BigBang

iTrader: (1)

just bought from ddm like last week.. takes forever to ship tho.. i been tracking it and it's still in china. Anyways.. wish i would have seen that hidextra has a 25% discount if you order before tomorrow.. could have saved me a few bucks and possibly a better quality set of hids?

OG Dada

iTrader: (10)

HID's are HID's. The quality are all the same no matter what other people say. I'm an Electronic Engineer so I can tell. They're all the same just with different stickers(brands).

OG Dada

iTrader: (10)

The glare really depends on your headlights y'know. It's not the HID's.

BigBang

iTrader: (1)

Okay I feel a bit better now

soarer93

Balasts will have different power consumptions, and startup current transients, different heat output/efficiency at different voltage levels, different noise pollution (not that it really matters much with a running engine), also different sizes for better placement inside the engine bay, etc etc etc - and then moving on to the bulbs, different brand bulbs will have different factors affecting them as well.

since the wiring for our oem headlights are on what a 18 or 22guage wire(not sure but its small)? its not the best for all HID applications - where some kits will come with all new wiring, and even a direct wiring option from the battery so you dont get the voltage drop. As an electronic engineer id think you would know all that.. but i guess a nobody banker can tell you that instead.

SoCal1JZ

iTrader: (2)

I've seen visible differences between "cheap" and "better" brands, we compared them side by side once plus reliability comes into play as well

BAUSauto

Just like real bbs/Volk te37 vs varrateon.
ithey looks the same from the outside but the material will never be the same.
So same as the ballast.... "you get what you pay for" !!!

soarer93

in most cases its the fact the headlight assembly is not designed for HID's - so yes you are correct, but thats because theres HID's installed and they shouldnt be as the light cant be focused/aimed correctly.

i was trying in a nice way to say Look it up - hopefully someone willing to actually read, will notice that its probably best to get a new projector assembly or whole new headlight designed to work with HID's so they actually work as intended.

also theres lots of different brands of HID kits, different balasts, different amperage ratings, wattage, heat produced, CAN sometimes cause the factory wiring in some cars to heat up too much and catch fire. not saying its going to happen, but aslong as you are informed first before you make your decision, you cant come back saying.. i wish someone told me.

Arkansas

So whats the best brand for pretty cheap?

OG Dada

iTrader: (10)

HID's were designed to have a lower amperage, alot lower than halogen bulbs. So if they heat up/if you get the HID's with the same amperage as your halogens then the main purpose of switching to HID's is lost. Remember guys, HID's were first created for use of off road purposes since they produce brighter lights and it doesn't have filaments, hence having a lower risk of your lights going out because of extreme abuse through bumpy roads.

I have always used HID's made in China even back in Philippines and I had an accident that I totaled my AUV(Asian Utility Vehicle, Toyota Revo, look it up) and my ballasts, the old school ones, they were like really big ones like the Raptor version of DDM Tuning, were squished because it was mounted in between the fender and the engine bay wall in front and they still worked after re-soldering the wires that got cut.

soarer93

its not all about amperage, its about voltage.
Xenon lights require nearly 20,000 Volts to ignite the gas, then drops to a steaddy 85Volts once the lights are warmed up. which is why on some bulbs you will see they are insulated and rated up to 35,000 Volts..

As you can imagine, not all our old wiring is able to handle that from the normal 12-16V, although at slightly higher amperage.