I also realize that the HID lights can be seen as a safety feature because they provide more brightness. I'm not saying that anybody else it's theirs, I'm just saying that's what I'm doing. But to me , the tuner I am running gives me the best performance for the mods that I've done to my pick up.

 

some say brighter lights are a safety option so you can see while you are driving fast, i say going slower so you can see what is in your stock lights is safer than having brighter lights.

 

Maybe it was like my cell phone; I forgot to call my Mom on her birthday and BAYUM next day phone was possessed by gremlins and never recovered.

Another thing to check would be the grounds/wiring for the ballasts. Rodents, corrosion, etc.

 

I had similar symptoms, and looks like it turned out to be a failing cable, connecting my DP F6 switch to the chip. The cable was pinched between a gap in the dash panles, where the previous owner had routed the cable. I can only guess that maybe the shielding was compromised, which allowed the interference in? Since replacing the cable (I think it was only $5), the problem went away.

 

The problem is not just "brighter" lights. Its how its done.

Yes, if done correctly, AND aimed properly, its possible that aftermarket "brighter" lights MAY offer a slight increase in visibility/safety for the driver of the modified vehicle. Even if done "correctly", it often leads to decreased safety and visibility for most other people sharing the road; increasing glare and light pollution and possibly compromising the night vision of everyone encountering the brighter lights.

However, it is very rarely done correctly, when people modify the lighting on their vehicle.

First off, AIMING the headlights properly, according to law, is absolutely required any time the lights are tampered with. This includes not only aftermarket "upgrades", but even a simple stock replacement of the headlight housing. No two housing are absolutely identical; particularly aftermarket replacement parts. It may even be needed if you remove and reinstall the original parts, such as for other vehicle repairs. If the vehicle has been involved in a collision, even a minor one, it may also require correcting the aim of the headlights at least, even if you don't repair any other damage.

Second, simply putting "HID" or other "brighter" bulbs in stock headlight housings is NOT an upgrade. While they MAY have greater light output (in lumens), it will not be the right kind of light, and visibility will be reduced, even in the best of conditions (clear air, no rain/snow/fog/etc..) due to scattering of the light. This is only made worse when there is moisture and or other particles in the air (snow/rain/fog/dust), leading to even greater light scatter and glare, both for the driver of the modified vehicle as well as other drivers on the road. These conditions are, again, made even worse by improper color "temperature", such as those stupid "ice" blue lights, and those with the purplish tint. Anything other then clean "white" light is actually going to have reduced light output, reduced visibility, and increased scatter/glare, regardless of what anyone may claim.(except for yellow/amber/orange/and possibly red - see below) That's just a fact.

While I am generally all in favor of people modifying their vehicles for performance and appearance, I think headlights are one area where there should be little or no modification allowed, unless; perhaps subject to very strict testing/inspection of each vehicle, to insure no increased glare or intrusion into the eyes of other drivers. Again, I am generally not in favor of government regulation, but this is once instance where the overall vehicular enthusiast community, as well as the "performance" lighting industry, has shown that they can't be trusted to act properly, and with common sense, to avoid endangering, and intruding into the rights of all other drivers on the road, via the advertisement, sale, and installation of poorly designed and/or poorly installed lighting modifications; many of which are actually in violation of applicable vehicle safety codes/laws.

On a final note: People, please stop putting super bright lights on/in your bumpers/grills and claiming/calling them "fog" lights. White/Blue/"ICE"/Purple/etc... lights are NOT FOG lights! Using those "colors" of lights in fog ) or other reduced visibility situations) will NOT help, and in fact will make things worse for you and others around you. ONLY yellow/amber lights are FOG lights. (Red would work too, but it would require much greater wattage/light output to be effective. Additionally, there are legal issues in most places.) These light wavelengths do not scatter/reflect off moisture or particulates in the air, thus "cutting" through the "fog" and allowing improved visibility.
Colors other then yellow/amber or more appropriately referred to as "driving lights", and should never be used in fog/rain/snow. In fact, they should probably only be used in remote/poorly lit areas, when their is no oncoming traffic, nor other vehicle ahead of you and within eyesight.

You'll also note, many, if not all, of the so-called "fog" lights sold at places such as Wal-Mart and the chain autoparts stores are actually labeled for "off-road use only" , as they are not DOT approved. (For the good reasons stated above). Therefor it is actually illegal, in the U.S. anyway, to install and use these on any public roadway. Yet, all parties involved; including the manufacturers, the retailers, and the end users, are all fully aware that most or all of these products will end up used on public roadways. Personally, I'd like to see something done about that.

Yeah, its a bit of a rant. But, I'm sick and tired of being blinded on the road, by other peoples inconsiderate, and often illegal, lighting mods. I have pretty good eyesight, including night vision, and it really pisses me off that other peoples action are slowly but surely comprising that.

 

i agree. i really wish police were given permission to pull over any car with bright lights on, including the dipsticks that drive with their highbeams on. and if the lights are not DOT approved, they will be smashed out of the vehicle. same with th ehigh beams on cars that are always on.
i drive for a living and nothing bothers me more than some full of them self dipstick that drives down the road blinding others because no one matters but them being able to see what is 3 miles in front of them.

 

As far as I know, the police CAN pull people over and write tickets for unsafe/illegal lighting. However, they CHOOSE not to. They don't really care about safety. Its about the revenue. A speeding ticket ( which I think they write way too many of - I have no problem with driving fast, assuming its done with reasonable skill/caution) generates far more "juicy" revenue, so that's what they spend their time on. A simple "maintenance of lamps" ticket is peanuts in comparison. I believe its a $73 ticket in NJ.

I'm assuming by your comment, and avatar, that you drive a big-rig. Perhaps you could share your thoughts with some of your fellow truckers, as I have noticed an ever increasing number of big trucks with the aforementioned modified lighting. I'm kind of surprised, given the significantly increased inspection requirements for big commercial trucks. Of course, given their increased ride height and higher headlight placement, this only makes the blinding/glare even worse.

 

I was considering HIDs and started researching brands and reading up on them over a period of several weeks. One of the reasons I decided against it (and got the 2005 lights) was for this very reason. The RF interference can be intermittent and can affect the electronics of these trucks none, some, or all of the time. Since these trucks were not designed for HID systems it will affect each truck differently. The other reason was...

I'm not sure about other states but CA only allows replacement/upgrades to vehicle lighting systems of like kind (e.g. HID for HID, halogen for halogen, etc.). While it may not be enforced (everybody is running around with $35 eBay HID conversions that look like high beams), it is a CA requirement.

With all the 3rd party HID products it is hard to choose the best one (looks aside). That, along with the RF issues that people have had, is what drove my decision to go with 2005 lights and save the electrical headaches.

 

yes i do, and i agree with you 1000%. 90 percent of the truck and bus drivers on the road today don't give a rats rectum about anyone or anything.
speeding 20-30 mph over the limit, use any lane they want, and have so many damn lights on the truck you can see them coming from a mile away.
but then again, i am almost 60 now and have slowed down a bit over the years. but i was never a fast or dangerous driver, i have only had one chargeable accident in over 46 years of driving.

both of our 05 Kenworth T-800 and the 05 Mack CV-713 tri-axles have the stock headlights properly adjusted, and you can actually see better with the low beams on than you can with the high beams on.

 

Honestly IMO if you have to keep adding the beads to your cabling you may have another issue with the truck. If your truck is cutting off randomly than you truly have something going on. I called the manufacture of the HIDs and they have NEVER heard of interference from the ballasts over all year ranges. If rf was a problem why doesn't it happen to all vehicles? I've read allot of posts about vehicles stalling with HIDs and almost every post out there is a bad ground, bad ballast, bad wiring, crappy kit, incorrect install, etc. If it was interference that was stalling my truck it would happen CONSTANTLY, the truck sat for 24 hrs i started her up dead cold and she never hiccuped. Also if it's interference that means if someone is driving next to me and they kick their HIDs on in theory my truck should hiccup. That means every vehicle near it should be effected. Seeing there allot more vehicles driving around with HIDs the number of vehicles being effected by the interference should be GREATLY increased. This is just my 2 cents

 

I didn't mean it cuts out randomly all the time. I mean every time I switch my chip with my headlights on. You just never know

 

You asked us to help figure out what's going on with your truck, and we're trying to help you out. I don't think the guys are here are just making up stuff to make you sound like an idiot

 

i truly thank everyone that is trying to help. I honestly do. this whole thread turned into a war on people who have bright lights and whats legal and illegal. Im also not trying to knock anyone down on what their solution was or anything like that. so please i dont want anyone to take what i said the wrong way. I just cant understand how interference would effect it sometimes and it never did this when i put them in but now just randomly. I do know electric problems are a true pain but i have a hard time believing that the rfs are the problem. what I am going to do is wrap the ballasts in the rf blocking bags and see what happens.

once again thank you to everyone who is trying to help. i truly did not mean for a war to break out.

 

two things that i forgot to mention and maybe they are important things that i forgot to add is my truck has an aftermarket plow package installed on it. I had it installed for over 3 years now and never had any issue. Im just mentioning this now since it just popped into my brain. Im wondering if there is an issue with the plow kit and HIDs. and i also have a DP tuner.

 

What Carl said. I think I only heard this with DP chips, I could be wrong.