led bars vs hid

Here is my friends just messing around.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...08DF27C364.mp4

You can see when the strobe lights up - it goes! And this isn't a good shot of the distance either.

Originally Posted by dunerider650

Cant get anywhere near the distance with leds as with this....

Impressive.. but would have to see it. 3 LED bars (50") on a trophy truck seems to be right there.

AND

this is only a 37" bar with fluted ends.

I would recommend getting a pair of the Recon headlight replacements for the stock ones fiorst. Then go to Xenon Depot and get one of their HID kits that replaces the low beam lights. Also get a headlight relay harness specific to your truck. I would forgo the led kit for the moment and get some better headlights. Now do not go over 6000k on the HID's because you might regret it when the police start to take unwanted notice of your truck. 4300 is more than bright enough. Also on the HID kit do not go for a 55 watt kit. All a 555 watt kit does is over drive a 35 watt bulb shortening its life and is not worth the troubles. Hope this helps out.

megamouse, you mentioned headlight replacements then you mention hids like its a seperate thing. care to post links or elaborate on your suggestion. also we cant just replace just the low beams in our 3g rams. one bulb does it all. its not a dual bulb setup like some 4g rams. not sure what you were suggesting..

Originally Posted by MegaMouseGW

All a 55 watt kit does is over drive a 35 watt bulb shortening its life and is not worth the troubles. Hope this helps out.

can anyone else confirm this is true. if so, a 35watt hid bulb would vastly outlast a 55. hmmm

The recon lights use a projector for the lows and a reflector bowl for the highs, thus splitting to 2 bulbs. But, keep in mind, the projectors aren't made for HIDs, they are halogen projectors. And, well........you won't get the best performance there.

As for the 35 vs 55 comment - most kits on the market are a 55W ballast pushing a 35W bulb. Retro-Solutions uses a 55W bulb.........so the issue of overdriving it isn't there.

Here are the li nks I neglected to post earlier:
First is Recon for the headlights: http://www.gorecon.com/
Make sure you choose the correct ones for your truck. Plus the projectors that Recon use are designed for HID's although they ship with halogen bulbs installed. Takes a bit of wiring to get everything up and running but the instructions are easy to follow. Recon also offers LED taillights which are massively bright and look very cool.
Next is the relay kit: http://innovadd.com/bb.3g.ram.1.html
The above is only one part of what you need here is the other: http://www.carhidkits.com/hid-kit-wi...plugs-275.html
Witht eh relay kit ensure that you let them know the make and year of your truck and if you are using aftermarket lights with the low and high beams seperated like I have.
This is the Kit I use in my truck for the HID's: http://www.hidxenonlights.com/h3-hid...k-30000k-p-261 I use the 4300k bulbs which outperform anything hotter.
As far as the 35 watt vs 55 watt debate goes I said it earlier. All 55 watt kits do is overdrive a 35 watt bulb thus shortening their life. There are only a couple manufacturers of the bulbs and they ONLY make 35 watt bulbs. All aftermarket kit makers do is rebase the bulb for your (or my) application. With the Recon headlights you will need H1 based bulbs. Do not be fooled into getting what is called Bi/Xenon kits. They do not work properly. Plus if you decide to try and stick HiD's in stock headlights expect to be stopped by the police a lot. You must use projector headlights for HiD's or the glare will be unbearable for oncoming traffic. Goood Luck and hope I assisted you in makeing the right choices.

Originally Posted by 0212353

The recon lights use a projector for the lows and a reflector bowl for the highs, thus splitting to 2 bulbs.

wait. ive never heard of this. retro offers headlights for the 04 ram that allows us to split into a 2 bulb system? can i get more details cause i would love to have a setup like toyotas and chevys have where all 4 bulbs are on when the highs turn on.

Originally Posted by jasonsdakota

wait. ive never heard of this. retro offers headlights for the 04 ram that allows us to split into a 2 bulb system? can i get more details cause i would love to have a setup like toyotas and chevys have where all 4 bulbs are on when the highs turn on.

Recon does..........

http://www.gorecon.com/product.php?p...-DRLs&p_cat=80

But, at $450.............pffft. I don't think they are set up to keep the lows on though when you hit the highs.

Drop a few more bucks and you can get a full HID setup, with 55W HIDs direct from me on my Black Friday deals. http://shop.retroshop.us/ProductDeta...E02-05%2ERETRO

Originally Posted by 0212353

Recon does..........

http://www.gorecon.com/product.php?p...-DRLs&p_cat=80

But, at $450.............pffft. I don't think they are set up to keep the lows on though when you hit the highs.

Drop a few more bucks and you can get a full HID setup, with 55W HIDs direct from me on my Black Friday deals. http://shop.retroshop.us/ProductDeta...E02-05%2ERETRO

how much for a set of 55watt hids 4300k, with, then without projectors?

also, how do we make sure these hid's dont cost us a $900 tipm unit? is it a safer bet than the 80/100s i have in there now or are they both iffy?

Originally Posted by jasonsdakota

how much for a set of 55watt hids 4300k, with, then without projectors?

55W HIDs - http://shop.retroshop.us/ProductDeta...02%2E05%2EHIDs

Projectors - http://shop.retroshop.us/ProductDeta...tCode=BF%2EMH1

For the typical 02-05 setup, you'll have the projectors, pick your shrouds, dust caps, bix wiring and butyl.

Originally Posted by jasonsdakota

also, how do we make sure these hid's dont cost us a $900 tipm unit? is it a safer bet than the 80/100s i have in there now or are they both iffy?

Just make sure you get a kit that has the right harness. Cheap eBay kits won't have the right one. I would be leary of the 80/100, they are drawing more power, where HIDs won't (and are getting power direct from the battery, vs the small wiring from the truck)

Jason please do not use HID's without projector headlights. Your wallet and your drivers license will thank you for it later.
Here is the reason I say that: HID's in standard headlight housings create so much glare for oncoming drivers it can cause them to have an accident. Plus the way standard headlights are made the beam pattern you will get out of HID's will sorely dissapoint you. Here is a youtube link you should watch before making any drastic decision on your HID's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tM_VTT40QE

The above shows the massive glare produced when HID's are installed into halogen headlight housings (which most cars and trucks come from the factory with).
This next one shows the difference between the stock headlights and a good set of projector headlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVZWWZfcDJE

This one has some reading you might want to check out plus it has a picture of a car with HID's in a halogen headlight: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...discharge_lamp
This one tells the story of headlamps but you can skip most of it and go to the bottom to read up on the HID's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlamp

Now for the manufacturers I had mentioned in an above post. There are currently only 2 that produce HID lights for vehicles. Sylvania and Philips, and neither make 55 watt bulbs. When you get a kit what you will get is a rebased bulb from either of them for your application.
I will stress the importance of getting a set of good aftermarket headlights with projectors in it for your HiD's. You will find they work better and when properly aimed will give you a ton of light out front.

Originally Posted by MegaMouseGW

Here are the li nks I neglected to post earlier:
First is Recon for the headlights: http://www.gorecon.com/
Make sure you choose the correct ones for your truck. Plus the projectors that Recon use are designed for HID's although they ship with halogen bulbs installed. Takes a bit of wiring to get everything up and running but the instructions are easy to follow. Recon also offers LED taillights which are massively bright and look very cool.
Next is the relay kit: http://innovadd.com/bb.3g.ram.1.html
The above is only one part of what you need here is the other: http://www.carhidkits.com/hid-kit-wi...plugs-275.html
Witht eh relay kit ensure that you let them know the make and year of your truck and if you are using aftermarket lights with the low and high beams seperated like I have.
This is the Kit I use in my truck for the HID's: http://www.hidxenonlights.com/h3-hid...k-30000k-p-261 I use the 4300k bulbs which outperform anything hotter.
As far as the 35 watt vs 55 watt debate goes I said it earlier. All 55 watt kits do is overdrive a 35 watt bulb thus shortening their life. There are only a couple manufacturers of the bulbs and they ONLY make 35 watt bulbs. All aftermarket kit makers do is rebase the bulb for your (or my) application. With the Recon headlights you will need H1 based bulbs. Do not be fooled into getting what is called Bi/Xenon kits. They do not work properly. Plus if you decide to try and stick HiD's in stock headlights expect to be stopped by the police a lot. You must use projector headlights for HiD's or the glare will be unbearable for oncoming traffic. Goood Luck and hope I assisted you in makeing the right choices.

Not true It says directly on the back of my recon headlights do not use HID. As for the getting the recon headlights i don't suggest it....they are just sonar copies....yea sonar copies not the other way around. Pull the headlight apart and look what the projector says on it....SONAR. Rip off. Get a set of retro solutions projector headlights with hids and be done with it.

See that image preview on the video that Megamouse posted on the one head light and one HID.

That is why HID suck. Annoying when you have them come at you. haha

not all of them are that way Mike.......take a look at this blurb, especially the last section.

One of my fellow retrofitters on another forum popped this pics up, and its a GREAT way to show the time old question on lighting output and width, etc.

These were taken on a Raptor, but....H13 bulb, and same basic bowl design for the drop in kit.

- 1st pic in each series is stock lights 100% OEM

- 2nd pic is HID's in stock lights

- 3rd pic is HID's with projectors (35W kit in a Morimoto Mini H1 projector)



1st set - lows from behind - you can use the ski jumps in the back left as a reference to how wide each one is.








2nd set - lows from side









3rd set - High beam









4th set - front

Only problem witht eh retro solutions kits is that you ahve to tear apart your headlight to instal them. Unless I clicked the wrong link. Some people do not have the time or knowhow to install a set of projectors in their headlights, so I cnnot recommend them to anyone but those with the skills and knowhow.

Here is a link to CarID which has a very nice selection of complete headlights. CHeck these out before making your decision: http://www.carid.com/

thats where people like Jeremy come in

http://shop.retroshop.us/