Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
Hi all, just a question. Are there any H7 headlight bulbs out there that can give the look of white/bluish xenon lights without having to do a full headlight conversion? What is the advantage of doing the headlight conversion versus just replacing the bulbs?
Thanks
Thanks
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Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
Sylvania Silverstar H7 bulbs are a good upgrade. They won't be as good as HID though.http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...ce/Silverstar/
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Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
Originally Posted by robby363
Sylvania Silverstar H7 bulbs are a good upgrade. They won't be as good as HID though.http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...ce/Silverstar/
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Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
The upgraded bulbs are garbage. They don't really put out much more light. If you get the blue tinted ones they actually produce LESS light since they have a film / coloring on the bulb to get the desired effect.
HIDS produce far more light. Go with a 4300k kit (mine is 6000k) for the most light output. If I had to buy them again I would get 4300k, but 6000k still blows the stock bulbs out of the water.
I have pics in my gallery, also.
HIDS produce far more light. Go with a 4300k kit (mine is 6000k) for the most light output. If I had to buy them again I would get 4300k, but 6000k still blows the stock bulbs out of the water.
I have pics in my gallery, also.
Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
Just cover your stock bulbs with blue SaranWrap!
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http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...e/bad/bad.html
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http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...e/bad/bad.html
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Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
4300K is closer to OEM - I had originally thought it was 6K, but I parked near a few nice cars last week that came with 4.3K. Either way, the 6K on my car looks fantastic (it won't look like a ricer to anyone), and I'm sure 4.3K would look fantastic as well.
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Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
Originally Posted by coolb944
Hey all, I have another question. When you did the headlight conversion, did you just do the low-beams, or did you also do a conversion on the high beams? Does that require a whole second conversion kit?
You have to ask yourself.. how often do you use the high beams???
Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
I definitly recommend the HID kit upgrade. I have MTEC 4500K, and they look completly factory. Factory HID's will range anywhere from around 4300 to 4900K. When you go above 5000K, you loose intensity. As for the brights, it is POINTLESS. HID's have to warm up. it takes up to 1 minute for HID's to achieve maximum brightness, so when you first turn on the brights, the will be less bright than the bulbs. Also, if you have used your brights, why would you need them any brighter? they are a directional beam that points straight ahead. Unless you drive down a long country road at night with your brights on, there is definitly no need to put HID's in the brights. TIP: BUY A QUALITY SET OF HID's.
Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
Originally Posted by coolb944
Hey all, I have another question. When you did the headlight conversion, did you just do the low-beams, or did you also do a conversion on the high beams? Does that require a whole second conversion kit?
Also, just like a video projector lamp an HID setup should be given time to cool down after being used before it's turned on again. So forget flashing your lights at someone...
Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
Originally Posted by bhays
So what's the best deal out there on a quality HID kit for our cars...
Last edited by eruby; 09-09-2008 at 12:41 PM.
Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
I am cross-posting this. I did this write up on Sunday evening after installing my HIDs. I am very happy with them but would recommend the 4300K kit. See below and feel free to ask any questions. Again, I am very excited about how they change the cars look ... as people above said, once you do it - you won't go back to halogens.
..............................
I just installed an HID kit I bought on e-bay earlier this evening. Full price with shipping was $60 - 6000K was the bulb temp. Ebay member hqz4321. The link to the seller's store...
http://stores.ebay.com/wholesale-hid...2BSI%26otn%3D4
...I would say I did it in just under two hours. This is mainly due to the fact that this kit comes with the wires attached directly to the back of the bulb. (This was not mentioned in the instructions above - maybe because the bulb was not directly wired in). Because of this I was forced to remove the clips on the back of the headlight - and reattach them underneath the wire once the bulb was in place so I could close the clip.
Placing the clip back into its little slots would not be so difficult except that the space is so confined that its hard to see what you are doing . Furthermore it is difficult to fit your hands in there.
In retrospect... I wish I had installed these two years ago. I bought the Sylvania Silverstars and although they had the white effect, it wasn't what I was dreaming of. The HID 6000K give the lights the effect I am looking for.
The light is a crisp and cool blue. It illuminates everything in a whole different way. I have heard many members say they wished they had gotten the 4300K instead of the 6000K. On this I might agree. I would say my new bulbs are a bit brighter than my halogens but illuminate the road much better - if that makes sense. Plus they look great.
I took the car out tonight and I could see heads turning as I drove down the road or sat a traffic light. The crossfire stands out on the road as it is, but at night (and day) the HIDs really set the car apart.
So if you are intimidated by the install... don't be and make the purchase. That was my one mistake. And if you are looking for a brighter light get the 4300K or 5000K bulbs. Really a great mod that I am very pleased with and you can't beat the price!
PS To any members out there who have worked on changing the bulb in their high beam on the passenger side please let me know. It seems that it would be close to impossible. I am interested as I did not have the patience to work that one out.
PSS Oh and lastly this kit did not make the "Bulb Out" light on the dash came on! I was pleasantly surprised as I have read of other forum members who bought much more expensive kits and had this problem.
..............................
I just installed an HID kit I bought on e-bay earlier this evening. Full price with shipping was $60 - 6000K was the bulb temp. Ebay member hqz4321. The link to the seller's store...
http://stores.ebay.com/wholesale-hid...2BSI%26otn%3D4
...I would say I did it in just under two hours. This is mainly due to the fact that this kit comes with the wires attached directly to the back of the bulb. (This was not mentioned in the instructions above - maybe because the bulb was not directly wired in). Because of this I was forced to remove the clips on the back of the headlight - and reattach them underneath the wire once the bulb was in place so I could close the clip.
Placing the clip back into its little slots would not be so difficult except that the space is so confined that its hard to see what you are doing . Furthermore it is difficult to fit your hands in there.
In retrospect... I wish I had installed these two years ago. I bought the Sylvania Silverstars and although they had the white effect, it wasn't what I was dreaming of. The HID 6000K give the lights the effect I am looking for.
The light is a crisp and cool blue. It illuminates everything in a whole different way. I have heard many members say they wished they had gotten the 4300K instead of the 6000K. On this I might agree. I would say my new bulbs are a bit brighter than my halogens but illuminate the road much better - if that makes sense. Plus they look great.
I took the car out tonight and I could see heads turning as I drove down the road or sat a traffic light. The crossfire stands out on the road as it is, but at night (and day) the HIDs really set the car apart.
So if you are intimidated by the install... don't be and make the purchase. That was my one mistake. And if you are looking for a brighter light get the 4300K or 5000K bulbs. Really a great mod that I am very pleased with and you can't beat the price!
PS To any members out there who have worked on changing the bulb in their high beam on the passenger side please let me know. It seems that it would be close to impossible. I am interested as I did not have the patience to work that one out.
PSS Oh and lastly this kit did not make the "Bulb Out" light on the dash came on! I was pleasantly surprised as I have read of other forum members who bought much more expensive kits and had this problem.
Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
thanks mrobinso for the excellent installation info. i guess i'm still asking the question of a) why are some kits $60 and some kits $200? b) i see 1 company offering 35W and 55W HID kits - who has installed the 55W and would it be better/brighter? c) some threads on HID mention static in the radio - is this still an issue or has this issue been resolved with the newer kits?
all that said, i want to go with a 4300-5000 color. i see wholesale-hid has them for about $55-60 shipped. that is the 35W light. manyadeal.com has 55W kits for about $25 more. suggestions and comments here would be wonderful. i'm not so worried about install - there are some great diy posts. i want suggestions on which kit and why. thanks all for any help here.
all that said, i want to go with a 4300-5000 color. i see wholesale-hid has them for about $55-60 shipped. that is the 35W light. manyadeal.com has 55W kits for about $25 more. suggestions and comments here would be wonderful. i'm not so worried about install - there are some great diy posts. i want suggestions on which kit and why. thanks all for any help here.
Re: Headlight Bulb vs. HID conversion
I added two sets of HID and love the effect. There is a high beam delay but I use them when going faster and have not had any issue. When you pop them on they do tend to flash at start-up which gets the attention. For Deers which I hate; the combination of high and low really gets out there and since they are so efficient I have both sets as 35 watt ratings. They are stated to be about 3 times the brightness for the same wattage, and are plenty brite.
Actually when you need the light is in the daytime to flash the dude thats too close and the same start-up delay is in effect. I got bigger horns for that too.
In the old days when I ran a heavily modified Pinto I hooked the lights to the horn for easy attention. On the east coast, driving, that was way good on a few occasions...............
To improve on that with the old incandescent lamps I also added a relay so that the LOW beam came on with the HIGH beam to get better lighting. NEVER lost a filament and the combination was really good, FOR BACK IN THE DAY. They were TWICE AS BRIGHT, same color light though.
ENJOY WOODY Too brite.......
Actually when you need the light is in the daytime to flash the dude thats too close and the same start-up delay is in effect. I got bigger horns for that too.
In the old days when I ran a heavily modified Pinto I hooked the lights to the horn for easy attention. On the east coast, driving, that was way good on a few occasions...............
To improve on that with the old incandescent lamps I also added a relay so that the LOW beam came on with the HIGH beam to get better lighting. NEVER lost a filament and the combination was really good, FOR BACK IN THE DAY. They were TWICE AS BRIGHT, same color light though.
ENJOY WOODY Too brite.......