Upgrading Headlights worth it?

Hello all,
So I work at a dealership and I see all these new trucks with the projector headlights and well, sad to say I bought a truck that did not have them. I'm Currently exploring my options out there and am looking for some direction. I drive to work in the dark and well the stock quad lights just don't seem to cut it for me. I was recently directed to retroshop.us by some customers, I found the lights I was thinking of and for the options, I want it's near $900. Just looking for anyone who has maybe upgraded their lights and has some advice, I just want to be able to see at night.

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I went with the 5000K 55W HIDs from Retroshop and it was (pun intended) night and day better...(pause for groans)... I live 30 miles outside of town with a 2 mile dirt driveway and the lights help a huge amount spotting rocks and dips (which are everywhere) but I also had stock projectors so I didn't need new housings as well. In the winter I leave for work and get home in the dark. I really like the color of the lights. Way easier on the eyes than my LED fogs which I mostly use as cow spotters.

One thing to note is the higher power ballasts (55W vs 30W) drive the color down a little so I would either go with a 5000K bulb and keep the 55W ballast or keep the 4500K bulb and drop to a 35W ballast.

IMO aftermarket headlights are probably THE most overhyped mod on this forum. Yeah, RAM's oem headlights are ****, I get it. You know what solved it for me? I turn on my fogs. When there's no oncoming traffic I use my hi beams. Problem solved.

I'm going to be totally blunt here - people on this forum aren't tossing out $1000 on HIDs because they need them, they're doing it for the cool factor. I'm almost 50, my night vision is shot, and I drive on unlit country highways to work, during winter ice and snow. If your conditions and eyesight are worse than mine, you're legally blind.

Hey I'm not knocking those guys doing HID for fun, fill your boots! But speaking as someone who's a prime candidate for needing proper lighting to drive at night, I call total BS on anyone saying they need rather than just want HID. OP asked if he needs them, not wants them so there ya go.

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I agree to an extent, when people go all crazy matching every bulb on their truck its obviously aesthetic... but... the HIDs have much better side to side throw (beneficial for to watch out for deer, cows, texting drivers coming at you) and I always felt like I was over driving my low beams. The stock fog lights aren't driving lights, they are fog lights, putting plenty of light directly in front of the truck which is fine for going 20 mph but not for going 55.

adrianp89 said:

$1000 is a small price to pay for an exponential increase in vision and safety, especially when you are already $30,000 invested into a truck.

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You spent $150

You also have to factor in labor when you're talking about $1,000 retrofitted lights. Something that gets done right, by a professional that has done it a million times over versus attempting to do it yourself. You can save money doing it yourself but it's a risk. High risk, high reward, or spend a little money and get some peace of mind that a pro did it, and did it right.

As for lights, upgrading them can and does make a huge difference. I had HIDs in my 2013 Charger R/T as they came standard with the car, I liked those headlights. When I bought my 2015 I though it would have HIDs standard as well... Nope, Dodge made the decision to include HIDs only on the Road and Track package which was an absolute joke. There was a huge difference between my HIDs, and the Bi-Halogen setup. Dim yellowish light, and much poorer peripheral lighting overall. My factory LED fogs on my 2015 Charger were brighter and gave me better lighting at night than my headlamps did.

So do you need to do it? No, but the fact of the matter is you can make them much better than what you get with a stock set of dual, or quad headlamps. How much you want to spend is personal preference, how much work you want to put into it yourself is personal preference. The cool factor lies more in the looks, than in the functionality.

WilliamS said:

Retrofit is the best way to go. I would (am) buy a set of spare headlights, get the retrofit kit of your choice (morimoto v7 H1) and take your time. This way if you mess us you didnt screw yourself out of not having any lights.

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1000% agree with this... I am currently in the middle of having my stock headlights back on my truck because the retro's were fogging up (which my retrofitter told me was a possibility).

I've learned from the past too, had my Acura retrofitted with one set of headlights and didn't have my car for a month and it was awful. Always buy an extra set.


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pgr1990 said:

I've learned from the past too, had my Acura retrofitted with one set of headlights and didn't have my car for a month and it was awful. Always buy an extra set.

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This.

Had I not had a second set to put on during my retro I don't think I would have ever done it.

Also being the first time I ever did it...I was nervous about messing something up the entire time. Luckily everything went smooth and they work great to this day.

I have the quad set up... I installed the Opt7 leds and they are fantastic. Once I installed I aimed them down a bit and I haven't been flashed once. I will never add HIDs or Projectors to this truck. The Opt7 Leds are plenty esp for only $100.

Rzrman328 said:

I used an eBay projector kit combined with a retroshop hid kit and did the retrofit myself.

10x better than oem dual halogen setup. Still workin like a champ too.

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How has your set from ebay held up? Trying to decide if shelling out the extra $ for an OEM pair would be worth it since the quality of the aftermarket units are usually crap.

roadshow said:

IMO aftermarket headlights are probably THE most overhyped mod on this forum. Yeah, RAM's oem headlights are ****, I get it. You know what solved it for me? I turn on my fogs. When there's no oncoming traffic I use my hi beams. Problem solved.

I'm going to be totally blunt here - people on this forum aren't tossing out $1000 on HIDs because they need them, they're doing it for the cool factor. I'm almost 50, my night vision is shot, and I drive on unlit country highways to work, during winter ice and snow. If your conditions and eyesight are worse than mine, you're legally blind.

Hey I'm not knocking those guys doing HID for fun, fill your boots! But speaking as someone who's a prime candidate for needing proper lighting to drive at night, I call total BS on anyone saying they need rather than just want HID. OP asked if he needs them, not wants them so there ya go.

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I agree 100%. I have the regular reflector headlights and they work just fine especially with the fogs on. Now projectors would be awesome to have but they definitely aren't worth $1000. But to each their own

I removed my HID lights because I was getting flashed a lot over the last two years. Couldn't figure out how to aim them lower so I removed them. Mistake! I miss them more and more each time it's dark, the OEM lights and fogs are MAYBE half as good as they were. Want to put them back in my truck but at this point not sure I feel like dealing with it. The driving I am doing, right now, the OEM lights seem to be doing just fine...even though I miss the amount of road and ditch I could see with the HID's.

I have blacked out oem quads with led bulbs and am pretty happy with them. I almost bought projectors but talked myself out of it reading negative reviews. I also did not want to spend the money on projectors then have to turn around and spend another grand on retro fitting them to make them up to par.

TXPudge1868 said:

How has your set from ebay held up? Trying to decide if shelling out the extra $ for an OEM pair would be worth it since the quality of the aftermarket units are usually crap.

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9 months later and they still work great.

I almost went with the morimoto projectors but took a chance with the ebays. Glad I did.

I just couldn't justify $1k for headlights.

Mbrigh3 said:

I have the quad set up... I installed the Opt7 leds and they are fantastic. Once I installed I aimed them down a bit and I haven't been flashed once. I will never add HIDs or Projectors to this truck. The Opt7 Leds are plenty esp for only $100.

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Did you have to do any other mods to get the leds to work? Canbus etc? I have a 2016 with projectors and they are horrible.

Rzrman328 said:

9 months later and they still work great.

I almost went with the morimoto projectors but took a chance with the ebays. Glad I did.

I just couldn't justify $1k for headlights.

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Rzrman328 said:

This.

Had I not had a second set to put on during my retro I don't think I would have ever done it.

Also being the first time I ever did it...I was nervous about messing something up the entire time. Luckily everything went smooth and they work great to this day.

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Rzrman328 said:

9 months later and they still work great.

I almost went with the morimoto projectors but took a chance with the ebays. Glad I did.

I just couldn't justify $1k for headlights.

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That's badass! Do you remember which set you purchased?

TXPudge1868 said:

That's badass! Do you remember which set you purchased?

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Here ya go bud....they were $39 when I bought...dammit.

https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-Mini-Bixenon-Projector-Lens/dp/B00B21R0TA