Relay Kit Question

[Sycobob]

I installed a relay kit for my headlights today under the impression that my headlights would get the proper juice and run brighter. Everything went smoothly and it all works just fine except for one tiny issue: the difference is only barely noticeable. I left one headlight running on the stock wiring for now, and one running off the relay to see the difference. I can tell if I pull up to a wall and look hard enough, but I was under the impression that it'd be a bigger difference.

What kind of difference does installing a relay kit generally make? What might I have done wrong? I used 12 gauge wiring everywhere except where I connected the stock plug to the relay (where the larger wire wouldn't make a difference). I grounded directly to the battery. For the record I have an H4 conversion with Cibie housings (now that *did* make an amazing difference).

[vocationalzero]

All a relay kit does is add a relay into a circuit to help prevent blowing wires or important stuff.... It's not gonna change the current (which is what would make the lights brighter). You don't really need the relay kit cause headlights already have a relay for them.

[Hijacker]

All a relay kit does is add a relay into a circuit to help prevent blowing wires or important stuff.... It's not gonna change the current (which is what would make the lights brighter). You don't really need the relay kit cause headlights already have a relay for them.

Relay kits do make lights brighter, but only on cars that don't have a dedicated circuit for the lights. 240s have dedicated circuits, so a relay kit is redundant.

As for relays preventing blowing wires, that's the job of a fuse, not a relay.

[Sycobob]

Hmm, it seems I've wasted my money then. It was my understanding that often times manufactures use small wires that, coupled with any imperfect connections/contacts, limit the amount of current that actually makes it to the headlights. So rigging up a new circuit for the headlights would ensure they receive the proper current. The concept is sound, but I guess it's not actually enough of a problem to be all that noticeable.

At least I didn't spend much, lol.

[Hijacker]

The concept was designed for older cars. Most modern cars usually tend to use a decent gauge wire and isolate the circuit to maximize output to satisfy the DOT and HTSB. I've dug around in the headlight wiring for 240s, and I can attest that Nissan did a good job of designing the wiring and circuitry for it. The weakest link in the setup is the lighting switch, which can sometimes burn out after a decade or so.