DampLemonade
Junior Member
Howdy!
Not seen a ton of discussion on lights, switch modules, or anything like that. So I dove into this little project head-first and wanted to share the experience in case anyone is looking to do something similar. Not sponsored by anyone. I do a lot of hauling in remote areas between TX and NM, and to be frank, I was not impressed with the light output of the factory headlights.
TLDR on purchases and experiences:
Light bar mount: Randy Ellis Design- great ordering experience, fast shipping, not the easiest to install
Switch-Pros SP9100 with dash panel kit: SDHQ- easy order, fast shipping, easy install, only issue was with the fuse tap
Fog Lights: CJC Offroad Tradesman Baja kit- incredible customer service, easy install
Lights: Auxbeam V Ultra on Amazon- Great value for price, install complicated by undersized wires
I somehow lost my pics of the light bar installation, but it's super easy in concept. Just unbolt the front tow hooks, slide the bar in, and re-bolt everything together. I had to use C-clamps and a rubber hammer to move everything into place due to it being a very tight fit. I also think one of the arms on my bar was slightly bent, as one of the tow hook bolts did NOT want to sit right, but after enough patience and a couple PBRs it finally worked.
The SwitchPros kit from SDHQ was worth every penny. The module mount bolts right up in front of the battery, the pre-cut dash panel fits perfect, and the switch itself is amazing. The control panel goes underneath the headlight controls. A plastic pry tool makes easy work of removing the blank piece. There's already a hole in the firewall in the footwell that covers what would've been the clutch linkage for a manual transmission, I ran the 4-wire switch communication cable through there. The blocking plate is plastic, I drilled a hole just big enough for the comm cable and sealed it with silicone.
The SwitchPros module supports two external triggers. Personally, I hooked my triggers up to the parking light and high beam wires on the headlight connector. On the headlight connector, I got a little extension from Customs Unlimited. One end goes into the connector from the truck, the other goes into the headlamp, and you have about 6 inches of wire in between. I did this so I could tap the park lamp and high beam signals without cutting into the factory harness. There are two wires (wires 12 and 8) for the park lamp signal, so if you want to tap them, you'll need a diode from the two wires and then join them into one after the diode. The extension may have already done this for you. Mine came with a tapped ground, but I didn't need it. Next, I tapped wire 3 for the high beam. These became my trigger inputs to the SwitchPros module.
The SwitchPros module uses solid-state relays, so there is no flyback voltage concern like there is with physical switching relays. Is flyback a concern with these trucks' BCMs? Maybe, maybe not, but that's a topic for another day. And, since these are only used for trigger signals and no load, the truck has no idea they're there and won't detect any increase in amperage draw.
The kit from SDHQ includes a fuse tap because you'll need to give the SwitchPros module an ignition signal (in addition to those triggers). However, our trucks use Micro2 fuses and SDHQ sent a tap for something larger, looked like Mini fuse? So I did have to make an emergency run to Napa and got set back about $10, but if that's the worst that happens on an install, it's a good day. The Napa Micro2 fuse tap is part no 785171.
Finally, the Baja fog light kit from CJC was great as well. I contacted them because I specifically wanted an amber Wide Cornering lens and they were super friendly to work with. Their kit comes with new Mopar bezels so everything tightens up exactly as it should. No gotchas on that part of the install.
From there, it was as simple as wiring all the lights to the SwitchPros module. Just remember that the ground wire on the module is not meant to carry the load of anything besides the switch controller and module itself. There are plenty of grounds all over the engine compartment. I got four Auxbeam pods total, two white and two amber. They were on sale for me, but even for full price they pack a decent punch. The hardest part about them was, the pods have a DRL for aesthetics, and the wire for the DRL is so small it was difficult to solder to the wire coming from the switch module. I personally prefer solder for everything, but this tiny wire couldn't have used a butt connector even if I wanted it to.
Harbor Freight sells really good quality protective wire wrap and shrink tube. I opted to solder all my connections and wrap the wires all in that HF protective wrap. I see some pretty harsh driving conditions and need the peace-of-mind that everything under the hood is sturdy and secure.
At the end of the day, I bought everything for a little over $1k total, and it was about 2 afternoons worth of install time. I am wildly happy with how it turned out. The ambers do great in the dust and haze, and the whites do great on clear nights. Haven't had any issues with water intrusion yet, and these have seen rain, snow, mud, and ice already. Hopefully this gives y'all some inspiration for a new project. Are the Auxbeams as bright as Baja or Diode Dynamics? No, but they do an objectively good job for everyday (err, every night?) driving.
If there's any interest in a comparison shot down the road between the normal hi-beams and the Auxbeams, let me know I can take my good camera out one night...
Not seen a ton of discussion on lights, switch modules, or anything like that. So I dove into this little project head-first and wanted to share the experience in case anyone is looking to do something similar. Not sponsored by anyone. I do a lot of hauling in remote areas between TX and NM, and to be frank, I was not impressed with the light output of the factory headlights.
TLDR on purchases and experiences:
Light bar mount: Randy Ellis Design- great ordering experience, fast shipping, not the easiest to install
Switch-Pros SP9100 with dash panel kit: SDHQ- easy order, fast shipping, easy install, only issue was with the fuse tap
Fog Lights: CJC Offroad Tradesman Baja kit- incredible customer service, easy install
Lights: Auxbeam V Ultra on Amazon- Great value for price, install complicated by undersized wires
I somehow lost my pics of the light bar installation, but it's super easy in concept. Just unbolt the front tow hooks, slide the bar in, and re-bolt everything together. I had to use C-clamps and a rubber hammer to move everything into place due to it being a very tight fit. I also think one of the arms on my bar was slightly bent, as one of the tow hook bolts did NOT want to sit right, but after enough patience and a couple PBRs it finally worked.
The SwitchPros kit from SDHQ was worth every penny. The module mount bolts right up in front of the battery, the pre-cut dash panel fits perfect, and the switch itself is amazing. The control panel goes underneath the headlight controls. A plastic pry tool makes easy work of removing the blank piece. There's already a hole in the firewall in the footwell that covers what would've been the clutch linkage for a manual transmission, I ran the 4-wire switch communication cable through there. The blocking plate is plastic, I drilled a hole just big enough for the comm cable and sealed it with silicone.
The SwitchPros module supports two external triggers. Personally, I hooked my triggers up to the parking light and high beam wires on the headlight connector. On the headlight connector, I got a little extension from Customs Unlimited. One end goes into the connector from the truck, the other goes into the headlamp, and you have about 6 inches of wire in between. I did this so I could tap the park lamp and high beam signals without cutting into the factory harness. There are two wires (wires 12 and 8) for the park lamp signal, so if you want to tap them, you'll need a diode from the two wires and then join them into one after the diode. The extension may have already done this for you. Mine came with a tapped ground, but I didn't need it. Next, I tapped wire 3 for the high beam. These became my trigger inputs to the SwitchPros module.
The SwitchPros module uses solid-state relays, so there is no flyback voltage concern like there is with physical switching relays. Is flyback a concern with these trucks' BCMs? Maybe, maybe not, but that's a topic for another day. And, since these are only used for trigger signals and no load, the truck has no idea they're there and won't detect any increase in amperage draw.
The kit from SDHQ includes a fuse tap because you'll need to give the SwitchPros module an ignition signal (in addition to those triggers). However, our trucks use Micro2 fuses and SDHQ sent a tap for something larger, looked like Mini fuse? So I did have to make an emergency run to Napa and got set back about $10, but if that's the worst that happens on an install, it's a good day. The Napa Micro2 fuse tap is part no 785171.
Finally, the Baja fog light kit from CJC was great as well. I contacted them because I specifically wanted an amber Wide Cornering lens and they were super friendly to work with. Their kit comes with new Mopar bezels so everything tightens up exactly as it should. No gotchas on that part of the install.
From there, it was as simple as wiring all the lights to the SwitchPros module. Just remember that the ground wire on the module is not meant to carry the load of anything besides the switch controller and module itself. There are plenty of grounds all over the engine compartment. I got four Auxbeam pods total, two white and two amber. They were on sale for me, but even for full price they pack a decent punch. The hardest part about them was, the pods have a DRL for aesthetics, and the wire for the DRL is so small it was difficult to solder to the wire coming from the switch module. I personally prefer solder for everything, but this tiny wire couldn't have used a butt connector even if I wanted it to.
Harbor Freight sells really good quality protective wire wrap and shrink tube. I opted to solder all my connections and wrap the wires all in that HF protective wrap. I see some pretty harsh driving conditions and need the peace-of-mind that everything under the hood is sturdy and secure.
At the end of the day, I bought everything for a little over $1k total, and it was about 2 afternoons worth of install time. I am wildly happy with how it turned out. The ambers do great in the dust and haze, and the whites do great on clear nights. Haven't had any issues with water intrusion yet, and these have seen rain, snow, mud, and ice already. Hopefully this gives y'all some inspiration for a new project. Are the Auxbeams as bright as Baja or Diode Dynamics? No, but they do an objectively good job for everyday (err, every night?) driving.
If there's any interest in a comparison shot down the road between the normal hi-beams and the Auxbeams, let me know I can take my good camera out one night...
