fyoung650

hey everyone, i just recently got my tsx and im eager to do some mods so i wanted to change up my lights..im already planing on getting the KAIXEN D2C HID Replacement Bulbs for my low beams but i was wondering what brand/kind you guys recommend i should use for my fog lights and high beams and where i can find them..i want the high beams to match the 8,500K (Extreme Blue) low beams im planning to purchase and want some nice bright ones for my fog lights...i would appreciate everyone's input..thanks!

Jeff_Chicago

why do u want to replace the OEM to 8500 and have no light output?

offsight204

Cuz he wants to man.. I hate when people on this forum do that sh.. Someone ask a question and then people want to question them why they doin it.shit the doin it cuz they want to.. Lol.. lol is funny

LukeaTron

A lot of people don't realize that things they're doing for aesthetic purposes have a negative impact on the actual function of that item. fyoung, you do know that those 8500K bulbs put out less light than the stock ones right?

Saeyon

maybe he just wanted for the looks

LukeaTron

... obviously.

fyoung650

i actually wasnt aware of this..i just wanted something brighter than what i already had..they looked pretty sweet in the pictures, but im glad u guys filled me in on that..so is there anything brighter than the stock lights? because im pretty sure i've seen brighter ones out there..thanks everyone!

LukeaTron

As far as projecting useful light, the stock temperature (4600K I think) is optimal. The ones that appear brighter only do so because they produce more glare. Bluer light scatters more. This means that by the time the light goes out from the headlight and bounces off of whatever object is in front of you back into your eye, less of it will complete the journey. The rest has bounced off at some random angle.

This is the reason fog lights are yellow. The water in the air scatters a lot of the light but yellow light, which is very far from blue, is able to stay on path better.

fyoung650

should i be sticking to the 6000K?

fyoung650

^^thanks for all the help man...so would the 6000K be a better choice since its just crytsal white and has no blue to it? or is this whole upgrade just for looks period?

DLTSX6MT

I'm glad the OP is after real light output, and not the blue looks. And I really like that AZ has served as the place of his enlightenment!

As already stated, the stock color puts out the most light. That's why they picked it. To go whiter/bluer is maybe more marketable (to some, i.e. the uninformed who think bluer is is brighter, or more visible, or just plain cooler, or those who just like being blue to be ricey).

Whenever I see cars (Civics, etc) out there with blue-hued headlights, the first thing I think is "there's a twerp who wants to look like he's got HIDs, and also go as blue as possible because blue is cool" and put in a set of "Cool Blue" bulbs from Pep Boys. Worse yet, he went blue at the expense of light output and also visable light.

Why make your HID-equipped TSX look like you've got Pep Boys bulbs for Civics in it?

LukeaTron

A lot of people go with the 6000K bulbs for a slightly whiter look and it doesn't detract too much from the useful output. That's as high as I would go though.

I definitely wouldn't put any hotter bulbs in the fogs. It totally eliminates their intended function and blinds the shit out of every one approaching you.

cls1000

i have 6k philips ulitrons in my bimmer. they have a very blue/purplish hue to them, and while there isn't a lot of diff. over the stock 4300k bulbs, there is a noticeable diff. in light output (less) imo, if you want to upgrade and still have strong light output, the 5k are they way to go. the 6k def. have a more blueish look, the 4300 are closest to natural daylight, and are brightest. the 5k is a nice compromise between the 2. but if you do want the 6k, go with the ulitrons. they have come down alot in price over the years (i paid. $350 for a pr. back in 01) and they are still going strong to this day!

cls1000

oh and to really upgrade the light output, toss out the stock 35w ballasts and get some 55w ballasts!!!!!!

fyoung650

wat are ballasts?
and for the foglights...i was lookin at the Hoen website that i found in another thread...i wanted a yellow light so wat do you guys recommend?
p.s. thanks a lot for everyones help...this forum has been a real big help!

LukeaTron

HIDs are arc lamps and need very high voltage (I think it's around 20,000 volts) to get the spark to jump the gap. There's a transformer that takes the low volts (12 v) and high amps (20 amp or more) of the battery and converts to high volts and low amps needed for the HID bulb. The ballast is an electronic device that limits the amount of current flowing through the circuit. Since the resistance of the HID bulb drops off rapidly once the plasma is ignited between the electrodes, the ballast stops the transformer from pumping more and more juice into the bulb before either the bulb or the transformer explodes. When people talk about HID ballasts they're usually talking about the system of the ballast and the transformer since they're packaged together.

Here's some more info on HIDs if you're interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...discharge_lamp

DLTSX6MT

ASAIK, the function of the ballasts is to start the bulbs up, after that the bulbs basically operate on their own. So what would beefier ballast do for light output?

LukeaTron

See my post above about the function of a ballast. There is an igniter that basically bypasses the ballast for a second or two so the bulb can get up to temperature. I'm not sure if it's need for these bulbs but some bigger ones have capacitor in the igniter to build up a bunch of voltage for initially striking the bulb. My gut says these bulbs are small enough not to need it though.

cls1000

Maybe this will help.

I've seen comparison pics between stock 35w and aftermarket 55w kits and it's not even funny how much more light output they give you...

check this out..http://www.ddmtuning.com/hidkihidbuhi.html

LukeaTron

Do you need to get new bulbs if you go to 55 watts? It's hard to imagine the stock ones would last long with that sort of thermal load. I'd also be somewhat concerned about melting the plastic housing.

cls1000

yeah, it's a package deal with the bigger bulbs. you're not melting anything, just think of all the cars on the road that don't have hid's....they all have 55w halogens...

LukeaTron

They usually have glass enclosures for the lights too.

popdakebin

Does anyone have experience with DDM HID kits? Any pics? I was hoping to get the yellow 50w for my fogs. Or any recomendations for other brands that don't cost too much with a 50w - 55w?

racecarbox616

Has anyone installed the DDM HID kit for Fogs?

Does the 55w generate to much heat?

valeratj

Get an exhaust header, intake and reflash. Those things are worth $$$