Projectors are .. meh

[Dantra]

I bought the ddm ultra hids for my projectors, still havnt installed them. I just see so many recommending hids in projectors over leds. Standing by for your review!
I was just gonna leave the highs as is and only do the fogs, maybe install those hikari 9006 fogs. Also saw some switching fogs i may try, kinda cool to be able to switch white to yellow.

I did some more reading trying to decide what I wanted for Highs and Fogs because the Firewire LEDs were an absolute failrure. Keep your DDMs for Highs and grab a set of Hikari as well. The Hikari bulbs are clockable and the DDMs are not. It's my understanding that Projectors should have the LEDs on the bulb tower at 9/3. The DDMs will work great as High Beams. You can try the DDMs in the low on one side and see how they look compared to a Hikari in the other side. They're both 9005 bulbs..

Here's an updated thread with Hikaris installed in the low beams
https://www.ramforum.com/threads/hi...-review-with-firewire-highs-fogs-fail.150935/

 

[Cableman]

Yeah i saw your review. Looks great how easy they install vs hids and drilling hole and crap in dust cover. Ill try what i i bought in lows and see how i like them. The ddm led sabors are supposed to be great for fogs also according to bulbfacts.

 

[Dantra]

The ddm led sabors are supposed to be great for fogs also according to bulbfacts.

Yes they are.. I went with Hikari again on the fogs just to make sure the colors match.

 

[Telvis]

So, I apologize for my ignorance, but I'm looking thru the forums and I can't seem to find a possible solution in just replacing the bulbs?..since I don't have the funds to get all these highend ones.
My issue is that I also bought after market factory style from ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/362137738720
I had to replace the headlight assembly due to alot of moisture on one of the assembly.
With the new ones..its been almost a month I guess..and I've noticed a serious decrease in the brightness/length of the lights since the replacement. At the moment, I can only see about 5 feet in front of my truck and nothing beyond that. I went to two mechanics to adjust the projectors but they said its already too high, so then I re-adjusted it and no change. Its like bright 4-5 feet ahead and very dim above that.
So, is it the lumens? Can I just change the bulbs out?
Thanks and sorry for another repetitive question.
My Ram: 2013 Sport/Crew Cab

 

[NoveskeFan]

So, I apologize for my ignorance, but I'm looking thru the forums and I can't seem to find a possible solution in just replacing the bulbs?..since I don't have the funds to get all these highend ones.
My issue is that I also bought after market factory style from ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/362137738720
I had to replace the headlight assembly due to alot of moisture on one of the assembly.
With the new ones..its been almost a month I guess..and I've noticed a serious decrease in the brightness/length of the lights since the replacement. At the moment, I can only see about 5 feet in front of my truck and nothing beyond that. I went to two mechanics to adjust the projectors but they said its already too high, so then I re-adjusted it and no change. Its like bright 4-5 feet ahead and very dim above that.
So, is it the lumens? Can I just change the bulbs out?
Thanks and sorry for another repetitive question.
My Ram: 2013 Sport/Crew Cab

What low beam bulbs are in the housing? You should be able to replace the bulbs; my guess is the ones that came with it are cheap "throw-in's".

 

[Midnight Storm]

What low beam bulbs are in the housing? my guess is the ones that came with it are cheap "throw-in's".

More like “throw outs!” Am I right?!

 

[NoveskeFan]

More like “throw outs!” Am I right?!

I stand corrected

 

[Gero]

If you have time, it's well worth the effort to retrofit true hid projectors. The output and sharpness is amazing.

 

[rpr]

If you have time, it's well worth the effort to retrofit true hid projectors. The output and sharpness is amazing.

Can you clarify your thought here? I’ve retrofitted my factory projectors with 35W DDM Ultra Can BUS HIDs in the low beams and I’m being generous in saying the results are underwhelming at best. I’m about to either try Morimito HIDs or move on to LEDs for my factory projector low beams. I already have DDM LEDs in my high beams and they are great.

 

[Gero]

Can you clarify your thought here? I’ve retrofitted my factory projectors with 35W DDM Ultra Can BUS HIDs in the low beams and I’m being generous in saying the results are underwhelming at best. I’m about to either try Morimito HIDs or move on to LEDs for my factory projector low beams. I already have DDM LEDs in my high beams and they are great.

The factory projectors are designed to use halogen bulbs so the output is going to be very limiting. Led/hid bulbs produces more light than the halogen bulbs but the projectors wont really be able to take advantage of that. Hid projectors are engineered specifically for hid bulb's output.

If you wanted led projectors (and there are lots of benefts) then you have to go with say the mled by morimoto. For hid projectors, the mini d2s or mini h7 by morimoto are good choices.

I went with the mini h7v7 and have been very impressed.




View attachment 183603

 

[bigred90gt]

I've had morimoto now for 18 months with no issues, however last week the pass side light was like a strobe light. I turned off/on the headlights and it "seems" to have fixed itself but now I've lost confidence in them. I'm thinking of ordering the DDM kit too.

My Morimoto kit (with harness) started doing the same thing randomly last week. It has done it 3 times in the last week after nearly 2 years of zero issues. Turning the lights off then back on clears up the issue, but it is indeed a bit concerning.

 

[Jimmy07]

My Morimoto kit (with harness) started doing the same thing randomly last week. It has done it 3 times in the last week after nearly 2 years of zero issues. Turning the lights off then back on clears up the issue, but it is indeed a bit concerning.

Most likely the relays on the harness. Even though they pull power from the battery, they are still triggered by the low beam PWM, which can cause relay chatter. Sooner or later, they’ll fail.

 

[JB1]

My Morimoto kit (with harness) started doing the same thing randomly last week. It has done it 3 times in the last week after nearly 2 years of zero issues. Turning the lights off then back on clears up the issue, but it is indeed a bit concerning.

I was told it was the ballast in another thread

 

[rpr]

The factory projectors are designed to use halogen bulbs so the output is going to be very limiting. Led/hid bulbs produces more light than the halogen bulbs but the projectors wont really be able to take advantage of that. Hid projectors are engineered specifically for hid bulb's output.

If you wanted led projectors (and there are lots of benefts) then you have to go with say the mled by morimoto. For hid projectors, the mini d2s or mini h7 by morimoto are good choices.

I went with the mini h7v7 and have been very impressed.


View attachment 183604

View attachment 183603

Thanks, I may try one of those options. How difficult is the install?

 

[Gero]

Thanks, I may try one of those options. How difficult is the install?

There's some guides on here you can follow. You can send it in if you aren't comfortable with it but it really isnt that hard. It takes 6-8hrs to do. You can get the whole kit from trs which includes the harness and everything required. If I had to do it again, I would've went with the minid2s (a bit harder because its bigger) because I perfer non rebased bulbs. You have more options to choose from and the bulb mounts are much better.

 

[rpr]

Thanks, one last question. Even after adjusting the vents on the back side of my factory projector enclosures, I still get quite a bit of condensation on the insides. The inside surface is starting to accumulate a lot of dust and they even look dirty. I’m questioning whether I should invest so much time and expense into these factory enclosures, or just purchase an aftermarket complete headlight, like the Morimoto XB LED headlight..only cheaper if there are any decent ones out there.

I have limited time available to invest in this, but the DDM HIDs I have in the factory projectors now are almost dangerously dim. Can you or anyone else recommend a good complete HID or LED headlight with the enclosure short of the $~$1,600 Morimoto XB?

Apologies for near hijacking this thread but I think there is a lot of good info here and mentioning some tested complete headlight options might be of value to some.

Many thanks.

 

[Midnight Storm]

I still think factory projectors with a GOOD HID kit like the GTR plug and play are pretty awesome. $300 upgrade gives you tons of good light. Here... let me show you:
Low beam only.

 

[rpr]

Very nice! Here’s what my dismal DDM 5500K Ultra Can BUS HIDs in my factory projectors look like:

 

[Cableman]

Very nice! Here’s what my dismal DDM 5500K Ultra Can BUS HIDs in my factory projectors look like:

View attachment 183660

Wow that's bad! I wonder if somethings wrong with them. I still have to install mine without canbus adaptors, ill sure be pulling them if i get the same results.
Couple others said they were good so idk!

 

[rpr]

I replaced one ballast with an extra I previously purchased from DDM today and no improvement. However, in the process I noted that my factory halogen bulbs were 9012s and DDM shipped me 9005/9006 bulbs with the Ultra Canbus kit. I placed the order over the phone and recall them saying I needed 9005/9006 bulbs, but it looks like the factory projectors on the Laramie Limited use 9012s.

However, other than fitment, which I was able to make work, I wouldn’t think the light output would different.

Any thoughts on this?