2012 Jeep Wrangler: Unimpressive Headlights

More luminous bulbs worked for me when I got sick of the crap lighting from my Focus. Beware though -- they tend to burn out more quickly. (Not that this will be a problem during its relatively short stay in your fleet).

"please consider stabbing yourself in the eyes with a rusty fork"

LOL

This post is the wish that came true, for FW, I believe.
Not a bad start for a new year!

Jeeps, headlight upgrades, internet arguments. Gird yer loins e'ryone, incoming!

+50 dinobot666

Interesting. My 2005 Xterra has similar looking lights. The immediate foreground is very poorly lit and I think they are aimed too high from the factory. Probably explains why I see so many running around with the fogs on all the time. Headlights on US cars have come a long way in the last 10-15 years, but they are still behind Europe for all kinds of reasons, including some archaic DOT rules.

Try some Phillips VisionPlus bulbs. They received a good review in the Brit magazine Auto Express and they made a noticeable improvement when I installed them in both my 1995 Club Sport as well as my 2007 MS3.
As for my 1999 Wrangler, a set of Hella H4 E-Codes made a dramatic difference.

@roadburner

"...a set of Hella H4 E-Codes made a dramatic difference."

+1000 E-code lights are so superior to most DOT lights it is not funny. Cibie Z-beams are another excellent light. Had those on a Firebird years ago and it was the difference between being able to see and leaving it in the garage at night.

"Cibie Z-beams are another excellent light. Had those on a Firebird years ago and it was the difference between being able to see and leaving it in the garage at night."

I had Z-beams on my 1974 Monte Carlo and my 1979 Arrow GT 2.6. However, the best setup was the Cibie four lamp set I had in my 1973 Bavaria and my 1987 535is; the high beams were essentially long-range pencil spotlights. Just incredible.

I'm a bit surprised, because Wranglers consistently have more annoying headlights shining in my rearview mirror than most vehicles do.

My experience with multiple Chrysler products ('94 Concorde, '97 Sebring, '01 G Caravan, '10 300) is their headlights are garbage. Take a closer look, very basic reflectors, minimal faceting to the lenses. Higher output bulbs are little use as the rest of the assembly cannot take advantage. I was very surprised the new 300 was not better, a wet road at night literally sucked all the light away. A passenger asked twice if I "had my lights on".

"I was very surprised the new 300 was not better"

Huh? Have you looked at the 2011 300?

It comes standard with halogen projectors and optional Bi-Xenon units. (Supplied by Hyundai Mobis)

I recommend Philips Xtreme power they put out noticeably more light in a better pattern then the Silverstar Ultras I had before.

Just pokeing around the Jeep parts sites like Quadratec I found this: http://www.quadratec.com/products/97009_301.htm Delta 7" Round Quad Bar Xenon Headlamp Kit.

Seems like a legit upgrade since its from Delta Tech (They make great off road lights btw) and not some Hong Kong based company like a lot of HID kits are.

I will agree with agentorange and roadburner and say that E-Code Hellas were a dramatic improvement upon my first-gen Miata's headlights.

The light in the pictures look fine to me. Yes there is likely better but really how bad are your eyes?

@hybris

Money would probably be better spent on some decent bulb upgrades, and the rest of the money for lighting spent on dedicated off-road lights. The problem with the kit that you're displaying, is that you'd have to use it on road as well.

They haven't even bothered to re aim their current headlights yet, which would also show a marked improvement in overall lighting.

In all of those pictures, it seems there is enough light. Not great, but not bad. Frankly, I'm sick of all these new cars with superbright headlights that do more damage to oncoming cars than they beneifit the drivers. Some good off-road lights would be cool, but only if you're going to go off-raoding at night.

"I'm a bit surprised, because Wranglers consistently have more annoying headlights shining in my rearview mirror than most vehicles do."

That's because a lot of people modify the stance of Jeeps via tires and suspension mods but don't make the effort/are ignorant of re-aiming their headlights.

"Probably explains why I see so many running around with the fogs on all the time."

I see this a lot too, I notice it most on Toyota Tacoma X-runners though. My guess is that a lot of people either 1) turn them on because they think it looks cool, like aftermarket "driving" lights on rice rockets, or more likely 2) forgot they were on/didn't know they were on in the first place. I know I've been guilty of #2 in our WRX after driving to work on foggy mornings.

I just replaced the headlights in my 2012 Rubicon with an IPF/ARB replacement set. They come with the H4 connectors.
I bought the shells from 4wheelparts and bought the Sylvania UltraStar H4 bulbs from PepBoys.
All together about $110, and it took 15 minutes to replace the stock lights (which when you pull them out are so flimsy it's no surprise how poorly they work).

Incredible difference.

Here is a write up from jkforums:

http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-ups/ipf-920h4-jeep-jk-wrangler-headlightsinstallation-write-up-testing

"I just replaced the headlights in my 2012 Rubicon with an IPF/ARB replacement set. They come with the H4 connectors.
I bought the shells from 4wheelparts and bought the Sylvania UltraStar H4 bulbs from PepBoys.
All together about $110, and it took 15 minutes to replace the stock lights (which when you pull them out are so flimsy it's no surprise how poorly they work)."

Sounds great; I'll keep that in mind if I ever decide to move from a TJ to a JK.