AlphaRex Headlight Help

[Jessica Smith]

I received the 9005's today and was able to fit them into the H10/9145 fog lamp housings of my 2009 Ram without much difficulty and did not modify the base since I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep them.

Edit: I am not keeping them, they are SUPER bright, but its almost like driving around with highbeams on with how much light spill there is when I do a wall check. Doh! So the headlights lows and highs stay, but still on the search for foglamps.

 

[CheechDogg.0n37s]

The new 2020 Hikari's have acceptable beam pattern IMO. Below is lowbeams only, no high or fogs on (9005 Hikari fogs now ordered):



Video: https://imgur.com/1rvd0ml

Are these in quads or projectors?

 

[Jessica Smith]

Are these in quads or projectors?

Alpharex/modify street projectors. I put 12000LM Nineo IIs 9005s in the fogs, super bright, and better beam pattern in those housings. Good patterns overall, and no flashes to date.

 

[AE5548]

Since it's only to turn on the drl's a 10 amp is more than enough. Lots of people have just stuffed the wire into the fuse opening. I believe f66 is for a sun roof.

I use a Fuse Tap on F66 as well. Just beware, that has power any time the key is turned. If you like DRL’s on all the time, even if your parked then it’s fine. But I have the Alpharex NOVA’s and the DRL’s are super bright. They are great when driving around. But when you want to just sit in your car and listen to the radio and not announce to the world you are sitting in your car it sucks. My DRL’s light up the parking lot where I work on overnight shifts if I take a break in my truck. I’d love to find another power source that only comes on when the key is in RUN. Otherwise I guess I’ll run a wire with a switch.

 

[crash68]

I’d love to find another power source that only comes on when the key is in RUN. Otherwise I guess I’ll run a wire with a switch.

Add the dedicated DRL circuits to your truck. You'll need to check if you have:
PIN 8 - LEFT DRL LAMP DRIVER
PIN 23 - RIGHT DRL LAMP DRIVER
In the connector below the fuse box. I'd so then contact M² Mods for the extended length DRL pigtails for your truck. You enabled them with AlfaOBD. Factory DRL come on if the vehicle is in gear and the parking brake is not set. I added them to my '15 and have them set for turn signal drop out for my ModifyStreet V1 headlights.

 

[GordDavey]

Add the dedicated DRL circuits to your truck. You'll need to check if you have:
PIN 8 - LEFT DRL LAMP DRIVER
PIN 23 - RIGHT DRL LAMP DRIVER
In the connector below the fuse box. I'd so then contact M² Mods for the extended length DRL pigtails for your truck. You enabled them with AlfaOBD. Factory DRL come on if the vehicle is in gear and the parking brake is not set. I added them to my '15 and have them set for turn signal drop out for my ModifyStreet V1 headlights.

Crash68, I was wondering if that would work. I was going to see if my truck had the DRL pins and measure the voltage and then see what voltage was coming out of the Alpharex G2’s relay. To see if I could hook those those DRL wires to the lights DRL wires or not. From what you are saying it will work which would be great! No having to unplug F66 when going to the drive-in or just sitting in the truck for a break. Excellent! I’d love to get rid of that dumb little relay box!

 

[crash68]

I was wondering if that would work. I was going to see if my truck had the DRL pins and measure the voltage and then see what voltage was coming out of the Alpharex G2’s relay. To see if I could hook those those DRL wires to the lights DRL wires or not.

If I'm not mistaken the DRL outputs are also adjustable voltage wise with AlfaOBD also.
The plug under the fuse box your looking for is mounted on the front(closest to the headlights). The wires going to the BCM should be there if you have a SLT or higher trim, not sure about lower trims. I think I was one of the first few that ordered the extended length pigtails so they're one piece going to each headlight. When you insert the pigtails, the top part of the plug needs to be pulled up.
I also have the DRL On/Off selection in the 8.4 radio. They also illuminate when you remote start the vehicle.

 

[GordDavey]

If I'm not mistaken the DRL outputs are also adjustable voltage wise with AlfaOBD also.
The plug under the fuse box your looking for is mounted on the front(closest to the headlights). The wires going to the BCM should be there if you have a SLT or higher trim, not sure about lower trims. I think I was one of the first few that ordered the extended length pigtails so they're one piece going to each headlight. When you insert the pigtails, the top part of the plug needs to be pulled up.
I also have the DRL On/Off selection in the 8.4 radio. They also illuminate when you remote start the vehicle.

Crash68, well I’ve done so many mods to my truck that I have tons of pins leftover for those YESC/Kaizen connectors like the one under the fuse box. So I can build whatever wires I need even if I have to go back to the BCM it won’t be an issue. Knowing that it will work and turn my Alpharex G2 DRL‘a into properly wired DRL’s and that it will work is 1/2 the battle solved. The rest is just a bit of wiring and few AlphaODB settings. When I first put my G2’s in the high beams at 1/2 power were still set as the DRL’s so I had both the white strips and the high beams on. Since my truck is Canadian (me too) it defaults to those settings. I switched the DRL lamp to dedicated which got rid of the 1/2 power high beams. So just the white strips in the G2’s come on now as DRL’s. Which is what I wanted. Now with your post I know I can properly wire up the G2 white DRL’s and get rid of the relay and have them work properly instead of connecting to F66. Thanks!

 

[GordDavey]

Add the dedicated DRL circuits to your truck. You'll need to check if you have:
PIN 8 - LEFT DRL LAMP DRIVER
PIN 23 - RIGHT DRL LAMP DRIVER
In the connector below the fuse box. I'd so then contact M² Mods for the extended length DRL pigtails for your truck. You enabled them with AlfaOBD. Factory DRL come on if the vehicle is in gear and the parking brake is not set. I added them to my '15 and have them set for turn signal drop out for my ModifyStreet V1 headlights.

Crash68, A couple more settings that affect getting the DRL's in the Alpharex to work with the trucks actual DRL Circuits.
I followed your advice, added Pin 8 and 23, ensured the wiring was correct to the BCM and set all the DRL settings via AlphaOBD as you advised, but the DRL's did not work for me.

So, I checked things out farther, I get 12.5v coming from the goofy DRL relay that comes with the G2's to enable the White upper and lower lights to be bright. But Pin 8 and Pin 23 only ever put out 0.07v, not matter what I did.

I found several other settings actually need to be set. Keeping in mind, my truck is a 2015 and came with Quads:

CBC-Config I/O-Right Dedicated DRL Lamp/Right Signature LED Present/Right Front Turn Signal #2/Headlamp Leveing Output Present - Must set this to Yes
CBC-Config I/O-Left Dedicated DRL Lamps/Left Front Turn Signal #2/Left Signature LED Present - Must set this to Yes

I have my DRL config to use "Dedicated DRL" and not Highbeams or Turn Signals or parking lamps.

By setting those two to Yes, I now get 14.4v when the headlights are OFF and the truck is placed in Drive. The upper and lower white strips are both nice and bright and are the DRL's. I tried changing the DRL voltage (CBC Extern.Light Calibr - Right Side DRL Voltage Target and Left Side DRL Voltage Target), but that had no effect, although I think it had no effect because my DRL's are not set to be LED. I imagine if I did set the DRL's to LED then the voltages would change. However with 14.4v the two white strips are both nice and bright, where before the upper was bright and the lower not quite as bright. I did not set the DRL Fault monitoring.

When the headlights are on, the DRL voltage drops to 0.07v and the white strips are dimmer, which is likely a good thing as they'd be too bright at night with the low beams on.

During the day with the headlights off, and the truck in Park (headlights set to Auto or Off) No DRL's light up. If the truck is in drive and the emergency brake is on, then no DRL either. When the headlights come on (either set ON or AUTO and it's dark out) then the DRL's are dim. With the headlights off, shifting out of park, the lights do their little dance as they power up and the DRL's go bright white.

So, my DRL's are working nicely. I simply added the two pins, and about 2-1/2 feet of wire, and I had picked up a two pin waterproof connector at the local electronics store, which turned out to be the exact same connector Alpharex used for their relay to DRL wires, so I plugged directly into the connector that the relay plugged into and did not have to run new wiring out to both lights. No need to disassemble anything other than removing the fuse box to get at the connector to add in the two pins.

My truck is also a Canadian truck, (I am too) but I can turn the DRL's on/off via the touchscreen too thanks to your BCM settings list. As far as I'm concerned the change to use the Dedicated DRL's and the bit of wiring was perfect, and eliminated the goofy relay/fuse tap completely, and now the DRL's are NOT on ALL the time, just when they need to be.

 

[crash68]

Crash68, A couple more settings that affect getting the DRL's in the Alpharex to work with the trucks actual DRL Circuits.
I followed your advice, added Pin 8 and 23, ensured the wiring was correct to the BCM and set all the DRL settings via AlphaOBD as you advised, but the DRL's did not work for me.

So, I checked things out farther, I get 12.5v coming from the goofy DRL relay that comes with the G2's to enable the White upper and lower lights to be bright. But Pin 8 and Pin 23 only ever put out 0.07v, not matter what I did.

I found several other settings actually need to be set. Keeping in mind, my truck is a 2015 and came with Quads:

CBC-Config I/O-Right Dedicated DRL Lamp/Right Signature LED Present/Right Front Turn Signal #2/Headlamp Leveing Output Present - Must set this to Yes
CBC-Config I/O-Left Dedicated DRL Lamps/Left Front Turn Signal #2/Left Signature LED Present - Must set this to Yes

I have my DRL config to use "Dedicated DRL" and not Highbeams or Turn Signals or parking lamps.

Interesting, I wonder if it was because your was a Canadian truck that you had the extra settings. Mine is also a '15 but the DRLs worked without making the extra settings.

 

[GordDavey]

Crash68,
That's quite a possibility. There are lots of settings forced when the BCM country is Canada, and there are common DRL settings up here since DRL's are a requirement. I've noticed that whether you have Quads or Projectors, even the new 5th gen's, that High Beam on 1/2 strength is the default for DRL here with Rams.

 

[hunterdan]

I know I'm bringing up an older thread, but I just ordered some alpharex pro housings and have been trying to decide which bulbs to go with. I'm torn with either just doing a 100w halogen or going with led. I figure if I go led. If anyone is using led, what bulbs are you using in your alpharex housings? Has anyone tried higher wattage halogens?

 

[Luau_Pig]

I just installed mine with https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-Motor...1&sr=1-1-80ba0e26-a1cd-4e7b-87a0-a2ffae3a273c

Has not had any issues with Canbus. Plenty bright especially when going from stock halogens. Night and day difference.

Only issue I have run into is getting a parking light out error whenever I use turn signals. Hoping to fix it with Alfaobd. Otherwise Alpharex is sending me some resistors if that doesn't fix it.

 

[BigDamnRam]

The new 2020 Hikari's have acceptable beam pattern IMO. Below is lowbeams only, no high or fogs on (9005 Hikari fogs now ordered):



Video: https://imgur.com/1rvd0ml

Are those the Hikari Ultras in AlphaRex G2 Pro low beams? Or are those the regular Hikari's you're talking about? That beam pattern is on point!

 

[Jessica Smith]

Are those the Hikari Ultras in AlphaRex G2 Pro low beams? Or are those the regular Hikari's you're talking about? That beam pattern is on point!

Hikari 2020 (the ones with the domed LED, note the ultra) in these projector housings: https://www.ebay.com/itm/283395072277

They supposedly have an improved Hikari 2021 model now, that may be a better option. Didn't exist when I bought mine.

 

[Justin33]

Blah so you would have to add that mod harness to get these to run the right way? It can’t be achieved via Alfa? Are you also saying using mod 2 wiring you wouldn’t have to fuse tap?