Morimoto LED Fogs (13+)

[BlownGP]

Looks good man.. Thanks for the pics.

 

[blackbetty14]

The cost of projector swaps is ridicukous IMO. Sure it's some work and I understand the need to charge for the labor. But $600 plus for a projector upgrade is mucho $$. Esp when the FXR projectors are for sale new at like $120 ish.

Not only that but the morimoto stuff is not that great. I bought a pair of morimoto mini H1 projectors about 3 years ago maybe from TRS, got them and installed and they worked good. I just purchased 4 H1 mini cheap Chinese proHectors for a custom 4 projector popup headlight setup and we'll wouldn't u know it they are the EXACT same projector as the TRS morimoto projectors they are replacing. They have the same markings as the chinese ones and casting logo etc. The only difference is the $110 price for the morimoto for 2 projectors and the cheap Chinese ones that I got 4 for $90.

you might think the quality isn't the same but the projectors are and perform flawlessly. This is my 4th custom projector setup using the Chinese ones. I also have a 50w and 35w morimoto DSP HID kits and besides the slightly faster warm up time they perform no differently than my $30 DDM HIDs. If any thing the quality seems less on the morimoto stuff compared to the DDM in ballast output wires... the morimto uses a cheap stamped steel crimp around the wires coming out of the ballast to the bulbs. I run the morimoto canbus adapters from jeremy and they work great but no idea if they are just more expensive than other canbus adapters that work just as good.

Not to flame the supporting vendors here but just my opinion on what I've gotten that's morimoto... basically over priced. Some rebranded stuff for the most part.

I woukd love to throw LEDS in my 14 sport headlights for the high beams but dodge didn't design enough space into the back of the headlight for the large heat sinks.

 

[BlackRamHemi]

I was confident paying a little more for all my Morimoto HID gear
all through JJ at the Retros Shop and all backed with a no questions asked 5 year replacement warranty.
How can you beat that???

FX-R upgrade parts at RetroFitSource run $350 for projectors, bulbs, ballasts and canbus adapters or relay harness.
...not $120

Most HID complaints I've heard of are from people who didn't get lucky with the ebay
cheaper crap shoot components that left them totally pissed off with the whole HID experience and no warranty.

For those that have no issues with cheaper kits, good for you...you got lucky!

For those who want the best with the least risk there's the RetroShop
where you can actually communicate with the owner of the company, the one who built and or supplied and shipped your product...and can speak engrish if you have issues with anything from sales, shipping, installing, adjusting or replacing something if it doesnt work.

Available 24/7 by pm, email, phone, instagram, facebook, text.

 

[DatacomGuy]

Ooooooh this would fix a few different issues for me.. I'm very interested..

 

[BlownGP]

With HIDs so cheap. Who cares about a warranty and eBay doesn't play around with sellers screwing you over. Ever heard of paypal?

You can get damn bulbs and ballast for $10 each. I'm pretty sure you can afford that. lol

JJ's great and there's not doubt his retro fits are sick as ***, but when comes to HID kits. It will be a cold day in hell before I pay over $100 for one.
and yes I know how close you are too JJ. Hope his wife doesn't get jealous.

 

[Andrew09HEMI]

Well this has turned into another awesome thread...

 

[blackbetty14]

I was confident paying a little more for all my Morimoto HID gear
all through JJ at the Retros Shop and all backed with a no questions asked 5 year replacement warranty.
How can you beat that???

FX-R upgrade parts at RetroFitSource run $350 for projectors, bulbs, ballasts and canbus adapters or relay harness.
...not $120

Most HID complaints I've heard of are from people who didn't get lucky with the ebay
cheaper crap shoot components that left them totally pissed off with the whole HID experience and no warranty.

For those that have no issues with cheaper kits, good for you...you got lucky!

For those who want the best with the least risk there's the RetroShop
where you can actually communicate with the owner of the company, the one who built and or supplied and shipped your product...and can speak engrish if you have issues with anything from sales, shipping, installing, adjusting or replacing something if it doesnt work.

Available 24/7 by pm, email, phone, instagram, facebook, text.

When JJ does the FXR projector swap the cost does NOT include HIDs. So his base price for JUST the projector swap which you still need send him your headlights is $685, on sale for 625 now. So the total cost for the projector swap is $685/625 plus the $120 ballast HID kit, plus the canbus adapter at a min of $30 per pair... so do the math mamba! Also don't forget about shipping costs of both headlights.

Case in point the projectors cost $120 roughly brand new. A $30-50 HID kit and if u want the $30 morimoto canbus adapters. So figure $200 total in parts which is what the regular guy pays... the vendors obviously get them for much cheaper. So he's making $500+ in taking the headlights apart and bolting them in. Not including the HIDS cost.

Now ive delt with jeremy and cant say enough great things about his service and products thus far. But $560 is still $560 to hest the headlight and pull the lense. In fact he uses TYC fog lights about $100 value and swaps in the same mini 6.0 projector which can be $39 cheapo to the $120 morimoto and sells for like $545... that's like $300 to heat the tiny fog lights and swap the projectors in. Jeremy does great work but who.has that kind of money to spend.

I have 7 sets of DDM ballasts and HID kits and most are over 3 yrs old, one is 5yrs and never had an issue. At $30-50 per kit and get a limited liflifetime warranty is worth even if u have to purchase them again. Morimoto stuff is still made in china, does not come in a slim style with and external ignitor and had all those recall issues with the SS version. 8 cheap projectors and no issues not to mention the are the morimotos from a few years ago.

This thread is about LED fog lights and maybe LED reflector headlights... not a comparison of FXR projector headlights and the same 7 photos that usually follow any of your lighting posts. My comments only reflect the posts of just put projectors in it for the best light output. Since its a true statement but the cost is 90% of the reason people dont attempt it. I'm sure if the prices dropped on the swap more.people would be ordering them and prob increasing is profit as he would get more work but at a lesser profit. For the average guy LEDS or HIDs in the stock housing is affordable.

To the OP... LEDS look good!

 

[blackbetty14]

On a side note... has anyone experimented with putting a light cutofF on the stock fog lights? I noticed that i might randomly get flashed but it's prob from the HID fog lights as they glare alot... and are very bright. I'm noticing from the LED light output pics of the light scatter. Might be as simple as painting the fog light lenses with plastidip or something on the bottom or top to create a cutoff for less scattered light.

 

[Andrew09HEMI]

Yea i agree this thread was about led fogs and I installed into head too but the comparison came up cause I agreed it'll probably perform better in a projector housing, that's how it started. But now it's just a ****** match hhahaha

 

[0212353]

Since the subject seems to have changed........

blackbetty14 - couple discrepancies in what you've typed.

My cost on the FXR retrofits, and any retrofit on my site includes the projectors, HIDs to work with those projectors and the vehicle in question and shipping to the US.

As for parts.......sure, there are many parts available elsewhere that people can (and do) use. Thats........perfectly fine - free world, lots of options. I use TRS. Are they the cheapest, no. Do their parts look just like the ones from eBay, sometimes. The projectors you just got.....what version are they? 4? 5? TRS is making the updates on these........the eBay groups get the left overs. Are they tuned? Each one I buy is. I know it will work and perform the way I expect it to, right out of the box.

At the end of the day, every person, shop, etc has their preferences on what they use. Is it always the cheapest way? Nope. Does it work for me and my shop? Yes. I know the product I use, I know that if I have any issues I have the full support of my supplier (TRS). The support they provide me is well worth the funds I filter through them weekly. In turn, it allows me to fully support what I do, and what I sell.

But.........hey, back on topic - the LEDs don't look bad for output. Scatter, yeah, a bit......but eventually, they'll get there! LEDs are moving quite quick on the development stage!

 

[BlackRamHemi]

When JJ does the FXR projector swap the cost does NOT include HIDs. So his base price for JUST the projector swap which you still need send him your headlights is $685, on sale for 625 now. So the total cost for the projector swap is $685/625 plus the $120 ballast HID kit, plus the canbus adapter at a min of $30 per pair... so do the math mamba! Also don't forget about shipping costs of both headlights.

All included and free shipping in the U.S.



If you don't send your projector lights,
buying RetroShop TYC's for just $625 is the perfect solution IMHO

Then when they arrive sell your stockers locally, no shipping charges involved (win-win)

I don't know what 13+ projectors go for down there but here $800 seems the average...



That puts the upgrade to just around $465 by my math (what many pay for Ebay Halogen Recons)
since the heads are opened for the FX-R swap adding paint/tint and demon eyes...is just a little more $.

Worth it to me YMMV

 

[blackbetty14]

Sorry about that Jeremy, I looked at the description on my phone and didn't see it listed that it was included. Thanks for the clarification.

Can't recall the type or model, I just know they were the H1 mini morimoto projector with chrome shrouds that were $120 (tuned) and it was roughly 3 years ago. Ordered right from TRS, when they arrived I wasn't very impressed with the chrome finish on the bowl and by now (3 years later) the finish has degraded so much that significant light output has diminished. The backs have AES and a small shield casted into the bowl… the new ones I received have the same casting in the same place but the chrome finish is flawless compared to the morimoto TRS version (when it was new). Further more the TRS morimoto projectors "tuned" was 1 thin lock washer between the cutoff shield and the lense holder at the 4 mounting points. I have tested the cheap chinese ones and the cutoff is the same crisp colorfull cutoff.

I'm glad you do what you do Jeremy, and you do it very well… no doubt about that. I've had very pleasant transactions with you in the past and great customer service and fast shipping. I just feel if prices were lower you could get more business (from me lol) thats all (but you prob get enough already lol). My only gripe is the quality of the morimoto brand just isn't as great as I would have thought for the prices… I mean $45+ for LED halos?! wow. These aren't your prices and I know that… but just saying I won't buy morimoto stuff anymore if there is a viable option by another brand that I have experience with. The 50w DSP ballast shows now increased light output compared to a 35w ballast when compared to another DSP 35w ballast as well as DDM 35w, mainly its just the startup speed.

I'm a big fan of LEDs… I've converted 1/2 my house to LED tech in my renovations and Do so on my vehicles as well. LED fogs is great. Do you have any experience with painting cutoffs on the stock fog light housing to help control scattered light Jeremy? Seems like a good possibility it could help. I'm waiting for a viable option for the 9005 high beams in my sport headlights… Im thinking the new Hipower Samsung 9005s (with multiple chips) could possibly be bright enough. Thoughts?

 

[0212353]

All good.

At the end of the day, trust me - I get it, my product, TRS's product, etc...not for everyone. Pricing is always fun.......I know I'm not the cheapest, I'm not the most expensive either. Not to sound cocky, so please don't take it that way.....but......I'm swimming in work. I quit my day job in September.....haven't looked back. I do about 35-40 builds a month, plus the parts sales. This is my life, I put a LOT of time in it, and ..... its reflected in my pricing on our builds. I don't cheap out anywhere.

Morimoto comes under fire a LOT - but.......any big brand does. The more that is out there, the more people with them..........a 1% failure rate (just throwing a number) looks larger. Not everyone praises, everyone complains. If you've found a brand that works better for you, hey.......do it to it man!

I love the idea of LEDs, just.....but, I can't see it working for a bit. Painting the bowls for an improved cutoff? Nah.....If I'm opening them for a lighting upgrade, its getting projectors. The trial and error to get to that "sweet" spot on painting vs not......I don't have the parts to throw at. That stuff adds up fast!

I Samsung ones? No experience. I don't use my highs......to be honest.......and with a bixenon projector, I can't see my halogen highs anyway. Hell, I don't even use my fogs...lol

 

[blackbetty14]

I Wasn't referring to painting the bowls… just the less on the Fogs. The vertical fogs on the 14 ram… if I blacked out the bottom 2" lets just say with a straight cutoff I wonder if that would help with the scattered light effect much like the cutoff of a projector. Ya get me? Basically just mask the bottom 2" off (cover the top) and hit it with a few coats of plasti dip. Reflection bouncing off the inside of the housing will hopefully hit that wall and stop… much like the cutoff of a projector. I do know that the bowl in the reflector housing is not as controlled as the projector bowl so that might make this all a mute point.

On a side note, how long do you spend on a pair of headlights getting the FXR upgrade? and the FXR projector just bolts in place of the stock projector mounting plate right?

 

[0212353]

I get what you are saying. Makes sense.....on paper.

As for time, I keep that to myself bud. Put yourself in my shoes......and remember that time performing the work is not all the time that goes into a job. FXRs do have a laser cut plate (that we helped design) and is used to mount the projectors in the lights.

I think we've strayed enough from the original intent of the post. I've got some work to do anyway.......so I'm out!

 

[BlownGP]

I get what you are saying. Makes sense.....on paper.

As for time, I keep that to myself bud. Put yourself in my shoes......and remember that time performing the work is not all the time that goes into a job. FXRs do have a laser cut plate (that we helped design) and is used to mount the projectors in the lights.

I think we've strayed enough from the original intent of the post. I've got some work to do anyway.......so I'm out!

I liked your post since BlackRamHemi forget too!!!!

Keep up the good work JJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Power247]

Yea maybe for the projectors but I have the quads so it's a little different. Any way some output shots for you guys..



Heads and fogs


Heads only


Fogs only


Heads only


Fogs


Both


I'm overall happy with the end result. I'll get some better far out put shots when I go back to families house in th country but I think this does a good job of showing it.

This has been an interesting read for sure. Thanks for the pics.

I have been looking at LEDs online but haven't seen these yet. These look promising. I look forward to hearing how they hold up for you. Looks like I may have found a use for some of that tax money I got coming.

 

[sicmadek]

So these arent bright enough to be used as low beams?

 

[Andrew09HEMI]

Who said they aren't bright enough for lows? I have them in fogs and lows and work excellent

 

[Andrew09HEMI]

Also, I don't feel the scatter is nearly as much as HIDs in a halogen housing definitely less, but as i mentioned a few times, these in a projector would be ideal