Gary Hall of Pomona, California found himself in an interesting predicament a few weeks ago while towing his toy hauler into the desert for a fun weekend of quads and RZRs with the grandkids. New to his prescription, his eyes had begun to tire as the sun faded and the dark wore on.
The trusty 2006 Dodge RAM 2500 Cummins churned up the dangerous Cajon Pass on Interstate 15. Returning the favor and staying in tune, the transmission dropped into a lower gear with the roar and whistle of a turbo-diesel showing its love to work. Gary flipped on the headlights and continued on as the evening’s sky faded. As he made it halfway up the climb, one of his headlight bulbs burned out.
Already struggling for visibility, the single lamp in his driver’s side headlight was not enough to light the road ahead of him. Reluctant to pull over and lose his momentum up the steep grade, he pulled back on the headlight lever, switching on the single high beam, and continued the charge into Barstow. Unable to continue into camp with the lone headlight and no auxiliary lighting, the family was forced to spend the night in a parking lot instead of setting up camp. Unfortunately, this was the reality and wasted valuable desert time.
The stock headlights and taillights have seen much better days. The headlights are so clouded that you can barely see the road 1/8 mile ahead. At 65mph, that's less than 8 seconds of reaction time and with a 15,000-pound trailer hooked up, that's a recipe for disaster!
Anzo Projector Headlights, Brake Lights, And Third Brake Light
The stock headlamps clouded over years ago and he knew it was only a matter of time before a bulb burned out. Gary just did not think it would happen while towing. It was finally time to pull the trigger and replace the stock lamps so Gary went over to www.anzousa.com and picked up a full array of replacement housings for his 2006 Ram 2500. He chose a set of Anzo projector Crystal Headlights Chrome with Amber C Light Bar, new Anzo LED Taillights Red/Clear with Red C Light Bar, and even a LED center high-mounted Chrome G2 Third Brake Light.
The lights arrived in one large UPS box, with the individual part-number boxes inside. The lights ship with bulbs already installed and were very well-packaged. Based in Chino, California, Anzo USA has been in business for over 30 years. They specialize in manufacturing replacement headlight, taillight, foglight, and third brake light assemblies. They are an industry leader when it comes to replacement headlight housings. Anzo is known for its high-quality product construction, having a broad expanse of applications, and for top-notch customer service as well.
Anzo USA “Elite Series” Headlights
Comparing the OEM and Anzo housings side by side, it was evident these are highly engineered and designed to be as user-friendly as possible. The Anzo housing offers ports utilized on the OEM versions, even though Anzo did not need them, thanks to the inclusion of the LEDs. With this in mind, Anzo guarantees a perfect fit and finish for the end-user.
Stock vs Anzo USA Comparison.
The installation requires basic tools: a Torx bit, a Phillips screwdriver, a flathead/pry bar for removing the stuck housings, and your choice of wire strippers. Do not worry about making a trip to Autozone, Anzo includes the wiretaps for you! After locating a few tricky hidden screws, both headlights were on the truck in less than an hour. It was even faster for the taillights and center high-mounted stop light.
The installation only required a few tools and was extremely simple. Headlights, taillights, and CHMSL were all installed in less than 2 hours!
As a former automotive accessories counterman, I have sold several brands of headlights for years. Having the opportunity to do this installation, I jumped at the chance and knew what was in store. There’s a lot to be said for a company that under-promises and over-delivers.
The Anzo Difference: The Science Behind The Products
According to Anzo, the housings are tested to meet an array of DOT safety standards required of all OE suppliers. Tests against impact damage, vibration resi
tance, and rain-water exposure, along with the whole host of federally-required SAE lighting standards, are performed on each individual part number. This is a very stringent testing process that sometimes can take several years. The results of these tests are evident by how well the housings hold up years after the installation.
Anzo Projector Headlights are a very simple upgrade that can be done for most any popular vehicle. When 50-inch light bars and LED cubes tend to be everyone’s first lighting upgrade, do not overlook the OEM housings.
Off-road LED lights are designed strictly for off-road use and are illegal when used on-road. They do not provide the beam pattern necessary for a polite road-going society. Typical off-road LED beam patterns consist of a flood, spot, or a combination of both. The flood beam projection is widespread, covering everything up, down, and around only a small distance from the vehicle. A closed spot pattern only sends light directly far ahead in front of you, but nowhere else. Besides SAE-compliant OEM replacement lighting, Anzo sells a complete line of off-road specific lighting products.
Anzo Projector Headlights Gave This 2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab New Life
Anzo’s headlights feature projector beams that are guaranteed to send light farther than the OEM version while putting it where you need it. The daytime running lights are a nice upgrade to any vehicle not equipped with them from the factory. This is greatly helpful and increases your visibility to oncoming traffic. Gary commented on the new Anzo upgrades, saying,“I have never really thought about changing out my headlights until now. It is a literal night and day difference. Now, I am not afraid to tow at night.”
The LEDs are a great upgrade for this 16-year-old truck! The taillights, third brake light, and headlights all include LEDs to make sure this truck can be seen from any direction. The projectors and clear lenses will throw the light much further than the old, clouded lenses!
“These new Anzo Projector Headlights are awesome! I do not have to worry about rushing to get packed and on the road at a certain time. If we do happen to hit the dirt after dark, I just flip on the high beams now!”
If your headlights are as fogged over as Gary’s Dodge, do yourself a favor and get over to www.anzousa.com to check out their selection available for your vehicle. It really is an issue of safety. If you cannot see well enough to drive, others on the road will have a hard time seeing you as well. Anzo upgrades not only improve your vehicle’s visibility, but they will also look great too.
