Headlights part XXXXX

[Matt400]

Are the 5. 75" lights you are talking about the Cibies??

No, I tried the Cibie CSR's and thought they would be the ultimate fix but they also added too much light to the sides for me. Traffic was fine with them (no flash backs) but the reflective signs were just too bright and distracted from the road ahead. Even though traffic was ok with them, it just felt wrong having those turned on mounted on my light bar in clear weather.



I have not seen the low beams I mentioned. Daniel Stern has them and says they are a focused beam (ahead and a little to the right) without adding light to the sides, meant to supplement low beams. They are NOS (New Old Stock) that has been discontinued and says he has a supply of. They are not listed on his website.



I added the tint on my 540's tonight, all I did was use a small dot to cover the bulb location so the hot spot from the bulb would be more diffused. Maybe a dumb idea but it makes me feel better using these with low beams.

Visible Glare Rad Reduction is 39% with this material.



I turned one of these lamps on in my shop just holding it in my hand unmounted and there wasn't much scattered light at all. I looks more like a modified spot light with the glass optics spreading the beam a little.

I raised the aim a little more and will see how traffic accepts them.



It is backward thinking I know but... low beam supplements in the bumper are bound to be more acceptable than an aux lamp that is an obvious add on up higher. Traffic & law enforcement will think they are oem lamps + down low it is more easy to keep the light out of their eyes. If this works well I will add fogs to my light bar that will only see use in heavy snow/white out conditions and if I ever see fog. Just the opposite being higher but will aim those down and let bad weather help diffuse the added light for traffic.



My wife wants to know if we are going to open a lighting store with my extra parts:-{}

 

[Matt400]

Update-

I decided to tint more of the lamp as light output for a low beam supplement is still a little much, some more pics-



CFish have you given the Warn dual beam 160HBE some thought?

You would have fogs & if aimed low enough might get away with it as a low beam supplement.

I kinda wish I would have given those a try, the 540's I found used so went that route. I like the idea the H4 has a cap on the end of the bulb, a standard watt all weather bulb might be good.

 

[seafish]

Matt, now those look like they would work for me REALLY nicely; Driving and Fog lights in one round 6" unit; I could enlarge the cutout in the Ute bumper and fit these in with no problem at all, maybe just a little bracket modification. THANKS for the tip, I have never seen these yet and I have looked at other dual beam lights, but they were rectangular. !! I did find this website --http://www.autostyles.com/warnlights.htm -- which seemed to have more useful specs on different Warn lights than any other site with these lamps, including Warns own site. I am going to seriously consider these for my headlight upgrade as they would still mount in the fog location and give what seems to be really excellent low beam supplements and fog lights, yet still be unobtrusive. Why was it you didn't buy these??

 

[Matt400]

Matt, now those look like they would work for me REALLY nicely; Driving and Fog lights in one round 6" unit; I could enlarge the cutout Why was it you didn't buy these??

You may not need to cut a larger hole with the HBE's they are 4"

The best I found HBE's for was 315. 00 on ebay. I had actually made up my mind to try the HBE's but then found a used pair of 540's for 125. 00

The 6" HB's don't have a fog pattern. I don't think you could go wrong with the HBE.



This would be slick for you-

If your truck came with fogs just wire the oem fog connector to the fog circuit on the HBE and then use a relay triggered off your low beam ckt for the high beam on the HBE and then aim them as a low beam.

 

[seafish]

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered a pair of the Warn 160HBE Dual Beam fog/spot lights. Got them from SportzTrailers.com at a very good price. Unfortunately:-laf, while I was at their site I found a pair of the Warn 4X flood lights in a polished stainless housing that I am going to mount on the Ute at headlight level for additional high beam supplement as needed. I prefer them to the Hella ff200 that I was going to use, cuz the Hellas are in a poly instead of stainless housing and also don't look as "classic" as the Warn 4x. I am not sure what I am going to do with the Hellas now--maybe Matt and I can go into the Ram lighting parts business together:-laf. The specs on the Warn are as good or better then the ff200, and I got them for only $100 on top of my dual beam purchase, with combined shipping. With the dual beam fog/spot in the oem fog location of the UTE, and the high beam floods at headlight level, I think that this is going to finally cure my 3rd gen Ram Lighting Blues in an effective and unobtrusive (to the law) form. I am more then likely going to paint the lenses of the floods with blackout paint so that they "look" covered when off, but still shine when turned on. Of course I am not going to use the floods in traffic at all!! There are so many different ways to wire this configuration that I am not at all sure how I am going to do it--I figure that it will be simplest if I will just lean on Matt (with his vast experience in wiring up lighting solutions :-laf) for help and advice.

Actually, Matt, where in CA are you located? Maybe I could drive over with everything and hire you to work with me to do all the wiring etc. that I am not very good at? PM me with thoughts and details if interested and possible. Thanks for all your input, in any case.

Also thanks to everyone else posting as well for making TDR what it is--a great site to learn about things and solve problems easily!! I will definitely post pics and remarks when I get this all done.

 

[Matt400]

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered a pair of the Warn 160HBE Dual Beam fog/spot lights.

cool, can't wait to see how those do but I couldn't find them on that site, just this page. maybe you got the last pair!

I am not sure what I am going to do with the Hellas now-

Ebay to get some money back, those ff200's are a neat lamp, are they the fogs or driving beam?

I am more then likely going to paint the lenses of the floods with blackout paint so that they "look" covered when off

Just so you know CA law says they don't need to be covered for the heights you are doing and if wired correctly.

There are so many different ways to wire this configuration that I am not at all sure how I am going to do it

To be legal you can only have 4 lamps on at any one time in CA. In addition your floods can only be selected with high beam use so I would use a relay that becomes energised by the high beam ckt and add a switch to disable them. This way they cannot be chosen with lows or turned on independently.



The fog ckt on your Warn dual beam lamps I would wire straight into the oem fog connector. This way they are selected as the oem intended with the dash switch and only work on low beam.



The spot beam side of that lamp I would wire using the low beam ckt to energise the relay for them and again a switch to disable the lamp if you choose.



Wired this way you cold not physically choose any more than 4 lamps at one time.

Technically you "could" turn both Warn dual beam filaments on at the same time but its still one lamp and it makes no sense to do that and might overheat the bulb anyway but you will have a built in "bright box" wired this way. Will be interesting to see when you get the kit if the switch has a selection for both fog & spot or if its one or the other.

I will definitely post pics and remarks when I get this all done.

Cool can't wait!

 

[seafish]

QUOTE-- cool, can't wait to see how those do but I couldn't find them on that site, just this page. maybe you got the last pair!



Just call them up and ask them, they had a few pairs left still; Very competent people to work with and more then decent prices, particularly if you buy more then one thing.



QUOTE-- Just so you know CA law says they don't need to be covered for the heights you are doing and if wired correctly.



Thanks for the info!! no reason for me to do it then!



QUOTE-- To be legal you can only have 4 lamps on at any one time in CA. In addition your floods can only be selected with high beam use so I would use a relay that becomes energised by the high beam ckt and add a switch to disable them. This way they cannot be chosen with lows or turned on independently.



The fog ckt on your Warn dual beam lamps I would wire straight into the oem fog connector. This way they are selected as the oem intended with the dash switch and only work on low beam.



The spot beam side of that lamp I would wire using the low beam ckt to energise the relay for them and again a switch to disable the lamp if you choose.



Wired this way you cold not physically choose any more than 4 lamps at one time.

Technically you "could" turn both Warn dual beam filaments on at the same time but its still one lamp and it makes no sense to do that and might overheat the bulb anyway but you will have a built in "bright box" wired this way. Will be interesting to see when you get the kit if the switch has a selection for both fog & spot or if its one or the other.



Matt, ALL of these are GREAT ideas, but at some point Ill have to get a wiring diagram from you. For instance, I have NO idea how I would get the dual beam spot to go off when I turned on the fogs but my low beams are still on. #@$%!:-laf



Thanks again for all your thoughtful input!!

 

[PStraub]

No, I tried the Cibie CSR's and thought they would be the ultimate fix but they also added too much light to the sides for me. Traffic was fine with them (no flash backs) but the reflective signs were just too bright and distracted from the road ahead. Even though traffic was ok with them, it just felt wrong having those turned on mounted on my light bar in clear weather.



I have not seen the low beams I mentioned. Daniel Stern has them and says they are a focused beam (ahead and a little to the right) without adding light to the sides, meant to supplement low beams. They are NOS (New Old Stock) that has been discontinued and says he has a supply of. They are not listed on his website.

I've been reading about the Dodge lighting dilemma for some time, and believe I now know the only road to salvation.



These H1 low beam Cibie's or an H4 low/high Cibie is the bullet you should bite and buy.



I've driven mid 80's Toyota vehicles since, well, the mid 80's. Land Cruisers, Celica's, MR2's. Every one has an 7" round or square H4 light. Up until the introduction of projectors and HID's a few years ago, I had the best lights on the road for almost 20 years. To this day, the Land Cruisers in my fleet sport IPF H4 lenses, and they are fantastic light. Especially when you consider that they are running 24V 100w Hella lamps. A relay upgrade reduces line loss, and that's the end of discussion. Fog lights, driving lights, off road lights... don't need them.



Matt, your observations about illuminating the right hand side of the road is correct, and by design. I would respectfully suggest that you need to reconsider your preference to have less light on the side. The reason you never got flashed despite the side lighting is because these lights are killer good. Perhaps you're just not used to how good they are. If you've ever driven where the animals that wonder onto the road will likely kill you (i. e. moose), then you find special appreciation for the excellent illumination in at least one ditch.



In my 20 years of driving in Canadian Prairie and Mountain climate, I've driven in the dark through every weather condition imaginable. With the exception of one particular snow storm, where I had to turn off my headlights entirely, the H4 pattern shines the light down the road with minimal reflecting back on the snow/rain to blind you, an never bothering oncoming traffic. I've driven a bunch of german, swedish, and domestic cars, and none of them work as well as the trusty old H4. Of course, none were as downright deadly as the Dodge either.



I also believe that your idea of using the inexpensive mount, with a 5. 75" Cibie or other H4 or H1 housing is exactly the right idea. A few years ago, I did exactly this... rubber mount, Bosch 5. 75" H4. I put this lighting on a Land Cruiser based monster truck (The tires were so big, I had to loose the stock headlight to clear the tires) These little 5. 75" H4's for a few hundred bucks, provided ideal lighting, for both on and off road use. That's all I needed. No stupid light bars or other off-road poser crap.



Indeed, the H1/H4 low/high beam solution is the ideal low cost solution for those that are not prepared to do a custom projector/HID project. From a lifetime of driving, I assure you they are the best lights I've EVER driven. (OK, not ever, I rented a 2007 Toyota Camry with factory halogen Projector lights, and those were the best I've ever driven, but you get my point) I can see how the right side of the road super-bright sign illumination is a bit unnerving, but DO NOT let that dissuade you from your best options for lights.



Why haven't I done this on my Dodge yet? 'Cuz when it's dark out, I just take the Cruiser so I can see where I am going.



Peter Straub

 

[Matt400]

your observations about illuminating the right hand side of the road is correct, and by design. I would respectfully suggest that you need to reconsider your preference to have less light on the side.

Tried it already and didn't like it. CSR's would be fine if I ran just those and turned off the oem lamps but I think that may draw attention from the Highway Patrol. So far my PIAA's are doing well but the Warn's dual beam might be even better.

 

[Matt400]

I have NO idea how I would get the dual beam spot to go off when I turned on the fogs but my low beams are still on.

The spot circuit would be activated with a relay triggered from the oem low beam ckt. The relay trigger wire you could run/loop through a rocker switch that allows you to "disable" that trigger ckt.

 

[MartyK]

Hello Matt,



It's been a while and I was wondering how you like the PIAA 540's? How do they compare to the stock low beams? Do they put light out farther down the road? Are they a direct plug into the fog light harness? Do you think they would work on a Sport front end if I don't use the trim rings?



Thanks,

Marty

 

[Matt400]

Hello Matt,



It's been a while and I was wondering how you like the PIAA 540's? How do they compare to the stock low beams? Do they put light out farther down the road? Are they a direct plug into the fog light harness? Do you think they would work on a Sport front end if I don't use the trim rings?



Thanks,

Marty

They were just too bright and scattered light all around being a driving lamp. I could only use them on high beam and in the fog location just didn't make sense. I sold them and installed HELLA low beam headlights in that spot. They have a sharp cutoff for use with the oem low beams. I would think either lamp would fit the sport front end because there is no difference in the mounting. The sport simply has moulded in lamp trim rings where the chrome bumpers on a non sport has separate "snap in" trim rings.

 

[Bernie]

Which light bar are you using

Matt,



I see a little it of it in your fog light pictures, and a little bit of it on your profile pictures, but I don't see what make it is and how it looks from the front of the truck.



Do you have any pictures? Any input on accessory light bars?



Thanks

 

[Matt400]

I got the light bar from this place-

Truck Off Road Light Bars: Randy Ellis Design

 

[MartyK]

Matt,



Which Hella's did you use? Are you happy with them? How do you compare to the stock low beams?



Thanks.

 

[Matt400]

I used these;

90mm Modules part#68137



They are better than the oems in that they have a sharp cut off on top like HID's and focus down on the road. The oem's scatter more light so give you the "feeling" they offer more overall light its just light everywhere vs light only on the road.



Also to compare. . the oem low beams don't ever seem to bother traffic even if they are aimed high on the other hand I had the HELLA's aimed a little high at one time and found them lighting up the interior of other vehicles with lots of negative feedback.



An interesting note is that also the oem high beams don't seem to bother traffic either as I can leave those on with no neg feedback. I am not the only one either on that because it has been discussed here on TDR that many simply leave the highs on in traffic because they offer better low beam lighting than the horrible lows we have but scatter it so much that traffic doesn't seem to care.

This is so much true that I have thought about swapping the circuit at the lamp so the high beam is on when lows are selected.

 

[Bernie]

Do you have photos and details of the Hella 90mm module installation?

 

[Matt400]

Yes and no, I installed a set of the HELLA 120mm high beams in that location a long time ago and took pics of that. The 90mm low beams went in the same way using the optional mounting bracket listed in the above link.

Check out this thread: https://www.turbodieselregister.com...-discussions/137487-how-about-more-light.html

for some info on those, skip down to post #12.

 

[MartyK]

Can the Hella 90's or 120's be plugged into the existing stock fog light wiring?

 

[Matt400]

Can the Hella 90's or 120's be plugged into the existing stock fog light wiring?

Not directly but yes, what I did was purchase this connector: Connector for H9 Halogen Bulb for the H9 used in the 90mm and swapped it onto the stock wiring end of the trucks harness.