Last month we
installed a new RCD Light Hoop on the front of Project Tahoe and it
was looking pretty bare hanging out there without anything on it.
To fix that problem we ordered a set of PIAA 520 ION Crystal
Driving Lamps.Why driving
lamps?Driving lamps are designed to be
mounted above the bumper and at a height of 14" to 30". That is
right where our mounts are on the new RCD light hoop. Driving lamps
supplement your high beams to increase the range and brightness.
They must be turned off as you dim your lights and are too bright
to leave on when facing oncoming traffic. You need to check your
local laws and regulations as to usage of driving lamps.
ION Crystal Technology
The ION crystal technology transforms white light into amber
light without reducing the strength of the beam. This greatly
enhances your visibility when driving in bad weather. The amber
beam reduces reflectivity and glare meaning less eye strain for the
driver.
520 ION Crystal
Since we are now located in a part of the country
that experiences it's share of bad weather in the winter the PIAA
520 ION Crystal Driving lamp seemed to be a perfect fit for our new
RCD Light Hoop. The 520 uses a 12 volt H3 85 watt bulb and comes in
either black or chrome plated housing with a mesh style cover. The
dimensions were a good fit given the 14" between mounting holes on
the RCD hoop. Included in the kit are two lamps, wiring harness,
relay, switch, and mesh style lens covers.
Installation
The attachment spot on the RCD hoop did not allow
enough clearance for adjustment of the light.
We located a new bolt and some larger nuts to space
the lamp up about an inch. (We will pickup some stainless spacers
next trip to the hardware store.)
First step was getting the lamps mounted on the
hoop. We found that we had to adapt the mounting just slightly as
the front of the lamp hit the bar without a spacer. We found a new
bolt and a couple larger nuts to space the lamp up about 1" from
the mounting hole. The gave the Lamp plenty of room for
adjustment.
We removed the bolts holding the grill and pulled
it out just enough for us to fish the harness through in the right
spot.
We ran the wiring harness down behind the battery
of the Tahoe and then out the grill.
With the lamps mounted we turned to wiring. I have
not mounted a set of lamps in quite some time but recalled the
wiring headache that always goes with it. PIAA changes that with
the complete wiring harness and kit included. First thing was to
run the harness to the lamps. I had to separate the grill slightly
so that I could get the harness run down behind the battery and out
to the lamps on the font bumper.
We drilled a hole in the firewall so that we could
fit the light switch wiring through.
Connecting to the parking lamp so that the lights
will only work with the lights on. NO DEAD BATTERIES.
With one end of the harness connected to the lamps
we located a ground bolt on the firewall of the Tahoe right beside
the battery. We connected the ground wire from the harness and also
the relay switch to this bolt. Next we connected the white wire to
the positive terminal of our battery to power the relay. Now we
just needed to run the harness through the firewall so it could
canned to the switch. It would have been nice to have a little more
wire to route the wires but we were able to make it reach. You may
be able to find a hole in your firewall but we ended up drilling a
new one in ours. Once through the firewall simply snap together the
harness and switch.
Only one more
connection is needed to finish the wiring. You need to connect into
your parking lamp wire. We removed our driver side parking lamp and
spliced in there with the splice provided in the kit. That's it, we
were done. The installation was MUCH simpler than rigging your own
relay and harness. I am now a big believer in the PIAA installation
kit.
Aiming Your new PIAA
Lamps
Now that the new lamps were ready
to go we needed to wait for night to aim the lamps. We marked out a
spot 30' from the shop door. (The box shows to use 30' while the
instructions on the PIAA site say 25'.) We then marked a spot on
the door the same height as the lamps. Once it was dark we aimed
the hot spot from the lamps at the height we had marked on the
door.
Testing
We did not
have any inclement weather to test with since our installation so
good weather would have to do. The ION Crystal lamps produce a
noticeable amber light that gives a much clearer picture of what is
ahead of you on the road. We like it and can not wait for some bad
weather. Well maybe we CAN wait for the bad weather, but in the
mean time we sure are enjoying the extra light and clearness
provide by the PIAA 520 ION Crystal driving lamps.
BEFORE
AFTER
Contact Information
PIAA Corporation, USA
15370 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton, OR 97006
Telephone: 503.643.7422
Fax: 503.643.9144 www.piaa.com
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