HID Kit for $160
#1
HID Kit for $160
HID Kit on eBay an store
Has anyone gotten this particular kit? Is it a good buy? Should I risk it. Any info on how difficult they are to install? I seriously need HID as my eyes suck at night and my Headlights are really dim and dull looking.
Has anyone gotten this particular kit? Is it a good buy? Should I risk it. Any info on how difficult they are to install? I seriously need HID as my eyes suck at night and my Headlights are really dim and dull looking.
#3
$80 where? Btw what is the highest temp bulb before it starts to look blue and the highest temp before purple?
Last edited by AirForceGS; 11-17-07 at 10:56 PM.
#4
here you go...http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HID-C...spagenameZWDVW
1000k is looking blue and 1200k looking purple...but i prefer 8k..the brightest one...1200k looking good but can't see better than 8k..i got 3 set in different car and i recommend 8k...
1000k is looking blue and 1200k looking purple...but i prefer 8k..the brightest one...1200k looking good but can't see better than 8k..i got 3 set in different car and i recommend 8k...
#5
here you go...http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HID-C...spagenameZWDVW
1000k is looking blue and 1200k looking purple...but i prefer 8k..the brightest one...1200k looking good but can't see better than 8k..i got 3 set in different car and i recommend 8k...
1000k is looking blue and 1200k looking purple...but i prefer 8k..the brightest one...1200k looking good but can't see better than 8k..i got 3 set in different car and i recommend 8k...
#7
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#11
You really just need 2 kits...for your driving lights you can use PIAA or SYLVANIA halogen bulbs. You can get the super white or cool blue bulbs which is good enough for the day time.
#13
First off. HID's aren't like normal bulbs. They take a little while to heat up and produce light. They also draw a good deal of current when they first kick on (however, they draw less power than halogens after the initial few seconds). For this reason, they're completely useless for high beams. Cars that have HID's for high beams use what's called a Bi-Xenon setup, which is essentially a mechanical flap that redirects the HID light output for high beam function. It's not another HID bulb that comes on, like normal halogen high beams. Using HID's for high beams in these cars is a terrible idea.
Also, using them for fogs isn't such a good idea as well. The way HID's are designed, they produce maximum light intensity in a fairly defined area. The light output from a Halogen bulb/projector setup tends to trail off gradually. HID's have a fairly sharp cutoff. The benefit of this is that HID's can produce more light output where you need it, without blinding other drivers. They are aimed in such a way that the cutoff point is below other drivers' eyes, so you don't blind anyone, but can still see well. This is why you may see HID's 'flickering' when they're driving near you. You're seeing the edge of the cutoff point, which has some color change, bouncing up and down across your eyes. You can't aim your fogs, and the housings are not designed for HID bulbs (see below)...
Another thing to be aware of is that the projectors that are in your car were not designed for HID bulbs in the first place. They're designed for halogens. This means that the focal point, and positioning of an HID bulb (being put in a housing designed for a halogen bulb) will not be optimal...the light output could very well be worse than with the halogen, and you'll be aiming the headlight too high to compensate for this. This defeats the purpose of HID's in the first place. Some halogen projectors happen to fair better than others functioning as mock HID projectors. But the best way to do things is to "retrofit" real HID projectors in your headlight housing. This isn't cheap, and does take some work. But it's the best way to put HID's in your car. Do you NEED to? No. But don't be expecting great light output out of halogen projectors.
The last thing to be aware of is that many of the cheaper HID kits come with bulbs that aren't "re-based" for your bulb type. The means that the HID bulbs have little more than a rubber base tho keep them secured in the headlight housing. Rebased bulbs will have a base that's made to screw into your headlight housing...which makes light output better. My girlfriend has an HID kit with non-rebased bulbs in her RSX, and the light output is horrific. Her stock halogens were far superior. I have rebased bulbs in a plug and play kit I have in my car, and the light output is better than the stock halogens, though not be leaps and bounds. A retrofit would be far superior. You get what you pay for when you decide to turn Toyota's engineering upside down.
With regard to light output. Most stock HID's are around 4300-4700 or so. This is more or less pure white. Lower than 4K or so moves into the yellow end of things (and consequently has less light output). Higher numbers like 6K, 8K, 10K, ect. move into the blue and purple end of the spectrum. The farther you move away from pure white light, the less light output you get. 12K HID's have terrible actual light output, for instance. Keep in mind, again, that HID's will appear blue or purple when you're driving towards them. This is because you're seeing light from above the cutoff point. The actual usable light that the driver is seeing is probably much more pure white.
Anyways...
Some things to be aware of when buying cheap kits like these:
-Are the bulbs rebased?
-Who makes the ballasts? They're probably cheap and will need to be replaced much sooner than a quality ballast.
-Who makes the bulbs? Cheaper bulbs have a poor service life. HID bulbs don't just die out like halogens. They gradually start to shift up in color temp, thus reducing your light output.
Hope that helps. Just figured i'd take a few minutes to post some information, as there seemed to be some misconceptions here. There are ok plug and plug kits, and terrible ones. The bad ones will actually lower your light output. Your lights will look cool. But something like a 12K or 14K kit with non-rebased bulbs can be flat out dangerous, for instance.
HID's are superior. But we just need to keep in mind that the headlight housings weren't designed for them in the first place, so there's some trade offs that need to be considered.
-Nick
#14
Nice post Nick, thanks for the info. Hopefully people will read this and find it quite useful. After having my HIDs for about a year and a half now, Ive realized its just not enough light. The stock halogen projectors are just not made for this. All my friends cars with stock HID projectors(S2000, 350Z, my moms FX35, my dads 300C, and my grandmothers LS460), all make my car look like my lights arent even on. Granted, the difference between the HIDs and and the halogens before is alot better, but I think its time for a retrofit. I would have done it already, but finding a good set of used headlights is becoming a hassle.
Hope everyone listens to nick, hes seems pretty knowledgeable on this subject.
Hope everyone listens to nick, hes seems pretty knowledgeable on this subject.