2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission after market fog lights, PIAA 510's

[JCyrbok]

After driving the past couple of night/days in crappy weather (downpours at night and could barely see the lane/fog lines and this morning in dense fog) I have come to the conclusion that my 38 year old eyes are not what they used to be. :{



My truck (see below) did not come with fog lights so I am thinking about adding some. There are the cut outs in the lower bumper.



I am liking what I am seeing about the PIAA 510's. Seem bright in the ion yellow fog model and easy set up with the kit they include.



How are you mounting them (any pics)? I have seen some posts that mention make/model specific but google searches are not yielding answers (maybe they are discontinued?)



Any info would be appreciated (or other brand suggestions etc).



Thanks

J-

 

[24V-DSL]

I have PIAA 510's in the same OEM location as the factory fog lights. My truck started out as an ST which had no inserts in the bumper for any light mounting. I bought the OEM fog-light liners and installed them with the PIAA's. They will not fit your liner openings unless you want to cut the holes out larger to accommodate the larger diameter PIAA's.



Having said all that, to be honest, the 510's throw light out maybe 8-10 feet, but it isn't overly bright (subjective, but that's how I feel) They do improve visibility when compared to being turned off. I never get flashed by oncoming vehicles. The bulbs do run pretty hot, and I have had to replace 3 in 10 yrs. I have nothing to make a comparison to, so all my less than enthusiastic statements may be due to unmet expectations, and this is just one of those "it is what it is" situations. For the $$ I expected more.....

 

[DieselDoghouse]

As an addendum to 24v-dsl, replacing those bulbs with the PIAA 85W equivalents is also pricey. That said, I am on my second set after the original housings disintegrated... but they were installed before 2001 on a truck with currently 312,000 on the clock. I don't consider that too bad! The lenses are surprisingly durable and don't seem sensitive to the heat generated. Just my $. 02...

 

[CCiatteo]

I have PIAA 510's in the same OEM location as the factory fog lights. My truck started out as an ST which had no inserts in the bumper for any light mounting. I bought the OEM fog-light liners and installed them with the PIAA's. They will not fit your liner openings unless you want to cut the holes out larger to accommodate the larger diameter PIAA's.



Having said all that, to be honest, the 510's throw light out maybe 8-10 feet, but it isn't overly bright (subjective, but that's how I feel) They do improve visibility when compared to being turned off. I never get flashed by oncoming vehicles. The bulbs do run pretty hot, and I have had to replace 3 in 10 yrs. I have nothing to make a comparison to, so all my less than enthusiastic statements may be due to unmet expectations, and this is just one of those "it is what it is" situations. For the $$ I expected more.....

As an addendum to 24v-dsl, replacing those bulbs with the PIAA 85W equivalents is also pricey. That said, I am on my second set after the original housings disintegrated... but they were installed before 2001 on a truck with currently 312,000 on the clock. I don't consider that too bad! The lenses are surprisingly durable and don't seem sensitive to the heat generated. Just my $. 02...

I don't have the PIAA fog lights, but if haven't done the Sport Light Conversion already, the money would be much better spent in the that direction than doing the fog lights. It's a completely worthwhile upgrade and will outperform any aftermarket fog light (short of rallye type off road lighting). I had aftermarket fog lights for same reasons the OP mentioned, and after doing the sport light conversion, I don't ever use them anymore. If you already have the sport light conversion, then I don't have any suggestions. Sorry.

 

[rrl989]

I have a set a PIAA Pro 90 XT Duals mounted on top of the bumper. I'm lost without them. I run the plasma fog set often, sharp cutoff does not offend others. Had mine at least 10 yrs now, high quality, and replacement bulbs are $$. Of course my OEM headlights are about worthless at night in the rain. The PIAA's saved me more than once. I will buy a smaller set for my next Ram.

 

[JCyrbok]

Did some reading on the PIAA510's and I'm not so sure they are worth the coin.



Anyone have any other aftermarket fog light set up suggestions? (lamps, relays, harnesses etc)



Thanks



J-

 

[BIGNASTY]

When driving blind is not an option this is the answer 2 of these will be more than what is needed for any ON ROAD condition. We have deer that like to play on the road at night. With these you can see them and be able to slow down from 75mph with no problems. My Hella Lights :: Rallye 4000i Compact Xenon I have a painless Aux fuse panel the last few issues of TDR will give great directions on how to install this. I used shielded wire looms to prevent interference with truck electronics. Put them on a bull bumper. THEY ARE BIG TIME BRIGHT im thinking of adding 2 more of a different beam to really get some light on the subject.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Another option is this but not any thing close to the aux light's but a vast improvement over stock and they have them for your truck.

 

[JMcCoy]

Just make sure they don't light up blue. They are illegal in most, if not all states. I have written many a ticket to people with blue headlights. Kids like them because they look cool. Also stay away from LED for driving lights. They project a bright light (blinding), but they don't project very far. Good luck.

 

[BIGNASTY]

The headlight replacements look like they would be blue but are not. Don't ask me how that works but they are really white. The Sheriffs up here run the same set up. We have at most 3 cars 5 officers on duty at any one time to cover 2,000 square miles of county so when they get calls THEY FLY DOWN THE HIGHWAY. So being able to see is of paramount importance. I know that the Aux lights are for off road use but seems like nobody cares. It's of course courtesy to dim them when you see on coming traffic but late at night with a STATE population less that the CITY of LA you dont have to worry to much about that

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I have PIAA 510s and they're OK but not spectacular. I did get to use them in heavy fog recently and they did help noticeably. My truck didn't come with fog lights so I bought the fog light inserts from mopar4less.com and the 2nd Gen Ram mounting kit from PIAA. They fit up and look great. Main pain was having to take the bumper off then the mount brackets off the bumper in order to swap the inserts. Pic #ad

 

[BIGNASTY]

I cant remember where but there was some guy that changed the bulb in the stock fog lamps and made a big difference. you might try a search

 

[JCyrbok]

Bite the bullet and ordered the 510 kit, two new bumper inserts with the bigger light cut outs and even found a place that still had the piaa dodge mount hardware.



Should all be here by next weekend so hopefully lights will be in and workin.



One quick question. I want to run the positive lead of the switch to a ignition hot source so I dont have to worry about fog lights running batteres down if I left them on.



I have a couple of tapped fuses in my fuse box for my gauages. Would I be ok to add the switch wire to one of these taps since the switch wire only acts as a trip signal for the relay?



Or should I go with its own tap?



Any other tips, tricks, bombs etc that you guys have come up wih?



Thanks

J-

 

[dresslered]

I have the PIAA 540 PLSMA ION's which were not cheap. The light is minimal, and both glass lenses cracked when they saw snow.

 

[JCyrbok]

Gonna be doing my lights this week while off work for the holidays.



Can I use a fuse tap for a 12volt ignition switched source for the light switch, since it is only a trigger switch to kick on the relay from the batteries to the lights, instead of using the scotch lock tap that came with the kit?



If not, where are u tapping for the 12votl switch leg?



Also for the bumper removal, is it as easy as my shop manual lets on? three bolts each at the frame and two at the bumper (each side) for the bracket?



Any pitfalls or suggestions that you came across while in the mits of doing fog lights?



J-

 

[VolsFan]

bumper removal is a breeze, i took my stock one off a lot. just like your manual states, three bolts on the front bracket and the two side bars. The whole thing cant weigh more than 50 lbs if that. I never put the side bars on after putting it on again the first time I took it off and ran it like that for a few yrs until I got my steel bumper

 

[BIGNASTY]

I have the PIAA 540 PLSMA ION's which were not cheap. The light is minimal, and both glass lenses cracked when they saw snow.

Did they break because of snow on them when they were truned on or was it as you were driving.

 

[dresslered]

Did they break because of snow on them when they were truned on or was it as you were driving.

I'm guessing the cold as they weren't chipped and happened at the same time. They lasted for years until we had a real winter in the mountains. Kalifornia is tame climate compared to the rest of yours.

 

[seafish]

Bite the bullet and ordered the 510 kit, two new bumper inserts with the bigger light cut outs ...



J-

JCyrbok,



I am also mounting larger WARN dual beam fog/spot lights in the stock location and the only thing I haven't figured out is how to make the oval bezel work with the 6" round lights that I managed to mount in the oem fog brackets.



Is there anyway that you could post a pic of the new "larger" PIAA inserts...



Thanks.

 

[JCyrbok]

JCyrbok,



I am also mounting larger WARN dual beam fog/spot lights in the stock location and the only thing I haven't figured out is how to make the oval bezel work with the 6" round lights that I managed to mount in the oem fog brackets.



Is there anyway that you could post a pic of the new "larger" PIAA inserts...



Thanks.

sure (if I can find my camera) however they are just the stock bumper inserts for trucks that came stock WITH fog lights.



here is a link/ with a pic to rock auto where I got mine.



More Information for VARIOUS MFR CH1038107



Hope this helps



J-