Some general aftermarket parts questions from a n00b

[Maxsplat]

Hey every one! I'm new here and looking for some info. I recently bought an '07 Expedition Eddie used. This is my second Expedition (first was a 2000 I bought new) so I'm really stoked about having another one. I never took the time/had the $$$/and knowledge to put after market parts on it. Now that I have the '07 I want to make it mine. Below I have a list of questions I'm hoping some of you will be willing to help answer.

Headlights:
If it's easy to explain whats the difference/benefit between Xenon, HID and LED lights?

Is there any major differences between the wattage i.e. 6000W, 8000W etc? Higher the watts the brighter the lights?

Are after market housings better? I know this is a personal preference answer but I'm wondering if they are strictly cosmetic, assist with brightening the lights or both.


Performance?:
What are the benefits to air intakes and aftermarket exhaust? I have a few ideas I just want to see if I'm on the right track with what I'm thinking.

I love the sound and look of dual exhaust on mustangs and such. Is it possible to do put that on an expedition?

What are the "chips" I hear about and what do they do?


Alarms/Remote starters:
My '07 didn't come with an alarm. So I want to put one on it. Viper has one that works with the iPhone that seems to do both. Anyone have any experience with it?

Brakes:
I HATE cleaning my wheels and they always seem to get crappy looking after a day or 2 of driving. Are there any fixes for this that also improve stopping?

Any other reccommendations?

products/dealers:
Recommendations. Anything and everything. I know eBay is a great resource but what/where else?


I should also state that this post wasn't done with out digging through the forums some. For headlights I've seen www.ddmtuning.com. Exhaust I see a lot about Flowmaster. I'm just looking for more so I can compare whats out there. Some things I know for certain I can't do without enlisting help form friends. Like exhaust. I don't weld and have no idea how but have a good friend that can do it. I'm tend to look at what I want to do then read and educate myself to make sure my level of ability is adequate. If I can do it I will. If not....I will decide when I get there.

Lastly, sorry for the lengthy post. This is my second or third of what I hope to be many more!

Thanks all!

 

[tonydiv]

I'm just going to handle the headlight question at this point.

The most basic headlight lamp used today is the halogen. They run off of regular 12v power and give good results. You can get them in ultra white or ultra blue colors to simulate an HID look.

HID lights use a ballast box to raise the cars voltage from 12v to 35,000v, but they actually use less power to run. (35w vs 55w) They come in different color temperatures, measured in degrees kelvin. You can get them in colors that range from yellow all the way to the other end of the spectrum, purple. A relatively white color would measure around 4500 - 5000 degrees k. The higher the number the more blue / purple it becomes. The amount of visible light also decreases as the number goes up.

LED lights are used mainly for marker and turn signal lights at this point. Although there are off road style LED lights that are available, they are expensive. If you change out your turn signal bulbs to LED, you will need to pick up a 'zero load' (also known as a no load) flasher module (about $10) or the turn signals will flash too quickly (or not at all).


You can also pick up different headlight housings from places like stylin trucks and LMC Truck to give the front end a different look. (on a side note, I hate the projector lights that the old owner put on my truck, way too 'boy racer' for me)

 

[Maxsplat]

Thanks Tony! That helps alot. Especially the info on the HID lights. Those are the same as Xenon lights correct? Or is Xenon just a brand? I checked LMC out but they don't have anything listed for '07 epxys. I'll keep an eye on them though

 

[walnuts4x4]

my turn... I'll try....

simply put for intake it is like trying to drink a glass of soda out of a little red coffee stir (stock intake) and a mcdonalds straw (aftermarket intake) this will allow the engine to breath better and with a aftermarket exhaust it will allow the engine to exhale easier.... end result is performance gains, MPG gains, and better sound from motor and exhaust...

For chips many people are using programmers, basically plug into OBD2 and reprogram the ECU to allow for performance gains and better shift points... don't know much for 07+... best thing to do is search Edge, SCT, Diablo ect. and look for your year

wheels.... look for armoral wheel spray there is a thread on here and get a quality rotor and ceramic pads will help a lot

HIDs usually around 6,000K is OEM looking white and if you look at my pictures 10,000K are really blue which is what I have

 

[WHOISMOOTOO]

Hids check out ddmtuning.com around $55 a set

 

[panda24619]

the bottom of this helped me alot on what i want to get as of hids. i think im getting 6000k.

http://www.f150online.com/forums/ot...-pro-comp-off-road-lights-hid-conversion.html
and yes thats me on there too.

as for intake and exhaust do it!!!!!! go on to youtube and watch exhaust videos for you gen of expedition or just about any 5.4 3v engine. it will all sound the same. that way you can choose what sound you like. o and no the dual exhaust is not possible with your gen of expedition. you can do it but it has to dump before the rear tire.

and for alarms and remote starts any good company is good. crime stoppers and viper i trust.

 

[Maxsplat]

Walnuts- Real quick. AWESOME Expy! That's similar to what I wanted to do to my 2000 before I had to give it up. Thanks for the info. The MPG gains are one of my main reasons for considering the air intake and exhaust. The sound is more of an added bonus to me. Is it best to to both at the same time or can I do one then the other (mostly due to $$$ for this)?
The brakes I will probably consider ceramic pads and better rotors.
Not too sure I want to do the chip thing. hwas more of a couriosity


Panda - I'm going to have to nickname you the same nickname I give my wife on occasion. Hope-smasher. Or dream-killer. Lol. This is in reference to the dual exhaust thing. I always loved the look of dual exhaust on coming off the back of a truck like the f-150 lightings for instance.
I'm really leaning towards the Viper Smart Start alarm VSS5000. I'm just not thrilled about the service charge. I'm just hoping it's compatible with the system on my expy already.

Thanks to both of you for the info on the lights! I like the 6000w. Do the 10000w shine more light? I do quite a bit of night driving and back roads so I need to worry about wildlife at night. Also what is the life on these bulbs?

Whois - I'll be checking out DDM for sure. Are HID lights the same as xenon or is Xenon a brand of HID?

 

[Maxsplat]

Are HID lights compatible with projector headlights or is it pointless?

 

[jacks3am]

the brightest hids are 4300's because thats the whitest you can get without begining to change colors which makes the light shade get darker

 

[GAINMOB]

they are compatible...the problem i found is that they dont fit in the housing correctly...from my experience too big and require trimming to fit...you can buy off ebay with HID and you'll find that in order to fit it was trimmed to fit...and you may run into problems of needing a relay (which i have)...

there's alway paying to have your lights retrofitted for HIDs...costly...but another option

 

[Maxsplat]

the brightest hids are 4300's because thats the whitest you can get without begining to change colors which makes the light shade get darker

Just read on another forum that the 3000k were the best because they put out the most lumens. Here's the link - look for entry #17 (I got it from panda so side thanks to him as this helped me A LOT!!) http://www.f150online.com/forums/ot...ro-comp-off-road-lights-hid-conversion-2.html


EDIT: jacks - I was wrong. I just watched this http://www.hidxenonheadlights.com/hid_color_temperature.html and found out I miss understood what was said. The 3000k is best for adverse weather conditions.

bhsoulja - Thanks for that! I may not sold projectors yet but it's good to know.

How do LED lights look with the stock lenses?

 

[jacks3am]

yeah your right its like the 4300's are just for brighter light but the 3000's are probally better for the adverse conditions because there is less brightness to reflect on rain or snow or fog. i just read on the focus fanatics that 4300's were the brightest possible without the color changing



and im not exactly sure but HIDS in stock housings may be illegal, better to just get projectors with hids already in them

 

[GAINMOB]

most people here are running 6k...a couple are running 8k

 

[Maxsplat]

and im not exactly sure but HIDS in stock housings may be illegal, better to just get projectors with hids already in them

Where would you suggest looking for that info? Last thing I need is to be pulled over for headlights.

 

[walnuts4x4]

best thing is google your state and look for info on it... usually if you stick to white HIDs like a 6,000K and then re-aiming your headlights you can get away with it... HIDs aren't aimed like stock bulbs so you will have to aim them down (so u don't blind people) in stock housing or order projectors...

as for CAI and exhaust you can do them at different times it wont matter but when they are both done it will give you the best performance... google "Gotts Mod" a lot of F150 people are doing it and its basically a CIA for a few bucks until you get a real kit

 

[panda24619]

yeah yeah walnuts a "REAL" kit. haha im happy with my gotts mod. hids are always confusing. but its good to have charts like that one. and if you do have projector head lights then go for the H3 bulbs. they are a little smaller. and conversion idk. i dont like spending a lot of time doing stuff ive never done. makes me want to take a hammer and smash it.

and as for the dual exhaust you have to do dual in single out. or go dual in single out and after it passes threw the a arm then make it dual again. ive seen that before.

and for being pulled over i wish that would happen here. ive seen cops blinded by hids that were all over the place and they dont do SHIT! like are you kidding me. but theyll get you for not covered off road lights. PLEASE!

 

[Maxsplat]

Thanks Walnuts/panda!

I'm leaning towards getting an actual CAI (no offense panda). I'm partial to K&N (due to atv parts) and am considering one of theirs. CAI and exhaust will have to come after I do my lights and alarm/remote start and then a 2nd set of tires. So as money becomes available I'll set it aside for the CAI and exhaust. Who knows. all plans have a way of failing so I may only do part of this stuff. all depends on greenbacks.

 

[panda24619]

dont get me wrong i wanted a k&n cai. but then i saw price and i was like ill wait till sale or craiglist. and everytime i see craigslist it sells super fast or im "2nd" in line. what ever. thats why i just did the gotts and it works great. but cai about $300 and you can install it your self. idk how much exhaust costs but take it in unless you know how to weld the piping. then lights you can do your self.

 

[Maxsplat]

I don't mind the price of the K&N. Not that I'm rich or anything but I will pay the money if I think it's worth it. Just need to save for each part. As for the install of said parts I would have a good friend help me. He's been restoreing and fix cars for far longer than I have known him so I'm confident in his assistance/knowledge.

Unless my buddy could do it, the exhaust would have to go to a shop.

And like you said. The lights I can do myself.

 

[walnuts4x4]

+1 for K&N.. its what I have been running and love it but if I were to build on a budget the "gotts mod" is the way to go but the looks of a K&N just look good along with painted engine cover pieces... I have done that since I go to shows with the expy...