My TL-S is new to me and I've never had HID headlights on a vehicle before, so please forgive me my probably stupid question.
My understanding is that the low beams are HID, while the high beams are regular Halogen type bulbs.

Why are the high beams not also HID? It would seem like since you are supposed to not shine your high beams on on-coming traffic anyway, the high beams would be the perfect place for really bright HID lights.

Are all cars with HID lights like this-only the low beams are HID? Please explain.
Thanks!

 

Hids take a bit to warm up to normal operating temp/color, and for those that need to be turning them in and off it puts stress on the ballast and bulbs. The 3rd gen TL has BiXenon where the bulb changes slight angle to make it low and high all in one. Yes most cars are like the 2nd gen.

 

My understanding is that HID bulbs take some time to warm up to full brightness and they're not a good choice for an instant-on "flash to pass" type of application.

 

close.. the bulb doesn't change position but the cutoff shield moves so that there no longer is a cutoff

 

why when you put you hi beams you here a loud knock coming from you head lights?

 

A loud knock from headlights-?! Now that's a something I never heard of lol. Please elaborate.

 

The hi beans really suck on gen2, especially when you get better low beam bulbs!
Solution- add a mini set of projector beam `driving lights` hidden in the lower grill,
with a pencil type beam pattern for long range use at speed~

 

Which low beam bulbs would be better than the stock ones?

 

Kaixen 5000k are being used by many ziners
or 6000k if you have really poor night vision- several of us are using them.
The extra blue in 6000k picks up road lines and signs for a greater distance, but you lose some white light directly in front of the car. If you run extra driving lights they make up for it.
Phillips 4300k are stock- sometimes you can find them on the bay= get NEW bulbs only $85-125 a pair when you can find them~ do not buy used bulbs
Kaixen were 150 a pair, but Excelerate said he was working a deal to get them down near 110 per pair- which is an excellent price.
Send him a PM with your car year and model and your zip code- he will get back to you soon with a total number
Acurazine sponsoring vendor Excelerate has the kaixen in stock

For a look at the different light color choices, go to Lowes- the hardware place, and check the flourescent lighting sections display wall- there are giant pics of each color in action-Kelvin rating 3000-6000 or more
From 3000K which we use as fog lights- they are good for kitchens!- 4000- 5000 natural daylight sun- the sky blue at noon color or higher good for workshops and offices. My desk lamp now has a 4600K bulb- natural daylight- same as the use to counter winter Blahs' a desk lamp with 4600k bulb!!
What dreary snowed in life do we have- look ast this bright happy light- like sittng on a park bench.
In my house- there is a skylight at the top of the stairs- the stairway bulb is a 4600 (it was a 2pack) and the color coming thru the solartube skylight and the bulb are near identical- midday sky blue
Gives you a visual idea of how it affects your eyes and glare etc with different color.
If you go 6000k I would add some mini-lighting hidden in the lower grill-- for that direct in front of the car-light, for mountain roads at night,,,,fill in the void in the lighting
Otherwise- in the 50 feet in front of the car- if you dont see it in time, just hit it~

 

Yes we have these for $109 shipped to the cont US now. We were able to go direct with the manufacturer.

5000K is natural white and has the highest amount of lumen (light output)
6000K is extreme white with a hint of blue and looks the brightest to the naked eye but isn't technically as bright as 5000k
6500K is extreme white with a hint of purple
8500K is extreme blue and has the most kelvin (color)

https://acurazine.com/forums/sponsored-sales-group-buys-10/kaixen-hid-replacement-d2c-bulbs-new-price-394988/

 

109 Shipped!!! Thats a great deal Josh.
I certainly enjoy my 6000k Kaixen, very easy on these old eyes.
They are not some off brand garbage- they are the manufacturing division in korea of
Kaixen Lighting Research- with International contracts, and holding several patents on changes in new technology. They rock!!
5000k for a little more blue than stock but still lots of white
6000k for more blue-

 

just noticed the change to Excelerates sig- better check the new website store~

 

yeah i know same here but it aint that loud thou

 

yeah its not loud but you can hear it lol.

 

try going in you tl and flick the hi beams on and off.

 

Go find the knock and see if it is the ballast.

Technically speaking, HID ballasts are an interesting setup. A typical HID ballast performs eight basic functions. An electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter blocks ballast-generated noise. This is hum control. If you've ever heard a flourescent light system "HUM" this is due to component failure within a ballast.

A full-wave rectifier provides the high-voltage bus power. A power-factor-correction (PFC) block ensures sinusoidal input current. A buck converter controls the lamp current. When your buck converter is failing, you start to get flicker and those issues.

A full-bridge output stage provides the ac lamp drive. An ignition circuit strikes the lamp. The ignition circuit and bulb warm up time are why HID wasn't used initially in High Beam. As this circuitry gets faster, expect more applications. Control circuitry manages each stage.

Finally, protection circuitry safely deactivates the ballast in the event of a lamp- or ballast-fault condition. Currently, this is one of the most popular approaches to powering HID lamps with a low-frequency ac voltage.

If you are hearing a loud KNOCK, this is likely caused by either an arc or failure within the ballast. HID bulbs are somewhat moody as to their startup and constant power requirements. My advice is to start thinking about replacing the ballast that is knocking before it burns out the bulbs as well.

 

Hey I have been planning on getting just the 6000k Kaixens bulbs since our cars have ballasts already. But one of my friends told me, that you can't just get new bulbs and that I would need to get the ballast as well?

Question is do I need to buy the entire kit or just bulbs? and how would I know? (My HID's no longer look blue, they are yellowish now)

Thanks
SS

 

Your friend is incorrect. Your car came with HID's from the factory. All you need is the D2C bulbs. Your stock ballasts are fine.