[MissouriRam]

After much consideration, I decided to make this write up into its own thread so others that want to follow or search for it will have a little easier time. As time progresses, I will certainly update the thread as needed. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions or comment if you'd like a few different photos. I'll try to accommodate any request.

If you would like more information on these bulbs, you may do so by contacting the vendor directly for more details. You can find them on Facebook at The Auto LED Corp and by email at [email protected]

 

[MissouriRam]

Just as the postal service said, I had a box waiting for me at the door. I quickly unwrapped it to find all of my LED's very well organized and well padded in the box. A quick inspection of everything showed me that all looked good. The wiring felt like quality wiring and not the cheap R/C toy car type. The materials had some weight to it that lead to the belief that it will withstand vibrations and other factors once mounted on the truck. Here is a photo of what was in the box. I had LED Reverse lights, 9012 Phillips LED for the headlights and 9006 CREE MK-R LED bulbs for the fogs:

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Here are a few of the 1300 lumen reverse lights. The bulbs have two LED's and one will be positioned so that the LED faces the plastic tail light housing and the other will face the reflector inside the housing:

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[MissouriRam]

Here are the 9012 Phillips LED's that are rated at 2500 lumens each. Each bulb has two LED's and a metal braid for cooling. There are (4) braids and in order to close up the projector housing you will have to place two braids on one side of the housing and two on the other side. Once I get around to the install, I'll take a few photos. Notice the LED has (4) clusters on it and the LED itself is flat with no rounded "cover" around it.

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[MissouriRam]

Lastly is the 9006 CREE MK-R LED. These push out 3500 lumen each and they have a heat sink with fan on the backside of the LED to help keep it cool and disperse the heat. These will not fit into the headlight housing of the projectors on our Rams because the heat sink does not fit behind the dust cover. Notice that these bulbs have two LED's on them and they are labeled "L" and "R". I'm not sure if it matters how they are mounted, however I will pay close attention when it comes time to put them in and make sure the left LED is in fact facing left. These also have a cluster of (4) on the LED itself, however notice the LED is very large and round unlike the Phillips LED.

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[MissouriRam]

I threw the reverse lights in tonight since they are easy and quick to install. All you'll need to do is take out both torx head screws that hold the tail light in place and remove the halogen bulb from the bottom of the housing. You'll notice that the reverse light was made so that it connects the same way the halogen bulb did. Be mindful to make sure the black OEM wire lines up with the black wire on the LED bulb and the Purple OEM wire lines up with the Red wire on the LED bulb. There is a rubber grommet that holds the LED in place so that you can position the bulb by just turning the LED housing. You'll position it so that one LED faces the back of the reflective housing and the other LED faces out the rear of the taillight directly at you.

As you can see in the photos, the light is much whiter and crisp. I believe the LED bulbs are a little brighter, however it wasn't a slam dunk in my opinion. I'll let you all decide for yourselves from the photos. I apologize for the photos on my Uconnect screen. It's never easy to take a picture of a picture.

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[MissouriRam]

Ok ladies and gentlemen... I hope you throw some rep points my way, I'm burning the midnight oil to make sure I got some good photos for you. Installation wasn't horrible and it doesn't add any steps to the process if you were just changing out bulbs. Note, you will have to get into the inner fender through the wheel wells in order to take the headlights out. You'll first start by removing the grill off the truck and then it's as easy as removing two bolts, releasing the plastic tab through the fender well and unplugging the power supply.

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Install of the Phillips bulb in the headlight is very easy. Separate the cooling braids and place 2 on one side and 2 on the other. Everything else fits nice and neat into the housing and the dust cap closes tight with no issues. **Note, I did take photos of the CREE LED's in the headlights, however the dust cap had to remain off since the heat sink does not fit behind the dust cap**

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I'll let the photos do the talking for me, however I will say my personal preference is having the Phillips 9012 bulbs in the headlights and the Cree MK-R's in the fogs. The light output is MUCH better in this configuration and it seems like the Cree bulbs just push the fogs to do as they are designed- to push light low and wide. Though the Cree bulbs were brighter than the Phillips in the headlight housing, it wasn't enough to convince me. The color is crisp, brilliant and clear. It's a night and day difference from OEM. I had no error codes on my 2014 when I installed the lights without decoders, however I have thrown them on to complete the installation and avoid crawling under/through my truck again.

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[MissouriRam]

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Here's a 15,000 lumen Rigid 30" RDS LED bar just for comparison sake...

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[paradit]

great write up with excellent pictures! I've changed over to LED in my low beams and fogs. I love the light output that they are giving off, well worth the money, time, and energy.

-paradit

 

[reapur]

Thank you again. The other thread was getting huge.
Is this a kit? is there a part number(s) that I need to order?
I can't find The Auto LED Corp on facebook I see CSC LED...
I want to order this exactly and don't want any mistakes,
Thanks

 

[burn133]

Many reps for the great write up!!!!!

 

[MissouriRam]

Here is a link to their Facebook:

https://m.facebook.com/TALcorp8

It's not a specific kit, however if you advise them you own a Ram truck and want the Cree MK-R for your fogs and the Philips for the headlights, they will know exactly what you want. Good luck to ya!

Thank you again. The other thread was getting huge.
Is this a kit? is there a part number(s) that I need to order?
I can't find The Auto LED Corp on facebook I see CSC LED...
I want to order this exactly and don't want any mistakes,
Thanks

 

[MissouriRam]

Thank you!! :smileup:

Many reps for the great write up!!!!!

 

[AZRamLover]

Ditto - thank you for writing this up, MissouriRam.

What's your take on the beam pattern and light output of the lowbeam Philips only, compared to say a retrofitted FX-R 35W HID system?

I assume you have the stock projectors on your sport, right?

 

[MissouriRam]

I have no experience with HID systems, therefore I won't speculate on a comparison. What I can tell you is that I don't think you can compare these two beasts to one another as apple to apple.

With a solid HID system or LED set up like I have, you're talking about a very dramatic increase over stock OEM lights. One major benefit to the LED is it is a true plug and play system. If you're worried about having bulb out messages, get the decoders and plug one end of the decoder into the stock connector located on the truck and the other end of the decoder into the LED bulb, all of this wiring fits neatly inside the OEM housing and the dust cap seals back up just as it should. Simply then plug the truck power supply into the headlight and everything works as planned. When you talk about FX-R systems, you're talking about another level. Not only is the projector a completely different set up since it is optically clear AND designed for HID systems, but you're also talking about putting your headlights in an oven to break open your OEM headlights to install the FX-R projectors and sealing them back up. I've come across very few people who are willing to invest that kind of time and money to modify their stock housing. Even HID users will tell you that there is a difference between HID's in a stock OEM projector and an FX-R projector, so I'm confident in saying that the LED system is no different. Would it compare to a capable HID system in the OEM housing, I believe it would. Does it compare to a true HID FX-R set up, I'd have to say probably not.

I've discussed this issue with Braden and there are some benefits to the FX-R set up. First they provide an optically clear lens and second they are specifically made to focus the light and cast a better beam vs. the OEM projectors. Would you see an increase of light, yes..... without a doubt you would, however would it be so dramatic that everyone will jump on board to either risk breaking their headlights or pay $600-700 for someone else to install FX-R projectors- My opinion is that you won't find many that NEED that extra push from what the stock LED's provide.

Also, you have to really look at the photo I provided of the CREE bulb in the fog light housing. That bulb is designed to "shine" (pun intended) in the reflective style housing, like in the fogs or the quad light set up. They work well in projectors, however the beam is just phenomenal in the fogs. Even with an FX-R set up, I believe the CREE bulbs are so bright and crisp that you won't notice any difference in front of the truck. My guess is you would see a beam that might cast light a little wider, possibly a little farther and you would find a much more crisp/defined cut off at the end of the low beam on an FX-R modification vs. the stock projector.

I did send an email to Jeremy Mcfail of Retroshop. If he is willing to provide some time and some equipment, I hope to make a drive over to him and compare apples to apples. My hope is to take a few photos of the LED system vs. a plain HID set up and then also compare it to a true FX-R system. If it is possible, I'd like to also take it up another notch and do a side by side comparison of the LED bulb in an FX-R projector and and HID bulb in an FX-R projector. Keep in mind that at this point, I haven't been able to do anything other than reach out and ask. It certainly is asking a lot of someone who stands to possibly loose out on some HID business if these bulbs perform as well as I believe they will. Make sure to subscribe to the thread if you're interested in following my progression. I also plan to leave periodic updates as to how the system is performing.

Which takes me to my next line of business. Thus far, I have had no error codes, flickering, bulb out messages or actual bulbs going out. We've had a few days of wet weather and a few days of some pretty hot weather and thus far, there is nothing to report other than smooth sailing. :smileup:

Ditto - thank you for writing this up, MissouriRam.

What's your take on the beam pattern and light output of the lowbeam Philips only, compared to say a retrofitted FX-R 35W HID system?

I assume you have the stock projectors on your sport, right?

 

[AZRamLover]

Good stuff, sir - thank you for the detailed and thoughtful response!

It's a shame the stock projector lenses are so crappy.

I completely understand the desire to stay stock (no baking, retrofitting, etc.) and the challenge of paying $1K+ to get FX-Rs retrofitted.

 

[JOE760]

Lastly is the 9006 CREE MK-R LED. These push out 3500 lumen each and they have a heat sink with fan on the backside of the LED to help keep it cool and disperse the heat. These will not fit into the headlight housing of the projectors on our Rams because the heat sink does not fit behind the dust cover. Notice that these bulbs have two LED's on them and they are labeled "L" and "R". I'm not sure if it matters how they are mounted, however I will pay close attention when it comes time to put them in and make sure the left LED is in fact facing left. These also have a cluster of (4) on the LED itself, however notice the LED is very large and round unlike the Phillips LED.

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How much did the led's for the fogs run you if you don't mind me asking?

 

[MissouriRam]

Please use the links provided in this thread and contact the vendor directly to receive a price quote. I will tell you the price is very comparable to HID systems.

Please don't take any offense to that, I am not affiliated in any way with the vendor and this thread was started to only provide the best possible information on LED bulbs discussed in several other threads. I would prefer to provide answers as to the longevity, output, comparison to other bulbs etc. and leave the pricing details to the seller to discuss.

Best of luck and I can assure you that you WILL NOT be disappointed with these CREE bulbs if purchased.

How much did the led's for the fogs run you if you don't mind me asking?

 

[JOE760]

Please use the links provided in this thread and contact the vendor directly to receive a price quote. I will tell you the price is very comparable to HID systems.

Please don't take any offense to that, I am not affiliated in any way with the vendor and this thread was started to only provide the best possible information on LED bulbs discussed in several other threads. I would prefer to provide answers as to the longevity, output, comparison to other bulbs etc. and leave the pricing details to the seller to discuss.

Best of luck and I can assure you that you WILL NOT be disappointed with these CREE bulbs if purchased.

i understand. Thanks

 

[Steve8522]

Installing tonight

MissouriRam, I ordered the full kit from Braden last week and received everything today. I'm going with the same set-up as you in my 2013 Ram 1500 with projectors. Cree LEDs for the fogs, Phillips LEDs for the projectors, and decoders for both to avoid any potential issues. I'm planning to do the install tonight and I'm looking forward to the improvement over subpar stock halogen lighting. Any pointers to make the install go smoothly? Also, did you have to re-aim your headlights and/or fogs? Thanks in advance and have a good one.

 

[reapur]

one last question before I order:
Are these good to go in a 2015 limited? I have read that the 2015 have issues even with the HID kits that work fine on the 2014?
Thoughts?

Cheers