Jump to content

New Auxilliary Lighting

cyoung1253

Recommended Posts

cyoung1253 Enthusiast

cyoung1253

Posted
Posted

Finally got around to replacing my broken PIAA 540 fog lights this weekend. Never really liked the purpleish/yellowish lens of the PIAA's, that and the fact I was not satisfied with the performance of them. Installed Hella FF200's in their place, I think the clear tempered glass lens looks better and they have a nice wide low light pattern that brightens up the sides of the road nicely and don't seem to bother oncoming traffic. They fit great in the factory location even though they are slightly oval. Also built a couple brackets to mount a pair of Hella FF500 driving lights in front of the grille to supplement the highs. Given the cheap Wal-Mart price the FF500's are very bright and in combination with the high beams it is like day light on dark back roads. Big difference in overall quality (and price) between the Hella "Made in Taiwan" for sale at Wally-World FF500's and the Hella "Made in Germany" FF200's. Snapped a couple pics this morning, yeah truck is dirty and it snowed again last night.

 

New lighting installed

newlights2-1.jpg

Hella FF200 Fog lights in factory location

newfogs2.jpg

Hella FF500's on bracket in front of grille

ff500-1.jpg

Low Beam

lowbeam-1.jpg

High Beam

highbeam-1.jpg

Pic of old, now broken PIAA 540 Plasma Ion fogs

Fogs001.jpg

cyoung1253 Enthusiast

cyoung1253

Posted
  • Author
Posted
looks great how bright are theyt?

 

Hella FF200's are much brighter than the PIAA 540's were and supplement the low beams quite nicely with the low wide beam pattern and don't seem to offend oncoming traffic. The FF500 driving lights in combination with the high beams is like driving in daylight on dark back roads. Used the PIAA switch that I had previously installed and three relays to activate the aux lighting and automatically switch between fogs with low beam or driving lights with high beam. Could add the diode to the factory high/low relays so that when I switch to high beams all 4 headlights and all 4 aux lights would be on but that would really be overkill.

 

Aux lighting switch

DSCF0678.jpg

cyoung1253 Enthusiast

cyoung1253

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Looks good.

Were did you get the brackets for the larger lights?

 

Made them out of a piece of 1 1/2" angle iron that is bolted to the bumper (there is a pair of unused tabs with holes just under the grille) and a couple Uni-Strut "L" brackets. Also braced the top of the brackets back to the radiator support structure to stiffen things up so the lights are not like bobble-heads on rough roads.

lmt Enthusiast

lmt

Posted
Posted

Are those FF200 fog lights or driving lights. Very nice set-up clean and neat

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • Z45
      Towing In Loose Gravel

      By Z45 · Posted

      Having owned 4wd vehicle since the 1970s I find there are varying opinions on how to use 4wd, every owner is an expert in their minds.  IMO, 4LO is the appropriate gear and what I would use,  You have to feather the gas to avoid spinning tires and the lower the gear the better chance.  But like I said you will find those that think their method is best.  I live near a boat launch.  Yesterday there was a new Ford Maverick pulling out a pontoon boat almost 2x its size, they had no problems and they don't have a LO range.   True story. One winter day not long ago I was coming out of small town post office and there was a F150 4wd parked in front and was stuck foot deep snow ruts. I knew the lady so I asked her to put it in 4wd (wondering why in the middle of a 2-day snow storm she wasn't).  Her reply surprised me, "my husband" (the expert) told me not use that because it uses too much gas. She finally got unstuck spinning in 2wd which likely used more gas than not.  
    • dna9656
      New to Me 2010 SLE (Quirks, Issues)

      By dna9656 · Posted

      Your tire pressure issue may just be batteries, you can reset them using tge Ing switch (I think) and the owner's  manual. ChatGTP will b e a faster, better help than Google.
    • Another JR
      Towing In Loose Gravel

      By Another JR · Posted

      The thinking is that starting out in a higher gear makes it easier to avoid applying excessive torque when pressing the gas pedal. In a modern 4wd truck with 4 low and a limited slip or locking rear end, I would use 4 low and try to crawl up the ramp. Sometimes if they are too slippery, you have to back up to let the boat have some bouyancy, and then accelerate briskly to get some momentum to help you pull the through the slippery parts. 
    • XY74
      Roll up bed cover experiences

      By XY74 · Posted

      I have a Retrax pro that I first had on my 2020 chevy and transferred it to my current GMC.  It stays in the garage most of the time, so hard for me to judge it's long term weather resistance.  It still works perfectly, been very durable.  It doesn't see oil patch usage, but it's not a mall queen.  It keeps most things mostly dry (small leaks) and the security of it is enough to slow someone down but not keep them out for long.  I would buy one again, it works for me.     
    • fm2176
      New to Me 2010 SLE (Quirks, Issues)

      By fm2176 · Posted

      Thanks to the convenience of Amazon, I was able to get a few things done to the truck today.  I installed Carquest Premium oil and air filters with five quarts of Mobil1 High Mileage 10-30 along with a quart of Pennzoil Platinum 5w-30 I already had.  The latch for the flip up center console lid was broken so I replaced it along with the power mirror switch.  I found my push retainer assortment this morning and reattached the plastic under the bumper and it was only held on with a few screws and retainers.  Then I programmed a new remote keyless entry fob so I can lock my dog in the truck when I take her out with me (I've got to keep the air going for her since it's been in the 100s).  Finally, I ordered some LED interior bulbs and replaced the reading lamps.  The front lights are working fine while one of the back lights only works intermittently and the other not at all.   While under the truck, I found the source of at least one of the noises: the sway bar links need replacing.  I ordered a set of Suspension Dudes links with Code Red bushings.  Never heard of them, but they're made in the USA and have decent reviews.  While making yet another Amazon order, I went ahead and added a set of front tow hooks.  I went with red, since that's the color of the sway bar link and bushings and it should look decent enough on a black and chrome truck.  Speaking of which, it doesn't bug me much, but the passenger side mirror has a chrome cap while the driver side doesn't, so eventually I'll make them match one way or another.  Oh, and I ordered a $20 TPMS reset tool.  No idea if it will do anything for my sensors but it was cheap and will work for the Ford Transit Connect as well.     For tradition's sake, I ordered a new oil change wrench.  I kept the Snap-On 9/16"x15mm GM wrench I bought when I was 18 in the 2006 GMC from the time I bought that truck until the truck was lost.  While I was tempted, there's no need to spend $80 for a new SO wrench, or even $50 with shipping for a used one on Ebay.  I just bought a Duratech 15mm extra-long ratcheting wrench to do the job as needed.  It works, and if I like that wrench enough, I'll buy the set.  

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...