Switching from stock to HID headlamps

[SkeletonPulveriz]

Hey everybody, I was thinking about swtiching my stock low beams to xenons.

Has anybody else done this, if you did, how'd the results turn out?

[bigrod118]

what products are you looking at? That would help with some answers or input. you said xenons, but do have any specific product that your looking at?

Just so you know there are expensive bulbs that look like HID, then there is the real deal upgrade, so I just want to see what it is that your looking at to make sure your getting the real deal, or just look-like HID's

[SkeletonPulveriz]

I was mostly looking at bulbs and ballasts, but when you say full upgrade do you mean replacing the entire light structure or just something minor like a changing a ballasts?

And I had heard that sometimes the beams can be out of focus. (left beam is straight, right beam aims at the ground etc) any truth to this?

[bigrod118]

well, what I meant was you can go buy cheap bulbs that look like HId for like $20, they just have a blue tint to them to give them the look.

Or you can buy the real upgrade, which will run you at least $300, and yes that will include ballasts and new bulbs and such, to give the new HID bulbs the power they require without frying you stock wiring. They are just bulbs that will fit into your stock headlight, so you wount have to get new headlights.

As far as the aiming issue, i've never heard of that, but in the Impalas, there is only a vertical adjustment, not a horizontal one.

[Blue Bowtie]

Originally Posted by bigrod118

well, what I meant was you can go buy cheap bulbs that look like HId for like $20, they just have a blue tint to them to give them the look.

Or you can buy the real upgrade, which will run you at least $300, and yes that will include ballasts and new bulbs and such, to give the new HID bulbs the power they require without frying you stock wiring. They are just bulbs that will fit into your stock headlight, so you wount have to get new headlights.

BigRod is correct. Xenon lamps have a slight blueish color to them due to the halide gas used to fill the lamp capsule. There are also regular incandescent headlamps that have an actual blue coating applied to the lamp envelope. Those are not DOT legal, but are sold nonetheless. The lamp itself may meet DOT specifications, but the blue coating negates that.

And I wouldn't consider HID lighting as an "upgrade". I understand that it is all the rage on high-end vehicles, but HID lamps are much higher in UV output. In fog, mist, and flurries, the UV creates a lot more flare back toward the driver, essentially erecting a curtain of light in front of the vehicle, making visibility actually worse. For this very reason, you will not find HID lamps on most aircraft landing and taxiing illumination systems. They NEED to see.

Incidentally, to set the record straight, HIDs do not use more power, they use LESS power (wattage) overall. That's a primary reason for their use. The "special wiring" is necessary to shield the other vehicle control systems from interference caused by the lamp arc and the electrical noise it imparts on the rest of the vehicle electrical system.

It is not a lot different than using white-faced instrumentation. Detroit and Tokyo have known since the late '60s that luminescent markings on a black background with blue/green illumination is best for nighttime instrument visibility, which is why they all used to be that way. Unfortunately, that which works best is not always what the consumer wants, or THINKS she wants. Instruments with red illumination, light faces and dark markings, and various other colors and schemes have been used simply because consumers (and consumer magazine editors) perceive it to be "better", regardless of the science.

Clean and polished lenses, good lamps, reliable electrical connections, and proper aiming should provide the best lighting. If you decide to install HID lighting for whatever reason, make sure to get the entire package from teh donor vehicle, including the shielded wiring. You really don't want any stray EMI and RF to start interfering with your impact sensors and setting off an air bag when you turn on the lights, or to have it interfere with the other engine and transmission control circuits.

[SkeletonPulveriz]

Thanks alot guys. So just for confirmation purposes:

1)Make sure to get the proper wiring and ballasts

2)Avoid anything over 6k (high blues and purples)

[bigrod118]

here you want some good info, and a place to buy the real kits from.

http://www.xenonpros.com/index.html

just remember the higher the temp, the lower the output of light. so 3000K puts out more light, and 12000K puts out less light.

OR, if your just looking for more light, you can do a headlight blb modification, just go buy some extra high beams (9005) and do this mod, it puts out al ot more light then your low beams(9006)

http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Upgrade/More_light.htm

[phewop118]

I know this is off topic, but I want to say that big rod is wrong about instrument panel lights at night. I did a 30 pg report on the eye and I know for a fact that white and blue are the worst colors for the eyes to see at night, as they impede with any other vision. The best color is an orangish-red, just like most Pontiacs use. This does not distract your eyes from the dark surroundings, allowing the pupils to remain dialated, making night vision better.

Any body know of an HID kit for these cars that includes a projector lense to put the finesse on the HID look? That would be awesome. I know that some G-bodies (Aurora, Seville) had them, but there were never any w-bodies with them.

[Gems]

I put a set of PIAA X-Treme White bulbs in my Impala... Both the high beam 9005's and the low beam 9006's... They are great!...

[bigrod118]

Originally Posted by phewop118

I know this is off topic, but I want to say that big rod is wrong about instrument panel lights at night.

When did I mention anything about instrument panel lights?

[Blue Bowtie]

Originally Posted by bigrod118

When did I mention anything about instrument panel lights?

I think the posts were confused. I'm the one that mentioned dark faces, luminescent markings, and blue/green light. I think the idea was misconstrued, too. Black faces, luminescent markings, and blue/green lighting - That means that no light is visible on the instrument faces, and only the markings/digits glow with the lighting. From what I can gather, that's the greatest visibility with the least amount of distracting flare. My T/A has red illumination, and even with black faces it's not the greatest. I run it as dim as I possibly can just to avoid the distraction. the red just doesn't bring up the numerals very effectively until there is enough light leakage to start to become excessive. Look in a cockpit sometime, and the only red lighting you'll see is for warnings. Instruments are black.

At least we both recognize that the current trend of white-faced instrumentation is nothing more than marketing hype gone terribly wrong. Someone soon will probably remember or "rediscover" what we all knew once, and start touting "high visibility" instruments with black faces, just like we used to have in cars, and still do in general aviation.

[scoobydenon]

Get the hid's for your impala, you'll love them. Especially if you drive alot at night. I've had them installed for two years and will always have them. First you don't get glareback in bad weather. You can see much better, and it's easier on your eyes at night, less strain to make out the details of signs and markings on the road. Yes this will be an upgrade and a major improvement to the halogen bulbs used. Yes they do use less power 35watts compared to 55 watt halogen. When you are reday to buy, just make sure you look for a good company. 4300k is the lumens you want, it's the whitest and brightest. Since the impala has reflective lenses you'll need D2R type bulbs. They make 9006 housings so they will plug right in. Or you can use projectors out of an Audi a4, they will fit in the Impala housing with very little modification. Just be perpared to spend about 100-150 bucks for the set. I bought a kit by Denso for just over 300 and have had no problems. Just great visibility and alot of attention from passerbys. I drive for a living at night all around the area and have never been harrased by thee police. But if you get any color other than white or blue,good luck with the law. I like them and say go for it. Oh yeah I have yet to use my high beams because of the light output of the lowbeam, pretty cool.

[phewop118]

From where did you get your HID's?

[ogre73]

Originally Posted by bigrod118

just remember the higher the temp, the lower the output of light. so 3000K puts out more light, and 12000K puts out less light.
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Upgrade/More_light.htm

I think I have to disagree here. The temperature is simply the "whiteness" or spectrum of the output. The wattage is what determines the output. Two bulbs of equal wattage and different temperatures, the higher temperature light will seem to be brighter, because of more white. The temperature DOES determine the life of bulbs, though; the higher the temp, the less life you get from them.
Ogre

[bigrod118]

directly quoted from the HID webiste I posted

Please note: most customers have a common misconception that the higher the K (Kelvin temperature) the brighter it gets, but in fact, it is the opposite. The K rating is inversely proportional to the light output, therefore the lower the K the brighter the light output.