying around. Without wasting money on parts I already bought, I spent only 20 dollars on a pair of relay harnesses and a couple wire connectors. Zero modification of the factory harness, as well as support for hi-lo low beam bulbs in the future. If I revert to the setup you are suggesting, it may have been easier and more accurate. When said bulbs burn out I might go for another round of it. For now I'm going use my single beam HIDs and angle the lamps according to the official adjustment guide.

 

Here's the results folks. Hope this threads helps others in the future. Even if they do something a little bit different with their lights.

Low beams

High beams