I've been hating my terrible stock headlights even more since I lifted my truck and finally decided to do something about it last week. I ordered the 35W Morimoto kit from Retroshop. My truck is 2014 3500 Laramie with factory projectors. I ordered the base kit with Canbus adapters.
http://shop.retroshop.us/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=4G%2E13%2EHIDs
I was able to get them installed yesterday. No pics of the install but here are some detailed notes.
For the install you will need:
8 and 10mm sockets
9" and 2" extension (I used the 2" extension for almost everything. I added the long extension for the bottom headlight bolts.)
1" step bit or spade bit
4-1/2" #10 bolts, washers, and locknuts
The kit above.
The install requires removing the headlights from the truck. There are tons of videos on Youtube about that so I won't repeat it here. You do need to remove the grill. Once you pop the white tab from the access panels in the wheel wells a sharp tug on the housing will pop them loose. I left the wiring attached because I couldn't get the connector loose but looking back it's not necessary to remove them. Just let them hang.
Once the lights are hanging, remove the rear panels with the 8mm socket. Remove the bulbs from the projectors and install the HID bulbs from the kit. Drill the 1" hole in the "lower" area of the panel away from the "higher" area behind the bulb. Thread the harness through the hole and install the built in grommet. You might have to remove the wire support clip from the larger connector to get it through the 1" hole. Connect everything together.
Here is good video from Retro Shop showing how it all makes a "loop" from the HID bulb back to the factory wiring connector.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh732qQPUzQ
In that video you can see the "higher" and "lower" areas of the panel that I drilled the hole in. I wasn't comfortable drilling directly into the super expensive housing like he did. Which way you go with your $1000 factory projectors is up to you.
I mounted the ballasts to the fuse box cover on the drivers side and to the fender liner on the passenger side. That's what the #10 bolts are for. You only need two per ballast on diagonal corners.
Like I said before I used the plug and play Canbus setup. I have no flickering and no "headlamp out" message. If you get either of those, Retroshop will discount the full harness for you after the fact but that will be a more detailed install
And now for the pics.
I took these with an iPhone X so they do not have consistent F-stop and exposure between images but they deffinitely give an idea of what you will see. Those of you with these headlights know that the factory fogs and low beams are about equivalent in brightness but just light up different areas. You'll see the difference here. I aimed them in the street in front of my house by looking at the hot spot height while holding a tape measure 25 ft away so they aren't perfect but it is worlds better than the stock setup.
Fogs only
Fogs and low HIDs
Low HIDs Only
Low HIDs and High stock Halogens
From the front so you can see the color difference from the Fogs (tough to see but they are whiter than the fogs by a good bit)
Cutoff on my garage door
My factory lights were miserable and got almost unusable after my 4-5" lift from the Thuren coils and 36" tires. For $150, these HIDS are bright enough that I can actually see the cutoff move when I go over bumps. The cutoff isn't quite as crisp as a factory HID setup but it is extremely good and a literal night and day difference from stock. I ordered the 4300K and it is whiter than Halogens but not quite as white as most factory HIDs. I really like the color temp it puts out. With the stock headlights, the fog lights were about as bright as the low beams and added substantially to the coverage when turned on. With the HIDs I can barely tell when I turn the fogs on. The amount of light now put out with the highs and lows on is awesome considering there is no auxiliary light.
If you are looking for an easy, inexpensive upgrade that takes an hour or two to do and will significantly increase the safety of night driving this is it. Money definitely well spent.
http://shop.retroshop.us/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=4G%2E13%2EHIDs
I was able to get them installed yesterday. No pics of the install but here are some detailed notes.
For the install you will need:
8 and 10mm sockets
9" and 2" extension (I used the 2" extension for almost everything. I added the long extension for the bottom headlight bolts.)
1" step bit or spade bit
4-1/2" #10 bolts, washers, and locknuts
The kit above.
The install requires removing the headlights from the truck. There are tons of videos on Youtube about that so I won't repeat it here. You do need to remove the grill. Once you pop the white tab from the access panels in the wheel wells a sharp tug on the housing will pop them loose. I left the wiring attached because I couldn't get the connector loose but looking back it's not necessary to remove them. Just let them hang.
Once the lights are hanging, remove the rear panels with the 8mm socket. Remove the bulbs from the projectors and install the HID bulbs from the kit. Drill the 1" hole in the "lower" area of the panel away from the "higher" area behind the bulb. Thread the harness through the hole and install the built in grommet. You might have to remove the wire support clip from the larger connector to get it through the 1" hole. Connect everything together.
Here is good video from Retro Shop showing how it all makes a "loop" from the HID bulb back to the factory wiring connector.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh732qQPUzQ
In that video you can see the "higher" and "lower" areas of the panel that I drilled the hole in. I wasn't comfortable drilling directly into the super expensive housing like he did. Which way you go with your $1000 factory projectors is up to you.
I mounted the ballasts to the fuse box cover on the drivers side and to the fender liner on the passenger side. That's what the #10 bolts are for. You only need two per ballast on diagonal corners.
Like I said before I used the plug and play Canbus setup. I have no flickering and no "headlamp out" message. If you get either of those, Retroshop will discount the full harness for you after the fact but that will be a more detailed install
And now for the pics.
I took these with an iPhone X so they do not have consistent F-stop and exposure between images but they deffinitely give an idea of what you will see. Those of you with these headlights know that the factory fogs and low beams are about equivalent in brightness but just light up different areas. You'll see the difference here. I aimed them in the street in front of my house by looking at the hot spot height while holding a tape measure 25 ft away so they aren't perfect but it is worlds better than the stock setup.
Fogs only
Fogs and low HIDs
Low HIDs Only
Low HIDs and High stock Halogens
From the front so you can see the color difference from the Fogs (tough to see but they are whiter than the fogs by a good bit)
Cutoff on my garage door
My factory lights were miserable and got almost unusable after my 4-5" lift from the Thuren coils and 36" tires. For $150, these HIDS are bright enough that I can actually see the cutoff move when I go over bumps. The cutoff isn't quite as crisp as a factory HID setup but it is extremely good and a literal night and day difference from stock. I ordered the 4300K and it is whiter than Halogens but not quite as white as most factory HIDs. I really like the color temp it puts out. With the stock headlights, the fog lights were about as bright as the low beams and added substantially to the coverage when turned on. With the HIDs I can barely tell when I turn the fogs on. The amount of light now put out with the highs and lows on is awesome considering there is no auxiliary light.
If you are looking for an easy, inexpensive upgrade that takes an hour or two to do and will significantly increase the safety of night driving this is it. Money definitely well spent.