Headlights part XXXXX

[Matt400]

Has anyone replaced their fogs with PIAA 540's



Complete kit is a retro fit and you can do Fog or Driving beam.

Seems to me you could use the Driving beam as a low supplement if you were to aim them down enough. That would give a little more distance than the fog beam + keep the light in your lane.



Another option is the Warn SDB-160 HBE that has an H4 bulb so you would get both a Hi and Low beam but the fog beam might be lacking for low supplementation. The 4" lens diameter would fit the fog location + you could probably order a 540 mounting kit that might work. Warn also sells a 90/100W H4 that should push the performance.



Yet another thought is to use a long range "spot" type beam lamp and again. . aim them down to just get that area out front just in your lane. I would think spot type beams with their concentrated beam you could easily aim to keep stray light out of traffic when on low + you could even down grade the bulb to 55W

 

[seafish]

Has anyone replaced their fogs with PIAA 540's

I was thinking about using the PIAA 540's, but am now thinking about doing the Fogzilla conversion to let me replace the stock 9006 to a 9005 and then getting one of these Toshiba HIR bulbs to go from the 9005 to the 9011. That would change the OEM Hella fog lights from 1000 lumens to the Fogzilla at 1700 lumens to the Toshiba at 2500 lumens. That is 2. 5 times as bright by replacing the bulb and wire harness for a cost of about $75 and no mods except for plug in new wire harness and new bulb. The Toshiba HIR has a rated life of 300 hours, vs 1000 hours for the 9006 or 225 hours for the 9005.



I have never seen a lumen rating for the 540s, so I DON"T know how it would compare, but 2. 5 times as bright for $75 hasgot to be an improvement. Whaddya Think??

 

[Matt400]

Whaddya Think??

I think it would be better but not good enough. Reason is. . I did the bright box and 9005's on my 03 and while it was an improvement it was not where I wanted. That mod gave me good light right in front of the truck and was only good for back road driving. The OEM fog housing just scatters the light all around and up close. The 9011's I think would do the same thing without giving the needed distance. I ran 9011's in our PT cruiser's high beam location with good results though.



My latest low beam mod is a pair of external lamps on a light bar using these:

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply in KC buckets.

I thought for sure this would be the fix all but I don't like it either.

Because it is a low beam lamp it spreads the light out to the sides and actually wastes lumen's when you already have light in those areas with the OEM lamps.



After some more thought on this I ordered a pair of "spot inserts" for my KC housings and am going to down grade the 100W H3's intended for them to 55W and aim them right at the dark spot just ahead of the poor OEM low beams.

I am hoping the narrow beam will have good "cut-off" when aimed this way for traffic. I don't want to light up more signs and other lanes so we shall see.



For my high beams I have these on the light bar-

Titanium Driving SlimLite<br>System # 122 and they work just fine.



I like the idea of the 540's cuz they are in the fog location and now days everyone runs the fogs where we are, you would just need to aim them down for a low beam supplement and if there isn't too much stray light they might be the ticket. My next experiment will set me back 60. 00.

 

[seafish]

Matt, I totally agree with you that it is most difficult to augment the low beams on our trucks. Short of Mopar Bob being able to work a solution with his lighting supplier for an upgraded oem fit headlight, I do like JKloppes solution best,(https://www.turbodieselregister.com...-transmission-discussions/191334-how-hid.html), but it is really too costly and labor intensive. I HAVE toyed with the idea of using the BOTH the Piaa 540 Fog and Driving lights (a pair of each) if I can drill and mount a second pair of 4" holes close to where the stockers moved to in my Ute, but I am not sure there is room in the new bumper with hitch receiver mounting. If doable, that WOULD be a great solution, and then I will mount a pair of hella ff200 driving lights higher up on my UTE bumper for high beam supplements. However, I KNOW that you have a lot of time and some money invested in trying to come up with a workable solution for low beam supplements without losing your foggers. Also, I have always liked your mods, but I am hoping to get the lighting I need without using more than 2 supplemental lamps mounted on my bumper, and then work with the oem fog location. I DEFINITELY would like to hear and see pix of how things progress.

ps-are you suggesting that the best low beam supplements you have yet experimented with are the hell 120mm xenon modules that you mounted in the fog location??

 

[CRWilliams]

I had read before that the PIAA 540 were poor lights. Unfortunately, I now know for sure. I would stay away from them. I put a set in my Elk catcher and they are significantly worse than the OE fog lights. I put a 100W bulb in one of them to see if it would help(it did a little) but the lens cracked. There is not a nice thin beam of light with them, it is just scattered all over the place. You don't get reflection into your eyes, but just because the light only goes about 20 feet. My two cents.

 

[Matt400]

ps-are you suggesting that the best low beam supplements you have yet experimented with are the hell 120mm xenon modules that you mounted in the fog location??

No, since those were the high beam modules I had them wired & aimed to come on with my high beams. They don't have the necessary pattern "cut-off" for low beam use. I sold them but wished I would have pulled the 100w bulbs and tried 55W and aim them down anyway for a low beam experiment.

 

[Matt400]

I had read before that the PIAA 540 were poor lights. Unfortunately, I now know for sure. I would stay away from them. I put a set in my Elk catcher and they are significantly worse than the OE fog lights. I put a 100W bulb in one of them to see if it would help(it did a little) but the lens cracked. There is not a nice thin beam of light with them, it is just scattered all over the place. You don't get reflection into your eyes, but just because the light only goes about 20 feet. My two cents.

Good to know, were these the 540 fog beam?

 

[CRWilliams]

Sorry, yes, the fog beams. I haven't tried the driving beams.

 

[Matt400]

I am hoping to get the lighting I need without using more than 2 supplemental lamps mounted on my bumper, and then work with the oem fog location. I DEFINITELY would like to hear and see pix of how things progress.

Update: My idea of spots aimed down & favoring the right side with 55w bulbs is a no go for a low beam supplement. Even though the beam is a narrow focused spot, they are just too bright for other traffic.

I am sure someone could have told me that but I suppose it was worth a try.



So I am posting here, it don't work. Dunno what the fate of these lamps will be cuz my driving lamps are plenty good for high beam supplement. Maybe ebay or keep them on for those rare times I need to see something a mile away!



The 540 driving lamps in the fog location and aimed low might be my next go as soon a I get the nerve to blow some more bucks in search of the 3rd gen lighting blues. The Warn lamps using H4 bulbs looks good too and would fit the fog location but with these you have spot/fog beam. Doubt I would ever run the fogs and the spots might be the same as what I just tried only mounted lower.

 

[seafish]

Update: My idea of spots aimed down & favoring the right side with 55w bulbs is a no go for a low beam supplement. Even though the beam is a narrow focused spot, they are just too bright for other traffic.

I am sure someone could have told me that but I suppose it was worth a try.



So I am posting here, it don't work. Dunno what the fate of these lamps will be cuz my driving lamps are plenty good for high beam supplement. Maybe ebay or keep them on for those rare times I need to see something a mile away!



The 540 driving lamps in the fog location and aimed low might be my next go as soon a I get the nerve to blow some more bucks in search of the 3rd gen lighting blues. The Warn lamps using H4 bulbs looks good too and would fit the fog location but with these you have spot/fog beam. Doubt I would ever run the fogs and the spots might be the same as what I just tried only mounted lower.

Matt, thanks for the update, though I am a little confused; Were the low beams that you mounted on your light bar, or in the oem fog location??

I suppose that the 540 driving lights in the fog location might work well, but then you will have to mount auxilliary fogs somewhere else, or maybe you could drill 2 more 4. 5" holes in the bumper and mount the 540 fogs in the outside locations. That is something I am considering with my UTE bumper, but I haven't even gotten the bumper mounted yet and I have had it for over 6 months!!



I DO think that you should try to take up a collection from me and fellow TDRs to fund your research, as you are certainly helping us all out as you seek solutions!! I'll send the first $10. :-laf Seriously, though, I DO appreciate your posting your experiments and hope that one works well for you sooner then later.

 

[Matt400]

Were the low beams that you mounted on your light bar, or in the oem fog location??

They were on the light bar and while 4 forward facing lamps are legal in our state, the aux low / passing lamps should be designed for the purpose. Given the same exact lamp mounted on the light bar vs the fog location it is obvious to see that oncoming traffic and law enforcement would be less objectionable to the fog location over the light bar.

The Fog location is more of a "stealth" mounting as it lends a more oem look + so many people now days run them all the time.

I suppose that the 540 driving lights in the fog location might work well, but then you will have to mount auxiliary fogs somewhere else

I don't have a big need for fogs so I don't care too much about that however there are those smaller Warn lamps that have both a fog & spot beam utilizing the H4 bulb.

What I would like is better lighting just in my lane and about 125' ahead, not anymore on the side of the road.

I DO think that you should try to take up a collection from me and fellow TDRs to fund your research

:-laf:-laf theres a thought... naw I wouldn't feel right cuz I still have learned far more on TDR than I have been able to share.

 

[Matt400]

Some interesting info to note:

The Warn SDB-160 HBE spot beam is good out to 475' and yet the Hella 500 fog beam is good out to 500' which makes me think the Warn's spot might be good.



Also smaller could be better when looking for more down range low beam light that's focused on the road and not signs or the other lane.

Hella FF100 or FF75 driving lamps might be a better selection when trying to supplement lows.

 

[Matt400]

I spoke with PIAA today about their 540's and they felt the useful range is about 300' and with the 15 degree spread #ad
they have that would fit the need however... they also said that while they do have the 3rd gen specific mount to replace the fogs that they are not recommended for use with low beam so that is a gamble to try.

My concern is that you wouldn't be able to aim them low enough so as not to offend traffic without loosing the distance.



I also spoke to Warn about their 160 HBE's and of course as expected they are not intended for oncoming traffic however the H4 bulb is a standard 55w and has the shield over the end of the bulb which is a plus in addition its useful range is less than the smallest Hella's I linked to.

My concern also with these is that you wouldn't be able to aim them low enough so as not to offend traffic without loosing the distance.



Decissions... .



edit I wanted to post up this link for the 540's cuz it appears this kit is 3rd gen specific and at that price is the best I found. However based on the below quote- the proper part number that includes the lights & mounting kit is #5432

If you find some 540's on ebay, the PIAA mounting bracket kit for 3rd gens is #30320

I located one of those for 75. 00 so they are not cheap which makes the kit I linked to a good deal as long as it includes the 3rd gen mounting kit.

Now you can upgrade your '03-'05 Dodge Ram with a powerful set of PIAA 540 Driving Lights and do so without losing the "factory-installed" look. Thanks to the molded inserts included in each 5432 kit, which can be color-matched to your rig, the finish looks more professional. This kit comes complete with 2 Lamps that include 55watt=110watt Xtreme White Plus bulbs, Mesh-style lamp covers (further modification to the inserts may be required to use these covers), pre-assembled wiring harness with illuminated switch, molded inserts, and brackets.

I bought a new mounting bracket kit & used 540,s but that still set me back 200. 00 so in a week we will see how these do, I will post back to share my findings.

 

[Matt400]

Update-



Got the 540's mounted and have them initially adjusted as a low beam, I am fortunate to have an optical aimer. Obviously with this lamp I get much better reach with not as much light right down in front of the bumper like the oem fogs.



I pulled the PIAA extreme white bulbs in favor of standard H3's that are clear. The 540 driving lamp has no internal cover over the bulb and they are pretty bright, remember these are a Y code Auxiliary high beam ("driving") lamp not intended for low beam use. So far I have not got any negative feedback from traffic and that is probably due to their location at just 24" in addition to being aimed as a low beam but I am not finished.



Next mod on these is to aim them a tad higher to take advantage of the reach they are capable of and light that black spot just past the oem lows.

Before I do that I will be adding 35% tint over the bulb end in the middle of the lamp and also on top of the lamp to help reduce glare for traffic. Should be interesting, I am liking these.

 

[fkovalski]

Matt-

Thanks for the info. I got some of your initial ideas from that other thread... . (did'nt know about this one till today. ) Glad I found it because I almost bought the VSK kit last weekend. Will wait for more feedback.







.

 

[Matt400]

Here is what the Ram specific kit looks like, comes with different shaped trim rings and the lamp brakets bolt in with supplied hardware, no drilling.

I am holding off installing the trim rings pending final adjustment and the tint i am going to try because its more easy to adjust the lamps with them off.

 

[seafish]

Matt, glad to see you moving forward with this; my feeling is that it will work quite well; I still may yet go with it--the HID conversion, as JKloppe did it, provides excellent low beam lighting, but is extremely costly (about $900 to do by oneself, more to hire someone). Your solution is ceratinly more cost effective as well as relatively simple to install. Thanks!!

 

[seafish]

Matt, I am still look ing for ls430 projectors, but they are getting rare and expensive, maybe $500. ouch! Any more news on how this mod work for you?
Thanks

 

[Matt400]

I had been waiting on the tint to show up, it came in yesterday so maybe I will get that done after work today.



Is your bumber chrome? Just wondering if you get side reflection off the chrome and if HID's might add to that. I notice this with the trim rings removed on those 540's



Can you add an aux lamp externaly on that bumper? Reason I ask is I came across a low beam lamp in 5. 75" that can be mounted into an external bucket. Its beam pattern is more narrow and focused down road.

 

[seafish]

Matt, the Ute bumper is made from polished T6 aluminum alloy but I actually have not yet had time to install it ; I too have been concerned as to whether the 2. 5" round uprights near the headlights might scatter too much light in the wrong places, particularly if the light is HID. The bumper is not yet mounted, which means that unfortunately, there is only one way to find out, and as I have already mentioned, it is an expensive experiment which I am still only pondering. Certainly the LS430/ HID conversion provides AWESOME light, but JKloppe, who pioneered the LS430 modification to Ram headlights, does NOT have a Bull Bar. And also certainly I doubt that the OEM headlights are strong enough to cast any significant light in a way that someone could tell that there is a problem. All of this goes to show that there are no simple and effective solutions to the inherent 3rd gen LOW beam lighting problems. I could easily mount up to 4 extra beams on the Ute bumper, but I do not really LIKE the look of more than 2 extra lights mounted on the bumper and I had been I was planning on using the Hella ff200 for high beam supplements. SOOOOOOOOOOO.....

I do hope that your experiment pans out well!!
Are the 5. 75" lights you are talking about the Cibies??