So do you like your HIDs?

As the title suggests this is a thread to sound off on HIDs if you've got em. I'm looking to upgrade my headlights, but i'm not 100% sold that HIDs are a true upgrade due to the housing design.

 

If you have HIDs please sound off and tell us what you think!!

Love mine. I'm using my stock projectors and am very pleased with the results. I actually distract myself when driving at night looking at how much light my car throws out, and how sharply focused and cut off it is. H7 halogen projectors are probably the most conducive to an HID upgrade of all halogen projectors. Not quite the same beam pattern as a true HID projector, but outstanding from a functional standpoint.

I recieved the wrong color bulbs with mine :-(... they are the bluer bulbs and not the whiter ones that i ordered. It would be too much of a hassle to get the correct ones. The blue sucks for certain settings. I have to run the fogs with them for great illumination. They would be fine if i had the right color though.

 

Didn't vote because my plight is not represented.

Sylvania Silverstars are cheap alternative to HID's:munch:

Sylvania Silverstars are cheap alternative to HID's:munch:

 

Be prepared to buy many pairs as these have a short life and high failure rate.

Don't the silverstars have a warranty though? I thought you could get new ones if they burnt out.

Sylvania Silverstars are cheap alternative to HID's:munch:

 

Orsram Silverstars are better than the Sylvania bulbs. However given the fact that I'm now wanting a little more "HID" look, I'm probably going the PIAA H7 Extreme White bulbs and the H3 Crystal Ion (Yellow) for the fogs.

The Crystal Ions are awesome bulbs. Far better than the cheap H3 luminics I initially bought which gave off a "piss-yellow" color. The PIAA Ions gave a more rich "dehydrated piss-yellow color" (darker yellow). I was thinking about changing my Headlight bulbs as well since the silverstars just aren't cutting-it anymore. The only way I'll ever change my headlight is if I could figure a way to fit the Infiniti Q45 "Gatling" light cluster in our housing... NOW THAT'S BRIGHT!!!

 

-Fred

Once you go HID you'll never go back!

 

I agree the stock projectors, although not a true HID projector, is very good. It has a great cutoff, and you don't have almost any glare.

 

I got tehm recently and at first I thought they were OK, but after doing some more driving I am in love with them.

 

GL.

 

X

You guys suggesting "HID look" bulbs are missing the whole point. Sure, they may look a bit whiter, but they don't improve visibility appreciably. I used to think that HID's were unnecessary, but after having them for a while now, I can't imagine going back to halogens. The HID improve visibilty tremendously.

There's a big difference between what looks like HIDs and what performs like HIDs. There are lots of low cost alternatives, but none of them would be mistaken for HIDs. Especially if you saw them light up.

You guys suggesting "HID look" bulbs are missing the whole point. Sure, they may look a bit whiter, but they don't improve visibility appreciably. I used to think that HID's were unnecessary, but after having them for a while now, I can't imagine going back to halogens. The HID improve visibilty tremendously.

 

Like I said "cheap alternative" not replacement.

HIDs are great. That's why "premium" car manufacturers use them on their cars...The output is rediculous.

 

The only complain that I have is because I just changed the bulb like 99.9% of everyone else on these forums, when I go over a bump the light goes up and down. BMW's and other manufacturers have a dampening system that keeps the light angled towards the road. So when the car goes up, they go down, and vice versa. Because of this I get flashed CONSTANTLY. Most people are cool with it, but some people are ignorant bishes. I flash them my hi's then and they still have the odacity to turn their hi's on. Then I throw my hi's on and i often wonder what they think.

 

They are worth the money though. I picked mine up used for $200. And I'll make sure all my future cars have them. It has the same "parameters" as stock, but throws out even light throughout the whole thing.

PTD - If you want them, go for it. The LGT's stock incandescent system is superior by itself, and by even opting for an "improper" bulb/ballast/ignitor retrofit, you'll still get improved lighting, and in most cases, as long as your aim isn't totally off, you'll not offend oncoming traffic to any extent. A H7/D2S adaptor will make things even more peachy.

 

If you're a true lighting nut, though, only a complete-optics retrofit will do - and this will provide true OEM HID lighting, and usually will furthermore be one of the absolutely superior setups.

 

----

 

One point to remember in-general.

 

Yes, HIDs to produce "more" light than traditional incandescents, however, this is not necessarily "better," per se.

 

Looking at this increased light output, there is still currently no way to manipulate it so that you don't get extreme lighting levels in the foreground. Sure, you'll be able to see every pebble, crack, and dead-animal carcass ( and in many cases, it'll even be bright enough for you to count the remaining feathers by! ), but all that light flooding your foreground vision is actually playing havoc on your distance-vision. Think about it this way, it's akin to driving, at night, with your dashboard/gauge-cluster lights on at full daytime brightness. With the HIDs, you might think that you're seeing better, but that perceived benefit is not quite true, and is akin to decreased distance-vision performance you'd get if you were, say, driving around with your fog-lights on all-the-time.

 

However, trading off on this is the undeniable ability of quality HID systems to produce even lighting - one that is without hot-spots or artifacts (i.e. "black holes"), and is furthermore of optimum spread/throw.

 

And as for color-temperature.

 

Our eyes, as a biological system that includes our brain, is actually optimized for the "yellower" end of the color spectrum. You won't see many factory-OEM HIDs that are greater than about 4300 to 4600 Kelvin color-temperature. Why? Because this is as close to "stark white" as you really will want to go. Get any whiter, and you're pushing the blue end of the spectrum, and that will cause undesireable "scatter" in inclimate weather conditions. As-is, the "stark white" output of HID systems has been known to cause some drivers to have difficulty in mist, fog, and snowy conditions - with further imparement to seeing printed road/lane-marking lines - all due to back-scatter/glare. This is why you'll see many high-end cars running with HID headlamps, but paired with "yellow" output fog-lamps (be it incandescent or HID), so they can saturate the foreground with selective-yellow output, when needed, in order to aid in lane discrimination, etc. [Note, this is as opposed to having HID driving lamps - remember that true "driving" pattern lamps are actually designed and aimed to supplement your HIGH BEAMS, and are not intended for inclimate-weather use.]

 

For those pursuing the seemingly blue/purple/indigo colors seen, head-on, with many high-end HID systems, please remember that this is an optical effect seen only from OUTSIDE the vehicle, head-on. From inside those same vehicles, the driver sees a true stark white output. Blue/indigo actually causes you to see WORSE - and while you may be seeing these colors produced from the fancy BMWs and Audis from the exterior, know that it's a by-product of their optics catching their output beams at angles that are un-intentional. The driver of said vehicle will notice no such output, except perhaps at the very fringes of their light's beam cut-off, where it truly does not matter.

 

Yes, HIDs are a great step forward in automotive lighting technology, but it's by far not yet optimized for either driving or simply the human experience. No doubt, even as we speak, new technologies are on the horizon to further optimize these systems.

 

Currently, HIDs have come to be "expected equipment" on high-end vehicles as everyone, including the media, thinks these units are the next best thing to sliced-bread. However, when analyzed more deeply, they do present the above technical deficits, and are nowhere near ideal. However, because of public perception, it's gotten to the point that any tech-fancy vehicle or high-end vehicle without at least the option of selecting such a system is sure to take a sales hit....

thanks for the feedback. It has been extremely helpful!! I hope people continue to chime in.

 

Anyone using the Xtec system? If so, how do you like them and how was install????? I have read the related vendor thread, but most of the thread is purchase related.

thanks for the feedback. It has been extremely helpful!! I hope people continue to chime in.

 

Anyone using the Xtec system? If so, how do you like them and how was install????? I have read the related vendor thread, but most of the thread is purchase related.

 

I am and the I nstall was easy and the kit is very professionally constructed. All the wires are wrapped in the OEM like plastic wrapping, and if you look at the installation all the wires blend in perfectly. I just wish the ballasts were black lie in the picture, but they are metal color. Not that they show that much, but if they were black they would become practically invisible. The weatherproof connectors are also great, and having the igniter integrated into the ballasts is a plus.

 

I got to test them out more extensively this weekend, and I am in love with them. Very bright and clear. I recommend the 5000K kit all the way.

 

X

H7 halogen headlight projectors....

 

Check out http://www.hidplanet.com .... all you really require is your ballast/ignitor, H7 adapter (which you can probably fabricate yourself) and the D2S bulbs.

 

In one of my cars, I have retrofitted the Audi H7 projector into the headlight system and I'm using this exact setup. The adapter must be precise as this sets the halogen filament and the d2s salts at exactly the same spot.

 

It is a dramatic increase in light output as well as the cutoff from the H7 projector stays the same. For a 4100k/4300k bulb, they light up the road signs and really give you a sense of "daytime" driving at nighttime.

For some reason the link is not working for me. So you are saying that you installed a D2S bulb in your H7 Projector and the output was better?

 

X

For some reason the link is not working for me. So you are saying that you installed a D2S bulb in your H7 Projector and the output was better?

 

X

 

yes, the output was much, much better. it's not the soft halogen light you get, it's more of a piercing white that likes to cling to street signs and everything in front of you. of course, the limitations of the halogen h7 are just that.. it's made for a halogen lighting system but the benefits of moving forward to an hid system far outweigh the cons. as i said before, in one of my other vehicles, i've retrofitted a set of VALEO H7 projectors into it and i use this exact setup. it's a day and night difference and once you go hid, you'll never go back.

 

besides, if you still want the yellow halogen for those foggy or rainy nights, you still have the halogen fog lights. even then, you might want to consider the yellow 3000(ish) kelvin h4 bulbs for that.

 

(btw, the h7/d2s adapter itself is only like $5.00 or something like that.)

Well, I am still confused on your response. How much diffrent is the D2S bulb's output from the H7 kit, like the Xtec that I have currently on my setup? I find it to be very clear and sharp, but I am not sure if the D2S would make it any better. I know the difference between the halogen bulb and the HID is a huge step, but is it an improvement in going from a HID kit like the Xtec to a D2S bulb setup?

 

Just wondering.

 

X

Orsram Silverstars are better than the Sylvania bulbs. However given the fact that I'm now wanting a little more "HID" look, I'm probably going the PIAA H7 Extreme White bulbs and the H3 Crystal Ion (Yellow) for the fogs.

 

Osram's may be better than their Sylavnia cousins, but I could barely tell a difference over the stock bulbs with them. Meh.

^ +1 - to turrbolgt :

 

The "piercing" effect is very nice with either OEM-retrofit (i.e. "complete/proper") or with the H7/D2S setup, which is as close as you can get without a full retrofit.

 

Road-signs will really pop out at you because of the different color that they're lighting up. Actually, even no-no "blue-bulbs" will do this quite well, and as you step up in color temperature, this effect magnifies, too, despite less true usable light. Honestly, though, the increased road-sign visibility from "factory" 4100-4600K color-temperature is truly one of the best features of HIDs, while maintaining excellent usable light.

 

Another reason why we experience the "cuts through the night" effect with HIDs is how evenly they can throw the light, all the way from, visually, the bumper to the fringe of cut-off. Whereas a traditional incandescent system - even one that's as well-designed as on our LGT - will suffer from beam artifacts, well-designed HIDs usually do not. The only thing to keep in-mind, though, is that such intense and even light in the foreground can and has been shown to visually detract a bit from your night-time distance-vision - it's the same as if you flooded your foreground with, say, use of fog-lights (on a clear day). This, unfortunately, is a tradeoff that current technology has yet to deal with.

Be prepared to buy many pairs as these have a short life and high failure rate.

 

I haven't had any problems with mine ... then again I have my DRL's disabled.

I haven't had any problems with mine ... then again I have my DRL's disabled.

 

Count yourself lucky. I had these on my previous car, H1 size, and they seemed to last about 3-4 months. I finally gave up after 3 pairs and purchased HID's.

The Silverstars were big for Integra drivers when I had one. Since Integras use 9006 low beams it was just easier to take some 9005s and creatively modify them to work in the low beam sockets. Sylvania Cool Blue 9005s were just as good as Silverstar 9006s, so most teg owners skipped on the Silverstars. They really do have a bad history of burning out fast.

 

I keep my stock bulbs in the glove box just in case something happens to one or both of my HIDs. Changing from HIDs back to stock is a 5 minute operation if necessary. I would encourage everybody to put spare bulbs in their glove box for those 'just in case' type situations regardless of what kind of lights you are running.