Automotive HID question

[Parker VH]

Hey Guys,
I'm debating on upgrading the low beam headlights on my 2002 Silverado to a 50 or 55W HID kit. I'm just wondering if, in your opinion, will these be so bright that I will constantly be getting flashed by other vehicles as they think I have my high beams on? The current lights are aimed correctly so that will not change, I just don't want it to appear that this upgrade will be too bright to other drivers.
Any opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Bob

 

[Patriot]

It will most likely be way too bright for uncommon drivers and you're going to have many people chiming in to point out that it's illegal also.

 

[Parker VH]

What is illegal about it, the high wattage or ?

 

[DM51]

We have an Automotive sub-forum for such questions, so I'm moving this thread there. I think you'll find that the consensus there is that upgrades of this type are not a good idea.

 

[John_Galt]

theirs already a big thread about how HID retrofits are illegal. Basically, no matter what you do, just putting the HID bulb into a halogen assembly will be illegal. Also, no matter what, they will never be aimed correctly, because the type of light source is extremely different (read: HID= small "bar of light", Halogen= a glowing coil), and the fixtures are not interchangeable.

Now, if you're saying that you are going to buy stock HID projectors from another truck, and put those in, while it's still (ahem, technically) illegal, it's much safer, and less dangerous for you.

 

[LukeA]

theirs already a big thread about how HID retrofits are illegal. Basically, no matter what you do, just putting the HID bulb into a halogen assembly will be illegal. Also, no matter what, they will never be aimed correctly, because the type of light source is extremely different (read: HID= small "bar of light", Halogen= a glowing coil), and the fixtures are not interchangeable.

Now, if you're saying that you are going to buy stock HID projectors from another truck, and put those in, while it's still (ahem, technically) illegal, it's much safer, and less dangerous for you.

IIRC the Silverado's headlights are too high to usefully install projectors, i.e. the lamps' heights are such that the eyes of most oncoming traffic will still be below the horizontal cutoff of the projectors at some point, regardless of the projectors' aim.

 

[-Virgil-]

"HID kits" in halogen-bulb headlamps do not work safely or effectively, which is why they are illegal. See here.

 

[MichaelW]

Doesn't the 2002 Silverado shutoff the low beams when the high beams are on?
Did you 'correct' that?
and have you tried HIR bulbs?

 

[AParrette]

i have a bi-xenon kit and a fog kit
they are aimmed down till i can get my projectors

a 35 would be better and cheaper
i can answer most questions you may have

however first off is the problem of the daytime running lights
when you get rid of those your golden

and i don't know how it can be a hanging crime from the responses i got but, how about a story, i pulled up at the light next to a cruiser
car across the way flashed me, i flashed my highs and let up everything imaginable and then i looked over at the cop going ught oh, he gave me the thumbs up.

are they illegal ? yes
can you retro fit, yes

however most all the times halogen is aimed higher than hid's in a stock housing should be, so you will have to re-aim the headlights
and there is a 4 way high mod for that truck that leaves the low's on with the high beam, i did it with my fogs

hit me up i'll be more than willing to help. i have gotten more reliable while working on these over the years. how ever there is the problem of quality.

4300k will either look amazing or like crap depending on the glass the bulb is made of. i've tried 5000k, 6000k, and 8000k which have almost the same color white to them on the ground except for teh amount of blue is in them


so ask away i'll try to help

 

[sadtimes]

and i don't know how it can be a hanging crime from the responses i got but, how about a story, i pulled up at the light next to a cruiser
car across the way flashed me, i flashed my highs and let up everything imaginable and then i looked over at the cop going ught oh, he gave me the thumbs up.

I dont think you understand what the cop was thinking. The lights are so bright that it appears that you have your high beams on. Had he wanted to he could have put you in jail:twothumbs for having the HID kit installed, and is what he should have done.

If your going HID, the only way is to retrofit.

Aside from that, Get one of these, http://www.mrtaillight.com/product_info.php?cPath=609_611&products_id=546

I promise that it will light up everything that you want it to, had one on my Tahoe for 6 years.

 

[MichaelW]

GM's idea to shutoff the low beam when the high beam are off is highly outdated.
I think that they stopped doing that a few years back.

But if you want better distance vision [on road], you don't want you fogs+low+highs.
I could see GM doing something that if you were in low range [off roading] you could have fog+low+high.

 

[Parker VH]

Thanks for the input guys. So what can I upgrade to, preferably just a bulb change, to gain more light output on low beam while keeping the stock reflector assembly? If there's a quality upgrade that requires a reflector change, I'm open to options. I just don't want to spend a fortune on this.
Thanks again for all your opinions and help.
Bob

 

[Parker VH]

Michael W. I'm not familiar with HIR bulbs. Maybe that's what I need.

 

[LukeA]

I dont think you understand what the cop was thinking. The lights are so bright that it appears that you have your high beams on. Had he wanted to he could have put you in jail:twothumbs for having the HID kit installed, and is what he should have done.

If your going HID, the only way is to retrofit.

Aside from that, Get one of these, http://www.mrtaillight.com/product_info.php?cPath=609_611&products_id=546

I promise that it will light up everything that you want it to, had one on my Tahoe for 6 years.

Aaaand still illegal.

 

[LEDobsession]

IIRC the Silverado's headlights are too high to usefully install projectors, i.e. the lamps' heights are such that the eyes of most oncoming traffic will still be below the horizontal cutoff of the projectors at some point, regardless of the projectors' aim.

My '01 GMC Sierra has stock halogen projectors in it. It is a Sierra C3 which is just like the Sierra Denali and the Yukon Denalis, but they do have factory projectors in them. (These trucks are either all wheel drive or just 2 wheel drive so they tend to sit a bit lower than normal.) Just so you're aware. :thumbsup:

 

[AParrette]

i am getting a kit for my truck that is made for a bi-xenon bulb

now, trust me if i cared if it was illegal it wouldn't be there, nor my illegal tint, exhaust, tail lights, not to include what has been done to my car.

 

[MichaelW]

Just pray that you don't cause an accident, because you would be SO liable.
Like every penny to your name liable.

 

[MichaelW]

I'm not familiar with HIR bulbs. Maybe that's what I need.

You truck uses 9006/9005 HB4/HB3 [if you look at the headlight assembly, there you be small writing saying which bulbs it uses-or you can just look in the manual. I just went to www.sylvania.com and checked their replacement guide]
When people talk about light bulbs, if you want to be pedantic, you can call them 'heat bulbs' because most of the power that comes out of them is in the infrared.
So the idea of HIR-halogen infrared reflective is to take some of that IR and send it back to the filament, to get it hotter. The hotter it gets, the more efficient it becomes-but just don't melt the filament.
http://hirheadlights.com/
So it only takes a little modification to get the base to fit perfectly.
The biggest % gain is the low beams. The 9006/HB4 was meant for long life, not high output.
The high beams still show a respectable gain.

If you were a true stickler, the only legal upgrade would be 9006+30, a whopping 10% increase in output.
You'd get a bigger upgrade with a custom wiring harness with stock bulbs.

 

[AParrette]

Just pray that you don't cause an accident, because you would be SO liable.
Like every penny to your name liable.

i hope so, then i wouldn't have to go far when i get the page for ambulance duty

and i do run tinted covers which dramatically cuts down on the light produced

 

[Norm]

You might find this thread to be of interest to you BAN HID headlights, FINE users, JAIL converters! - CandlePowerForums
Norm