The GTR Lighting brand is back with another headlight housing for the 2009-2018 Ram pick-up truck. This time, it has added its expertise to the inventory. GTR Lighting has been limited in the past, but it is gradually expanding its range of products to include many more vehicles.
This one looks promising, and we're excited to check it out. As usual, we'll put it through our test and see how much brighter it is than the stock headlights for the Ram. We'll also go through how to install it, and talk about its features.
About
These GTR Lighting headlights for the ’09-’18 Ram are plug-and-play. That means they fit right into your factory housing and all the mounting points are just like stock. As a result, installation is easy—you don’t even have to think about wiring. All you need to do is plug in the Daytime Running Light harness (DRL) and you’re good to go.
These headlights are neat because they are totally in keeping with the design language of the OEM headlights. They have a piano black bezel, which gives them a clean-cut appearance, plus an UV-protected lens that allows them to stand the test of time. On top of everything else, you get dynamic DRLs.
These GTR Lighting Carbide Series headlights have their DRLs on the top and bottom of the headlights. When your headlights are off, the DRL runs at full brightness—making it easy to see when you're driving at night. Once you turn your headlights on, the DRL dims to 50 percent of its original brightness—allowing your low beams to do their thing.
As most aftermarket LED housings are equipped with sequential turn signals, the Carbide Series headlight for the Ram is no different. It also has an amber side marker that can be ordered in a 'smoked' color too — but keep in mind that it is not DOT-compliant if you do so.
Three LEDs project in each headlight. They're set up so that all three activate for low beam, and all three activate for high beam. The pattern is absolutely excellent; it blows the stock headlights out of the water!
PERFORMANCE
To ensure accurate and consistent results, we'll park the truck 25 feet away from the wall and turn the lights on. Then we'll get a digital Lux meter to measure the intensity of the lights. The Lux rating is not as important in this test as the percentage increase from one headlight to another.
We tested the stock halogen headlights on a low beam at 220 max Lux; the Carbide Series headlights came in at 880 max Lux, 300 percent brighter than stock. You are also getting an improved beam pattern with sharper cut-off lines and a more even spread of intensity.
The stock headlights high beams were tested at 680 max Lux, but the Carbide Series headlights reached 890 max Lux—a 30 percent increase. You also get a wider, more powerful beam pattern with coverage that is both deep and wide.
We also have the Morimoto XB LED headlights for the Ram here. On low beam, they're 436 percent brighter than stock (1180 max Lux).
For the high beams, the Morimoto XB LED headlights measured 1940 max Lux, which is 165 percent brighter than stock.
Both the Morimoto XB LED and the Carbide Series Headlight by GTR Lighting outperform their respective OEM headlights. However, if you are looking for a more affordable option while still gaining a quality headlight, the Carbide Series is the way to go.