DDM Tuning HID kit

calebian21

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2015 Subaru WRX
So, I couldn't quite convince myself that the Morimoto kits were worth $150, so I looked for alternatives. I found DDM Tuning kits starting at like $30. I went with an upgraded set of them that cost me a total of $60, on sale with free shipping. They have a lifetime warranty on the upgraded stuff. I wanted something brighter than my stock lights and first I tried some LED's from VLED. They were terrible. Like almost worse than stock bad. I didn't expect a lot from the DDM kit, but it was cheap so I figured I'd try it. I am beyond happy with it. The hot spot is high and right at the cutoff and there isn't a lot of bleed off. Anyone else have any experience with DDM?
 
I have a 35W 3500K set in projector fogs on my '97 Golf. Quite happy.

I bought the cheap kit years ago and earlier this year finally got the car's fog housings modified to fit the HID bulbs (the back part of them is really long). Found out one of the ballasts (black slim one) had gone bad while sitting on a shelf for a couple years so they let me pick from a few different warranty options. I opted to send a pic of the bad ballast with the lead deliberately cut (thus somewhat destroying it) and, for I think $15, they sent me an upgraded one (fatter, silver, with mounting bracket) and I didn't have to worry about sending anything back. The side with the new ballast warms up noticeably faster and settles on a color that's slightly whiter than the old ballast. The final color might be due to bulb manufacturing variation, though. In theory, I could claim the other ballast is bad and, for $15, have it upgraded to match.

If I were to do HID's in the MZ5, I'd go for the upgraded DDM kit like you did or struggle to justify the Morimotos.
 
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I really have to recommend against running HID capsules in halogen projectors if there's another alternative. While the design of a projector will ensure that you get a sharp cutoff almost regardless of what light source you have, off-center light like HIDs must produce will give blotchiness and hot spots - proper HID projectors usually have a wider bell to spread light more evenly to the sides. Some may not rise to the level of bothering a driver - a hotspot in the near foreground often makes drivers comforted by the light while at the same time reducing their seeing ability.

I can't recommend the H9+HIR1 combination enough for the MZ5. It gives a very even flood of light and I don't think that going brighter would be worth it. The main disadvantage (shorter bulb life with the H9) isn't a big deal as changing the bulb in the 5 is so easy. With the main beams on I have 9000 lumens going out the front and can see through time... ;)

Ruby
2013 Mazda5 Sport 6mt
 
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