Understanding HID Lights
- Thread starter Jenova
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There are many different types of HID bulbs. There is just about an HID equivalent for every Halogen type made. Just a few are:
H1 H3 H4 H7 9004 9006 9007 H13 H11
They're named after their Halogen equivalents for simplification. As far as the "H" goes...possibly for "Halogen" type 1, 3, 4, etc.
For Spotlight moding you only need to know the Halogen bulb type it uses and get the HID equivalent bulb with ballast.
H1 H3 H4 H7 9004 9006 9007 H13 H11
They're named after their Halogen equivalents for simplification. As far as the "H" goes...possibly for "Halogen" type 1, 3, 4, etc.
For Spotlight moding you only need to know the Halogen bulb type it uses and get the HID equivalent bulb with ballast.
Oh..ok.
There are a couple different ways of doing it but one way is to call your local automotive store and just ask them what bulb your car uses. They'll ask the year and model. You can also look it up on google.
Once you know the type then you can order the HID equal. CPF member Stereodude mentioned ebay and that seems to be a good source overall.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when installing HID bulbs in automotive reflectors designed for halogen bulbs is:
DO NOT DO IT!!!!!:thumbsdow It's illegal and unsafe.
Headlamps are very carefully designed to reproduce a beam pattern that puts the majority of light down on the road in front of you, and farther down the road towards the right. They are designed to keep the light out of the eyes of drivers in front of you, either in your lane, or in oncoming lanes.
When you put "HID Upgrade" bulbs in your headlamps, it screws up the beam pattern because of the different shape of the light source. Aside from the fact that they'll be putting out >3000lm when they were probably designed for 800-1200, they WILL reflect light in to the eyes of other drivers. I have to put up with it every night, and it's one of the most annoying things that someone can do to their car.
A $100-300 kit will not make your car's headlamps work like OEM headlights made by Bosch or Hella, as used on many European cars (VW, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Range Rover). Those use precision projector optics to shape the light in to a safe beam pattern, and are legally required to adjust themselves when the car is loaded heavily or drives over a bump to keep the light on the road where it's supposed to be.
Now, if you want to learn about HID lighting in general, rather than how it applies to dazzling drivers at night, you should look around this forum. There's plenty of information about how they work, who makes them, how to use them in spotlight mods, and more.
PS: Perhaps this thread should be moved to the Automotive forum.
DO NOT DO IT!!!!!:thumbsdow It's illegal and unsafe.
Headlamps are very carefully designed to reproduce a beam pattern that puts the majority of light down on the road in front of you, and farther down the road towards the right. They are designed to keep the light out of the eyes of drivers in front of you, either in your lane, or in oncoming lanes.
When you put "HID Upgrade" bulbs in your headlamps, it screws up the beam pattern because of the different shape of the light source. Aside from the fact that they'll be putting out >3000lm when they were probably designed for 800-1200, they WILL reflect light in to the eyes of other drivers. I have to put up with it every night, and it's one of the most annoying things that someone can do to their car.
A $100-300 kit will not make your car's headlamps work like OEM headlights made by Bosch or Hella, as used on many European cars (VW, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Range Rover). Those use precision projector optics to shape the light in to a safe beam pattern, and are legally required to adjust themselves when the car is loaded heavily or drives over a bump to keep the light on the road where it's supposed to be.
Now, if you want to learn about HID lighting in general, rather than how it applies to dazzling drivers at night, you should look around this forum. There's plenty of information about how they work, who makes them, how to use them in spotlight mods, and more.
PS: Perhaps this thread should be moved to the Automotive forum.
Electromage brings up good points any many people still do it. I think the beam shape may not be as big and issue as stated since I've seen several conversions without any beam shape problems. Some of the technicians that I used to work with adjusted the beams to specification height after installation. I haven't done it myself and don't plan to. Electromage voices some logical and legal reasons why not too.
KrisP
Enlightened
Unfortunately, it's still illegal, no matter who installs them.
Jenova
Enlightened
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2007
- Messages
- 201
You serious ?? thought they were permitted only if a licensed person installs them
BVH
Flashaholic
No HID headlight retrofit kits may be installed "legally" in any vehicle in the United States - PERIOD! None of them are DOT approved. Some claim to use DOT approved "components" and this may be true but none the less, no retrokits are legal to install.
That being said, tons of people do it. On the diesel truck forum I frequent, i've learned a few things to look out for when buying kits. The cheap kits on Ebay for $250 and under usually do not have hot re-strike capability and therefor suffer a short life when re-struck hot - which is typically a frequent necessity when used as headlights. Also, the cheaper kits sometimes create EMF interference/static/noise with vehicle radios. Don't install them without a separate relay harness when the same lights are used as factory Daytime Running Lights because they will be under-volted. And, as we all know, the higher the Kelvin temp, the less Lumens are produced. Anything over 5000K suffers a loss. Stick with Philips 4300K or non-Philips 5000K. They are about the same, give or take.
That being said, tons of people do it. On the diesel truck forum I frequent, i've learned a few things to look out for when buying kits. The cheap kits on Ebay for $250 and under usually do not have hot re-strike capability and therefor suffer a short life when re-struck hot - which is typically a frequent necessity when used as headlights. Also, the cheaper kits sometimes create EMF interference/static/noise with vehicle radios. Don't install them without a separate relay harness when the same lights are used as factory Daytime Running Lights because they will be under-volted. And, as we all know, the higher the Kelvin temp, the less Lumens are produced. Anything over 5000K suffers a loss. Stick with Philips 4300K or non-Philips 5000K. They are about the same, give or take.
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Flashanator
Flashlight Enthusiast
LOL. & to think I'm looking to put 50w in low & HIGH beams???? Then go nuts on lightforce 50w HID spots. Then maybe run a few 600w sealed beams for a little more light.:naughty:
I'm sorry if I came across a bit harsh, but it's a question that's been brought up on these forums numerous times, with the same outcome. The fact is, it doesn't matter who does it, it's still illegal and in most cases, unsafe.
A licensed auto electrician should tell you the same thing, and probably won't do it anyway since they could lose their job for knowingly installing something that was illegal and potentially unsafe.
The only thing that makes it legal to buy these kits in the first place is that you agree to not use them on the road. They are sold as "off-road" or "show car" accessories, and many people around CPF use them to modify spotlights. That's perfectly legal, since spotlights are not certified and regulated like vehicles are.
A licensed auto electrician should tell you the same thing, and probably won't do it anyway since they could lose their job for knowingly installing something that was illegal and potentially unsafe.
The only thing that makes it legal to buy these kits in the first place is that you agree to not use them on the road. They are sold as "off-road" or "show car" accessories, and many people around CPF use them to modify spotlights. That's perfectly legal, since spotlights are not certified and regulated like vehicles are.
