HID help

[nismo1219]

ok guys, time for the holidays. you know what that means...more MODS!! so im seriously considering converting over to an HID setup but dont know much info about them. i guess what id like to know is that if any of you guys are already runnng them and whether or not you like them and would recommend the swap over? also...i was planning on going with "ignited hid" which offers them in 3000K, 6000K, 8000K and 12000K kits. the one i was looking at says "h4 hi/low" which is what i would like to do in order to keep the high beam capability. anyways, each kit in that bulb size is the same price, so why not get the best one, right? so would you guys recomend the 8000k or 12000k kit? im also going to be swapping out for the hids in the foglights as well!!! here is the link i was looking at if anyone is interested.... http://www.strictlykits.com/index2.html just click the hid tab.

any advice/info/opinions???

[Beancooker]

I don't know a lot about HID's, other than I'd like to have them. From what I've read, the 5000k bulbs are the ones to get. I would not install them if I couldn't keep the high beams. I'll see what more I can find for ya'.

[nismo1219]

I would not install them if I couldn't keep the high beams.

yeah, thats the main reason why i havent looked into them much. i liked them but i heard they were only 1 beam and i didnt want to sacrafice my high/low capabilites. but when i saw the bulbs that said "high/low" it made me take a second look. ill try to call them when i get some free time just to verify they are a true high/low beam bulb. if that is correct then im definiately gonna start saving up for a set to put in my maxima!

[Beancooker]

Usually on the kits you have a HID for your lows, and a halogen for your highs. Look into factory HID units they might have both. Or you could go all out custom and get the casing from a Maxima and the lenses and lights from a BMW and be super stylin'. However that would cost = new born child and an arm!

[Sentientbydesign]

With regards to your temperature question.

I personally like colors around the 6500 range. Anything higher than that is too blue anything lower looks yellow.

I should check the FAQ to see if anyone's posted a Kelvin explanation. Basically, low temperatures are red as they rise you get, orange, yellow, white, blue, and purple.

Just like stars for any astronomy fans. The closer you get to white, the more useable light you should get, theoretically. In the end wattage, quality and technology are the key players in the amount of light. The temperatures are all just color variations.

[jltibbs]

ditch the high/low thoughts. go w/ 8000k, its the brightest light output you can get from HIDs. its well worth it. ive had mine for about 9 months now, best mod yet. hit me up if you have anymore questions. cell 615.419.6962work 615.459.9064

[nismo1219]

hey jeremiah! whats goin on? you missed out on a good time at nopi!! so you like your HIDs?? what brand/where did you buy from?? how difficult of an install?? so i was thinking about doing a double 8000k setup (headlights AND foglights)...what do you think?

[jltibbs]

took about an hour to install. great deal from http://www.xenondepot.com comes with ballasts, relays, fuses, instructions, everything (even bulbs!). fog lights are a lot different than headlights, i don't think an 8 on 8 would look good. if you like the look of the QX4's and lexus IS300 (factory HID headlights with yellow fogs), then go with 8000k headlights and 3000k fogs. here's a pic to give you a lilttle better idea. (my 8000k's with piaa ion crystal fogs)

[jltibbs]

a little closer

[nismo1219]

i dont like the yellow-looking bulbs. i like the white with blue tint. i think i may try the 8000k on headlights, with the 12000k fogs. im still not quite certain which setup im going to go with, still trying to decide on the temps/colors and whatnot.

[jltibbs]

10000K will be the blue you're looking 4. 12000K is purple, 15000K is "galaxy purple" & 30000K is ultraviolet. go to http://www.sylvania.com to see the kelvin range chart. http://www.buyhid.com has the most colors available & are decently priced. anything you go with will more than likely make you happy.

[nismo1219]

anything you go with will more than likely make you happy.

for the money ill be investing, i wish i could kinda "plug & play" with a variety of bulbs so id know exactly which ones to get. lol!

[audtatious]

Actually, the light output that is the closest to daylight is around 4500 kelvin. The higher the kelvin, the more blue/purple the output is. The more blue/purple, the less amount of "usable light".

[jltibbs]

right you are my brother but The 8000 k will be the brightest before he hits the point of no return. mine are 8000 k and they are much brighter than the 02 03 maximas. which if i remember 4100 is what those maximas came with. its all in the eye of the buyer

[audtatious]

You just like the pinkish color

Admit it

[jltibbs]

never said it wasn't my favorite color

[nismo1219]

hey jeremiah, you wouldnt happen to have a write-up on how to swap over to the HIDs would you? mine will be a little different from yours probably since my headlights are h4's?

[jltibbs]

it will still be pretty much the same. you hook your factory harness into the HID plug. the kit will have a fuse & relays. you will have one wire that goes to the + post. after the ballast, you'll have the plugs for the HID bulbs. after you hook it up, the bulbs mount just the same as normal h4's. it will be easy, trust me.

[Fenvy]

There seems to be a difference of opinion here.

I mean no offense in correcting anyone. If I am wrong, please correct me.

Read the following quote please

Quote »Light is reflection. We see "white light" because Red, Green, Blue reflect at the same time. We see black because none of the 3 color are reflected. If it is REAL 12000k, it will be so dim comparable to oem or even ebay bulbs. The least amount of photography or physics will tell you that color temperature does not dictate brightness, all it is is a measurement of color in light(s) At around 5500k is what human eye call "white" or "bright light". Which is why the 2 standard D50 and D65 (USA use D50, 5000k... europe use D65, 6500k) exist.

Now imagine you take red away, take green away since 12000k is all the way up in the color temp spectrem... does that sound like you're getting only 1/3 of the light? I am sure it is not exactly 1/3 of the light but one thing is for sure... you're getting less reflected light as supposed to all 3 color. Why is it that we can see lighting strike which is rated at 30,000k or stars rated at 100,000+ k? because of intensity is greater. Unless the power to the hid bulbs increase, there is no way a 12,000k bulbs will defeat 5,500k bulbs in terms of "brightness" at the same "intensity"

I ran ebay h4 housing before, they were not too good since the beams go all over the place. Now I run offroad Hella ones that are not dot approved. MY setup? lexus is300 ballasts (denso) and phillips 4200k bulbs with h4 adapter

your best bet is not to buy a hid kit. You can get OEM quality stuff at a cheaper price, expect to spend around 200~250$

phillips hid bulbs are 50$ a pair on ebay, hid ballast made by denso, hella, osram, keioto can be had for about 150$ a pair on ebay. Buy an adapter ring or get a rebased bulbs and you're done.

[/quote]Look at this chart:

this link will explain color temp further and has a good chart too:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature

[Sentientbydesign]

I was perplexed by your claim that day light was around 4500K because I remember it being closer to 5400K. A little research revealed that daylight is between 5500-6500K.

[maxhopper]

It's a 20% difference, not a big deal.

Bottom line is that it's still beyond me, and what I'm after.

[jltibbs]

There seems to be adifference of opinion here.I mean no offense in correcting anyone. If I am wrong, please correct me.

Read the following quote please

Look at this chart:

this link will explain color temp further and has a good chart too:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature

Thanks guy. if you look at the chart in the link it almost verifies my claim of colors. for instance: ". . .8000 k will be the brightest before he hits the point of no return.", and 8000 k on that chart is where the light blue comes in. i am only trying to give nismo1219 honest info that i did not copy and paste from any site, forum, or friends. all the things i said were mostly off experience. my experiences are as follows: EG (92-95 civic for the slow ones) hatch with 3000k (yellow) Pilot brand from ebay; 02-03 maxima stock, i guess somewhere between 4100k and 5000k according to scholars; 06 impreza with 6000k "bright white" Pilot brand from ebay; 95 maxima (me) 8000k really friggin white xenon conversion kit from http://www.xenondepot.com ("...the beams go all over the place." my beam pattern is the same as before, just a lot brighter), EK [96-00 (99 in this case) civic once again slow poke] coupe with 10000k nice and blue Pilot brand from ebay; and last but not least, EK (97) hatch with 12000K a little bit of purple (especially noticed when put up against th 10000k's) Pilot brand from ebay. These guys are all friends of mine in the same town. i see the HIDs A LOT.

Nismo1219, make your own decision. "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." just make sure whatever setup you get has relays, ballasts, fuses, and all of the necessary wiring. sorry for the ". . . mis-information coming from "jltibbs"." peace bro

[Beancooker]

Well, lets not get our panties in a ruffle. I don't think anyone is trying to mis-inform anyone here. We're all here for the good of the cause.

[nismo1219]

thats right noah! besides i think i would lean more towards trusting somebody i know (like scott, matt, mike, jeremiah, or noah) vs somebody else. since you guys have helped me out countless times before w/valuable info, it would be hard to steer me away from listening to what you guys have to say!!

[Beancooker]

Thanks.

[Maverick7687]

How are the factory housings with HID's Tibbs? I have been thinking about doing this conversion too but I would also like to retain the Hi-lo funtion. I don't know why, I think it just has something to do with me knowing the switch is there and does nothing. Anyway, do you have any pictures at night? Any glare to oncoming drivers? I heard that the projector retrofit was a smart thing to do but if visibility is good with the facroty housing, why not?

[NSR_s30]

6000K FTW

zerothread/211840

[jltibbs]

How are the factory housings with HID's Tibbs?

Well, Mav, i sort of have stock housings. I have the clear/black housings from http://www.customenterprise.com The clear lens reduces some of the glare for oncoming traffic. I still get flashed all the time as if my hi beams are on, thus, when this happens i just turn the HIDs off for a few seconds till they pass. sometimes it is a little aggrevating not having the hi beam when you need to see something a little higher, then i just turn my foglights on (i now have the piaa plasma gt-x's; and will one day be HIDs!) and that usually does what i need it to do. i'll get some night pics for you.

[nismo1219]

i have the piaa xtreme whites in my foglights. they are really good and i cant complain about them. the only bad thing was trying to replace the factory bulbs with the piaas - PAIN IN THE ***!! anyways, i took some night pics last night but mom took the digital so i will post them up tonight after she gets home. i have a pic of the low & fogs, and highs & fogs. my headlights are piaa super plasma gtx.

[MaximA32]

-threadjack

nismo- where did you get the clear bumper turns and for how much?