solidsnakeonaplane

I found a thread previously about someone swapping a 55w HID kit to replace their factory HID system. I can't seem to find it now (been searching for a minute). so here I am...

My question is, the D2S/D2R 55w Kit from hidextra would work with the factory system, but what needs to be done? I'm still kinda new to HID lighting technology and a couple friends use DDM products (but keep in mind these were on cars that were not originally equipped with HID lights).

My driver's side headlight recently started flickering after about 10 minutes of driving with the headlights on, and I've determined it's not the bulb (I swapped a spare set of HID bulbs in place) and have determined its either the ballast igniter or both. I thought I might as well upgrade to a 55w system if i've got to change the ballast and igniters.


Have you guys swapped a 55w system in place of a 35w on a UA6 or UA7? I really don't feel like spending $400 on a new ballast and igniter from Acura.

thedc

Bump. I need help with this installation also. Can anyone point me in the right direction on replacing the OEM ballast with a 55w. Im new to modding my TL.

DomGSR-T

iTrader: (1)

2 oem wires needs to be cut to connect to the aftermarket ballast power input. Beside that it's the same as oem. If you don't want to mess around, leave the oem ballasts where they are you won't have to block that hole to avoid water/humidity problem. Also, it's a good idea to change the lens for clear ones Good light output gain there...

truonghthe

55w HID will burn your projector chrome and it will create hot spot where there is no light reflection from that spot. 35w is the way to go and they have enough light out put already , stop being rice and trying to get brighter out put unless you are in serious off road fun.

DomGSR-T

iTrader: (1)

No it won't burn, not on oem quality projectors. and more light is not rice, it's safe. I use 50w ballast on my TL-S and on my S2K retrofit projector on the toy car and it's a good upgrade.

VanyDotK

iTrader: (6)

Yep, it won't. I had 55w ballast with Philip DL50 bulbs in my S2K AP1 projectors for two years without any burning chrome. The key is to use OEM brand bulbs such as Philips or Osram. Do not use cheap aftermarket bulbs with 55w system or even 35w for that matter because your bowls will probably burn.

d5civic

iTrader: (2)

Here we go again with another member throwing out the word rice for shits and giggles.

Putting in a 55w watt ballast is rice now? So half the people on hid planet that does retrofits with a 55w ballast is rice then? 55 w ballast provides a Better foreground improvement and has better light Output on the sides.

Of course 35w ballast is good enough, but isn't changing things on a vehicle what modding is and the reason why most of us are here?!? Using a 55 w ballast on a quality projector will create no more of a hot spot versus a 35w ballast.

truonghthe

ok if it is not rice then let me ask you this, 55w HID is so good then why auto manufacture won't put 55w into their cars? beside they are automotive engineering and who the hell is the rest of us? just an average Joe who just like modding car. The definition of "Rice" in my book is modding that doesn't provide real function such as fake hood scoop, lambo doors, neon light under the car, fast and furious graphic decal with sh*tty design, non functional body kit, pink HID etc.. I am sure you will get better light out put but it not give twice the output of a 35w bulb, it will wash out the color like a 6000k 55W will look likes a 4500k 35w bulb. Beside where does our TL design for? off road purpose like truck with lift kit going through mountain trail? don't think so its not worth the risk getting chrome burned, we have seen this before on I just want to prevent thread about people b*tching with title as " :'( my fog light housing melted" or "what is the dark spot on my projector?" I mean if you willing to put it on then take the risk and if you face consequence then don't b*tch. We all seen this before on this forum, HID planet and other forum, I understand that you got offended because you drive a civic or used to drive a civic but anyway people often refer civic as "RICER" oh well, rice or not people will know once you hit the drag track or circuit race and lets the mods do the talking instead. I saw domestic guys talking shit about my buddy 92 EG civic until they realize the car capable of doing 9.2 secs at English Town NJ. So please back off with "rice for giggle" and keep it to yourself no body intended to insult your civic or whatever your ride may be, have a nice day


OP do what you please, don't listen to anyone just buy the 55w kit and put them on, if it work then great if not then a new set of projector that all.

splew

I'm pretty sure 55w HIDs are not legal for on road use.

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

just use 35w...it's what is meant for our cars.

solidsnakeonaplane

actually, I just really like the appearance of a 55w system. The 35w are great and light out put is sufficient, but when is "good" good enough? I mean it's all personal preference really, I spoke with the vendor regarding the 55w kit and I'm sure the headlight is large enough to dissipate the extra heat generated by the increase in wattage. I'm just looking to make this as seamless as possible. On a side note, anyone know the factory bulb connector on the harness? Is it a 9006-h1?

ZOMGVTEK

Only 35W HID systems are legal for use on roads most anywhere, but I doubt anyone would have an issue with that.

Higher power ballasts are fine, but you REALLY should use a bulb designed for that power. Bulbs tend to shift to a lower color temp when overdriven, become less efficient, dramatically decrease life expectancy, and can potentially damage the chrome in the bowl of the projector. It's probably OK if you use a quality 35W HID bulb on a 55W ballast, but not really needed or recommended. A real upgrade would be to put DL50's in and run those at 50-55W.

Most '55W' ballasts do not operate at 55W. I've measured a few at 32-50W depending on brand and style. It's rare for them to actually put out 55W, but they SHOULD be higher power than a '35W' ballast. Aftermarket cheap ballasts are really a wildcard.

solidsnakeonaplane

Yeah I'm pretty sure they aren't legal as well, but neither are H.I.D.'s on cars that were not originally equipped with H.I.D. headlights. So technically there are many cars not necessarily "street legal" here in SC. Our legislation here is kinda slack and I've seen higher end German cars running 12000K color bulbs and cops look the other way.

it's not like I'm wanting an extreme setup. 6000K bulbs with a 55w system should have a nice almost factory white light.


Pause this video at 0:08 and you'll see the idea of what I'm going after. Most of the time I drive late at night on interstate when there is virtually no other driver on the road and I'm going through a lot of rural areas where the chances of hitting a deer are higher.

solidsnakeonaplane

So if that's rice hand me some soy sauce and chopsticks please. I guess I am a ricer. too bad my car is all stock with the except of suspension and brakes.

ZOMGVTEK

I would consider anything aside from 4100-4300K D2S bulbs from a reputable manufacturer to be rice.

Light output is good, silly colors and crappy bulbs are not.

That said, if you really like the 'whiter' appearance bulbs, go for it. I just prefer to have the highest light output possible, and aftermarket bulbs tend to be something other than precise.

solidsnakeonaplane

6000k Osram or phillips bulbs with a decent set of ballasts. DDM has a life time warranty on their products (but it kinda makes me wonder why). So I'm doing my research on brands and customer satisfaction with longevity of the ballast. These aren't exactly the easiest things to get to on this car. I don't want to have to constantly replace them.

Domm

55W HIDs are legal and many cars do come with 55w bulbs as stock. It's just a matter of how your car is set up. It's not about whether you "want" to switch from 35w to 55w. Your car may not be able to handle the extra load, which can cause wire melting or blow a fuse/circuit. Stick with the OEM wattage and you should be fine because it's more than enough light output.

Acura_Dude

Wouldn't it be easier to change the lens instead of messing around with the electrical? You get better light with less work imo.

splew

Oh really? I've never heard of any cars coming with 55w HIDs stock. Do you have a documented example?

Domm

You misread my statement. I said many vehicles come with 55w "bulbs" as stock, not "HID" meaning they feed 55 watts into the halogen bulb, thus the vehicles are built to handle 55w HIDs if you were to switch. The problem is switching to 55w HIDs when your wires/set up can only handle 35w

splew

Oh, I see. I assumed you wre talking about HIDs not halogen bulbs, since that's what this thread is about.

ZOMGVTEK

The problem isn't really going from 35W to 55W. The big problem is efficiency. Some 55W ballasts are essentially 35W units 'turned up' to 55W. This generally means the ballast was not intended to be operated at that power level, and tends to be less efficient than if it were to operate at 35W. Lower efficiency and higher power output leads to dramatically more power input than you might expect, hotter ballasts, and reduced life.

If the ballast only used 35W from initial strike until steady state, I would feel comfortable saying you can run 55W ballasts in any car, off the factory harness, without any worry. That's not always the case, and it depends on the ballast used, and how it 'warms up' and draws its power.

It's always safer to run a new harness right from the battery, but I wouldn't do it on my car. Most people just blindly say you NEED a relay harness with HID's, and that's generally not the case. If you want to know if you need one, just ask yourself a simple question. Does replacing or repairing the stock harness sound like a job you are willing to take on? I would run better 35W bulbs and use quality OEM ballasts.

OSRAM XENARC 66240 SVS are drop in replacements that put out more light by being more efficient, not less. But it's cheaper to just drop in some crummy 55W ballasts and hope for the best.

ZOMGVTEK

55W Halogen bulbs are dramatically less efficient than HID, but they act as nearly a perfect resistive load. Aside from a brief peak on startup as the filament warms, they basically draw the same power all the time.

35W in the HID world refers to the ballast output power. The input power, which is what the car sees, is generally 40-60W depending greatly on the ballasts efficiency. They can peak at substantially higher loads on the initial strike of the bulb, or during a hot restrike.

The systems requirements are basically the same regardless of bulb type. Most any car will probably be OK with a 55W ballast, especially since they generally have <55W output power anyways. However, this will be pushing the stock harness a bit harder than usual, and it will likely dramatically decrease the lifespan of the headlight relays. Generally the relays outlast the car, so its not a real concern.

solidsnakeonaplane

Doing more research for the 55w system. Cant find anything on damage from the heat generated by bulbs. For those that said it would burn my projector do you have any proof? its easy to make a claim regarding a theory but is there any evidence of this occurring?

ZOMGVTEK

I recall people on hidplanet mumbling about this years ago. I did see some pictures of the reflector bowl chrome peeling or being damaged, and the supposed cause was heat from higher power ballasts. I think this was more common with people running 35W bulbs at >50W, with something like a modded Denso slim.

Most people on there appear to agree that higher power does not promote good projector life.

solidsnakeonaplane

Just read someone with an insight had a problem with a 35w system..but the bulb was also touching the projector...not from radiant heat, but it was physically in contact with the housing.


One more question and I'll let this thread die.. Any know the size of the connector on the OEM 05 Ballast? Acura changed them in 2006 so I'm not sure if they're the same or not. Is it a 9006? If so these ballasts from TRS would be perfect. They sell both 55w and 35w.

and on a side note, I get cut off in my car everyday it never fails. I figured with brighter lights people would be able to see me coming. If not, I'm letting Jesus take the wheel.

ebelp

But you [b]don't[/b[ get more usable light by switching to 55W, all you get is a different color output. If you want bluer/whiter color, just get some 35W 6k bulbs and call it a day. There are too many risks and not enough functionality to make this a smart mod...IMO.

ebelp

But you don't get more usable light by switching to 55W, all you get is a different color output. If you want bluer/whiter color, just get some 35W 6k bulbs and call it a day. There are too many risks and not enough functionality to make the 55W conversion a smart mod...IMO.

ZOMGVTEK

Just so you're aware, running 50W into a 35W bulb, especially if its a cheap no-name, is a poor idea. You're much better off running 35W into a quality bulb.

If you want to run higher power, your only real choice is Phillips DL50's, which are $150+ and hard to find. Going from 35W-50W with good bulbs on both, will definitely give you dramatically more output at the bulb. Trouble is, the projectors are not typically very good at utilizing it all. The TL's headlights are already some of the best on the road.

truonghthe

^^^I think on the Honda line up with projector HID 1st place belong to S2000 2nd belong to TSX, I had a TSX as loaner during power steering recall and the cut off line was much sharper than my TL.



OP you are increase the power of the ballast from 35w to 55w, stock factory wire harness design to handle 35w ballast so there is a good change you gona fry that harness and the process of tracking down and elimination is painful and costly, some of the projector chrome reflector might be better than other but remember you have extra heat meanwhile no place for escape. There is a good reason why automotive manufacture don't use 55w HID instead, but if you like the look or thing you are getting better light output then I say go for it but also remember there is a risk along that you must accept. /Thread

solidsnakeonaplane

Currently have 35W 6K Phillips bulbs.

solidsnakeonaplane

very aware that a 35w bulb will not work well or long with a 50w ballast. Will be getting 6k 55w bulbs to complement the ballasts.

614erich

2nd on truonghthe