I polished the stock headlight lenses when i first got the truck. That helped some but the headlights still sucked. I added some led cube fog lights from Amazon and aimed them low and angled out. This really helped with night driving by lighting up the side of the road. I made sure they wouldn't blind oncoming traffic and haven't had anyone flash me. Last week i got some Hella 100/80 watt bulbs and wired up relays. This completely changed visibility at night. Before i NEEDED the leds at night. Now i can barely tell if they are on or off. Haven't had anyone flash me yet but only driven it 10 times going to work. Before anyone tells me how much better the Morimoto upgrade is or swap to sport lenses they're not in the budget now. I spent $20 on this upgrade, the cost of the bulbs and bulb sockets. I have relays, bases, wire, etc in the garage so i didn't have to buy anything like that but if i did it probably would have been another $30 or so. The reason for this post: If you're broke and desperate for improved light its cheap and easy to do and it did improve my visibility. I put off doing it because i kept reading it wasn't worth the effort. If anyone needs info on wiring the relays and sockets let me know. 

Glad they work for you.  Keep a spare set of bulbs close.  The 100w halogens have a pretty short lifespan rating.

@Me78569 good to know about the bulbs. Never used them before. The bulbs i took out had Sept 00 on them. This truck was almost never driven at night when it was in my fleet but i didn't think it would still have the factory bulbs. Its a 2001.

I just installed the same bulbs in my truck last weekend with some aftermarket housings.  I agree they aren't as good as the Mishimoto setup but they are far better than the stock setup.  I have a 30 minute drive to work in the dark every morning so I'll find out how long they last.  At least the bulbs are cheap, about $15 for the pair shipped from Rock Auto.  I may order another set as backup if longevity is a concern. 

Are you in mtn home?

I got a set of these from rock auto several months ago. I havent wired up relays to them yet but they are still a bit brighter than stock. After reading your post, I will get some relays and wiring.

@Sycostang67 If you have Amazon Prime they are $12.34 free shipping. 

@98whitelightnin I wired mine using 4 relays so left and right sides are independent of eash other in case of a failure. It can be done using only 2 relays but i would not recommend it.

13 hours ago, Me78569 said:

The 100w halogens have a pretty short lifespan rating.

I've been using the same 9104 blubs (80/100w) with stock wire harness and no relays for the past 15years and have had 0 problems.

Rock auto must have been having a sale when I bought mine back in january for $2.68 each.

@IBMobile I did the relays trying to get all the voltage i could to the bulb. Wired the sides independent for safety. If a relay fails, factory fuse pops, wreck, whatever i hopefully won't lose both sides. Factory fused left and right separately for that reason. After hitting a deer in the middle of nowhere Florida a few years ago in the wifes van and losing ALL exterior lighting over minor DF corner damage i figured it was smart. Spent 30 minutes on side of road at 2am chasing smashed wiring to get lights working really sucked.

@98whitelightnin guess i need to watch Rock Auto for spare bulbs. Thats cheap.

I just looked and they are still $2.63 each.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/dodge,1998,ram+2500+pickup,5.9l+l6+diesel+turbocharged,1400162,electrical-bulb+&+socket,headlamp+bulb,11701

I have the non-sport head lights, one blub per side, and drive with just the low beams and factory driving lights on.  I find that with the high beams on there isn't a good side of the road illumination.  I read that the 9007 and 9107 gives a better light beam due to the filament orientation is placed 90° to that of the 9004 and 9104 blub but are used only in the sport headlamp assemblies.   The next time I go to the wreaking yard I'll pull the wires for the 9007/9107 blubs and give them a try.      

Ummm... Might be cheaper...

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/GRO841039

 

The only problem is the bulb won't fit the housing the index pins in the housing are in a different placement. Can't be traded.

Edited September 15, 20195 yr by Mopar1973Man

23 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Ummm... Might be cheaper.

But it's more fun walking around a wreaking yard looking for that hidden treasure and getting ideas for that next project are priceless.   

You got a point... I've forgotten what it like to do that. Here in Idaho if you even find a 2nd Gen truck in a wrecking yard you are super lucky. 

Right now, about 20 miles from here, there are 8 Ram 1500 in the wreaking yard but it's rare to find a 2500/3500 there.  A lot of the parts from the 1500 will work on the 2500/3500 models.  You can always find a nice after market trans cooler or part you can use off of a Ford, Chevy, or Volvo that you can adapt for something. 

 

https://www.lkqpickyourpart.com/locations/LKQ_Pick_Your_Part_-_Oceanside-286/recents/

On 9/15/2019 at 5:45 AM, IBMobile said:

I've been using the same 9104 blubs (80/100w) with stock wire harness and no relays for the past 15years and have had 0 problems.

good to know.  I remember thinking about going this route and decided not to due to the rated lifespan being ~%50 of the 9004 

1 hour ago, Me78569 said:

good to know.  I remember thinking about going this route and decided not to due to the rated lifespan being ~%50 of the 9004 

Kinda shied me away too. But I just bought 4 from RA for $14. Think I wil try them.

This doesnt look bad.

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F191018519512

@Evan let me know how they are if you get them.

I'm broke right now but may try them soonish. 

 

I was looking at the led bulbs to but would be afraid the ice over running in the snow.

 

I'll for sure report when I do. Get them they appear to be plug n play but will need a relay added to run all four when on bright.

 

Cost would be up about 100 for a set of 4 decent bulbs