pgr1990
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2016
- Posts
- 490
- Reaction score
- 352
- Ram Year
- 2015
- Engine
- 3.0 EcoDiesel
I have literally been through hell and back upgrading my headlights on my truck and I have finally found a happy medium.
1. DO NOT OPEN UP PROJECTOR LENSES TO MODIFY THEM
I started off purchasing a set of new oem black housing sport headlights and had them opened up and installed diode dynamics boards and HID headlights.
Unbeknownst to me at the time I did not know the overwhelming issues the stock projectors have with moisture and specifically for some strange reason I found that the blacked out sport and rebel headlights have even worse issues than the regular projectors.
I sent back my headlights 3 times to have them resealed and it did not work. The retrofitter was very helpful and told me he's never seen this before. I began researching and found out in fact that it was not his fault, but a design flaw in the lights. They were filling up with so much condensation fog they looked awful for days after it would rain. They became so bad I ended up just getting rid of them.
I noticed that my stock projectors (the regular chrome) also get condensation all the time resting at the bottom near the LED orange strip, but it only lasts for short spurts and doesn't overtake the entire lens.
If you have this issue with your projectors you can have them replaced by the dealer, but if you open them like I did you're out of luck.
2. IF YOURE GOING TO OPEN UP YOUR LIGHTS STICK WITH THE QUAD HALOGENS
I ended up purchasing Recon headlights which are specifically made only for our projector harness and setup. The Recons are actually created off of the shell of the quad lamp halogen headlights which have no issues with condensation.
I had them opened up, installed a halo and installed brighter boards for the led strips and upgraded the projectors to Morimotos.
After resealing them I've gone through the rain as well as car washes and have had ZERO condensation which is fantastic!
3. HID'S FOR FOG LIGHTS ARE A BAD IDEA
I originally had HIDs in my fog lights and they were so blinding and bright I was being flashed by most drivers on the road regardless of how low I pointed them.
The fog housing scatters the light so much that it will blind oncoming traffic. I ended up just leaving them off because they were so obnoxious.
I highly recommend using LEDs for the fog light housing.
I ended up using Morimoto 2 stroke LEDs. They look excellent and are very easy on the eyes as LEDs don't glare like an HID does. They certainly aren't as powerful but they get the job done and are a pleasure for others on the road.
4. LED'S FOR HEADLIGHTS ARE A BAD IDEA
I originally installed LED headlights on my Recons and the light output was a joke. The cutoff was a joke and driving with them at night was literally a hazard.
I highly recommend not using LEDs as the output of a halogen is better and the HID's are the best.
5. HID'S FOR HEADLIGHTS REIGN KING
I purchased Morimoto 55watt ballasts and 6500k bulbs. The difference is ridiculous. Excellent light output, excellent cutoff and you can see everything on the road.
A must have for people with projectors, really not other comparison.
IN CONCLUSION
Keep in mind that halogen projectors and HID projectors are NOT designed for light output of an LED. Please use the correct light source for your projectors or you will be a danger to other drivers or yourself.
I see too often people cramming HIDs in halogen based headlamps and it basically blinds everyone on the road. I have learned through all of this to do it right or you will waste your money like I did.
I am extremely happy with my final setup. I have custom Recon headlight with the proper HID projectors and have them wired as DRLs. It took me FOREVER and a lot of money to finally figure out how to have functional and great looking lights that separate me from everyone else.
I hope this is informative and helps anyone thinking about upgrading their headlights or fog lights and they don't hit the same road blocks I did. Below is a photo of my setup now, enjoy!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
1. DO NOT OPEN UP PROJECTOR LENSES TO MODIFY THEM
I started off purchasing a set of new oem black housing sport headlights and had them opened up and installed diode dynamics boards and HID headlights.
Unbeknownst to me at the time I did not know the overwhelming issues the stock projectors have with moisture and specifically for some strange reason I found that the blacked out sport and rebel headlights have even worse issues than the regular projectors.
I sent back my headlights 3 times to have them resealed and it did not work. The retrofitter was very helpful and told me he's never seen this before. I began researching and found out in fact that it was not his fault, but a design flaw in the lights. They were filling up with so much condensation fog they looked awful for days after it would rain. They became so bad I ended up just getting rid of them.
I noticed that my stock projectors (the regular chrome) also get condensation all the time resting at the bottom near the LED orange strip, but it only lasts for short spurts and doesn't overtake the entire lens.
If you have this issue with your projectors you can have them replaced by the dealer, but if you open them like I did you're out of luck.
2. IF YOURE GOING TO OPEN UP YOUR LIGHTS STICK WITH THE QUAD HALOGENS
I ended up purchasing Recon headlights which are specifically made only for our projector harness and setup. The Recons are actually created off of the shell of the quad lamp halogen headlights which have no issues with condensation.
I had them opened up, installed a halo and installed brighter boards for the led strips and upgraded the projectors to Morimotos.
After resealing them I've gone through the rain as well as car washes and have had ZERO condensation which is fantastic!
3. HID'S FOR FOG LIGHTS ARE A BAD IDEA
I originally had HIDs in my fog lights and they were so blinding and bright I was being flashed by most drivers on the road regardless of how low I pointed them.
The fog housing scatters the light so much that it will blind oncoming traffic. I ended up just leaving them off because they were so obnoxious.
I highly recommend using LEDs for the fog light housing.
I ended up using Morimoto 2 stroke LEDs. They look excellent and are very easy on the eyes as LEDs don't glare like an HID does. They certainly aren't as powerful but they get the job done and are a pleasure for others on the road.
4. LED'S FOR HEADLIGHTS ARE A BAD IDEA
I originally installed LED headlights on my Recons and the light output was a joke. The cutoff was a joke and driving with them at night was literally a hazard.
I highly recommend not using LEDs as the output of a halogen is better and the HID's are the best.
5. HID'S FOR HEADLIGHTS REIGN KING
I purchased Morimoto 55watt ballasts and 6500k bulbs. The difference is ridiculous. Excellent light output, excellent cutoff and you can see everything on the road.
A must have for people with projectors, really not other comparison.
IN CONCLUSION
Keep in mind that halogen projectors and HID projectors are NOT designed for light output of an LED. Please use the correct light source for your projectors or you will be a danger to other drivers or yourself.
I see too often people cramming HIDs in halogen based headlamps and it basically blinds everyone on the road. I have learned through all of this to do it right or you will waste your money like I did.
I am extremely happy with my final setup. I have custom Recon headlight with the proper HID projectors and have them wired as DRLs. It took me FOREVER and a lot of money to finally figure out how to have functional and great looking lights that separate me from everyone else.
I hope this is informative and helps anyone thinking about upgrading their headlights or fog lights and they don't hit the same road blocks I did. Below is a photo of my setup now, enjoy!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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