piaa 9004's

[RJ2]

Put in the piaa's tonight . Was going to put the relays in first but looking for sockets and these are supposed to take less power so I installed them. Very satisfied with the light after considering the HID's price tag of $2000.

 

[Cooker]

Please post after you have driven a little more with them. Most everybody I talked with, TDR included, said the PIAA's were not worth the $$$.



Thanks,

Ryan

 

[Dane]

I've had the PIAA 9004 bulbs for over a year. They are for sure much better than the stock bulbs imo. Brighter and more white lite. I did feel the need to add aftermarket driving lights in addition to the PIAA replacement bulbs. I'm running two KC Highlites 165 watt 6" lites @ 385,000 candle power each No trouble seeing on the dark back wood roads near my house anymore.

 

[tntway]

very happy with mine...

much better than stock. not as bright as my PIAA 60XT's tho'.

 

[RJ2]

I drove next to a truck with them ,and my lights were yellow and his were white and much brighter. I installed one and turned them on ,one yellow and one white. I am very pleased with them. They will do till the HID's get down in the 300-400 range

 

[redneckdr]

bulbs

Wagner BL bulbs are a less expensive, probably not as good solution. they are not blue! and give a brighter, whiter light than other bulbs. at about $10 apiece, i like them. maybe some day, PIAA's or HID's.....

 

[lschultz]

I had the Wagners for a while till one of them shattered. Never had that happen on any bulbs before. I didn't notice that much of a difference. But then it could be my eyesight going.

 

[Diesel Freak]

I have had the PIAA platinums in my truck for over a year. I like them a lot, but they are a little on the bright side for dense fog. HID's are out for me, if I want more light, KC Daylighters work great. I had three on the front of my Chevy, and driving across Wyoming was freakin sweet at night.

 

[redneckdr]

waagners

yeah, i had one "explode" too, but i thought i had probably gotten some of my skin oil on it when i installed it. i feel there is a definite difference. i also rewired the headlights with relay switched 12v+ through 12 ga wire, with 10 ga grounds back to the battery (-). that probably helped more than the bulb change. btw, i replaced the rectangular sealed bams in th' rollin' redneck residence with the wagner BL's in sealed beam. not questionable--DEFINITE improvement. been in 4 years with no problems.

 

[John]

PIAA Platinum Series Super Whites

I've had the 9004 PIAA Platinum Series Super White bulbs in my Ram since they were first released for sale. I have been very pleased with their performance (slightly brighter, much whiter light. ) and superior longevity. Since then I've upgraded to the '99+ Sport headlights and added a new set of PIAA 9007 and 9004 Super Whites (the "old" 9004s were still good) and have not had a single problem with any of them (the '99+ Sport headlight conversion is almost 2 years old now). Too expensive? I guess that would be up to you to decide. Personally, I've always had excellent results with PIAA products.

 

[RJ2]

John

What did the sport lights run? Is that stricly a Dodge option? The PIAA HID conversions were $2000. I did not know about the sport lights being HID untill after I got the piaa 9004's. I was thinking about putting some driving lights on and upgrading the wire. Thanks RJ

 

[redneckdr]

sport llights

rj2:

if i understand you correctly, you are assuming the sport lights are HID. they aren't, but quad lamps with two 9004's, ("high beams") and two 9007's, ("low beams"). in actuality, on high the system lights one filament in the 9004's and one filament in the 9007's. if they are rewired with relays and heavier wiring, they make great lights. you have the option of adding two more filaments on high by rewiring. i chose not to. with the two filaments, then adding the fogs, with the brighter light of better voltage from the heavier wire, i have enough light down the road on high. adding 1 or 2 more filaments on each side might help a little bit, but would generate more heat. i saw someone post the cost of the sport headlights as $158 each. the marker lights have to be changed also, since the ones on the sport are smaller with the wider headlights. you also have to enlarge the hole that the headlights mount in. several folks have done the conversion. i would guess it sounds more difficult than it is. i had one of my headlights out recently. it is a Wagner unit, but i forgot to take the number off it while i had it out.

sorry for the length of the post... .

 

[John]

JR2, redneckdr is correct, the Sport headlights on '99 through '01. 5 Rams are not HID.



I am using the "special" Brite-Box for the Sport headlight upgrade ('94 through '98. 5 application) therefore, I have both filaments of the 9007s and one filament of each 9004 lit when high beam is activated. I was worried about premature 9007 bulb burnout because of this however, I have not experienced this so far. In my defense, I do not drive with the high beams on for a prolonged period of time (don't need to) and I always make sure I'm in motion over say, 20 mph (for headlight cooling).



Another tip for bulb longevity, I never turn off the ignition before I turn off my headlights. Likewise, I never turn on my headlights before I have started my engine.



redneckdr, the non-Sport marker light assemblies (heavily fluted lenses) do not have to be changed when upgrading to Sport headlights although, they will look out of place when next to the (non-fluted lenses) of the Sport headlights. The Sport headlight assemblies are no wider than the standard (single bulb) headlight assemblies. Additionally, the sheet metal behind the headlight assemblies only has to be removed for Sport headlight clearance on '94 through '98. 5 Rams (that applies to ALL SLT and Sport models). All '99+ Rams have the appropriate sheet metal removed for the Sport headlights. Details of the Sport headlight upgrade were outlined (with pics) by Scott Dalgleish in a previous issue of the TDR (issue 22 I believe)... "Second Time Around" (Project2Timer). However, if you use the article Scott wrote as a guide be fore warned that the Sport headlight part numbers are somewhat incorrect. By that I mean, the numbers listed are for the Sport headlight assemblies only. It's quite a bit cheaper to purchase the complete Sport headlight assemblies (separate part price comparison) which consist of: Sport headlight (including 9007 and 9004 halogen bulbs, bulb retaining rings, and breathers), Sport marker light (no bulb), and the mounting frame. This particular part number is what the dealer/body shop would use if the vehicle had been in a front end collision. I don't have the part numbers in front of me at this time however, I'm sure someone will post them before I get a chance to post again.

 

[redneckdr]

sport lights

john:

thanx for the clarification. i obviously didn't do the conversion. i was under the impression that the headlight unit was wider, thus the need to change out the marker lights.

jr2: sorry for the misinformation. if you decide to do the conversion, and want to wire with relays, you can do your own "brite box", by adding relay(s) to add filaments.

again, i apologize. thought i understood the conversion.