HID Thread

[JoeWagon]

Since I don't like answering questions more than say, 17 times a day.. I thought it would be beneficial for everyone (and myself) to be inspired by info. writeups on various topics. Plus, there are way too many misguided people on the road. I can tell, because they blind me all night long, and I drive 2 hours at night every day for work.

That said, this is the last page you will need to learn about how HID's work. http://www.intellexual.net/hid.html

Even if you know HOW they work, make sure you are the smart guy you think you are.. and give it a once over. The reason I think this is important is because there are people trying to imitate HID lights, and they think:
a)their high watt blue halogens are just as good, or
b)spend WAY too much money on 8000k HID lights, which arent good for two reasons:
1) They have not been engineered even 1% the amount of time that Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and more, HID systems have been.
2) 8000k is extremely and obscenely high of a color temp rating. There is a reason that the REAL HID's use 4100k

OK, so I lied, and am not smart enough to write the long pages that another helpful member does, but here are some commonly unknown facts to know and remember about HID systems:

1. Higher temp bulbs (8000k) are NOT brighter. Kelvin is a measure of color in bulbs, and 4100k has been proven to have the brightest output and least glare of all colors in the visible spectrum.

2. HID systems are NOT blue. There is a tint to HID systems if you look at it from certain angles on the road. You will notice that directly onto the road is a WHITE color.

3. Blue isn't a good color to project. It is proven to increase glare, and has hurt my eyes today because some chevy had some 100 watt BLUE bulbs glaring in my eye from directly behind.

4. Aftermarket HID systems are not as good as the real ones. There are so many hours into designing the reflector bowl for example, it's not even funny. You will not replicate these systems without a retrofit.

That's all I have for now... I hope you've learned something from the site. Everything here is said there, and I take no credit for any original material. I learned all I know, above, from sites like these. I also happen to be friends with a guy who works with 200,000 dollar projectors for projects similar to the Emmyls, MTV video awards, etc... and know that there is more, but you have to start somewhere in learning about light.

[89Turbo944]

Good post, i hope everyone reads it.

[1qwik4]

Good write up, very interesting. I know the xenon kits that come on the mercedes and the other top dollar cars are about a $1000 option. Certainly not going to duplicate that with $20 bulbs.

[95eclipse-gsx]

so which lights do u suggest that will be brightest and street legal for an eclipse... plz give me the model number and a place to buy it... and also a price estimate... thank u

[JoeWagon]

Sylvania Silverstar is arguably the best halogen option for our cars. That's what I have gathered from other threads that ask the same question. The definite answer is that Sylvania and similar headlights are good compared to ebay ricer brand blue lights.

[1qwik4]

I second the sylvania silverstar's, I heard good reviews about them from a number of individuals. Definitely do not buy the ebay cheapos as I am can say that I know they are junk first hand.

[kjewer1]

Thanks for the info Joe. I cant see crap with my headlights, but I never bothered to upgrade because there isnt much non ricer infested info on the matter.

[BoostedSpyder]

i got PIAA 7500k Sparkblue's [65w] and a cop told me the other day that the only cars on the road allowed to have blue lights are cops... i didn't realize how blue they were. i must admit that i can't see as well as when i had my 4000k's in though, but every sign i pass is blue...

[RattlesnakeGST]

Ive had a problem with blowing headlights... Ive been through like 6 or 7 sets... (Replaced under store warranty)... I bought 3A racing heavy duty sockets and so far this last pair has been good for about 2 months now... anybody else ever have the problem? NO i was not touching the bulb with my fingers... and i also used the alcohol swab before putting them in..

[1qwik4]

I had that problem with ebay cheapo's but I just put in sylvania's on 1/18/04.. We'll see how long they last.

[T38]

Originally Posted by RattlesnakeGST

Ive had a problem with blowing headlights... Ive been through like 6 or 7 sets... (Replaced under store warranty)... I bought 3A racing heavy duty sockets and so far this last pair has been good for about 2 months now... anybody else ever have the problem? NO i was not touching the bulb with my fingers... and i also used the alcohol swab before putting them in..

Yeah, I had that once, but the store warranty replacement pair has lasted over a year. Here's what happened:

Bought brand new Silvania Silverstars for my '92 NT (and yes, Silverstars rock!). A few weeks later, I took my car to steam clean the engine (in the day; no the lights weren't on). Took the car home (lights still off). Drove the car hours later that night and one of the Silverstars was burned out.

I thought that maybe the vibration from cleaning the engine blew them out, but that doesn't make sense--I've got polyurethane engine mounts and they shake the car a lot more than cleaning the engine should have, lol.

[clipsekid99]

Bringing up a 1 year and 9 month old post = a no no