driving light upgrade

[mrbb]

thanks, appreciate the link

 

[Dogpatch]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150411773231

PRETTY EASY TO HOOK UP , TAKE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS

Only works up to year 2010.

 

[mrbb]

Only works up to year 2010.

good catch

 

[Powder Extreme]

I swapped out my "fog" lights for the Rigid Industries SAE approved fog light kits. They make the brackets that allow you to put 2 lights in each side. All I can offer is that it is like day and night in difference, the best upgrade I've ever done. I utilized the relays provided by Rigid to be activated by the original harness. No codes, just great light dispersion and a tremendous improvement. Ain't cheap, but well worth the money. You'll need a bracket kit and 2 light kits to complete the job. My 2 cents worth.

Also, I've installed a Rigid 20 inch combo light in the lower grill opening. It lights up the roadway, allowing my old eyes to see better on the unlit country roads I burn up when upstate NY.
My 2006 has a 50 inch light bar on the headache rack, did anyone say daylight?

I have a rigid E2 combo for the bumper, I'm considering the PIAA fogs and driving both for the bumper light replacement on my 3500 (wasn't aware Rigid made them as well). What would you say the range is of the new fogs vs. old fogs? How about compared to your stock low-beams?

I wonder if the PIAA or Rigid driving lights in the bumper would work well to use all the time along with the Highbeams letting the truck auto dim them? Save the big light bar in the middle for when you're on deserted roads... I'm thinking bumper fogs supplementing low beam and bumper driving supplementing Highbeams might just be the ticket. Especially since it seems HID in a new truck is iffy.

 

[Powder Extreme]

On a different note, my 1500 has the painted bumper with the "other" style fog lights, the manual says they are 9145's. Am I understanding correctly that 9005's will fit in place of them? I just ordered 2 sets of PIAA 9005 xtremes for the low and highbeams and 9145's for my bumper, but I can send em back and get a 3rd set of 9005's if that's the case. I also mounted a Rigid SR20 combo on the lower bumper which works fantastic!

 

[Dogpatch]

I just replaced my brights and fogs with the PIAA Extreme White Plus 9005 halogen bulbs. BIG improvement on the fogs 9145 stock bulb and performance. My brights are better now too. With the fogs on with my Projector dims, I see no need to change anything else now.
Although....I might consider a 24" Cree LED light bar for the grill along with the brights LOL

 

[DHalbrooks]

So I may be beating a dead horse but, the way it reads is that the 9005 works for both high and low beams as well as the fog replacing 9145? Just checking before I spend the money to swap out. My manual says projection 9005 LL, high 9005S1+, and 9145. I got burned on my 2015 1500 buying hid's. Damn Canbus didn't work. I just want to replace them on my new diesel with piaa if they work. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Powder Extreme]

Exact same question I asked. Since nobody seems to be answering, I will be trying myself probably Wednesday when my bulbs get here. I purchased two sets of 9005's and 1 set of 9145's. I will try the 9005 in the fog lights first, if they work I will send back the 9145's. This is on my 1500 with the "vertical" fog lights. Will report back with my findings. I'm doing my half ton first and will park it side by side with my 1 ton and compare the PIAA's vs. stock headlights and fogs, both low and highbeam.

I just noticed you have a 2500 which should have the "horizontal" fog lights? My manual says they are a 9005.
I wonder what the "LL" and "S1+" mean? I can't find any 2005 aftermarket bulbs with special designations....

 

[DHalbrooks]

Exact same question I asked. Since nobody seems to be answering, I will be trying myself probably Wednesday when my bulbs get here. I purchased two sets of 9005's and 1 set of 9145's. I will try the 9005 in the fog lights first, if they work I will send back the 9145's. This is on my 1500 with the "vertical" fog lights. Will report back with my findings. I'm doing my half ton first and will park it side by side with my 1 ton and compare the PIAA's vs. stock headlights and fogs, both low and highbeam.

I just noticed you have a 2500 which should have the "horizontal" fog lights? My manual says they are a 9005.
I wonder what the "LL" and "S1+" mean? I can't find any 2005 aftermarket bulbs with special designations....

Let me know. Definitely interested in the side by side comparison. I was contemplating trying the 9005 zxe in my low beams.

 

[Dogpatch]

Does the front of the 2016 look like this? Mine is a 2015. Does yours have Profector dim lights?

As I said in many previous posts, my truck calls for the 9005 LL bulb for the brights and 9145 bulb for the fogs. I put the PIAA Extreme White Plus HB3 9005 bulb in both the brights and the fogs. I left the projectors alone as with running the fogs with the dims, lighting was more than adequate. Brights greatly improved.

It's a bit of a job though to change bulbs in the headlights!
Fogs took 10 minutes.

 

[DHalbrooks]

Does the front of the 2016 look like this? Mine is a 2015. Does yours have Profector dim lights?

As I said in many previous posts, my truck calls for the 9005 LL bulb for the brights and 9145 bulb for the fogs. I put the PIAA Extreme White Plus HB3 9005 bulb in both the brights and the fogs. I left the projectors alone as with running the fogs with the dims, lighting was more than adequate. Brights greatly improved.


View attachment 94380

It's a bit of a job though to change bulbs in the headlights!
Fogs took 10 minutes.


View attachment 94381

Thanks and yes, mine looks like that and takes the same break down just to change a light bulb. Blah. I will give it a shot in the next few days. Probably even put some in projection lights. Just don't want to waist money if it didn't work. My 2015, as stated, was a disaster. Two sets of hid's and they still flickered. Changed the Canbus and no luck. A lot of money I was out of and now sits on my shelf useless. Thanks

 

[Dogpatch]

I left the projection lights. I was happy just changing out the brights and fogs.
If you do your projectors, let me know what bulb you used and what you thought after install.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Now that I have my 2016, I don't care for the OE lights either. I was thinking you guys were just acting like women, but I was wrong. The high beams aren't too bad though.

 

[kthaxton]

Now that I have my 2016, I don't care for the OE lights either. I was thinking you guys were just acting like women,

Oh, they are...now you are too. :-laf

You don't have a leveling kit on do you?

 

[Deleted member 995608]

^^ No leveling kit

 

[Powder Extreme]

I installed PIAA's in my EcoDiesel high and low beam. Definitely made a difference. I installed Philips X-Treme in the EcoDiesel's fogs. Brighter but still doesn't reach out worth a crap, does light the ditches up next to the truck better, but no where near enough range to avoid a deer or something.

I ordered Philips X-Tremes for high and low beam on my Megacab and brackets to replace my factory fogs, with Rigid SAE fogs and Rigid D2 driving.

I haven't had a chance to park the EcoDiesel and the Megacab side by side on my road to see how much brighter the PIAA's are in direct comparison. They are "whiter"

 

[seafish]

ooops double post on edit…see below

 

[seafish]

I installed Philips X-Treme in the EcoDiesel's fogs. Brighter but still doesn't reach out worth a crap, does light the ditches up next to the truck better, but no where near enough range to avoid a deer or something.

Of course they don't…fog lights are DESIGNED to light up the road ONLY directly in front of your truck and off to the right side so that you don;t hit anything on the road or run off the road. Changing bulbs can certainly make the light brighter,but will NOT change the pattern. And if the fog lights were aimed any higher, you would be blinded by the bright light reflectioning from the white fog back at you and they would behindering your vision instead of helping it.

All that being said, you CAN replace your entire foglight housing with a driving light if you prefer to have auxiliary lighting higher up and furhter down the road. I retrofitted Warn dual beam fog/driving lights into the factory fog location so that I cold have BOTH. It was a meticulous project that involved throwing away the expensive but fugly Warn housings in order to fit them AND retain the factory aiming screws, but I have been extremley happy with the results for many years now driving in actual fog as well as on curvy hilly roads full of animals just waiting for a chance to commit suicide with m truck. Unfortunately for evryone else, Warn no longer makes a dual beam fog/driving light, though they DO still make a HIGH powered dual beam driving/spot light combination. But they are VERY expensive and you could easily get the same effects by mounting high quality driving lights on a light bar or evn behind your grill, but obviously I like to do things differently..lol.

 

[Powder Extreme]

You CAN'T replace the fogs in the painted bumper of an EcoDiesel, at least not without some custom fabrication, nobody makes brackets for it. Obviously I know about replacing them in the chrome bumper of the Cummins as I stated I ordered a set and Rigid LEDs to go with them.

I disagree with your assessment of the factory fog lights, on the EcoDiesel they barely light up one car length in front of me. That doesn't do much good in any situation. The fogs on the painted bumper of a 1/2 ton are COMPLETELY different than the fogs you are thinking of.

 

[Dogpatch]

I installed PIAA's in my EcoDiesel high and low beam. Definitely made a difference. I installed Philips X-Treme in the EcoDiesel's fogs. Brighter but still doesn't reach out worth a crap, does light the ditches up next to the truck better, but no where near enough range to avoid a deer or something.

I ordered Philips X-Tremes for high and low beam on my Megacab and brackets to replace my factory fogs, with Rigid SAE fogs and Rigid D2 driving.

I haven't had a chance to park the EcoDiesel and the Megacab side by side on my road to see how much brighter the PIAA's are in direct comparison. They are "whiter"

I put the PIAA 9005 Extreme White Plus bulbs in my fog lights. Huge difference over stock bulbs. That's the same used in brights. Good ditch and distance coverage. Spectrum stays low so as not to bother other oncoming traffic or rear view of those in front. Made a huge difference when coupled with the crappy projector lights.