has anyone tried using a HID replacement package like this? If so would you reccomend it?

X5 8000K Xenon HID Conversion Kits Diamond-White 9007
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MakeTrack=true

 

Note they charge a 25% restock fee. They must get a lot of those back. Not to mention most of the documentation looks like a cut-and-paste from a (poorly) translated foreign document.

 

Why can't you just get sylvania silverstar bulb replacements ? They work well for me !

 

Most likely I will get the sylvania's, but wanted to see if anyone had good or bad experience with HID.

 

Well... HID lighting originally came from Europe and the REAL mcCoy is not cheap. We're talking 4 figures before tax.

 

Link didn;t work for me, but I first had in a set of cool blue 9007's I think, and the heat melted the bulb holder. I then switched to an HID set complete with ballasts, and let me tell you they were awesome. Since i spliced into the factory wiring harness close to the original bulb, I think I must not have done a good job b/c I burnt one of the ballasts and the other starter after a few months. I have been looking to install my new set, but want to get the rest of the harness checked before I do.

 

What brand HID and did it include high and low beam? What about cost?

 

I think if I heard correctly, that DOT pulled all aftermarket HID systems from being sold in the US. Anybody else heard the same?

My vote is for the Silverstars by Sylvania, have them in all my vehicles. Brite white and only $20 bucks or less.

 

Forgot the brand. I think I still have the box in the garage, will check. There is no high beam for HID's. I wired my fog light switch to a cool wite set on the airdam, but with the HID's you could barely notice the increase. They are really intense. Everyone I pulled up behind at stop lights had their cars illuminated like the sun was out. But then again, i never re-adjusted them after I lifted the truck (13" lift check gallery) until I replaced them with stockers. As for cost, expect topay at leat 500 for a decent set. The quality is in the ballasts and connections, not so much the bulb as I have been told.

 

I heard the same thing about the HID's, but can;t find any info directly or not. My motocycle cop friend took a DOT course with some state guys and the question was asked. Thy are still waiting for a definate answer, but the consensu in the room was that they wouldn;t use that as a primary reason to pull you over unless they weren;t aimed right. That's just here in Miami

 

Even if the DOT didn't pull them, if there is no high beam will not pass NJ inspection.

 

If you can find them, Catz made a quality true HID kit. It came in two versions for the 9007 bulb. One was a single beam and the other was a high/low. It uses a solenoid to move the bulb so that the focal point changes. That's what happens with a high/low regular bulb when it has two filaments. The Catz is the same ballast and starter used in Honda/Acura and Nissan vehicles with OEM equipped HID. A year ago from August, the US decided that it would start enforcing laws regarding lighting. There are no legal HID kits (Sylvania may be an exception with their full housing replacement HIDs) and heavy fines are being enforced on those that sell them. I have had my Catz dual beam kit installed for well over a year with flawless operation. Catz also supplys a solid state wiring harness that eliminates the possibility for torching your trucks wiring or scorching the ballasts/starters. A lot of the other HID kits are less than stellar. You will get what you pay for. A dual beam Catz kit new, before they quit importing, was $650-$700. I can show you pics if interested. On the downside, any HID kit that you run across will be a pain to find any replacement parts, bulbs, etc.
Another thing, don't get coated/tinted bulbs if you are interested in light output. A halogen will outperform the tinted bulbs. At 8000K, you are more than likely looking at a coated bulb. If you want a bluer light, find one that uses the gas mix to get the color. All factory HIDs use a 4300K bulb. The color variance you see amongst different manufacturers is purely due to the refraction of the housing/lens. There used to be a great website called HIDForum that is no more. It has transformed into HIDPlanet.com, but isn't quite the same. There is good information, but not in the quantity that there used to be. Check it out for some good info anyway. Mr.108 is with the feds and passes a bunch of info on the crackdowns. He is straight up on all of this. Good luck!

 

$650 is just way too much money to spend.

 

I've had good luck with SilverStars. I have them in both trucks now, and I haven't burnt anything up yet. I don't know the kelvins for the light, but I have the packages somewhere.

 

Well, you asked about HIDs, and HIDs are expensive. Try a cheap HID kit if you want to talk about expensive... they can and do torch factory wiring that was never meant for HIDs. Well designed HID kits are not cheap. For a halogen bulb, I will reiterate the Silverstars.