HID's for my car.

[kingofwylietx]

Well, I know that title got the attention of 3 particular people.....which is exactly what I want.

I have a set of Sylvania X1010 HID fog/driving lights that I bought quite a while back for use on my atv. They came with a metal cap that covered the HID bulb (I assume to prevent glare). The vibration of the atv broke one of the metal caps (it fell into the light housing).....so just removed it (and the corresponding one in the other light).

Now, I am thinking of adding these to my vehicle for onroad use. Sylvania claims them to be road legal...but I'm worried about not having those caps. The lights are discontinued, so the manufacturer probably won't be much help. I see on some websites that are still selling them (must have old inventory) that they advertise the lights to be fog lights with the caps, and driving lights without the caps.

Does anyone know anything about these lights? Does anyone know if they are legal low beam driving lights without the caps?

 

[mvyrmnd]

Just about everyone claims their products are road legal, when usually they're not. You're better off asking your motoring authority about the legality of the upgrade.

 

[irsa76]

Well for starters, there is no such thing as a fog/driving light unless it is 2 independent light units in 1 housing. If they call it a fog/driving light then I would have avoided it in the first place. The fact the glare sheild fell off should also tell you they are complete rubbish and are best suited to the trash.

 

[-Virgil-]

They're not fog lamps, not driving lamps, and not "fog/driving lamps". They were auxiliary low beam lamps -- passably decent ones; not the most efficient design ever but not quite the worst of the approximately five aux low beam lamp designs ever commercialized -- until the bulb shield failed. Now they are no longer compliant with any category of lighting device suitable for use in traffic. You could aim them so the hot spot is straight ahead (rather than rightward-and-downward as they are nominally to be aimed) and hook them up as driving (auxiliary high beam) lamps, never to be lit in traffic or with the low beams. If you decide to do that, get rid of the "fashion/style" bulb, a high-kelvin item that produces less/bluer light, and install a proper OE-type bulb instead. Pretty sure it's a D2S style bulb.

 

[kingofwylietx]

They're not fog lamps, not driving lamps, and not "fog/driving lamps". They were auxiliary low beam lamps -- passably decent ones; not the most efficient design ever but not quite the worst of the approximately five aux low beam lamp designs ever commercialized -- until the bulb shield failed. Now they are no longer compliant with any category of lighting device suitable for use in traffic. You could aim them so the hot spot is straight ahead (rather than rightward-and-downward as they are nominally to be aimed) and hook them up as driving (auxiliary high beam) lamps, never to be lit in traffic or with the low beams. If you decide to do that, get rid of the "fashion/style" bulb, a high-kelvin item that produces less/bluer light, and install a proper OE-type bulb instead. Pretty sure it's a D2S style bulb.

Thank you Scheinwerfermann. That is the exact info I was trying to find. I will look to see if I can locate new bulb shields. If I can find new shields....I will replace the bulb with a lower-kelvin item that is more useful, mount them, and get them aimed properly. If I can't find replacement shields, then I will save them for our next set of atv's (offroad only, so glare is irrelevant). You mentioned that the Sylvania units are one of approximately fix aux low beam lamp designs. Do you happen to know which of these five is the most efficient? I wouldn't mind getting a set of those, rather than use these. I just like these since they are not too big, I am mounting them on a 2011 Durango (which came with factory HID low beams).

 

[-Virgil-]

I can't imagine why you would need auxiliary low beams of any variety on that vehicle. What is the goal?

All the auxiliary low beams ever commercialized, as far as I'm aware, are long discontinued. There were rectangular units from Cibie and Hella, and 5.75" round sealed beams from GE, Westinghouse, and perhaps one other maker. The SAE standard for auxiliary low beams has been cancelled.

The bulb shield in the X1010 was not offered as a separate repair part.

 

[kingofwylietx]

Scheinwerfermann, you have managed to crush all my plans....in one fell swoop. I'll just save the lights for when we buy new atv's.

My goal: I had these sitting around, so I hoped to put them to use. The Durango HID's are [to me] very good lights. I was just hoping to gain some [legal] additional distance with the Sylvania lights.

Verdict: I won't use these on the road since I can't get new bulb guards.

Thank you for your input and assistance.

 

[-Virgil-]

Oh, c'mon, I didn't crush your plans all that badly; I'm not all that fat! 8-D I just flattened them a little, is all. A little glue and some duct tape and they'll be fine.

The Durango lights are indeed quite good. Don't know if anyone else on here saw the lighting-focused report on the 2011 Detroit auto show (published at drivingvisionnews.com) but Chrysler seems to have "gotten religion" and started putting good lights on a lot more of their vehicles than they have in the past.

 

[kingofwylietx]

The Durango lights are indeed quite good. Don't know if anyone else on here saw the lighting-focused report on the 2011 Detroit auto show (published at drivingvisionnews.com) but Chrysler seems to have "gotten religion" and started putting good lights on a lot more of their vehicles than they have in the past.

I tried to read that article when you made this post, but it appears you need a password to access the articles.

Do you know if Chrysler makes their own projector beams or utilizes someone elses design for the Durango? I was wondering if they are actually Hella or someone similar. I just wonder if there are a couple of projector light manufacturers (not including imported ebay type junk) that produce this style of light for all the automotive manufacturers.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

Don't know if anyone else on here saw the lighting-focused report on the 2011 Detroit auto show (published at drivingvisionnews.com) but Chrysler seems to have "gotten religion" and started putting good lights on a lot more of their vehicles than they have in the past.

I saw it -- interesting stuff. Now, if only we could eliminate building new cars with red rear turn signals, and the world will be a much better place. Also, we need more unicorn parking.

 

[-Virgil-]

I tried to read that article when you made this post, but it appears you need a password to access the articles.

Yep, DVN is a subscription-only industry journal. You can read periodic news (or at least headlines), but without a subscription that's it.

Do you know if Chrysler makes their own projector beams

None of the automakers make their own optics. They all buy them. Chrysler's newly buying a lot of lamps from HMC (Hyundai-Mobis, a Korean supplier). Other suppliers include Hella, Automotive Lighting, Valeo, Koito, Ichikoh, Stanley, Visteon, and a fair number of others. These are considered "Tier 1" suppliers; they sell headlamp assemblies to automakers. There are also "Tier 2" suppliers that sell subcomponents (including projector optic modules, in some cases) to the Tier 1s. Most of the Tier 1s make most of their own optics, but sometimes it is preferable for them to buy someone else's -- usually when the automaker is insisting on unrealistically low unit price for the lamp assembly and a Tier 1 supplier can get a cheap/good-enough optic from someone else rather than using their own better/more expensive optics. I don't recall who makes the present Durango headlamp for Chrysler.

 

[kingofwylietx]

I looked at subscribing, just to read that article. However, $600 US was too steep for a quick glance. :)

Thanks for the info on companies the automakers use. I am on another forum (surprise, right?) where a few guys are wanting to convert their halogen lights to HID and want to install projectors (to mimic the more expensive models). I have been gathering info so I can try to explain why they don't want to do the conversion kits (I can search plenty of responses from you on here to quote).

I also wanted to toss around some names of quality components, it's amazing the kid-toy-plastic-junk they are linking to and saying that the product is good!! I think they should buy the factory units if they want to convert, but that is surely more than these people will pay. The projector lights they link to are around $100, so the retailer is marking up from $60-70, the importer probably only pays$40-50....which means the manufacturer might have $10-15 invested. Pure junk.

Why do people always want to go the Walmart cheap-o route? Why not do it right? Why not buy something of high quality?

 

[iroc409]

Koito

Is Koito the manufacturer of Denso ballasts? I was looking online at HID ballasts a while back, and was seeing several that said Koito on them but looked like Denso units and had Toyota part numbers.

I looked up the company, sounds like they make airline seats too (and at one time, bad ones apparently).

 

[-Virgil-]

No, Denso makes Denso ballasts (and Denso starters and Denso alternators and all kinds of other Denso electrical equipment). Koito makes Koito ballasts (and Koito headlamps and Koito bulbs and Koito turn signals and Koito brake lamps and all kinds of other automotive lighting devices). Koito doesn't make plane seats and never has.

 

[iroc409]

Ahh, just curious. I thought Denso made all their own stuff. I'd never heard of Koito before that search several months ago, and never seen it on any parts claimed to be Toyota--thought at first they were counterfeit or something (it's not exactly a household name). They do list airplane parts on their website (including seats, apparently). I must have been looking when the seat problems first popped up, because that's most of what I found about them.

Edit: Oops, the first link only goes to their site, it's one of those framed sites or something. You have to click "Products" then it lists "Aircraft lighting and other products".

 

[-Virgil-]

Koito is one of Japan's big three automotive lighting suppliers. Toyota is their number-one customer, but they also serve all the other Japanese automakers, as well as many American automakers (domestic + transplant) through their US subsidiary North American Lighting.

Looks as if airplane seats and stuff are a product produced by one or another operation of their holding company, which would be "in the family" in a legal/corporate sense but that's about all.

 

[iroc409]

Looks as if airplane seats and stuff are a product produced by one or another operation of their holding company, which would be "in the family" in a legal/corporate sense but that's about all.

It appears so.

I was surprised to see Stanley on our Mazda's lights; I've seen the name on some automatic door sensors, too. I always thought they just made tools. :) Kind of like Hitachi electronics and construction equipment.

In 1915 Genrokuro Koito founded KOITO GENROKURO SHOTEN in Kyobashi, Tokyo and started to supply fresnel lenses for railway signals. In 1936 the Company was reorganized as KOITO MANUFACTURING CO.,LTD., who manufactured and sold lightings / electrical equipments for railway cars, vessels and airports, etc. From 1945 to
around 1955 the Company successfully developed reclining seats for railway cars and airplanes, delivered night game lighting equipments for Korakuen stadium, started mass production of sealed beam lamps for automobiles, and expanded its business to area of traffic signal equipments. In 1947 NAIGAI SHOJI CO.,LTD. was established. The trade name was changed to KOITO SHOJI CO.,LTD., and then to KOITO INDUSTRIES,LIMITED in 1957. In 1967 the Company was divided its business into two separate companies; one is the Shizuoka division, which had primarily produced car lighting equipment, was succeeded to KOITO MANUFACTURING CO.,LTD., and the other is Yokohama division, which had mainly produced railway car equipments and lightings/electrical equipments, was succeeded to KOITO INDUSTRIES,LIMITED. In 1988 the Company was listed on the Second Section of Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Anyway, enough of a thread jack!

 

[-Virgil-]

I was surprised to see Stanley on our Mazda's lights; I've seen the name on some automatic door sensors, too. I always thought they just made tools.

Not the same Stanley.