HID lights

[boywonder]

...fast forward to this year....



One of the first mods I put on the Edge is low and high beam HIDS. I have 2 6000k, 35w kits.



This is a pic of the low and high beams lit.

[Accumulator]

PrinzII- Are you using the HIDs in the OE housings/reflectors? If so, how is the patterning?

[imported_Detailing Technology]

[JonP]

I have the true HID hi/low bi-xenon in my xB and it looks just like stock only much brighter. I bought the wire harness with the relays and fuse to take the load off the original headlight plugs. Only problem I had was water got into the relays due to their location. But a little electrical tape solved that.

[BlackElantraGT]

jsatek, IIRC you bought an inexpensive HID kit so I`m curious to know which kit you got and do you think those are real Bosch ballasts or Chinese knock-offs?

[boywonder]

PrinzII- Are you using the HIDs in the OE housings/reflectors? If so, how is the patterning?

They are in the OE housings. The patterning isn`t too bad. I just need to make a minor adjustment.

[imported_Denzil]

Retrofit is the only way to go as far as investing in some sort of aftermarket kit. I advise against plug-and-play kits without retrofitting your housings unless you can achieve a defined cutoff on your HIDs. Otherwise, you will just be blinding everyone in front of you.

[300B]

I`ve got a set of H7 4100k`s in my MB C280 that do quite well in the factory halogen housing.The bulb has a metal shield that helps tremendously with cut off.



In some aspects they are actually less blinding than some OEM projectors i`ve seen.

[tquill]

jsatek, IIRC you bought an inexpensive HID kit so I`m curious to know which kit you got and do you think those are real Bosch ballasts or Chinese knock-offs?

I know this question wasn`t directed to me but I got a cheap chinese knock-off kit... for 90 bucks shipped... and they`ve been working great for over a year now.. It actually looks very similar to that one pic in the red packing posted above.



My car already had projectors but with normal halogen bulbs so I wanted to replace them with something a bit brighter. They look great and OEM as far as I can tell.

[paul34]

So all of you throwing HIDs into your halogen housing are ok with blinding oncoming traffic?



Unfortunately light distribution is much more complex of an issue than just aiming those halogen housings down.

[boywonder]

So all of you throwing HIDs into your halogen housing are ok with blinding oncoming traffic?



Unfortunately light distribution is much more complex of an issue than just aiming those halogen housings down.

In my case, I am not blinding oncoming traffic at all. I didn`t even have to aim the low beams down because the Edge`s low beam has a shield that kills the glare.

[Accumulator]

So all of you throwing HIDs into your halogen housing are ok with blinding oncoming traffic?



Unfortunately light distribution is much more complex of an issue than just aiming those halogen housings down.

Putting HIDs in the M3`s (Euro) housings didn`t work out very well. No problems with blinding oncoming traffic (at least nobody let me know) but the pattern isn`t good enough for me; I just *know* it could be better, even though the guys at ECS Tuning think it`s OK as-is.



I`m gonna swap `em out for proper HIDs with the right housings.

[BuffMe]

Just to clear up some questions and put some facts out there...





There are halogen projectors and HID projectors. Halogen projectors do not have the proper cutoff shield necessary to put HID`s behind them, they are manufactured to focus halogen light in a different pattern than HID lighting. So, be aware that it is possible to have projectors but not have the proper cutoff shield within the projector for HID`s.





Also, note that it is possible to have "proper" HID lighting with a reflector housing and not a projector. Cars such as the Toyota Prius come stock with HID lighting without a projector. How is this? The bulbs are different. A HID bulb for a reflector housing will have a type of shielding around it, creating the proper cutoff (thus no need for the projector and cutoff shield). For example, Philips manufactures both kinds of HID bulbs. Their HID bulb meant to be used with a projector will be denoted D2S.



http://www.kbcarstuff.com/photos/PB-D2S-4K-2T.jpg



However, their bulb meant to be used with a reflector housing will be denoted D2R.



http://www.kbcarstuff.com/photos/PB-D2R-4K-2T.jpg



Notice the difference between the two. The D2R bulb has a shielding built around it to prevent light from spraying up away from the road. Note that while this does act as a shield, it is not nearly as crisp of a cutoff as can be achieved by using a projector and cutoff shield, but it still remains a MUCH better option than using nothing at all.





Also, 4300k is the brightest light possible for HID`s. If you want the maximum output, go with those. 6000k tends to be a bit blue. However, I have found that 5000k kits are the perfect compromise. They are just a slight hint of blue but don`t attract unnecessary attention due to it.



You get what you pay for in HID kits in the quality of the parts and the warranty. Many people get away with using cheap kits, many do not. It`s a crap shoot, at best, if you`re going for a budget kit.

[Monte78Carlo2k1]

I am in the process of retro fitting HID retro fits in my stock headlights for fun. Just because I don`t want to worry about the proper cut off and the issue of blinding people. A lot of work but it should be worth it in the end. With that said I have gone and ordered a set of HIDs like most have just to see the differnce between stock regular lights - then HID lights in the stock housing - then whenever I finish my retro fit (still not legal but hey...) seeing the difference yet again.

[PedroDaGr8]

I currently have FX35 projectors retro`ed into my Honda CR-V headlights. It is a great setup. Nothing compares to real HID projectors ( a few of the true hid reflectors are OK most aren`t, halogen seldom if ever looks as good as the real deal).