I am not happy with with my stock headlights, even when adding +60 Philips bulbs. When I have them aimed responsibly, they don't work well on hilly roads. When I am approaching the bottom of a hill, I cannot see very far at all due to the sharp cutoff present even with the high beams. In addition to this, the stock lights don't shine very far to the sides. This is a problem when trying to avoid wildlife on windy roads.

I have read and read on how to get better lighting on my truck. I see three viable options, but they all seem to have significant shortfalls:

1. Cut my reflectors and add a quality HID projector w/ 35 or 50 watt HID system. I have two concerns with this option. First, the really sharp cutoff is one of the problems I have with my stock headlights on hilly roads. I want a sharp cutoff with low beams, but not with my high beams. I also think having a projector planted in the middle of a big reflector looks like a hack.

2. Replace my housings with a dual bulb (projector low, reflector high) housing. Examples are from Anzo and Spyder. They have great reviews from most people that have installed them (at least on the autoanything site), but many claim they are junk that doesn't fit well. I was very surprised to see the huge gap on the light shown in Sypder's own video. See time 4:24 on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17KXQJr_clo&t=4m24s. Did that guy really say "make sure every thing lines up... good" when zooming in on that gap??? I really like the idea of putting in a dual bulb system. I would wire the system to run all 4 lamps when using my high beams. My 2005 Odyssey does this, and it has the best high-beam lighting I have ever seen.

3. I could consider adding an additional set of lights, in front or behind the grill and wire them to run with the high beams. I am not sure this is legal, and if they are behind the grill, they can't help with side light issue.

My ideal would be to find a quality 4-bulb projector/reflector combo that doesn't take hours and hours to install (like a retorfit) and provides 4-lamp output w/o a sharp high-beam cutoff. Does this exist?

 

Where did you see/hear that high beams have cutoff? That defeats the purpose. This is a flat shot and a down-the-road shot of my 50W highbeam projectors.





Those are 50W FX-R projectors. Minimum of 140* of viewing angle, and 8,000 lumens (compared to the stock 3400 lumens of halogens).

Anzo and Spyder are the pinnacle of ricer lights. They have THE worst performance for any aftermarket headlight I've ever seen. They fit horribly, and IMHO, they scream ricer. Don't compare this dual-bulb system to an OEM system, because OEM R&D wins hands down. If you got a pair of Spyder lights and expect what you're Odyssey puts out, you will be a very angry person. Your truck lights now perform better than those do anyways.

While the split beam design is a better and more efficient design over the single-bulb, dual-filament role Ford chooses, just because an aftermarket headlight has that doesn't mean it will get better. I'm guessing your Odyssey has either an H11/9005 low/high or 9006/9005 low/high, which is a GREAT setup. But these Anzo/Spyder lights use H1 and H3 transverse filament bulbs, which are tiny bulbs used primarily for FOG lights. Not to mention their "projector" is a cheap plastic lens in front of a laughable excuse of a reflector. The only thing it mimics is the cutoff, which anyone with a ruler can accomplish. Again, they wouldn't look ANYTHING like your OEM Odyssey lights, and your OEM F-150 lights would still outperform them.

Depending on some states, they can be. IIRC the general rule is "no more than four lights at one time." So you could point them up, and outwards to help with side road visibility if you want, but it won't touch the 140* viewing angle of HID projectors.

Quad-beam Projector/reflector combo? Yes.
Doesnt take hours to install? Yes, only 15 mins
4-lamp output w/o high beam cutoff? Yes

But again, these lights are so ****-poor you could strap a pair of flashlights to your hood and gain more light. It seems you NEED a retrofit. I'm biased, but look at my pictures. That is THE ultimate light for any vehicle. Clean cutoff, won't bother anyone, but I can literally see for about 1.5 miles down a straight road at 1am. Try and beat that with halogens.

 

Thanks for your input. I also appreciated your sticky post on HIDs. I do have a couple more questions:
1. Are there definitely no quality HID bolt-ins available? It seems that someone would make a business out of performing this HID retrofit mod via mail-order. Just buy the new bolt-in headlights and get a core deposit back when you mail back your OEM reflectors for the next mod.
2. Why do your HIDs look foggy and spotted in the picture shown in the sticky post?
3. What shroud did you use (and why that one)?
4. How do you get the HIDs properly aligned in the housing? It seems like this may be tricky. Does the flange just happen to line right up or do you need to make some sort of a test jig to measure and duplicate your OEM cutoff?

Thanks again for your input. I sure like this forum!

 

1.) Yes and no. People wouldn't want to pre-make retrofits because it is such a small business base. For the amount of awesomeness you are getting back, it is worth the wait if you feel like you can't do it yourself.

HOWEVER. There is one projector that www.theretrofitsource.com sells that is a non-cutting install. You open the lens, put it into your existing hole, and a massive screw from the other end tighens down. Install bulb, hook up to ballast and you're good to go. Performance wise, they're not as good/wide/bright as a cutting retro such as the FX-Rs or LS300s would be, but still a reversible mod.

2.) Which thread? The "show off" thread or the "Halogens v HIDs" thread? Without looking at it, I'm going to blame photo quality. Parking next to a Merc, Audi, or Cadillac, my lights are sharper, brighter, and more intense.

3.) Gatling Gun. I thought it would match the harsh, sharp edges of the reflector that would still be visible, so it would all blend together. Although since my retro, there have been 3-4 new shrouds released that I wouldn't mind looking at. Now is the best time to mod. Since my retro 6 months ago, TRS has updated every single item needed for a retro: new FX-r projectors (easier to mount, slightly smaller dimensions), new ballasts (quicker warm up, better potting protection), new harnesses (dual relays for isolation, better weatherproofing, thicker terminals), and new bulbs (20-30 more lumens, quicker warm-up, more color fullness), all for the same price I paid. I'm almost tempted to re-retro my headlights

4.) I sat the projector FLAT on the housing bottom and measured roughly where to cut. I did a cut and slowly trimmed away, making sure the bottom kept level with the housing. If you aren't in as much of a rush as I was, there is a member of a HID forum I'm on that perfected a miniature screw-type adjuster you can install on both the X and Y axis so even if its not 100% on after installing, you can adjust the projector INSIDE the housings along with the housings to body adjusters already provided. I omitted this and simply rushed mine. They were slightly skewed but I bent the cutoff shield to compensate. And after they were level, I followed FMVSS section 108, and more specifically, my state statue that limits low beams to 150 feet. So thats a 2.5" drop per 25'. With the slight hills I have, I'm roughly at a 4.5" drop, so even pulling behind someone in a compact, I perfectly dissect their trunk without touching side mirrors.

If you haven't already, check out the Retrofit Members thread I created. IIRC I was the 4-6th person on here to do it. Obviously since then they have exploded in popularity and we're already up to 20 people in 6 months To this date, they are my absolutely favorite mod, hands down. If tonight my truck was totaled and I had to get another car, I would retro the headlights by the end of the week I love them that much. Any more questions, feel free to ask.