Advertisement
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Home Who's Online Today's Posts HP Calculator CompD Gift Shop Mark Forums Read
Go Back   Competition Diesel.Com - Bringing The BEST Together > Tech Area- Dodge > Dodge Articles
Register Members List Timeslips EFI Live Library Invite Your Friends FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Dodge Articles Write your own Dodge Articles

Closed Article
 
Article Tools
HID Headlights HID Headlights
MD-LUCKY
01-08-2010
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."


I've got to admit, I'm one of those people that believe that truer words have never been spoken. So when I started to read the reviews for some of these cheap HID kits on ebay, I was beyond skeptical. But, the reviews kept flowing in.. and everyone had nothing but good things to say. The last set of Silverstar headlights I bought ran me over $50, so I figured for an extra $25 I would give them a shot.


If you are interested in a set, you can find them by searching this in ebay:


HID KIT Bi-Xenon BIXENON 9003 H4 9004 9007 H13 VVME


The seller is named "Flashplus"


I decided to install these at the same time I put a new set of batteries. You get everything you see in the box between the two batteries:

Click the image to open in full size.

The first thing I started to look for was a place to install the ballasts and the extra wiring required for HID lights. I wanted to keep them close to the light assembly, but up and away from any moister or heat. This was the best place I could find:

Click the image to open in full size.

Start by disconnecting the batteries and getting them out of the way. Even if you don't plan on replacing the batteries, things will go a heck of a lot smoother if they are gone.


Click the image to open in full size.

This is where I decided to install the ballast. Wanted to make sure that it would fit and give me plenty of room:

Click the image to open in full size.

This is the ballast that is going to be installed. The kit even comes with all the nuts, bolts, and wire ties you might need. I didn't use all the supplied parts, but I'll get to that later.

Click the image to open in full size.


To get everything lined up, I held the ballast inside the battery tray and marked the drill points with a sharpie. I figured it would be a heck of a lot easier to drill through with the box in place rather than try to pull the tray just to drill it.

Click the image to open in full size.

Checked to make sure that everything lined up. But, don't tighten everything into place! It's hard enough to get your hands down in there without having even more stuff in the way!

Click the image to open in full size.

If you've ever replaced the headlights in these trucks, you know how tricky it can be at times to get your hands in the right spot. The nice thing about this kit is that it is literally a plug and play setup. Get the old bulbs out.

Click the image to open in full size.

Once you pull the factory bulb out, you can get the lock collar off. On the regular replacement bulbs, you can slide the lock collar over the back of the bulb. However, on this system, the collar will not fit over the back of the HID bulbs. The solution is to separate the bulb from the wiring harness. On the back of the bulb, you can see the "open, lock" for the bulb.  NEVER touch the glass portion of the bulb!!

Click the image to open in full size.

Click it over to open and pull the bulb out, and then slide the locking collar in place. Then, lock the bulb back in place:

Click the image to open in full size.

Put the bulb in place just like you are replacing a regular factory headlamp. Keep the wires and everything in a good place that you can reach in the future:

Click the image to open in full size.

The next project is to figure out where to put the relay and the wiring harness. I thought I found a perfect spot... But, I couldn't get the supplied wiring harness to reach all the way across the truck to the other side:

Click the image to open in full size.

This is the spot I ended up using. With the new batteries, I had plenty of space still inside the tray to mount the relay. If you use stock batteries, I doubt you will have enough space.. So keep that in mind. I used a self drilling/tapping screw to mount the relay instead of the supplied bolts.

Click the image to open in full size.

Now, just take the time to plug in all the connectors. It really is plug and play. I also added a ground using another self tapping screw on the radiator support bracket. If you look on the driver side, you will see where the factory installs a ground on that side. I just matched it to the passenger side.


This is extremely important: this is one case where you "get what you pay for." The first time I plugged this connector into the factory harness, it bent the plugs inside the HID connector to the side and didn't make contact. I didn't even realize that they had bent until I tried to turn the lights on and only got driver side high beam. In checking the connections, I found these tabs bent to the side. I was able to bend them back with needle nose pliers (this is the picture I took after I bent them back), but they are WAY too soft and bendable for the application. If you finish and have problems, check here. Be VERY careful making this connection!! You ONLY have to connect 1 of the factory harnesses to the kit, and you can do it on either passenger or driver side depending on where you decide to mount the relay.

Click the image to open in full size.

Then make all the other connections:

Click the image to open in full size.

To get the wiring harness over to the other side, I ran it under the battery cable. I'm hoping I don't have any issues with electrical interference, but if I do, I'll have to figure something else out. As of right now, I can't see any issues:

Click the image to open in full size.

Install on the driver side went exactly the same way:

Click the image to open in full size.

Used the factory ground on the driver side:

Click the image to open in full size.

Plug and play on the factory side just like the passenger side, and everything goes back together. Once again, there is only 1 connector to the factory headlight harness, so you don't have to make that connection on this side. After everything is plugged in, you are ready to re-install the batteries.

Click the image to open in full size.

Reconnect the batteries:

Click the image to open in full size.

And fire the truck up! Even in daylight, you can see the difference in these things..

Click the image to open in full size.

So, are they too good to be true? Well, that has yet to be seen (pun intended. )... I'll try to get a few pictures at night up, and I'll do some comparison before and after pictures. This kit is extremely easy to install, as you can see from the pictures. Almost everything is plug and play. If you have any questions, please let me know!  
Article Tools
Show Printable Version Show Printable Version
Email this Page Email this Page

Featured Articles

Test Article

Test Article
  #1  
MD-LUCKY on 03-14-2010, 10:20 PM
I promised an update.. So I finally decided to write one.


In my humble opinion, the saying "too good to be true" held true.

The lights did a fine job of providing light for ME while driving down the road. The problem was that they also provided enough light for everyone else around me. I had them aimed way low, and way to the right. I only got the "high beam flash" once or twice, but it was obvious that my lights were bothering everyone else.

I sent a PM to CumminsCrazed asking permission to use his pictures from this thread:
I can see now!!!!! - Competition Diesel.Com - Bringing The BEST Together

If he says no, I'll pull these down. Otherwise, my factory headlights looked exactly like this:

Click the image to open in full size.

Click the image to open in full size.

A google search will provide a lot of information about why this happens. The cliff notes are basically this: halogen headlamps are designed to have a directional beam of light that can be aimed. HID headlights are essentially a "blob" light source. This is why we have the issues when installed in halogen lamps.

I recently rode in a friends truck that had projector headlamps installed. There is a long story behind it, but he only intended to use them for a few days before he installed his sport headlamps. There were an ebay special that used 55w H1 bulbs for the lows, and 9005s for the highs. I was really impressed with the cut-off line. I wanted to see if I could get similar results running HIDs..

So, I ordered a new set of lamps and figured I would give them a shot in my truck.

The original kit was from VVME. You can get replacement bulbs from them if you have the same kit:
Single Beam HID Bulbs - $15.99 : VVME.COM, Car Parts, HID KIT, Tattoo Kit, Ballast, Bulbs

Otherwise, order replacement H1 bulbs (I beleive the h7 bulbs will also work).

I'm sorry I didn't take as many pictures this time. But I will try to talk through it.

To pull the lights, you're probably going to have to pull the black plastic cover off the top of the bumper. There are a series of white plastic clips that you can reach through and pinch together to pull the cover off. At either end, inside the wheel wells, there are 2 plastic rivets. You will have to break these rivets and replace them.

The headlamps are head in by three 10mm bolts. There are also several guides. You will have to pull firmly, don't be surprised if it takes a little effort.

Once they are out of the way, you can work on the wiring.

If you have the original VVME kit, you do not need to change the wiring at all. The new bulbs will connect exactly like the old ones, minus the connector that actuates the high/low. After a few e-mails back and forth with VVME, I found that there would be no issue running the same balasts and taping these connections off. There are 2 wires that are designed to be used with systems that use factory h1 bulbs. You can get rid of these, also.

The new HID bulbs did not fit in the projectors on the new headlamps. I had to modify them slightly to get everything to fit. There is only 1 way the lights can fit in the housing, which should be easily visible. I ended up using a file to remove some of the material inside the projector. It didn't take a lot of material, just make sure you clean out the lenses after you are finished with whatever method you choose.

The "difficult" part was wiring the high beams.

The HID kit uses the passanger side factory connector to turn on/off (on my setup) so I decided to use the driver side to actuate the high beams. When I ordered the new bulbs, I was under the impression I would need a new relay system.. You don't actually need this setup, but it comes with the right relay and all the connectors that you need to make it work:

Relay Harness For Single Beam HID Kit - $9.99 : VVME.COM, Car Parts, HID KIT, Tattoo Kit, Ballast, Bulbs

This kit has the correct connectors for the 9005 bulbs, which are the high bulbs in the projector headlamps.

You will need to extend them slightly (our trucks are apparently a little wider than the average car. )

The headlamps come with an adapter that you can use to pick up the high beam. I pulled the low beam pin and tossed it. Used the high beam and ground to run a relay, and from the relay ran wires to each 9005 beam.

Once again.. Didn't take pictures.. Here is what you can see:

Relay:
Click the image to open in full size.

Connectors:
Click the image to open in full size.
Click the image to open in full size.

The lights themselves are a little "ricer" for my tastes. I was also really disapointed with the fit. I found some trim that was able to fill some of the gaps and make them look more appropriate.

Gaps:
Click the image to open in full size.

Working on the trim:
Click the image to open in full size.
Click the image to open in full size.

Trim finished:
Click the image to open in full size.


Lows:
Click the image to open in full size.

Highs:
Click the image to open in full size.
Click the image to open in full size.

Most HID kits are designed to only be on with the low beams. My issue with only having the HIDs on lows only is that they can take a little while to warm up. If driving across Idaho or Montana, I might go for 30-45 minutes without seeing another car.. Go to flip from highs to lows, and not have lows for a few seconds as the HIDs warm up.. Not good. So I wired the lows to be on always, and the 9005s (highs) to come on over the top of them.

And the results:

Low Beams:
Click the image to open in full size.

Highs:
Click the image to open in full size.

I'll get some pictures outside soon. I didn't lose any of the lighting power, and gained a much better cut off line and better highs.

The long and short of it is this: the HIDs in the factory headlamps will provide better light, but they will not provide a clean cut-off line that is appropriate for other drivers. I wouldn't recommend the replacement kit without also upgrading the headlamps.

If you have any questions, let me know.
  #2  
MD-LUCKY on 03-18-2010, 01:40 AM
Alright, these are the last pictures I'll post..

These are before and after. Before using the factory headlamps, and after with the new setup.. The glare difference to on-coming drivers should be extremely evident.

As I've said before. The factory headlamps will work well.. But you can much better control with actual projectors.

Before:
Click the image to open in full size.

After:
Click the image to open in full size.
  #3  
06RedRam on 03-12-2011, 09:59 PM
Super bright I like are they 6000k and what year is the truck it's on
Closed Article

Article Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:46 PM.

 


Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2006 - 2024, CompetitionDiesel.com
all information found on this site is property of www.competitiondiesel.comArticle powered by GARS 1.01 ©2005-2006