HID brands (in market to buy)

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:35 am

I want to get a set of HIDs now. I actually want one for my bike too but I plan on making a custom projector unit for it so I'm going to wait and see if I want two bulbs or one bulb for the bike.I want to get an obnoxiously blue or purple set, no white or yellow. If I'm spending the money I want it to look bright and noticeably different to me while driving compared to stock halogens. I thought there were green HIDs but I haven't been able to find any so maybe it was a glare from the camera (saw it in a video online). Anyways, if there isn't such a temperature that burns green then I would prefer purple.I don't have a lot of money so I'm thinking of going through ebay. Has anyone bought from ebay? What sellers would you recommend and what brands are decent brands if I were to buy there? My friend bought a set of fog and headlight HIDs from ebay for VERY VERY cheap and they have been in his car for a while now and still working perfectly but every time I ask him for the seller's name he forgets so I give up on asking him lol. If you know of a different website that offers them fairly cheap that would be great too. I already have my DRLs disabled from a few years ago so I don't have to do any other mods to run them. Thanks!

lowincash · Post by **lowincash** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:47 am

do you only want it for looks or you actually want the performance of real hids? cuz if you want blue or purple it won't be as bright as the regular white/yellow ones...sure it might look brighter than stock but not by much if you are going for those deep blue or purple color. but if you're willing to spend money on an HID kit why not spend it wisely and get something that has good light output?

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:05 am

Any upgrade will be brighter than what I have in there now. I am looking more towards looks than functionality but I want it to be brighter at the same time so basically a little of both. Doesn't have to be a huge difference, just enough for me to get a little more visibility.

Wolfman213 · Post by **Wolfman213** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:28 am

Go for a 8k, 10k, or 12k or you are more for the looks. HIDKing is who I went through before and I got really good service, quick shipping, and a great product. I ordered two sets from him for my Grand Prix (fogs and head) and no complaints from either set. I've seen "claimed 20+k" bulbs, but I highly doubt those are legit. The most common colored ones you will find are the ones mentions above. They will probably be the best bet for you concerning more of the look appeal with some added luminesence. You are correct in stating that they will give you more output than stock bulbs, but the higher the K/funkier the color, the lower the output.

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:25 am

I think even the color change will help me see better though. When we went ot the Gatlinberg meet in Tenn. back in July, a couple of us went to the Tail of the Dragon. It got dark on the way back to our hotel and it took us like an hour-hour and a half to get back. My eyes hurt and I could hardly see anymore just from driving in the pitch black of the mountains for such a long time. I think there were other factors but you know what I mean I think. Just looking at a more vivid color aside from white or yellow-ish would help tremendously in my situation ...and that's how I'll justify spending the money (removed)...

lowincash · Post by **lowincash** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:14 am

honestly, driving with deep blue or purple lights after a while your eyes will get tire too...it might be okay for you but it might distract other drivers...just stick with white =D

hskater26 · Post by **hskater26** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:21 am

i have a projector in my ducati its effin bright

hskater26 · Post by **hskater26** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:22 am

and id say go with 6k or 8k theres a girl here with the 12ks and they arent even that bright they just look stupid

Truckin1999 · Post by **Truckin1999** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:50 am

I wouldn't go higher than 8000k. I put the 6000k in my vibe and they are great! They are much brighter than factory, and there is no doubt when you look at them that they are not factory halogens. I got my 3500k fogs through HID depot. Wasn't happy and wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Got my headlights from carkings. Much better dealer. Just my 2 cents.

ajflan · Post by **ajflan** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:21 pm

HIDs would be nice. One thing you should consider is the price. Like, for instance, how would price affect the paying of debts you may owe to certain people? lol

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:34 pm

(removed)...I don't care about other drivers on the road with regards to lighting. They (removed) me off enough as it is especially when I'm on my bike cutting me off and almost running me off the road so they don't deserve to be taken into consideration by me. Don't worry dude I am well aware of how far into debt I am.

Kamikaze · Post by **Kamikaze** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:05 am

13Vibe03 you ride a bike?I do, and I have my crazy moments, but find if I drive nice, less people see me than if I drive a little more aggressive.in the mornings when I ride to work it's dark, and it never fails that someone pulls out in front of me, or doesn't look when changing lanes etc... Since I put my HID kit in my bike I've noticed more people noticing me in the mornings, regardless my driving habits. **** if I'm going to get ran over because of some dumbass too busy talking on their cell phone and not paying attention to the road.

hskater26 · Post by **hskater26** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:13 am

not just that but ive been at a stop light right next to somone then we both accelerate ( im on the bike) and all of a sudden the cut in front of me no blinker or anything....this has happened so many times not that HIDs would help but people need to pay attention..ive been on the highway a few times where a suv has come into my lane so i lay on the horn an he just rides the whiteline in the middle of both lanes till i go by. i dont think we generalize against drivers but most of them suck at driving

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:15 am

I understand it may have been generalized and immature. Look at it from our perspective on the bikes though, or the amount of actual accidents AND close calls I've had in teh car that weren't my fault? I can't even count them! Especially when it gets cold out, it's bad enough dodging people in the summer but people don't expect to see bike son the road once it falls below 60 degrees. It's even worse. Yea there are good drivers but there are more bad drivers than good drivers. Just imagine how easily we could die on the motorcycles and then think about why I made that comment. Our lives are too fragile.Don't get me wrong, I am one of the more courteous drivers on the road, I don't yell at people, I don't tailgate if someone pisses me off. After getting ten points on my driving record I don't speed anymore (haven't gotten a ticket in over 2 years now! I've finally learned my lesson about that b/s. So if I am putting forth so much effort to be a good driver while trying to make other drivers have a better experience on the road as well, everyone walks all over you and doesn't return the favor and this goes on for years...you tend to lose your will to continue you know what I mean? For most other things I still give people the benefit of a doubt but for things as simple as bright headlights or loud exhaust and music? I really don't care in the least. They only have to deal with it for as long as I'm around them, once I pass them or they pass me, they don't have to worry about it anymore!Sometimes if someone cuts me off or almost runs me off the road I try to show sympathy because it may have been an accident but then I think again about all the people that are killed because of those accidents and the fact that motorcycles have been sharing the roads with cars since cars were invented and I say ot myself "no way, there's no justification for it" people should be alert for ANYTHING on the road around them even if some idiot decides to go onto the highway with roller skates, illegal and suicidal but people should still be on the lookout. I'm not a selfish person at all so don't think that because of my statement but I guess in this situation you could say I've had enough so time to think of myself and others that think like me for once.What kind of HIDs did you get for the bike Kamikaze? I really want to get a set for the reasons you mentioned. Better visibility for me and if your headlights are a different color than the rest of traffic, a car is more likely to notice you on a bike and NOT kill you. My buddy has an '01 GSXR 750 that has an HID and it is soooo nice at night when he rides next to me and illuminates the road ahead lol.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:29 am

a good friend of mine died on his bike. people don't see them. end of story. as for HID and where to buy, I bought a set for a great price shipped from http://www.apexcone.comI'd recommend them to anyone. plug n play systems.

hskater26 · Post by **hskater26** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:03 am

that site does have good pricing.....looks like thats where ill be getting my hids for my fogs thanks!

Kamikaze · Post by **Kamikaze** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:29 am

I bought them 2 years ago off a group buy, so when the HID's were first getting popular.I think I paid $150 shipped for my set of 2.. and I want to say I've got 5000k They are probably a little more white than what you are looking for... I'll see if I've got a pic I can post.Actual name of the HID kit was Golden Eye, bought them thru XenonRider from my Bike forum.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:41 am

yep, i went with 35w 4500 or 5000, can't remember, but they looked great and awesome visibility!

hskater26 · Post by **hskater26** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:48 am

i was thinking of going with the 55watt 3000k for my fogs

hskater26 · Post by **hskater26** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:51 am

actually im gunna save my moms money (xmas gift) and just go with the 35watt 3000k

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:04 am

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll hopefully get them by spring.

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:16 am

i am interested in getting HIDs because i don't like the stock bulbs. in the evening i can't really see much because they are too dull. too much oncoming traffic. i am interested but i wanna get white. from what i read, the higher the number the lower the output? or is that just for the colored ones? don't you need a ballast or something? i remember reading about that. and cause i don't wanna be a jerk like some other drivers and have them aimed to high, can you aim, focus, or direct them so that the lights don't go above a certain point?(btw, not directed at anyone. i just see too many civies and other ricers with the HIDs aimed too high and i need to flip the mirror)as for Merzbow, do the HIDs just replace the bulb or is there other work to be done with the reflectors? if you have them open and want another color other than white i would say get while bulbs an then just put in a colored gel of your choice. do HID's get warm like a standard bulb, warmer or colder? thanks.

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:29 am

HIDs get really hot. A lot hotter than standard. They are perfectly safe though. So first thing you have to do is disable the Daytime Running Lights. There's a how-to on this forum, all it involves is popping a pin out of the connector behind the gauges). Most of them use the high beam voltage to run them which is why you have to disable the DRLs and run the high beams at all times when they are on. They come with ballasts which are mounted near the bulbs and the bulbs themselves which plug in directly where the stock bulbs go so now mods are needed with that regard. That's all I can think of as to the installation lol. Hope that helps.The kelvin temperature dictates what color the lights burn at. Lowest being yellow (3,000K), then white (~6,000K), aqua (~8,000K), blue (~10,000K), purple (~12,000k). I'm pretty sure that's how the temperature spectrum looks. The gas inside the bulb is what illuminates when it's heated to certain temperatures. I don't think you can just change the color using the same bulb.You can adjust them to an extent with the stock headlight housing. They have bolts to loosen or tighten that move the projection of the beam. I'm not sure if you can adjust it so the HID doesn't blind people because htey are pretty bright but it should be fine.

Truckin1999 · Post by **Truckin1999** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 11:45 pm

Just a heads up on the DRL mod. I didn't wanna mess with that on my Vibe, and I didn't have to. They are making kits now such as the one I got from Carkings that function perfectly fine with DRL's. They are powered directly from the battery, not through the factory harness. They use the voltage signal from headlights to trigger the relay. Therefore it works just the same with DRL's. Another bonus is you don't have to worry about the large current draw starting the ballasts coming through your factory headlight wires. Its a much better way to run HID's.

starmatt · Post by **starmatt** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:34 am

I have a pair of HIDs I took out of my vibe (the previous owner had installed them). I can't recall the color, but at least white (~6000K) if not hotter. The reason I took them out was because they only provided low beams and I live in a relatively dark area with lots of wild-life, so high beams are extremely useful for me. If you're interested in them, let me know and I'll check the temperature. I'd sell them for pretty cheap (they're just sitting in my basement taking up space). Also, there is a simpler (though perhaps not as desirable) solution to the DRL issue. The previous owner of mine just painted the cap to the daylight sensor black, so the lights are always on full power . Not the most elegant or reversible solution to the problem, but it works. I wish he'd just put some electrical tape on it or something like that, but he doesn't seem to have put much thought into the consequences of many of his actions regarding the car.

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 4:42 am

(removed)...yea something more temporary would have been better. Sounds like the person my buddy bought his EP Hatch from. All the guy's friends praised him for being a car god. When my friend took delivery, it took him like 3 weeks to get the plate and title from the guy. All of the aftermarket wiring from the K-Pro and stuff was run really unorthodox throughout the car lol. It was wild to see all the weird things he did to that Civic lol.Yeah if you can check the temperature relatively easily that would be great. If it's a hassle than don't worry about it.

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:32 am

Hey, can anyone tell me, does this kit have high and low beam?It said single beam, but I don't know what that means. I'm noob, help me out!http://vancouver.en.craigslist....htmlJust bought these, haven't installed them. I'll let you know how they look!

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:04 am

those are low beam only my friend. You LOSE your HIGHBEAM all together.Should have bought mine.

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:16 am

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe Â»those are low beam only my friend. You LOSE your HIGHBEAM all together.Should have bought mine. lol, damn it all. I guess I should have Oh well, they're 8000K. That should be almost as bright as high beams right?

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:21 am

Quote, originally posted by Amtron Â»lol, damn it all. I guess I should have Oh well, they're 8000K. That should be almost as bright as high beams right?they will be very blueYou also won't pass inspection with out a highbeam.so you will need to take the bulb out and unplug the kit and plug in your halogens when you need to go threw inspection

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:23 am

The higher up on the kelvin scale you go the less visable output you have.my projectors are 4300k.The plug and play kit i offered was 6000k

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:46 am

So does this mean that they will not be as bright as my halogen high beams?

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:51 am

Hey Merzbow, you're looking for HID's right? Wanna a JLM HID Single Beam Conversion Kit with 8000K bulbs off of me? Brand new, $100 shipped.

bull77 · Post by **bull77** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:17 pm

Quote, originally posted by Amtron Â»Just bought these, haven't installed them. I'll let you know how they look!man, you're on a buying spree --- i still think the 8k is to blue

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:19 pm

Haha yeah...been saving up some cash and hopefully will get some for xmas. Plus I'm getting a second job working at the World Juniors, so that should cover this! You're almost a genvibe god!! Let me be the first to congradulate you for your next post!

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:54 pm

Quote, originally posted by 13Vibe03 Â»If you haven't done a quick search and found the answer...I did and found nothing useful.and thanks for the info, you gave me what I needed!

starmatt · Post by **starmatt** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:37 am

So it doesn't say anywhere on the bulbs the temperature. Here's the kit: http://www.asianproducts.com/p...2.htm Also, you can see a picture of them before I replaced them here: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=32342. It's daylight, but I'm afraid that's all I can do for you.I'd sell them for $50 since they're not new and I broke off part of the mounting plates for one of the power supplies when I took it off (it was bolted through the wheel well and was rusted on the wheel side, not surprising in VT).

NascarXprt · Post by **NascarXprt** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 5:46 am

well i am also looking to get HIDs soon as well and i do want the blue hue to the bulbs. my only questions are 1. how much will they run, 2. what is the exact colors for the bule bulbs, 3. which would be the best place to by them, and 4. and id like to get a plug and play kit with high and low beam use.

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 6:39 am

Quote, originally posted by NascarXprt Â»well i am also looking to get HIDs soon as well and i do want the blue hue to the bulbs. my only questions are 1. how much will they run, bi-xenon will run you 150-3002. what is the exact colors for the bule bulbs,8000k would be blue, simply look at the sample photos on ebay to get a reference 3. which would be the best place to by them,any place you get them they all offer the same kit, ebay is a good start 4. and id like to get a plug and play kit with high and low beam use.If you don't like the 8000k you can simply get new bulbs for about 100bucks give or take.

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 10:06 pm

Quote, originally posted by NascarXprt Â»well i am also looking to get HIDs soon as well and i do want the blue hue to the bulbs. my only questions are 1. how much will they run, 2. what is the exact colors for the bule bulbs, 3. which would be the best place to by them, and 4. and id like to get a plug and play kit with high and low beam use.Would you want them with high and low beams? If you just want the single bulbs, I'm selling some brand new single beam HID's with the 8000K bulbs (the blue you'd probably want), for $100 shipped.

NascarXprt · Post by **NascarXprt** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:22 am

yea im looking 4 ones w/ hi and low beams. thanks anyway matt.and thanks Keith for answering my questions.

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:05 am

No problem Cole!

Kamikaze · Post by **Kamikaze** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:34 pm

Maybe a little late to the party for posting the pics, but here are a couple of pics of my bike with the HID's on.Oh, and the pics don't do it justice, sorry for the crappy pics.

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 10:58 am

That looks great on that bike. Once i decide on a headlight housing design for my Duc I hope to have a set soon

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:17 am

Quote, originally posted by Kamikaze Â»Maybe a little late to the party for posting the pics, but here are a couple of pics of my bike with the HID's on.I know I've told you before, but damn that's a sick bike.

Kamikaze · Post by **Kamikaze** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:38 am

Quote, originally posted by Amtron Â»I know I've told you before, but damn that's a sick bike.Thanks man, I can't wait to ride it again.. I hate winter. I might do some more stuff to it this year... I've got a few ideas, might do something with some red LED's, and get a different tail (moto GP single seat) I also want to get a new helmet, I love my Shoei, but want to get a all black Arai helmet.Back to the HID's, I just picked up a set of yellow fog light covers for the vibe, so my plans are to get a HID kit for the vibe this spring/summer.

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:43 am

Starmatt you have mail!