How to make low beams stay on with high beams on Silverado?

Using your headlight on your Silverado in the nighttime means keeping the low beams on by default. But when you want a clearer vision, you need to turn on the high beam. The Silverado trucks are wired in a way that makes the low beam turn off when you switch to the high beam. 

This gives you a clearer vision, but if you could keep the low beam on with the high beam, you can have a better vision while driving. There are no other proper guides to show you a step by step process of making low beams stay on with high beams on Silverado. In this article, we will show you the process but first, let’s understand the basics.

What are the high beams?

In every kind of vehicle, there are high beams. A high beam is a centered bright light that focuses directly towards the front without spreading any light. For example, you do know what a spotlight is, right? A spotlight is used on stages to direct people’s attention towards the specific person to focus on.

With the same theory, headlights contain high beams used to see something clearly or have a clearer vision of what’s in front of a vehicle. 

What are the low beams?

Low beams are the light that turns on when you switch on your headlights. Low beam lights are not designed to focus on a specific target. Instead, the filament is adjusted so that the light is spread, and the driver can see everything in front. 

But the target distance of the low beams is less. Low beams don’t target anything specific. It is used to light up the way. 

Now that you know what low beams and high beams are and what they are used for, it’s time for you to learn how to make low beams stay on with high beams on Silverado.

How to make low beams stay on with high beams on Silverado?

Silverado trucks have been on the road for a long since. There are several models of Silverado trucks, and each model has a variety of differences. 

These differences include the structure and construction of the whole engine block. That means only one method is not going to work on all types of Silverado.

According to the engine tech development, we have found two ways that you have to implicate to make the necessary changes you are looking for. 

If your Silverado truck is a pre-2003 model, you have to change the wiring of your headlights. And if your truck is a post-2003, you will have to install a small modchip to the fuse box. 

We will show you both of the ways. Let’s start with the older models.

How to make low beams stay on with high beams on Old models of Silverado?

As I have mentioned earlier, you have to do some specific changes to your headlights’ wiring. First, let’s understand the electrical concept.

The electrical concept of low beams and high beams

Each wiring is powered with a negative and positive wire. The positive wire flows the electricity from the battery to the lamps. 

When we hit the headlight’s high beam, the low beam’s negative wire forces it to turn off. When we let go of the high beam, the positive wire flows the electricity back to the low beam, and it turns on again. 

So, the only change you have to do is ground the negative wire of your low beam. Let’s show you how you can do that.

• Step 1: Take out the headlight

The first task for you to do is to take off the headlight compartment to find the wires. The process is easy. All you have to do is pop the hood of your engine; you will see that there’s a removable holder on top of your headlight block.

Remove the holder, and then take the headlight block off of your car. Please be very cautious while taking off the headlights because you don’t want to mess the wiring. 

• Step 2: Identify the negative and positive wires of your low beam

For this, you need a voltmeter. Detach the wiring safely, try your best not to damage the wiring in any way. Turn on your headlights and check each wire to identify the negative one. 

You have to work with the negative wire so, reattach the positive wire to its place and follow the next step

• Step 3: Grounding the negative wire of your low beams

You will find a grounding panel right on your engine block’s metal body by the side of the headlights. Attach the negative wire to the panel and now, try to turn on the high beams. If you have done the grounding correctly, your low beams will not turn off. 

This is the method of rewiring your low beams to keep them on with the high beams. Again, this method applies to old Silverado trucks. In the newer trucks, the wiring is too complicated for you to make any changes. You might end up fusing your headlights. 

So, how can you keep the low beams on with high beams in new Silverado trucks?

All you need is a small modchip that is available almost everywhere. You can buy that from Amazon or any other website that sells car parts. The problem is with installing. Some people might think they will mess up the installation, and they need expert help.

But the truth is it’s effortless. Just follow the step by step process.

• Step 1: Understanding the fuse panel

Every vehicle has a fuse panel that controls the electric parts of the vehicle. That means you will find the control center of your headlights there as well. To learn what’s inside, take the head of the fuse panel off. 

Underneath the panel, there’s an instruction page that identifies each fuse. Locate the fuses for your low beams, high beams, and fog lights.

• Step 2: Placing the modchip

After locating the fuses mentioned above, take them out. Be sure not to use too much force. Electrical panels are hazardous. Make sure that the ignition is off. 

If you take the modchip, you will see that it perfectly fits the fuse panel in the said fuses. The holes in the modchip will match the holes of the fuse panel too. Place it correctly. If it’s not placed correctly, it might cause a short circuit. 

• Step 3: Putting the fuses back to their places

Now, plug the fuses back to their original places. Only this time, you will be placing them through the chip instead of directly plugging them into the panel. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully and do not make any mistakes.

Put the fuse panel cover back, start your engine and switch the headlights on. Now, if you turn your high beams on, your low beams will not turn off. Also, the head beam switch lights up the fog light creating a brighter beam for focusing.

Final words

These are the two methods that you have to apply according to your Silverado model to keep your low beams on with your high beams. Make sure you follow the steps correctly. As you will be working on an electrical panel, you can easily short circuit the whole thing and mess everything up. 

So, be very cautious when working with the fuse and the wires. If you think this is not your cup of tea or if you don’t have enough confidence in your engine skills, get expert help.