idi hid conversion

[jwalterus]

I suppose I should point out one thing in this whole thread that has not been pointed out.....

HID headlamp conversions are universally ILLEGAL throughout the USA for vehicles that did not come with them from the factory

that said.... unless the cop wants to be a royal PITA, if you do the conversion and use a real replacement headlamp reflector/projector/lens and actually sink the money into it, you probably won't run into problems, but if your cop or vehicle inspection guy decides he wants to, he can bend you over and have his way with your wallet

if I install them myself, I'll go with a Hella off-road light kit on the bumper and have them on a separate switch for highway driving

 

[The Warden]

I see the picture...but, that's not an HID bulb. That's an H4 halogen bulb...which is OEM on many European vehicles and even some American vehicles. They're commonly found at auto parts stores...there's a 4 digit number that they're also sold as, but I don't remember off the top of my head what the number is.

I don't know how well they work in DOT-spec housings, as they're meant to work with European-spec housings and lens assemblies. And, AFAIK all E-code sealed-beam replacement housings (such as these, which I have on my truck, use H4 bulbs. That said, in E-code housings, they work BEAUTIFULLY...great light pattern on the road, and in low-beam, there's a very sharp cutoff so that, if you have them aimed properly, there's actually less light going into oncoming drivers' eyes than with DOT-spec lenses. At the same time, in high-beam, they'll light the road up like it's daytime.

BTW, as I understand it, this is what a true HID bulb looks like:

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Note that there's no filament in the same sense that a tungsten halogen bulb has...it's closer to a spark going between two contact points. Take a look at this pic for comparison between the two:

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FWIW, as I understand it, there's NO HID bulb that's "colored" blue...they just happen to put out a bluish tint naturally. Any bulb that's tinted blue is a halogen bulb that's meant to look like an HID bulb...

 

[The Warden]

I suppose I should point out one thing in this whole thread that has not been pointed out.....

HID headlamp conversions are universally ILLEGAL throughout the USA for vehicles that did not come with them from the factory

Actually, the page that I linked to in my first post did state that rather clearly. Actually, that page went so far as to state in no uncertain terms that the HID conversion kits are illegal world-wide. There is NO legal entity in the world that has not banned these...I tend to think there's a reason for it. And, with how much time I spend on the road at night, and how often I get blinded by people who have done this conversion, I think I know why....and this is one of my biggest pet-peeves and why I get so vocal about it.

 

[sootman73]

holy snickies Ben... those look good.... I do see some halo effect but I don't think it's bad in your application...

Again which one of those kits did you get?

my effect is not bad as i point them down. it doesn't seem to bother anyone really unless i'm coming to the top of a hill but then it would bother anyone HID or not.

i cant remeber exactly what kit i got but i think its the 5000k or 6000k. i wasn't too keen on the idea of having really blue lights

Are those really HID's? ...I ask because the bulbs pictured look more like blue-tinted halogen bulbs?

there are many different temperatures of bulbs and therefore many different colors. the higher the temp the more color is emitted. i wanted to stick with the whiter ones as i dont like the blue which is why people prob dont think of mine as hids on the road.

 

[jam0o0]

i run silverstars and a relayed harness on my idi truck. it easily doubled the light output.

since we use the same bulb/housing for high and low beams HID's in the factory headlights are IMO, a bad choice. in my DD the high and low use separate reflectors and bulbs so i have HID's in the highs. you shouldn't be using highs around other people anyway.

they make HID retrofits for the KC's. but save yourself some money. get the super cheap parts store 6" lights and get the H3 HID retrofit. if that isn't enough light (offroad only!) you've got other problems.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

The thing with HID is that the systems are designed for a Projector. Without the proper light housing (projector) they are illegal. There is not a proper housing made for Our vehicles.

Do some research about them. There is plenty of info out there.
Nothing ****** Me off more than those IDIOT's running the streets with Their $100 blue HID kits. Poor quality components, poorly installed, and poorly aimed. They HATE when I hit them with the High Beams.

Relay mod, and Hella Bulbs put out more light than is ever needed. Running on high beams, and coming up on large reflective road signs is almost unbearable. I have to hit the lows when I meet the really large signs.

 

[The Warden]

The thing with HID is that the systems are designed for a Projector. Without the proper light housing (projector) they are illegal. There is not a proper housing made for Our vehicles.

Do some research about them. There is plenty of info out there.
Nothing ****** Me off more than those IDIOT's running the streets with Their $100 blue HID kits. Poor quality components, poorly installed, and poorly aimed. They HATE when I hit them with the High Beams.

Relay mod, and Hella Bulbs put out more light than is ever needed. Running on high beams, and coming up on large reflective road signs is almost unbearable. I have to hit the lows when I meet the really large signs.

That's what I've been trying to say throughout this thread. Unfortunately, it seems to me that some people don't care what others think.

I will say, though, that while there's quite a bit of good info out there, there's also quite a bit of bad info. When I was searching for a picture of an HID bulb to add to my last post, I found quite a bit of misinformation out there...for example, quite a few pages trying to pass off blue-tinted H4 halogen bulbs as HID conversion kits and a whole bunch of sites trying to claim that there isn't anything illegal about the "drop-in" kits, although not citing any DOT sources supporting them.

You must be registered for see images

This is NOT an HID bulb take a look and you can see the tungsten...

 

[SparkandFire]

Yep... there be tungsten in there.

As others have said, you have to have a projector and the correct optics in order to use HID lamps properly.

There are lots of improper things out there that people do (I have two tires that are WAY below spec, not road worthy) And that risk may very well be equal to what others are doing by installing HID lamps in conventional fixtures, BUT, I have blown tires before and never killed anyone doing it.

I have also been blinded by crappy HID lights in other people's cars and not personally been inured.

It's the same logic as those guys who lift their 2wd trucks "baja" style, with the tail end almost touching the ground, and their low beams where their high beams ought to be (I am sure their high beams are blinding commercial airline pilots flying past...)

It's an issue of respect. I would not blast my horn everytime I pass someone on the freeway, and I would not install cheap-o HID lights for the same reason...

 

[sootman73]

yea the first picture you posted are what mine look like. they aren't the dumb H4 or H3 blue tinted things. if my lights were such a problem then why haven't i been pulled over before? i've been rnning them for 6 months and have had cops (state, sheriff, city) passed by me head on at night and it doesn't seem to bother them. i dont get any people flashing their brights at me either. of course saying that i'm sure there are plenty of people that just throw them in there and then not re-aim them properly because they know no better. i re-adjusted mine for two weeks to where i thought they weren't annoying and were safe for oncoming drivers. i would rather have them pointed out more but i'll get along as long as it doesn't put another driver in danger and thus myself in danger.

its just like newer diesel owners blowing smoke all over town during events and therefore making our event/group part of a stereotype of mischief and disrespect....

 

[The Warden]

yea the first picture you posted are what mine look like. they aren't the dumb H4 or H3 blue tinted things. if my lights were such a problem then why haven't i been pulled over before?

My guess is either you've gotten lucky and the police who've seen you like that weren't in the mood to write a ticket, or when you re-aimed them, you aimed them so low that they're putting most of the light down on the ground right in front of you and not putting enough light in the distance to really help. A properly aimed headlight with a proper lens matched to the light source is able to put out some light in the distance without putting it in another driver's face...and, having all of the light immediately in front of you has the same effect as turning on your high-beams in heavy fog...the light basically gets reflected back into your eyes and your night-vision goes away, while you get the illusion that you can see better.

I'm not trying to say that the DOT has all the answers...I would go so far as to say that the DOT's rules regarding lighting and light patterns are horribly outdated, and it's another of the things that the Europeans have gotten far more advanced with and have far better technology than we see stateside. However, as I've repeatedly tried to say in this thread, these HID conversion kits are universally condemned....by the DOT, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and AFAIK everywhere else in the world where lighting standards are in place. I openly admit that I'm running headlights that do not conform to DOT standards. However, the headlights that I'm running DO conform to EU standards, and from what I've seen, read, and experienced directly over the course of the last 5 years, they're superior in every way, including putting as little light as possible high enough to blind other drivers while still lighting things up in the distance. With all due respect, I see absolutely no way that you can achieve the same thing with ANY HID kit installed in a lens system intended for halogen bulbs. The illusion of safe lighting may exist, but I do not see how it's physically possible to do it so that it is actually safe, short of replacing the entire housing with one that was designed from the ground up for an HID light source. You're either compromising yourself and/or other drivers. Frankly, I consider this no safer (to you or to the people you share the road with) than hooking a 30K trailer to a 3/4 ton truck, which is again why I'm being so vocal about it.

its just like newer diesel owners blowing smoke all over town during events and therefore making our event/group part of a stereotype of mischief and disrespect....

Hey, you and I finally agree on something!!

 

[Alex S]

Im not a deer so when a civic with his HIDs comes at me i look at the road and not directly at his lights ;p

 

[f-two-fiddy]

My guess is either you've gotten lucky and the police who've seen you like that weren't in the mood to write a ticket, or when you re-aimed them, you aimed them so low that they're putting most of the light down on the ground right in front of you and not putting enough light in the distance to really help. A properly aimed headlight with a proper lens matched to the light source is able to put out some light in the distance without putting it in another driver's face...and, having all of the light immediately in front of you has the same effect as turning on your high-beams in heavy fog...the light basically gets reflected back into your eyes and your night-vision goes away, while you get the illusion that you can see better.

I'm not trying to say that the DOT has all the answers...I would go so far as to say that the DOT's rules regarding lighting and light patterns are horribly outdated, and it's another of the things that the Europeans have gotten far more advanced with and have far better technology than we see stateside. However, as I've repeatedly tried to say in this thread, these HID conversion kits are universally condemned....by the DOT, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and AFAIK everywhere else in the world where lighting standards are in place. I openly admit that I'm running headlights that do not conform to DOT standards. However, the headlights that I'm running DO conform to EU standards, and from what I've seen, read, and experienced directly over the course of the last 5 years, they're superior in every way, including putting as little light as possible high enough to blind other drivers while still lighting things up in the distance. With all due respect, I see absolutely no way that you can achieve the same thing with ANY HID kit installed in a lens system intended for halogen bulbs. The illusion of safe lighting may exist, but I do not see how it's physically possible to do it so that it is actually safe, short of replacing the entire housing with one that was designed from the ground up for an HID light source. You're either compromising yourself and/or other drivers. Frankly, I consider this no safer (to you or to the people you share the road with) than hooking a 30K trailer to a 3/4 ton truck, which is again why I'm being so vocal about it.


Hey, you and I finally agree on something!!

I'll admit that I'm guilty of running JDM Projectors on the Outback. Not HID's, but 10 times better than the crap that came USDM. The cutoff is dramatically improved over the USDM leaky crap. Never had a bright flashed at Me, even with the High Beams on. Still, the night visibility is 10 times better than the OEM's.

 

[Logroller]

HID lighting is a joke , and the conversions they have out for our trucks is a rip off ,, go get yourself a new pair of headlights and new silverstar ultras and be done with it ,, i have the diamond clear headlight marker and turn in my truck and are much brighter than any hid i have seen on the road and you dont have to worry about wiring issues or conversion kits as they call them

 

[bockhold]

i run silverstars and a relayed harness on my idi truck. it easily doubled the light output.

since we use the same bulb/housing for high and low beams HID's in the factory headlights are IMO, a bad choice. in my DD the high and low use separate reflectors and bulbs so i have HID's in the highs. you shouldn't be using highs around other people anyway.

they make HID retrofits for the KC's. but save yourself some money. get the super cheap parts store 6" lights and get the H3 HID retrofit. if that isn't enough light (offroad only!) you've got other problems.

how good are the silver stars as a drop in with out the relay?


i had 55w 5k hi/low hids in mine and they were good besides the hi/low part on this bulp type. it just poped in and out. not much was done to change the direction. im thinkin 35w would be better but i need more lightin on the hwy at night. its pitch black and i totaled my car 2 weeks ago not seeing the horse.

 

[alienturtle]

awwwww the search function...brings back OLD times

I love my HIDs I have them pointed way down to the proper angle and i dont get flashed from the lower cars. i have 6 or 8ks cant remember and i have the single element bulb. No hi/low. The one that is crystal clear before blue