Northernexposure

I can't believe I'm relegated to this... asking about technology. GAWD I feel old. (I'm only 43)

Here goes, the lighting on my 2013 F150 stx SUCKS! Not exactly world ending knowledge , I know... But I'm looking to upgrade.
Factory HID's are just tooo bloody expensive and with the truck having "Daytime Running Lights" (hereafter called DRL's), it's gonna be an issue and none of the computer savvy tecnogeeks at the dealership are willing to disable them for fear of getting their wrists slapped by the foreman.
That leads me to my next idea... aftermarket.
Looking at that, yeah, they MAY bolt in and are as ugly as sin... but once again the DRL's comes into play not to mention the less than stellar reviews people give them.
NEXT IDEA!
I looked into TRS.... one word.... C O N F U S E D!
Can I get a plug and play system that will use my lenses for cheaper than say a set on Anzo's???
link----> http://www.theretrofitsource.com/hid...l#.UvblQ2JdW-Y
And if so, would this really work? It sounds too easy!

Seriously, I'm lost here and don't know what to do... someone help an old bugger out! The deer round these parts are suicidal and love jumping out

MGD

Howdy thar, youngin'!

You CAN install TRS retrofit projectors yerself, but if you are not able/willing to do that, look no further then yer Canook colleague on the left coast:

https://www.f150forum.com/f83/bilinv...rofits-152753/

He can build you a set. Much cheaper than an OEM set of HID projectors - with superior lighting performance to boot. Give him a shout to discuss. Great feller.

good luck, eh?

bigred90gt

If you want something in the interim to hold you over till you get it figured out, get a set of silver star ultra bulbs. They are not as bright or as crisp as the hid by any stretch, but they are night and day over the stockers. I have had them in for over a year, along with the silver star 9145 fog bulbs. I just bought the HIDs and am waiting for them to come in.

I took a pic of the silverstar ultras to compare with the HID once they come in. This is heads and fogs. Now, I took it with my phone, and I will admit they look a bit brighter in the pic than in person, but this will give you an idea. Once I get the HIDs in, I plan to take pics in the same location.

As for cheap plug and play, don't do it. HID bulbs in reflector housings are dangerous to everyone on the road, and they are illegal.

Northernexposure

See... I looked into the "Bilinvic" idea and didn't like the idea that I would be sending my factory headlights (leaving me without) and having them install (cut up) for a retrofit.
The link I sent was showing a complete kit where I replace the bulbs, install some ballasts and run wires. No cutting, minimal down time. Simple and easy.
As far as the Silverstar bulbs... I looked into that also! Has anyone really looked at the expected lifespan between NORMAL bulbs compared to that of Silverstar's? It's a big difference, we're not talking a couple hours either.
I dunno.... Maybe I'm looking for something that isn't available or asking too much. Maybe I should have test driven this truck at NIGHT!

MGD

Mornin' fellow hoser;

You have some options here.

- you could buy an extra set of heads (either OEM or aftermarket knockoffs ) and send those to him.

-you could use the above heads as yer project set and retrofit them yerself ( the knockoffs will not usually use Permaseal so opening them is cake )

-you could pay extra and just have Bilnvic provide the complete, ready-to install assembly - you pick the style of finish and the 'gut's you want. And just plug them in and be done.

There are other retrofitters on here as well - and even more listed on the TRS website and HIDplanet. But Billnvic is Canuckistanian so shipping/customs/duties/warranty work will be much less hassle.

You do NOT want to install the simple PnP kit you linked to! As stated, the glare produced is hazardous to others, the lighting pattern is poor, and you will not be happy. Besides - those Denso slim ballasts are not waterproof. You want the Morimoto DSP ballasts for any retrokit you specify - excellent units and will keep the costs down.

My advice? Get a spare set and do it yerself. This wil preserve yer factory units for truck resale whenever, and eliminate any downtime from having to send them anywhere or work on them.

Best of luck and Cheers, eh?


MGD

MAH

As much as you might hope that there was a "plug and play" headlight to replace the OEM candle lights that you are stuck with today that is cheap, easily purchased and incorporates the best lighting output available, it simply does not exist.

Oh your going to see claims of best at this and plug and play at that but most of it is just simply junk that is not anywhere close to the OEM durabity. You may not like the output of the OEM lights, but at least they are reliable. Oh I could purchase some HID bulbs and put them in the OEM housings, but then you are willing to abuse other drivers around you for somewhat brighter lights. This should never be the solution.

Like most things I try and do, it is a rare one that I can cut corners and still have the best. I say all of this to simply say contact Bil. Best output, best options and best quality. Best price? That is open for debate, but for the money, Bil should be it.

The second best would be the OEM HID's that are going to be as close to plug and play as you will find and are going to last. Everything below these two options requires much compromise. There are no issues with compromise, but please do not be fooled into thinking it will be just as good as my top two recommendations either.

Oh course this is just my opinion, like everyone else here, but I believe that is what you were looking for when you posted your request here. We have already made our mistakes. Hopefully you can learn from ours.

MGD

Hi again, Frozen in Manitoba;

Another good read (you'll git a chuckle, lol)

https://www.f150forum.com/f38/conver...ghting-245484/

cheers
MGD

Scarlet

When I bought my '11 Lariat the first thing I did, within a week of taking delivery, I went out and got a set of the Silverstar Ultra's. They do make a nice difference over the stock bulbs. As far as longevity? The set I have in my '94 T'bird are still going after eight years plus. Although I don't drive it much these days, when I do they still fire up. I think that was around '05 or so when I put those in. Speaking of '05, I put a set in a '91 Tracer LTS in '05 and they were still going when I gave the car to my nephew two years ago. Back in around Sept. or so I upgraded to the '13 HID's, and I gotta tell, wish I had done it sooner. I managed to get a great deal on a set on Ebay, new, and bought the harness, and it was real easy to put them in.

bigred90gt

I've ha my silver star ultras in for over a year. I've had regular silverstars in other vehicles for 2+ years in the past without issue.

bilinvic Retrofits

You don't need to send your headlights to bilinvic Retrofits. The prices on my website include brand new OEM headlights. In fact, I encourage my clients to keep their original headlights as spares in case of any fender benders. If the headlights are damaged, I can rebuild an identical replacement and your stock headlights can be remounted very easily because everything is plug 'n play.

With retrofitted headlights, done properly with top-notch components, I have yet to see another vehicle on the road that has lighting performance that even comes close to the output of my own retrofitted lights; and this includes vehicles that surpass $100k in value.

FYI, even with the Mini H1 projectors, the reflector bucket needs cutting for them to be aligned properly. I don't use these projectors because they are more or less, "entry level".

Hope this helps.