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LED Strip Surrounding Headlight Assembly Brightness

Sorceress21

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I've got a 21' and mine are uselessly dim. I've noticed other 5th Gen 1500s I've passed on the road, Rebel trim or not, all have the same issue. Has anyone figured out how to correct this? They should be about 20 times brighter and usable as practical DRLs vs useless accent lights. I'd rather have brighter LED strips than run my DRL headlight mode.

Can this be adjusted somehow without upgrading the system to an aftermarket unit like Diode Dynamics? I'd rather not crack open and re-bake my headlight housings.
 

piening2150

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Nope. They are literally called 'accent lights' and are not meant for DRL. I agree they are too dim. The ones on my Charger were much brighter. They would be much better if they were brighter, but they're not.
 

NewLove

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I like them dim. Makes the truck look stealthy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Sorceress21

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Well if anyone is interested and wants to deal with the hassle of a headlight assembly shake and re-bake there's this kit:

 

RebelWraith

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I have the Diode Dynamics LED boards and they are only marginally brighter than stock. The reason behind this is there is only one LED on each side of the headlight illuminating the "pipe". There is a way to make them substantially brighter, but will take a good amount of customization.
I personally like them being an accent and not a DRL as most vehicle that have strips as DRLs drop out when you hit your blinker. The Rams do not as they have always been classified as an accent light.
Also the Ram headlights are not a simple shake and re-bake. These are Permaseal headlights.
 

Sorceress21

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I have the Diode Dynamics LED boards and they are only marginally brighter than stock. The reason behind this is there is only one LED on each side of the headlight illuminating the "pipe". There is a way to make them substantially brighter, but will take a good amount of customization.
I personally like them being an accent and not a DRL as most vehicle that have strips as DRLs drop out when you hit your blinker. The Rams do not as they have always been classified as an accent light.
Also the Ram headlights are not a simple shake and re-bake. These are Permaseal headlights.
Great to know! Thanks! I was considering getting that kit but now not so much.
 

RebelWraith

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Great to know! Thanks! I was considering getting that kit but now not so much.
If you really want it done it can be and using Diode Dynamics equipment. But not the LED boards as they just don't have the power to get them much brighter. I can share my idea or do the work. Either way these headlights are a pain to open, but am happy to help.
 

Sorceress21

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If you really want it done it can be and using Diode Dynamics equipment. But not the LED boards as they just don't have the power to get them much brighter. I can share my idea or do the work. Either way these headlights are a pain to open, but am happy to help.
Wait what??? They let you leave Communist Occupied Virginia without papers? ;) :p

I can tease, I lived in Floyd County, VA for years before I defected to the United States.
 

RebelWraith

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Wait what??? They let you leave Communist Occupied Virginia without papers? ;) :p

I can tease, I lived in Floyd County, VA for years before I defected to the United States.
Yes, I live in Northern Virginia in the DC metro area. We gained our freedom some time back.
 

SouthernGypsy

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I've got a 21' and mine are uselessly dim. I've noticed other 5th Gen 1500s I've passed on the road, Rebel trim or not, all have the same issue. Has anyone figured out how to correct this? They should be about 20 times brighter and usable as practical DRLs vs useless accent lights. I'd rather have brighter LED strips than run my DRL headlight mode.

Can this be adjusted somehow without upgrading the system to an aftermarket unit like Diode Dynamics? I'd rather not crack open and re-bake my headlight housings.

I know you ask this a couple months ago but doesn't look like anyone mentioned that if you have a SGM Bypass module and a program such as AlfaOBD or DiagFCA you can go in and change the default voltage output to almost all of your external lighting, which of course will make them brighter or dimmer depending on if you increase or decrease from the default value.
 

TractorM

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I like them dim over bright. Also, if you notice, the turn signals blink with the DRL still on. Where as with other trucks, the turn signal cancels out the DLR. I think that looks stupid.
 

Biga

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I do wish they were brighter as they do look really cool at night when I remote start the truck and the just the accent lights are on. One positive about them being dimer is they don't have to turn off when the turn signal is on like other vehicles.
 

Boost Monkey

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I know you ask this a couple months ago but doesn't look like anyone mentioned that if you have a SGM Bypass module and a program such as AlfaOBD or DiagFCA you can go in and change the default voltage output to almost all of your external lighting, which of course will make them brighter or dimmer depending on if you increase or decrease from the default value.

Can you please expand on this?

What is an SGM bypass module? how to get the programs?
 

RebelWraith

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Can you please expand on this?

What is an SGM bypass module? how to get the programs?
You need more that just what was mentioned. You need a Security Gateway Module Bypass and a Bluetooth OBD2 reader. Then you can use a program like AlfaOBD to adjust voltages for the accent strips. However, it does very little. There is a AlfaOBD thread that covers almost everything you can adjust.
 

MannymanX

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You need more that just what was mentioned. You need a Security Gateway Module Bypass and a Bluetooth OBD2 reader. Then you can use a program like AlfaOBD to adjust voltages for the accent strips. However, it does very little. There is a AlfaOBD thread that covers almost everything you can adjust.
Do you have a link for the guide? I couldn't find it...
 

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