Simple question and I couldn't find an answer...

Are there any LED replacement bulbs (H11 low-beam) that would work in a 2015 Ram without added extra resistors, and without causing bulb-out codes or flickers? A friend just upgraded the bulbs to LEDs in his 2018 1500, and he was able to use simple plug-n-play replacements. I upgraded my 2015 1500 a couple of years ago, but I had to use extra resistors, and they still flickered once in a while. Now I have gone back to halogens because one LED bulb failed. But I hate how dim the halogens are. They don't put out enough light.
Is the 2018 model able to use simple swap-out replacements because the truck is different, or are there LED bulbs that don't cause problems with the Rams now?

 

I switched out the halogen bulbs for LEDs in my 2014 Ram 1500 a couple of years ago and haven't had an issue. I did not have to add load resistors and they do not flicker. Unfortunately I doubt that I can find the specific details on which LED bulbs I went with. I also switched out the high beam bulbs for LEDs but I do get a bulb out warning when I activate the high beams. The low beams put out enough light though that I rarely use high beams so I haven't worried about the warning.

-Rod

 

I had to use separate resistors with the LEDs that I used, too. I also had to run a new powerline directly from the battery to the passenger-side light because that one just wouldn't work reliably without it. That required a relay, so it made for a lot of extra wiring. I don't want to go back to a setup like that. I guess I need to find brighter halogen bulbs.

 

i bought a plug/play kit for my 2017, included high and low beams for like $60, no flickering, no dash lights, no problems.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

i would imagine that 15s use the same headlight setup.

 

I think those (SEALIGHT) are the same ones my friend used in his 2018. It looks like they just include the separate resistor with the bulbs - so not really any different from what I was already running.
I can't find any conventional halogen bulbs that look like they would be bright enough, so I guess I will have to go back to the messy LED/resistor/relay set-up again. Or just drive with crappy headlights. :-(

Thanks for responding.

 

LED headlights should not draw more power than stock halogen bulbs, so there should be no need to run a separate power wire to the battery with a relay. It sounds like your prior experience with LEDs might have been with some inferior or defective LED bulbs. The CANBUS-friendly box that most recent LED retrofit kits come with probably includes some resistance (to fool the bulb-out warning) along with capacitance (to help eliminate flicker) and connects in series with between the factory bulb connector and the LED bulb assembly. The wire length is typically long enough to make it pretty easy to find a place to cable tie it so that it's not just flapping around. I would not give up on an LED headlight setup yet. If you go with a kit that works well for others and you are still having issues, it's possible there is some other issue with the wiring in your truck. I've put LED headlights in ever vehicle I've owned for the past 6 vehicles I've had (that didn't have HID headlights) and have never encountered the issues you've described. My Ram is the only vehicle I've had a slight issue with, with is the bulb out warning when turning on the high beams, but since I rarely use high beams it doesn't bother me.

-Rod

 

The relay and direct power line were to correct for apparent variations in the voltage getting to the lights from the regular headlight source that were causing the one light to flicker. It was not about the power draw.

However, I did not need any of that with the new SEALIGHT brand LEDs that I just put in. They seem to work fine with just the in-line resistors/capacitors.
So, while the RAM seems to be a little more quirky or sensitive than other makes, the newer bulbs seem to handle it better.
Opt-7 offered no help with the old bulbs that failed. They were out of warranty, and their response to me was actually "find another supplier."

Annoyed that I had to replace them, but at least now I have nice bright lights again. Wasted more on the halogens from the local shop that were in the vehicle for a week than I spent on the new LEDs.