Vman159

Before i ask the question i just want to say that i searched but didnt find anything

on my 02 tl it seems like the output sucks. It seems as if i am driving with fogs on. I got the bulbs from hidxtra 5k . I tried to adjust the headlights but i raised them as best as i could. but once it is dark and it is raining its pretty hard to see.. I have the nokyo 2500 yellows fogs right now if that makes a difference...

What can i do to make the output more?

Is it possible for the bulbs to be upside down?

TLin401

Are your headlights hazy?

Vman159

no, i just had the auto shop buff them really good. Like they are good. my right side has a few scratches but nothing that will reduce the output

swllen_cu

iTrader: (1)

Did you put the bulb in the right way?

randyle408

can anyone help me find out more about sanding down my headlights? anyone know wasup? just let me know please

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

Hmm, my headlight output is pretty bright. Maybe something is wrong with your bulbs?
Dude, just search.

Vman159

Is there really a correct way to put in the bulbs ? I thought you just stick it in the slot than plug in the ignitor and good to go...?

swllen_cu

iTrader: (1)

wow..... LMAO you have to stick it with the brown filament poitning down in the 6 o clock position.

Vman159

where did you read that? lol

pickler

hey my light output is not bright either, compared to my hid system on my rdx and 135 its pretty damn dim. i also installed the nokyan fogs and changed the bulbs to some 10,000k units with no difference. i put back stock 4300k bulbs since it kinda looked ricy...now i think its the oem ballast thats shit. or maybe acura used low power ballast to reduce glare on purpose. anyway if someone knows any cheap solutions i would also appreciate.

01tl4tl

could be weak ballast after 10 years of abuse and moisture dripping into it
There are pics on here of what the damage looks like inside the dead unit

New bulbs require at least 50 hours of use to `burn in` fully - color will change and brightness increases as they get some use!

external electrode goes down or its in wrong
`the One arm clip` must sit in tight and locked --bulb seated in place correctly,,,

01tl4tl

35 watt ballast are 35 watt ballast~

pickler

you mean water damage to ballast? im sorry but if water enters ballast it would malfunction(not work). it wouldnt dim? i have changed the bulbs too with no difference. here is stock osram bulbs i took picture of compared to my rdx:

TL


RDX


TL on suburb road w/oem low beam:

01tl4tl

as water enters the ballast it corrodes the contacts and eventually you get headlight quits while driving,,then no output..might takes months or years to finally go out
even after replacement or repair of leaking housing

So I am GUESSING- based on pics of water and rust damaged ballast--corossion= reduced output
electrical resistance in play etc.

Skirmich

First of All NO your ballast cannot dim nor the Bulb itself thats just not the way an HID bulb work
When the Bulb is Fired it needs a Constant Voltage to remain ON a Single drop in Current will make the Ballast protect itself Shutting it Down... So its impossible for An HID Bulb to DIM thats why they cannot work as DRLs Too... (Google HID or Read the Wiki on It for More Info).

Second to the RDX guy you are comparing a Projector to a Reflector Headlight thats your first problem bud, You cannot expect that a reflector unit be as efficient as the Projector.
Projector uses a lens to Aim all Light output into a Single Spot, A Reflector y just that! A mirror that sends the light output into the same angle. So the Projector will always look 2-3 Times Brighter when comparing to a Reflector type, Even Using the Same *K..


What I can tell for sure is by Judging the Pics doesnt look bad at all most DSC cameras wont pick up all the light pattern correctly anyway, You neee a DSLR Camera to really tell if anything is wrong....
Maybe comparing it to a Second TL? Or go below 8K, Using 10K is a Bad Idea if your looking for road brightness.


Hope it Helps!

ParaSurfer1979

I so agree... 10000k are very blue which means blue lighy is darker that 4300k. When I do aftermarket I always go for 5000K. has slightly bluer light while just as white as stock. Good luck bro. Post pix of your headlights at night 20-30ft from a wall at night obviously.

Skirmich

Agree! 5000K is a Must for Road Brightness! and Any OEM Aftermarket replacement!

This is my View with the 8000K Installed in all 4 (Lows + Fogs)... (Im not kidding those are 8000K why they Look white? Beats me).

Compared to this "pickler" your OEMs looks blue...


This is trying to get the Exact Color pattern out of my Headlight but I cant make wonders out of my iPhone:

Lows are 8000K / Highs are 55W 5000K... iPhone is having hard time to get Exposure thats why the Colors are greenish, The important thing is the Bulb Color itself! dont bother looking at the headlight! look at the bulb!!


I NEED TO GET PITCH BLACK PICS FOR BETTER COMPARISON!!!
Hope those Pics Helps for Now.

01tl4tl

HID bulbs do indeed weaken their lumens output with age
this is a documented fact from the car, and other industries that use the HID system-
for everything from parking lot lights to grow houses

in the car, may not be as noticable as it dims over time.
can you honestly recall the exact light brightness 2 years ago?
or do you just attribute it to needing glasses??

swllen_cu

iTrader: (1)

Do you not know how to install HIDs? That's like the most importatnt thing in installing HIDs....

Vman159

mine look pretty close to that. the reason i care so much is in the rain its almost as if the lights are off...

pickler

no i do not have 10,000k bulbs, i used to but now its 4300k oem. i know it looks blue in the picture but it is actually stock bulbs.

again i have 4300k which is the brightest colour temprature. and no there is nothing wrong with your iphone 8000k has a slightly green tinge, which is why i avoid it. i either use 4300-6000k or 10,000k. anything in between has a green tint to it.

Also as for your reflector vs project argument, my cousin has 6000k hid installed in his old civic and they are brighter than all my cars. they are so bright that he had to install special bulb shields and add eyebrows to the headlights.

also i forgot to ask, you have the original ballast or aftermarket? what parts do you use? thanks.

Skirmich

Weaken is not the same as DIMM besides you now when your bulb is aging becouse it starts to change color dramatically if this happends over time you cannot expect to notice in day after another a 0.0000001 Lm Output loss, You should notice by looking the color in the Headlight.

Headlight Colors! Not in the Road:
OEM 4300? Starts to be Pink (Then Purple = Death).
6000K Starts to be like OEM (Then Pinkish = Death).
8000K Starts to look hiper white (Then Amber = Death)

But at that times the bulb should be completely wasted in OVER 5 YEARS not even close to 2 years So no wonders about Lm Output loss! You should change bulbs at least every 5 years! before they turn other color not waiting to.
My OEM OSRAM bulbs lasted 7-8 years before being completely pink not close to purple but Lm Output was Raped besides Pink being a darker HUE tend to blend with road soo = Extra Bad.

I dunno how much time does Pickler bulbs have but IMO they arent fully used to Consider an exaggerated Output Loss. Just from seeing the colors. If the color hasnt changed due Normal Use, less likely their Lm Output changed either..

Civic have the most horrible Halogen headlights to do a Retro Fit in the world since some Mercs! They arent bright! the Glare is HORRIBLE! and they are Ilegaly Aimed to everywhere..
If you try to DOT Aimed them you will not pass, Their headlight arent just not even close to handle a HID bulb soo their Light will be all over the place!

If you Compare and OEM System (NOT A RETROFITTED) to another you will see that Projector > Reflector.
If you compare a Retrofitted system (CIVIC) To any OEM one the civic will OWN anything but this is becouse the light is all over the place, Cops will ticket like Xmas eve, being Ilegal youll get a Ilegal Mod Ticket and Glaring Ticket... Glad thing is that he tryied to get rid of the Excessive glar, If your buddy were in front of me with those things Glaring me Ill be happily to give him a Taste of his own medicine with my 55W Highs..

Im using OEM Ballast for Lows, Aftermarket for Fogs + Highs.
FAT Ballast always! Dont believe SLIM ballast Hype crap.

pickler

ok thx for info. but i don't understand how come ur lows seem much brighter than mine? do you have other pics? what brand bulbs you using? also i cant detect any pink purple hue, just a hint of blue tint with factory bulbs. im also considering philips x-treme power for highs and nokya jdm yellow for fogs. not a big fan of fog/hi hid since people here always blind me with it don't want to b part of the problem.

Skirmich

I have some others but They arent very clear, My camera doesnt take good pics at night soo Forgive its quality:

Dunno why this come out too Blue:


This is their Normal Color:


This is testing my Mod for the High + Fogs:


I dont have any more showing the lights just a bunch with Headlights off.

For the Lows was a Cheap Kit from ebay, Brandless.
For the Highs it was "BAC" Hid Kit again Cheap Ebay Stuff.
I tend not to waste alot of money on this things so the replacements come cheap. Everything was installed with the Relay Kit.

Timeline Fog Kit (Running as DRLs every day):
-Left Fog Ballast toasted in 6 months buyed one at 17 Bucks Shipped.
-Right Fog Bulb started to lose color, In 1 Year. Replaced for 20 bucks pair.
Timeline High Kit:
No problems so Far (6 Months).

pickler

ok im getting tired of this i cant take it. my tl has the dimmest headlights compared to all my cars and compared to a friend's civic with 6000k h4s. i drive in dark country roads alot at night and even in complete darkness the lights are not any brighter than halogens. the light reflects off signs and cars bumpers well but it doesnt reflect off the road. i mean the brightness is safe but its not hid like, specially for 4300k osrams. my 6000k fogs are brighter and one reason i didn't replace lows with 6000k was fear of even lower light output. thinking of aftermarket ballasts?

fsttyms1

First off, cars with HID kits installed in headlamps that werent designed for it are often going to be brighter. Period. Projectors are the best lighting out there.

2nd, like above are your bulbs installed the correct way?

3rd. Your "oem" bulbs. Are they the original bulbs or just OEM 4300 that you bought somewhere? If they are the original they could be infact starting to wear out where they are shifting in the spectrum causing them to not give you the usable light. Our ballasts are NOT weaker and changing them wont solve it.

4th. You said you adjusted them. It is possible you adjusted them too much making them even worse!

pickler

its original osram 4300k and the bulbs are good as i replaced it with some after markets and it was same shit. lights look to be ok they produce pure white light with no pinkish hue or anything. i spent about one week every night adjusting and fine tuning levels to get the most light on the road...i ended up aiming them low that seems to give me best light but still too little. The fogs are much brighter but they are aimed very low and only give me light for 3-4 feet infront of the car. the lights are only bright when turned on cold (have bluish tint until warm which is normal ofc) they fad to white and don't reflect much. passengers sometimes ask hey what happened to the lights? was blue and bright now its dark?! projectors would cost me 600$ here and thats too much for me, i can use that money for nice set of tein s & tokico hp suspension.

KatabaticSaint

I would either buy a 55w hid replacement or do a retrofit to increase the output but either of those solutions tend to be more expensive than other options

pickler

wouldn't 55w cause heating and problems since stock wiring is 35w rate? i just can't get over the fact that 35w 4300k xenon could be only this bright. 35w aftermarket kits on civics are brighter

03tl-s04mdx

Are your housings cloudy/oxidized?

01tl4tl

get a full kit from hidextra the 50 -55 watt setup 5k bulbs
Since it comes with all its own new wires, the only thing OE is the power lead wires you
clip into

KatabaticSaint

If you buy a 55w kit with the ballast's and all that is quality, no you shouldn't have a problem with heat. Fogs on the other hand you will most definitely have a heat problem with a 55w unless you do the lexan mod.

pickler

will there be glare if i get d2r 55w 5000k?

housings look new. except there is a bit of condensation on cool days in passenger side which vanishes on sunny days. even still passenger side seems brighter than driver side to me.

for fogs, i just noticed i got a marble size crack (stone chip) on passenger fog which needs to be replaced...gonna need one fog housing for cheap.

fsttyms1

BECAUSE the housings arent designed for HID lights. Measure the voltage the stock wiring is giving you where it comes into the ballast. Is it 12v.

fsttyms1

If you have condensation you have a leak and a water problem. That could be half your issue. Remove the ballasts and see if there is any sign of water damage.

03tl-s04mdx

Just replace the glass with lexan - either cut it yourself or others have used these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-03...d=245927798926

There's a DIY on the main 2gen TL page.

01tl4tl

moisture can affect the ballast internal- rust,,pics on azine offer proof
or that silver box mounted to rear of housing- whatever its name, but its a controller for the light
according to a ziner dealer tech= thats often the culprit, due to moisture in it too

pickler

had the headlight taken out and cleaned, replaced seals. no more fog/condensation but brightness did not change. was cleaning engine cover today when i noticed a gigantic pile of corrosion on the negative battery terminal. i am not sure how i could power anything with that much corrosion. this was unexpected as the battery is new and was installed several months ago. took it to dealer and had it cleaned, and battery terminal cables changed. so far the lights seem to be brighter but ill see when nighttime comes.

voltage is 14.2v on idle

MrChanh

hm.. this makes me want to inspect my headlights at night. I haven't had to drive at night for a long time.

pickler

question, is there glare with d2c 6000k vs d2r 6000k?