HID conversion for H3 automotive (for ATV)

I'm an avid ATV'er, and the stock lights on the grizzly aren't up to par for barreling through the woods at night. I'd like to add a couple auxilliary lights, and though 2x100w halogens would work, they'd tend to strain the charging system a bit. Enter 35w HID's - problem is, the "offroad" self contained ballast lights I've seen online are minimum $300 each, to upwards of $500 each.

I have a pair of cheap 100w floodlights on my truck from the local tractor supply store, and I think they'd be a great candidate for a conversion. They're 20 bucks a piece, water-tight, and use an ordinary H3 style bulb.

I guess my question boils down to this - what should I get? There are so many kits on ebay - all of the sellers with 'h3' kits available. Is there a brand I should be looking for, or things to avoid? I realize I'll have to house the ballasts in a seperate water-tight container, but are there other things to consider? Vibrations etc?

I realize some of this may have been covered in previous posts - just not specifically (that i could find).

thanks,
Jon

You may consider the Hella AS 200 at

www.hella.com

It has the ballast integrated into the housing. Xevision also has similar units. I mounted the hella unit on the front rack and plugged into the 12volt port on the atv. I used it with the standard lights on the atv and it was all I ever would need. I don't know how deep of water you drive in but having the placement on the front rack almost assured the it would not be dunked under water. The Hella unit took powerwashing ok, but I can't testify to complete submersion. I too considered changing out bulbs and modifying the reflectors but this fix was just too easy and I kept the light when I sold the atv. I'm not sure if the wimply plastic lens covers on the atv will take the heat of a big hid given the long length of the bulb putting it much closer to the lens cover. But once you go hid all you atv buddies will want you to ride behind them at night and mooooooch off your sun.

Sorry I didn't read your post close enough, the intergrated units are real expensive but sometimes it is better to pay for somebody elses engineering rather than learning costly lessons on your own. Good Luck in your quest for a cheaper alternative.

Thanks for the link toolboy - thats a sweet light you have! However, at $700 it breaks my budget a bit (especially with a BB coming). Speaking of the bb, I checked out xevision's site, and he has some NICE self contained HID floods... but again, around $500 each (XV-A1PF). Nice thing there is, he has a 50w available for slightly more. I'm not sure I can even imagine 2x50w HID's on the atv. I did some research, and the consensus for my quad seems to be no more than an additional 110w in lights total (most people run 2x55watters). 55w halogens just dont cut it.

the search continues

You might want to check out www.hidplanet.com.

The folks over there looove their HID lighting. As far as putting HID onto your ATV, I suggest an OEM retrofit using projectors instead. BMW e46 Single Xenon projectors are fairly inexpensive, and will provide you with an even light dispersion on the ground while maintaining proper light cutoff. If you're not worried about blinding other people, you can remove the projector shield, essentially making it an HID "high beam".

Many of the Ebay kits are made in China with TERRIBLE quality tolerances. It's very common to have a chinese-made ballast fry on you within the time period of a few months. In addition to this, HID kits placed in halogen housings won't have the proper reflective angles, and uncontrolled light will shoot everywhere.

An OEM retrofit costs a bit more than a HID kit, but the results are MUCH better.

Think of it this way: An well done OEM retrofit compared to a HID kit is like comparing a Surefire E2L to an MDXL.

There's a world of difference.

I seem to remember a 35 watt hid running light kit for 220.00

2 ballasts bulbs and reflector/lens assemblys.

I will look for it

I have a 2005 Rubicon,
and I also plan to upgrade the lighting.
I am thinking of adding a pair of these http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1393

Though, converting the handlebar light to HID would be great also.

~John

Check these out. :rock:

http://www.trailtech.net/eclipse_mr16.htm

thanks for the links guys - those are definately some more realistic alternatives to the $500+ ones I've seen. The OEM kits from hidplanet look interesting, but since they seem to be designed to mount in a specific application I'd need some kind of "holder" and it'd have to be watertight. Now, if only I could find the trailtech or eclipse lights in black...

I still may risk the H3 conversion - I think since I'll be going with a flood the bulb placement may not be QUITE as critical. Besides, a direct h3 replacement "kit" shouldn't be too out of focus if its intended AS a replacement for an incandescent.

the kit I remember for 225.00 was a hid driving light kit

I still have not found it

but I found this

http://www.offroadhidlights.com/store/index.php

markdi said:

the kit I remember for 225.00 was a hid driving light kit

I still have not found it

but I found this

http://www.offroadhidlights.com/store/index.php

Click to expand...

Some nice stuff on that site,
but most of it is rather large, and not an all in one unit.
So you have to worry about containing the ballast in a water tight container.

Though, it seems for about $250, I could convert my Rubicons handlebar light to D2-S 35W HID

But, for $300, I could have a pair of the 30W Eclipses.
They arent as eff. (Lumens per Watt) but they would be adding about 3,600 lumens with two units.

~John