joemomma22

so I just posted a few days ago looking for some clear corners and marker lights and got a bunch of information. Now I'm looking into housings.

Before anyone says put in a putco harness Sylvannia bulbs and auto glas housings, the answer is no. I want to do hids or leds.

A while back kris from led foot stirred up a whole bunch of chaos with his retrofit housings. I really like the quality and design and I'm looking for something similar. I have seen the trucklite leds but there's no reason to spend $400 on headlights. Point being im looking for a projector housing that actually works and isn't unreasonably priced. Recommendations and referrals from owners would be appreciated. Thanks again CF.

DenimDean

You can make your own for around 200. I have a writeup in my signature.

mschi772

Read this: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/headlights-203245/

Truck-lite's are the cheaper of the two good LED options. HID will have to be a DIY retrofit job and roughly $200+.

joemomma22

I remember reading this in the past. Really was trying not to have to use it but it might be the best option. Fantastic guide regardless thank you.

Yeah I'm pretty sure that leds just don't makes sense for the price point they are at right now. I guess what I'm looking for is a decent projector housing or something pre retrofitted but actually quality like the ones kris had made. Wish that guy didn't vanish and actually had a team to produce those lights. If there weren't so many common "I haven't received mine in x months" I would've jumped on.

Thanks for the responses. Jeep em comin

cleenrob

i highly recomend trucklites. they're pricey but totaly worth it, and im a cheepskate.

DenimDean

No problem. If you end up using it and have any questions just let me know.

joemomma22

Yeah I would like to. It's not that I don't have the money for it its just that I can't justify that price for what it is. I'd like to stay around $200 for both lights not just one lOl

cleenrob

thats how i was for a long time but i decided to just bite the bullet and buy what i wanted

joemomma22

And no offense to you but that's why they're so expensive. If no one bought them at that price they would be cheaper.

andrewmp6

Truck lites are american made that's why the price.If they was made in some 3rd world country in a sweat shop things would be cheaper maybe.I trust truck lites they are american made and stand up to the military standard and are dot approved.And in some states adding hids to anything that didn't have them is illegal same thing with the lights color anything not white unless factory is illegal.

joemomma22

I'm all for American made but I can tell you that still doesn't justify a price tag. If you add up the parts they use and the time it takes to make a set I can assure you their profit margins are quite high. I don't have anything against the company nor the product I just personally do not wish to pay that much. I said that in the main post. This thread was not created for people to say that truck lite is a good oorah 'merica brand nor is it made to criticize my solution to the lighting problem.

Again what I'm really looking for is a projector housing and maybe some reviews. So far it's looking like I'll be following the retrofit guide

macgyver35

Look for forum member Choo_31.

I was one of those unfortunate souls that ordered from Kris, and 6 months later still had no headlights. I finally had to threaten legal action and a personal visit and $300 worth of **** woopin' if he didn't send me my stuff. I also tracked him down to some of his local wheeling buddies in Washington state and let them know that he had taken off with a bunch of cherokee forum members' money, and then his buddies started either putting pressure on him or dropping him like a hot potato.

Anyway, while I waited, I found that Choo_31 was making the same basic sets, and I scored a set from him for around $265 or so. I bought ballasts, bulbs, and a relay harness on Amazon and was good to go. A week after I did all this, Kris finally sent the lights I ordered from him, so I ended up with two sets.

I'm an LED nut, and have been following the industry for years. I own dozens of high end expensive ($40-$150) LED flashlights, and I actually own stock in Cree, which is a US LED maker that is one of the largest in the world.

That being said, I prefer (at least for now) my HID's. I have glass-faced housings for mine, so I don't have to worry about abrasion and yellowing over time. I know all about Trucklites "military" grade stuff, but at the end of the day, they still use polycarbonate for their housings, and that stuff scratches and yellows no matter what. And "military" sounds impressive, but most people never bother to question what that really means and exactly how it's different. It sounding impressive is enough for most people.
Also, with my HIDs I don't have to worry that if an electronic component inside the Trucklight goes out, I don't have to drop $200 on a new light. A 4300K HID bulb is about $8, and a slim ballast is about $11. Both cheap enough and small enough to be able to keep spares under the rear seat, which I do. Yes, Trucklight has a warranty, and I'm sure they'll stand by it. But how many weeks do you want to wait for your claim to be processed and a new light sent out to you? If I have a problem with an HID, I can swap the bulb or ballast in minutes. So far after 1 1/2 year I haven't had any issues.

I'm not saying LED's like Trucklites are bad. They are actually VERY good lights. I just feel that HID's serve me better and have a few advantages that make them more attractive for me. If Trucklite ever redesigns their light to make the LED and driver module end-user replaceable (and affordable), I might change my mind. But for now my HIDs are bright as all get-out, and they put off enough heat that they don't cake up with snow and ice in cold weather.

Here's a pick of my 4300K 35 watt HIDs. You can see how bright they are, even with a huge parking lot lamp post giving off quite a bit of light. They are WAAAY better than the Putco/Autopal/Philips Xtreme combo I had before. Both shots are of the HIDs on low beam.



Bi Xenon real world003




Bi Xenon real world004

joemomma22

thats the kind of information im looking for. i completely agree with your stance on truck lite. at the end of the day the option does not make any sense at all. i guess i will have to look into choo31 for now unless theres any other acceptable choices. might just do my own not sure. if i do i will be spamming denimdean with questions for sure lol

XJmike0122

Without knowing how far back you are parked and how tall that wall is I can't say for sure but I'd be willing to bet those lights are aimed to high.

joemomma22

Lol your probably right. Your signature is perfect lol I need a window decal that says that