Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

So my girl had a headlight go out in her car and she always complains about the visibility of the standard halogen's in cars. My question is...

Should I go with an HID kit (4-5K) or good halogen bulbs? Obviously the HID would be aimed lower as to not flash the hell outta everyone she passes, but I've never really compared HID to Halogen in a halogen housing. I'm usually an advocate of NOT putting HID's in a halogen housing, but 99% of the time it's b/c people aim in WAAAY to high and the beam scatters into oncoming eyes. Anyways, what are your thoughts and WHERE is the best place to pick up a cheap, but reliable HID kit or Halogen Bulbs??


Seems like DDM has gone downhill (shipping takes forever) so won't be going that route I guess.

ez12a

HIDs in halogen reflector housings? No. Halogen projector housings like those found on the mazda 3 or DC integra? Sure.

I had a kit in my 93 integra. Output was obviously terrible and I pointed them down as far as they could go to avoid glare. First time I hopped into my TL with proper projectors it was literally night and day, pun intended.

i had an ebay VVME hid kit that lasted over 2 years and was still working when we gave the car to a family friend. I dont know if it's still working to this day. The DDM slim kit I have now had one ballast die, and it took them 2 weeks to send a replacement.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Just a standard halogen housing. So you think a halogen bulb will work best huh. Where would be the best place to pick up a cheap, but bright halogen??

Anyone?

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ i put a 6K on a friends 2002 honda accord....in regular halogen housing....

PROS: bright as fuck....you can see EVERYTHING.....
CONS: even thow aimed tad bit low, they were so bright that oncoming traffic and if he is behind me, driving was terrible LOL....

if you put HID's on, they are well worth the money IMO....bright and last forever (mine do)....and just make you sure aim em very very low....

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

DDM Tuning and HID Xtra are recommended places to get HID kits.

I have a 55W kit and 5K bulbs from HID Xtra installed for a few months now with no problems. Aim them down definitely.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I'd line them up at a wall where I aim/adjust mine and make sure the pattern was the same height or lower than where our HID beam cutoff is at 20ft. Should do the trick!

Is it hard to install HID's? Plug-n-play type deal or what?? Don't know if I need a relay harness either...ugh.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ less than 5 minute deal

1> make sure you order the right bulb....
2> pop the halogens out
3> put the HID's in
4> connect the stock connector to the ballast
5> connect the ballast to the HID
6> find a place to mount the ballast, wipe it clean
7> mount it
8> enjoy the view LOL

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Thinking about just making it easy on me and for other drivers and going with DDM's Halogens. Supposedly 4,000K and only $7. I'd pick up a few pairs just in case lol.

http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/Halogen-Driving-Bulbs



EDIT: Thanks swoosh! No need for relay you think?? I don't even know what that's for exactly.... flicker? She's driving her old '97 Taurus at this moment

ez12a

what kind of car is it? do the headlights have clear or fluted/frosted lenses?

the tech behind fluted/frosted lenses are too old for HIDs. If they have clear lenses, the actual reflector bowl is better designed.

with the HID kit in my 93 integra that had glass/fluted lens the beam against the wall became a star pattern. It was not flat.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

ez12a

should be okay then. Just aim them low.

avs007

Please don't put HIDs into a halogen assembly, they will glare no matter how you aim it, because the optics are different. (If you put the halogen bulb next to the HID bulb, you'll see that the filament of the halogen, and the arc of the HID will be oriented differently. This is why it will glare.

If you are going to go HIDs, do them right... Buy a projector housing, and retrofit it in. That's what I did on my other car... HIDs in a HID projector will be 1000000000000000000000000000% more effective than anything you will do with a halogen reflector assembly.

When I did mine, I used BMW E46 Projectors from HIDPlanet, and Philips Ballasts. It only took me a few hours to retrofit them into my headlights. I cut out the back of the reflector assembly, then I used a thick sheet of Lexan as the backplate, that I screwed to the projectors, and then sealed to the reflectors with high-temp silicone.

Before I did this, I have used a HID kit in the reflectors... They work like shit. They are bright as fsck, but they don't light the ground any better, it just scatters...

Here is the output of the halogen reflector assembly with a HID kit (With clear lense). The image is blurry because I had to slow the shutter speed to get it to look decent... Notice the hotspot, and how the light scatters everywhere. Doesn't matter if the lense is clear or not, the reflector bowl was designed for a halogen bulb, which is much different than a HID bulb.



And here is a picture from the same headlight, which I retrofited an E46 Projector and Philips D2S HIDs. Notice the night and day difference? Don't bother with a HID kit. Do a retrofit.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

^ Trust me. I'm with you all the way, but this is just a temp solution until I graduate and/or her car gets sold. I've always frowned upon HID's in a halogen housing, but I don't have the time to be retrofitting or the money to shell out on new headlights that will only be used for a short period of time.

That does look awful though! I can pick up 2 sets of DDM's Halogen bulbs for $15. Maybe I'll go that route instead.

Edit: Jeez...DDM kills you on shipping.

Price of 2 sets of Halogens = $14.90
Price of shipping = $14.50

WTF

avs007

If the visibility sucks that she is actually complaining, I would opt to get some affordable fogs and mount those... I found the Hellas to be awesome and reasonably priced. Easy to mount to...

Personally, I found when OEM headlight output sucks, it was usually caused by a badly designed reflector bowl, peeling reflector material on the bowl, or a clouded over lense... If any of these are the case, a better bulb won't really help with visibility, which is why I suggest getting a decent set of fogs as a workaround.

Just make sure you get fogs and not driving lights. The latter will blind oncoming traffic.

AZuser

Say NO to HIDs in reflector housing.

So so annoying....

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Don't do it.

SpiderX1016

Those HID kits are lame. Especially in the wrong housing.

KillerG

Please No.

no matter how low you aim them they will be a nuisance on the road. dont go HID unless you go the proper route and retrofit them. try getting morimoto mini's, sometimes you can pop em in right in the housing without cutting at all.

A good set of halogens (sylvania SSU) will output a good amount of usable light otherwise

F23A4

I considered an HID kit for my 12 Accord but ultimately opted for a pair of . They are clearly stronger and have more 'depth' than the standard halogens, not to mention whiter.

Although they lack the panache of HIDs, they are a step above conventional halogens AND I don't have to worry about ballasts going bad.

Treblig

Have you tried the Sylvania SilverStar Ultra's?

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Agree with the masses... do NOT put HIDs into a halogen housing. Regardless of how well you think they are aimed, there will be scatter and you will blind oncoming drivers as well as anyone driving in front of you. If you can't afford a retro-fit at this point, just go out and buy good halogen bulbs.

Silvania Ultra-Stars are good, as are some of the higher end PIAA's.

fsttyms1

Get better halogens and see if that helps. There are some good ones out there that are brighter and whiter helping visibility. May want to look into a set of fogs as well to help. Dont put HIDs in a halogen housing.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

but all the cool kids are doing it

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

Retrofit!

coykiam

+ 1 for retrofit...

I usually put my high beams on when i see some idiot with an hid in a halogen housing. I'm still praying for cops to crack down on cars with hids on halogen.

jjashaa

iTrader: (23)

maybe....


her headlights are hazed.. lol

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

Really wish my car came with HID's because I don't want to spend the money on a retrofit.



I do the same thing especially when they are behind me I get over because I can't stand it.

mrmako

I say get the Sylvania's, and clean your housing really well. that will probably make a big difference.

coykiam

yups, showed them the power of the 3G's bi-xenons! lol...after it I just feel bad for being mean.

Agree on cleaning it, even waxing it makes a huge difference. Pick up one of those meguiars kit lens restorer and watch the magic happens. Used it on my old 93 mazda till I sold the car a couple years ago.

MarbleGT

I bet there are some easy upgrades to your 6 that would have you on par with some of the better retrofits.

Just swapping my fresnel lens for a clear one and using brighter bulbs dramatically increased my light output.

When I did the actual retrofit, most of the parts just screwed in place of the old parts (Projector, shrouds, etc)

AZuser

See if HIR bulbs will fit.

You can get them for .

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Thanks guys. I'll just go with my original thought..halogens. Cheaper is nice. And her headlights are clearer than mine lol. Just did a 3 step sanding w/clear on them (Turtle Wax kit..got it for $3! Win!!).

Looks like the bulb is a 9007ll ( I'm guessing that last "ll" is just a different housing design). Thanks for all the help. Now, keep tossing out good places to pick up bulbs on the cheap

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Just picked up some Phillips X-treme Power 9007's for $25 shipped from Amazon. Supposedly one of the best halogens out there

Gfaze

Oxidized lenses greatly reduce the amount of light output from your bulbs. Use one of those headlight restore kits and make sure the lenses end up completely clear. Just by doing this you will increase your visibility significantly.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Her's still look good, mine didn't hold up as well. I think my oxidation is INSIDE the lens. I do get a bit of fog after rain, etc. ...just another thing on this car lol

Gfaze

Your lens isn't sealed properly if it's getting condensation inside. If it's oxidized inside, all you can really do is replace it. eBay usually has cheap headlight assemblies, amazon has some good deals too.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Please don't put HID's in a standard halogen housing. There are only a handful of halogen housing's like those on the 3rd gen Integra that can decently handle an HID upgrade.

If I were you, I'd simply install some silverstar bulbs, and if the headlight lens is yellowing or hazy, buy a 3M lens restoration kit, or you can buy the 3m lens polish, and sealant along with some terry cloths from AutoZone and clean them up to brighten up the road.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)