kc lights soon to be installed

[95offroadx]

ok im goin to be installing my 2 5" kc lights today or tomorrow, and im wondering what is a good 12v source i can wire it up to? i hate doing electical work, soo this might be a challenge, soo the easiest way would be the best in this case

 

[Texplorer]

The battery

 

[Bill Kemp]

Are they "fog" or "driving" lights?
Do they come with a harness?

 

[95offroadx]

umm they say it can be both, yeah the harness is all there

 

[Texplorer]

Straight from the battery to the relay, direct wiring driving/fog lights is the easiest.

 

[95offroadx]

ok thanks

 

[sn0border88]

doings a relay is fairly easy, but try and pick a good place to mount them. It out to be very close to the battery, as close as you can. Search for diagrams and you'll find em.

 

[harmankardon35]

id rather skip the problematic relays and wire it direct to a toggle switch with a fuse at the bettery.

 

[sn0border88]

problamatic? What can go wrong? ive never heard of a relay breaking. As long as you solder and heat shrink you connections theres no better way to do it. problem with going to a switch is you have to run a heavy gauge wire to and from the switch to the lights. This way you can run a small gauge wire to the switch, and the wire that runs the power to the light wont see as much abuse, its much shorter.

I did my 4 lights and 2 relays in about 4 hours with no prior electrical experience. That is including the inline fuse, but not the swich panel which I mounted in the headliner.

 

[Bill Kemp]

Agreed, Snoborder88.
Relays provide the least voltage drop which means the brightest lights and useing a wire size that is flexable and easy to connect.

 

[ProjectAviator]

id rather skip the problematic relays and wire it direct to a toggle switch with a fuse at the bettery.

Yeah, and have the lights pull to much current and melt your switch. Relays are the easiest and safest way to wire anything that is high amp.

Tim

 

[gijoecam]

id rather skip the problematic relays and wire it direct to a toggle switch with a fuse at the bettery.

Yeah, because those 'problematic relays' Ford installs at the factory for the headlights and factory fog lights only last 15-20 years...

Relays do everything mentioned above: They provide the least voltage drop, the allow you to use a very small single wire to control a much larger current, which of course means you can use very small, indiscreet switches to control very large current accessories, and you can design some really neat controls using the proper type of switches and LEDs.

Current inrush is not a problem unless the relay is undersized to begin with, and for a few bucks more, any good electronics supply house carries heavy duty 40A relays that can support 100A in-rushes if necessary. (My latest favorite is www.newarkinone.com)

-Joe

 

[DeRocha]

I would always use a relay for the above mentioned reasons..

Check out my Hella 500 Install thread for wiring suggestions etc... stuff like

1st Gen wire cluster