Giving Your Pre-2015 Challenger the Hellcat Taillight Look
Challenger with Raxiom taillights offers a late model look, and the installation is simple.
When the 2015 Dodge Challenger was introduced, it featured an exterior design that included an array of subtle changes that allow the newer models to stand apart from the models from 2008 through 2014. One of the most significant changes for the 2015 Challenger was the introduction of the “race track” taillight design, with an LED light bar traveling around the perimeter of the bank of lights, creating a race track-like layout.
The race track taillight was introduced first by the 2014 Durango, but following the Challenger, the brighter lighting setup was also offered on the Charger. The race track design is immediately recognizable from a distance and since being introduced, it has become a popular staple of modern Dodge design.
It has become popular enough that some owners of Challengers from the 2008 through=2014 model years have looked to replace their taillights with an LED race track design. Seeing this demand, the folks at American Muscle put together the video above on their Challenger-specific YouTube channel, showing how easily pre-2015 Challenger owners can add the race track look with the Raxiom LED taillights.
Raxiom Challenger LED Taillights
The Raxiom LED taillights for the pre-2015 Dodge Challenger look nearly identical to the factory taillights when they are turned off, with the main difference being the lack of the “Dodge” font logo on the back-up light. Beyond that, the power-off look is more or less the same, with large, red lenses flanking the central clear lights.
Here is a look at the stock lights.
When you turn the parking lights on, that is when the Raxiom taillights from American Muscle differentiate themselves from the stock lights. Like the 2015-and-new models, the Raxiom taillights have an LED loop running around the perimeter on each side which serves as the parking light. When you hit the brakes, the turn signals or the hazard lights, the LED bar in the middle of the race track lights up, also similar to the factory design of the 2015-and-newer models.
Although the race track in the Raxiom taillights might be a bit smaller than the loop on the factory lights on the likes of the 2016 Hellcat Challenger, the design and function of the LEDs are practically identical. At the same time, the stock look is preserved when the car is shut off, avoiding the tacky look that you get with some aftermarket taillight systems.
Best of all, the Raxiom taillights are plug-and-play. As the video above shows, you just remove the factory lights, install the trunk-pop button in the aftermarket lens housing and install the new housings. To showcase how easy these taillights are to install, American Muscle put together a DIY video that walks us through each step of the process.
The Simple Install
In the video above, we watch as Adam Maqboul from AmericanMuscle.com installs the Raxiom taillight setup on a 2013 Dodge Challenger R/T. The footage begins with a basic overview of why you would want to make the swap, with the step-by-step installation process beginning just after the three-minute mark.
As we mentioned above, the installation is simple, but the step-by-step shows you the location of every key fastener and wiring harness connector. The video also tells you when you just need to apply pressure to remove something, removing any question as to whether or not you have missed a fastener.
Once the factory taillight is out, Maqboul highlights the difference between the stock and aftermarket units. He then gets into installing the trunk-pop button, which is taken from the factory central taillight piece along with the bulb wiring. You remove the wiring from the stock lens, connect it to each plug on the LED assembly from Raxiom, reuse the back-up lights and bolt the three units back into place on the Challenger.
Win $15,000 from Raxiom and American Muscle
After seeing this great Challenger taillight install video, we went to the American Muscle site for the pricing of the Raxiom LED system. It costs $499 and includes free shipping, but while on the Raxiom product page of the American Muscle site, we noticed that the two companies are currently running a free sweepstakes. You don’t have to buy anything to enter and you can enter every day until May 14 by visiting the Raxiom page on the American Muscle site.
On May 21, the winner will be chosen and receive a $15,000 credit to spend at AmericanMuscle.com. You can use that money to buy whatever you want, and even if you aren’t in the market for replacement Challenger taillights, the company offers a ton of other items for the modern Mopar muscle car.
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