CALLING ALL 2003 - 2005 OWNERS who want better lighting...

[JKloppe]

Those projectors are from an Infinity Q45. The output from that projector is average but the bling factor is high. It could be a great option because it fills the space nice. I would like to now what they charge for the retro? I am almost certain you can still buy LS430s cheaper that will blow those Q45s out of the water.

 

[RDietze]

Calling all guinea pigs

It would be nice to have a testimony from a TDR'r on this vendor - customer service, performance, reputability... ... . etc. Any HI-ROLLERS out there? :-laf



I certainly do not want any bling (get a load of the "studs" around the lamp housing) -- I would just appreciate some headlamps that are worth a crap.

 

[Matt400]

I certainly do not want any bling (get a load of the "studs" around the lamp housing) -- I would just appreciate some headlamps that are worth a crap.

I know where you are coming from and probably shouldn't have posted that pic, it was just a sample of what they do. Seems the mainstream wants bling so many companies focus on that but a projector retrofit with no halo garb should be a simple project when looking at what they do each day.

Their website has more info plus they welcome calls to discuss what your needs are.

 

[RDietze]

Hey Matt,



I appreciate you bringing your discovery/information to the table. Like every Ram owner, we just would like some lights that are brighter than a dim flashlight.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[seafish]

Matt, those are definitely nice LOOKING lights, and I am sure they are an improvement over stock, BUT even driving down the road at night and informally comparing the output and "throw" of different projector lights on high-end imports shows that while many look cool and colorful, some don't light up the road much better at all then compared to regular lamps. Also, MORE IMPORTANTLY, some of the people/companies that do the retrofits are really amateurish in their approach and work and it is really hard to determine who will do an excellent job with the install of the projectors so that they throw correctly and can be aligned well using the trucks adjustments. Projector alignment and proper sealing of the headlight after surgery are CRUCIAL issues. One guy who did a retro into a Toyota used a person with quality feedback and a good reputation to mod his lights, and he had to send them back twice to be redone and still start from scratch again, cause they just weren't right. I'll try to find the thread and post a link later. All that being said, it's not rocket science, but it does take a deatil oreinetd and competent surgeon to do it right. ANYWAY, the company you posted certainly looks like they do good work, but I would for sure ask alot of questions about their process and alignment and warranty. Also, like JKloppe says, the LS430 projectors are without a doubt the cream of the crop, although they are getting rare and expensive. I paid $500 for a pair of them in excellent condition, including ballasts and bulb. And JKloppe has pointed out to me that I might still have to replace the ballast with a waterproof version!! I am still holding out that JKloppe will be able to find time to do the mod for me, but he is extremely busy right now with starting a new business. Maybe if enough of us clamor for him to, he will abandon the one he is starting now, and move into high end Ram Lighting Retrofits. Oo.

 

[seafish]

It would be nice to have a testimony from a TDR'r on this vendor - customer service, performance, reputability... ... . etc.

X2



I might call them and get a quote and info for my LS430 conversion.

 

[RDietze]

I might call them and get a quote and info for my LS430 conversion.

keep us posted -- I need to begin shopping for LS 430 projectors.

 

[seafish]

Well I called AAC, the website Matt referenced, to ask them about doing my LS430 retrofit. The guy who answered the phone put me through to their tech who does the retrofits. "Dan" was certainly nice enough and more then willing to answer my questions regarding their work, their warranty and my project. He is the guy that did the Q45/Ram retrofit in Matts post. Before he worked at AAC, he did auto detailing, including some auto painting. I did not ask his age, but he sounds in his early/mid 20's. Heres the info I got---you guys make what you will of it.



Dan has worked at ACC doing specifically doing lighting projector retrofits for about one year. He is about 6 projects out right now. He could not tell me how long it would take him to complete all of this work, partly because he is waiting on parts for some of the retrofits. He could not tell me how he would mount the projectors into the housing, because "each situatiuon is different". He uses alot of JB Weld, some silicone, sometimes some hardware. He did say that the retrofits come with a lifetime warranty for alignment and moisture intrusion. The ballasts that they use, if purchased from them, also come with a lifetime warranty. He did say that he has a jig that he can use to mount the headlights housings into to help him align the projectors for mounting; While he could not give me a timefarme for completing the retrofit if I sent him all the parts, he did say that it would cost $299.



Personally, my conversation with the tech did not inspire much confidence in me that AAC would do an excellent and immaculate job on the retrofit, even though they have some experience doing these things. Furthermore,a lifetime warranty is great, but if the work isn't done right the first time, who's to say it will be done right the second time and in the meantime, one would have to keep a spare set of Oem headlights to reinstall(which I will have due to the nature of the parts I will get for this project) or be without the use of one's truck for the time it takes AAC to fix and send back the parts. There website DOES look slick and they do have some experience, but I am going to hold out for JKloppe to do it when he has time, do it myself, or got to HID planet and find one of their most experienced members to do the job. Oh well!!!#@$%!

 

[WoodChuck]

Here's another company that does retro fitting on show cars.

Izn Trbl Inc. - Taking the ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY!

 

[Matt400]

Here's another company that does retro fitting on show cars.



Izn Trbl Inc. - Taking the ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY!

That one looks like a good find. Don't see the 03-05 listed but that doesn't mean they can't do it.

 

[daytripper63]

Do you think the LS430 lights are any better than my 300c hid lights? Cause I am sure you can get 300c HID lights cheaper and easier than ls430 lights

P. S. I love my HID's in my 300c

 

[RDietze]

That one looks like a good find. Don't see the 03-05 listed but that doesn't mean they can't do it.

Concur. Appears to be a very plausible find - and you are right, the 03-05 folks are suffering the most.

 

[seafish]

LS430 vs 300c

Do you think the LS430 lights are any better than my 300c hid lights? Cause I am sure you can get 300c HID lights cheaper and easier than ls430 lights

P. S. I love my HID's in my 300c

Well, check out Jkloppes photos in https://www.turbodieselregister.com...-transmission-discussions/191334-how-hid.html



And decide for yourself. To me, it looks like he is lighting up a football field for nightime play. BUT I have not yet done my conversion, anf have never seen nor heard the reputation of the 300c HID's, so I cannot tell you from personal experience. You could also try searching for info at HIDPlanet.com. Let us know what you find out.

 

[Matt400]

Good projector retrofits seem like the holy grail fix thats for sure and I have had my eye on them. Some time ago I added a light bar that made high beam supplements easy. It's the low beam supplement I have been struggling with.



At the moment I have swapped in a pair of Hella 90mm low beam projectors

#ad


into my fog location. Haven't wired them yet, waiting on some connectors- My hopes are the typical wide beam / sharp cut off of a projector will out perform my cheap oem fogs in fog conditions while also doing duty as a legal auxiliary low beam. The H9 halogen bulbs they use at 14v are 2600 lumens so more light output than the high beams focused below traffic's eyes.



One concern about reto-fits is the Rams headlamp height may be too high for a projector that has double the light output. When stopped behind someone I don't want to cause trouble with the car in front of me. There may be a reason we don't see projectors on taller suv's & pick up's.

 

[Matt400]

Since this has become the main lighting thread I will also share that hasn't been mentioned for a low beam supplement the new Hella 500 Free Form

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It's suppose to be more focused with better cutoff than the old parabolic style and carries an SAE approval.

From what I've read even the old 500 Fogs reached out better than most low beams.



Additionally I had assumed all fogs had internal shields for good cutoff for the purpose of fog use but not so. . nearly all of the PIAA fogs have no cutoff for use in oncoming traffic. Many aftermarket fogs are simply a wide flood lamp.



I found this pic the other night interesting because I didn't think there was room for lights mounted this way but apparently there is, these are 6" KC SlimLites-

 

[Jaysyl]

Since this has become the main lighting thread I will also share that hasn't been mentioned for a low beam supplement the new Hella 500 Free Form

#ad


It's suppose to be more focused with better cutoff than the old parabolic style and carries an SAE approval.

From what I've read even the old 500 Fogs reached out better than most low beams.



Additionally I had assumed all fogs had internal shields for good cutoff for the purpose of fog use but not so. . nearly all of the PIAA fogs have no cutoff for use in oncoming traffic. Many aftermarket fogs are simply a wide flood lamp.



I found this pic the other night interesting because I didn't think there was room for lights mounted this way but apparently there is, these are 6" KC SlimLites-

Do you have any more information on how those lights are mounted to the bumper. Like yourself, I never thought there was enough room.

 

[Matt400]

Do you have any more information on how those lights are mounted to the bumper. Like yourself, I never thought there was enough room.

He just drilled the holes right through the bumper cover and through the metal below it.

If you take a look here you can see that particular lamp has good clearance behind the mounting point for the hood to open. I have a set of these on my light bar and they work pretty good as a high beam supplement. You can find them on ebay at a good price. The KC's are parabolic type however. . a larger free form lamp would perform better.

For comparison I have Hella 55w FF1000's on a Jeep that perform a little better than my KC's with 130w bulbs but those would be too deep to mount that way.



The Hella 500's & possibly the 700 might mount up like that fella did, they have this dimension-

#ad

 

[Matt400]

Another upgrade thought-

The plug-n-play HID thread got me to thinking. .



Another idea here (also illegal) that would produce considerable more light than stock with less potential of over saturating the reflector like those drop in HID kits would be to just drop in a pair of 80/100 bulbs with relay harness. The filament is in the exact location of the standard bulb for focus and should run just as cool as a BriteBox that holds both filaments on in high beam. This obviously should have and improved low beam but also high beam because the 100w is all in the high beam focal area.

 

[WoodChuck]

I think those might be the best idea for an inexpensive, simple and effective upgrade yet. Although I still have my eye on a HID bi xenon setup at some point.

 

[RDietze]

Best bi-xenon

What is the best bi-xenon offering. I've heard that the Acura RL offering is the most impressive.



thnxs