HID reviews

[Da Wyrm]

Hello everyone! Long-time-lurker-turned-member here.

To those who have HIDs:

Which brand do you recommend?

Which vendor do you recommend?

Are they THAT good? (I know they're AWESOME, but I mean on a car that has "regular" headlight housings vs. a projector like how it's "supposed" to be)

I asking this, because I want to a kit for my car (2002 plain Protege). I keep reading conflicts. Most love them, veeerry rare did people take them out to revert back to Halogen, and others insist not to do it unless you actually install projectors, etc. I am not looking for cool purple colors or anything; I want to be able to see farther down the road when it's dark whether it's raining, snowing, dry, etc. I want to make sure they're a good investment, and that people aren't loving them because they spent the cash, or others aren't putting down HID-only because they put in the time to install projectors, etc. I hope I make sense. I am not looking for bias. I read articles, and I get conflicts there, too. So I am now asking people who ahve them on their Mazdas to answer the questions above.

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[ghetto waggon]

I am beginning to come to the conclusion that all of the new cheap kits shipping out of canada are trash.

The local crowd here has almost unanimously experienced a problem with the relays and flickering after about a year.

They are damn nice, especially in the 6-6500k color range, but $2-300 a year is too much!

Maybe its just us?

Hello everyone! Long-time-lurker-turned-member here.

To those who have HIDs:

Which brand do you recommend?

Which vendor do you recommend?

Are they THAT good? (I know they're AWESOME, but I mean on a car that has "regular" headlight housings vs. a projector like how it's "supposed" to be)

I asking this, because I want to a kit for my car (2002 plain Protege). I keep reading conflicts. Most love them, veeerry rare did people take them out to revert back to Halogen, and others insist not to do it unless you actually install projectors, etc. I am not looking for cool purple colors or anything; I want to be able to see farther down the road when it's dark whether it's raining, snowing, dry, etc. I want to make sure they're a good investment, and that people aren't loving them because they spent the cash, or others aren't putting down HID-only because they put in the time to install projectors, etc. I hope I make sense. I am not looking for bias. I read articles, and I get conflicts there, too. So I am now asking people who ahve them on their Mazdas to answer the questions above.

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[Da Wyrm]

I am beginning to come to the conclusion that all of the new cheap kits shipping out of canada are trash.

The local crowd here has almost unanimously experienced a problem with the relays and flickering after about a year.

They are damn nice, especially in the 6-6500k color range, but $2-300 a year is too much!

Maybe its just us?

This is EXACTLY the stuff I am looking for. Except for one thing - can you tell me which are the ones from Canada, so I know to avoid them, please?

Keep em comin!

 

[Joe Cool]

I am beginning to come to the conclusion that all of the new cheap kits shipping out of canada are trash.

The local crowd here has almost unanimously experienced a problem with the relays and flickering after about a year.

They are damn nice, especially in the 6-6500k color range, but $2-300 a year is too much!

Maybe its just us?

I thought they came with a warranty - most lifetime. So why $2-300 a year?

Like Da Wyrm asks: which of those companies should we avoid?

 

[novAKs47]

I've got the Helios HID's, in 5000K. They are pure white in their output. After using these for about a year now, there is no going back to halogens. The color-less light is so much more useful. The only "downside" to them is there are no high beams, but their increased light output makes the lack of highs irrelevant. I'm very happen with them. And in my opinion, projectors are severly over-rated. I'm sure someone will get all wounded over that statement, but so be it. They're too directional, and they don't seem as bright as good ol' reflectors. For example, whenever I pull up to a Beemer with projectors, my lights wash out theirs. I have seen some projectors that were OK at best, but not worth all the praise they get in my opinion. Now, they won't allow you to see farther down the road, like you said you're looking for, due to the light cut-off being exactly the same. They will however allow you to see much better within their normal range. In summary, they're worth every penny. Hope that helps!

 

[Da Wyrm]

Thanks!

Good to hear! I actually purchased 6000K bi-xenons earlier. I wanted to go lower, but 6000K is the lowest Kalvin in bi-xenons. Can't wait to try them out. Should get the car back in a couple weeks from the bodyshop. Now the anticipation is gonna kill me.

Thanks!

I've got the Helios HID's, in 5000K. They are pure white in their output. After using these for about a year now, there is no going back to halogens. The color-less light is so much more useful. The only "downside" to them is there are no high beams, but their increased light output makes the lack of highs irrelevant. I'm very happen with them. And in my opinion, projectors are severly over-rated. I'm sure someone will get all wounded over that statement, but so be it. They're too directional, and they don't seem as bright as good ol' reflectors. For example, whenever I pull up to a Beemer with projectors, my lights wash out theirs. I have seen some projectors that were OK at best, but not worth all the praise they get in my opinion. Now, they won't allow you to see farther down the road, like you said you're looking for, due to the light cut-off being exactly the same. They will however allow you to see much better within their normal range. In summary, they're worth every penny. Hope that helps!

 

[got_titan]

i have a set of mcullough hid's in my nissan titan and they are unbelievable...the light output is tremendous...i have the 6000k and ill never drive another vehicle that i own without them. i bought mine from ebay over 2 years ago and no problems yet...they light up fast and have a blue hue to the light...i have had probably 20 people ask what kind of light i have..great mod!!

 

[Protege2886]

I have a set of 6000K bi-xenons installed on my protege right now. They are amazing ! When you turn on the highbeams it's as if a wall of white light just appears in front of you.

To give you a rough idea of what to expect:

There is a dispute over whether it's worth it to install HIDs without projectors, but for the most part I'd say go for it. IMHO the only time the projectors would really come in handy would be when it is rainy out. That is the only time that I don't REALLY notice the white light on the ground in front of me. All the street signs still light up though.

Good to hear! I actually purchased 6000K bi-xenons earlier. I wanted to go lower, but 6000K is the lowest Kalvin in bi-xenons. Can't wait to try them out. Should get the car back in a couple weeks from the bodyshop. Now the anticipation is gonna kill me.

Thanks!

 

[Joe Cool]

Protege2886 - PM'ed you

Protege2886 - PM'ed you

I have a set of 6000K bi-xenons installed on my protege right now. They are amazing ! When you turn on the highbeams it's as if a wall of white light just appears in front of you.

To give you a rough idea of what to expect:

There is a dispute over whether it's worth it to install HIDs without projectors, but for the most part I'd say go for it. IMHO the only time the projectors would really come in handy would be when it is rainy out. That is the only time that I don't REALLY notice the white light on the ground in front of me. All the street signs still light up though.

 

[DiS]

not to be a dick but here's some info on retrofitting...and why it's illigal. That way you'll know why exactly you're getting pulled over or whatever when you have HIDs installed, hehe (thumb)

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123631466&highlight=retrofitting

 

[kudakev615]

that beam pattern looks PATCHY

 

[Da Wyrm]

not to be a dick but here's some info on retrofitting...and why it's illigal. That way you'll know why exactly you're getting pulled over or whatever when you have HIDs installed, hehe (thumb)

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123631466&highlight=retrofitting

Damn. That dude needs to get laid. (butthump) I read that whole thread, and I'll thank him for the information; but s*** he's a violent one. Looks like he's hellbent on getting the word out and stopping every person in the world who gets HIDs. (jerkit) He talks about how illegal it is, blah^3. Many mods are illegal, from tint to a damn license plate frame. Technically, a license plate frame is illegal (at least in IL). Yes, even the ones the dealer puts on your car. But I'm not gonna write an angry ass post about it. I mean damn, to start off a post with "All rebutals regarding HID retrofits WILL NOT be tollerated as it's been clearly explained that they don't work as intended and testimonies stating "they work fine" are without any scientific basis which means they're WRONG." just doesn't let anyone even comment w/o fear. Screw him. (fu) Pisses me off with so many kissing his ass, too. One person argued, and he jumped all over him, since he made a "rebuttal." I'm sure that guy, TheMAN, drives over the speed limit and has some illegal mods on his car.

Whatever... (yawn)

 

[Protege2886]

I wouldn't get too stressed out about it. He posted some information and people can interpret it how they want to.

It answered some questions for me but at the same time I kind of shrugged it off too - right around the spot where he said that D2R / D2S bulbs shouldn't be put in H4, H1, H7 etc sockets - D2R/ D2S are a type of bulb just like H4 etc. so I don't know why ppl would be putting them in the wrong socket.

You make a good point though a lot of things we do to our cars are illegal. You just have to be prepared to suffer the consequences if you get caught. That's what I haven't sold any of my stock parts.

 

[Da Wyrm]

It answered some questions for me but at the same time I kind of shrugged it off too - right around the spot where he said that D2R / D2S bulbs shouldn't be put in H4, H1, H7 etc sockets - D2R/ D2S are a type of bulb just like H4 etc. so I don't know why ppl would be putting them in the wrong socket.

Heh. I thought the same thing. In fact, I read that part a couple times.

Well, we'll see how my bi-xenon HIDs work when I get my car back from the bodyshop (hopefully this week). More people seem happy here than disappointed, which is why I originated this thread, which coincidentally, didn't really answer my original questions. I dumped the $ anyway to see for myself. Reviews & pix to follow. Now, to find time to drive 4 hours to pick up my car - and 4 hours back. Accidents during a roadtrip suck! <sigh> (headshake I guess it'll be a nice test when I'm driving back in the moutains of PA going back to D.C.

 

[Protege2886]

Man I wish I had that kind of time to drive my car. Mine's parked for the winter...in my driveway!!! ( My dad pulled rank and stole the garage for his beamer).

So now I have to wait for mild sunny days to go and rip around the block for a quick 5 mins and then go back to driving my mom's van or my sister's VW (both automatic )

 

[DiS]

another reason why I disagree with people who retrofit HID's in their regular non-projector housing, is when they're driving towards you, you're ****** blind one way or another. You can say whatever you want, but until you re-aim your headlights down, I still don't like people who retrofit the HID's.

 

[Da Wyrm]

Man I wish I had that kind of time to drive my car. Mine's parked for the winter...in my driveway!!! ( My dad pulled rank and stole the garage for his beamer).

So now I have to wait for mild sunny days to go and rip around the block for a quick 5 mins and then go back to driving my mom's van or my sister's VW (both automatic )

Yeah, time is totally of the essence. Ironically, I was driving 700 miles to visit a friend in ICU who was hit by a pickup 2 days prior as he was walking across the street, and then we get into our own accident. We already didnt have time to do a road trip, but now here we are, stuck in a roach motel in Austintown-friggin-Ohio where next door is LITERALLY strip club/spa/massage parlor/truck stop. The only thing we had going for us is that it was Thanksgiving weekend.

Hey, sisters VW shouldnt be too bad. I dig the vee-dubs! Unless its a bright yellow Beetle? ;-)

 

[MSP608]

whats the difference between an sti's headlights and some other car with retrofitted hid's? the 04-05 sti doesnt have a projector but most certainly has nice hid's.

but yea as for a first hand account: i have the 9k hi/lo kit from xenon-shop. i will say that i love the light, looks great, i can see alot more, but it was a pain to install. yes its plug and play but you have to find room to cram all that stuff in your engine bay (was not an easy task at all) ie igniter ballast and what not. the instructions werent all that helpful either. at first i only got high beams but i switched some resistor around and it works fine now. but nothing like what the instructions say. also the rubber grommet that keeps water out and what not on the housing doesnt fit at all. i had to get my brother to pull a mcgyver with the stock and new one to get it to work hold. it was also kinda annoying working with 'xenon-shop' on here. i was sent the wrong bulbs and it took way too much effort to get that corrected. i am in no way bashing im just saying i expected a little better customer service.

so for my overall opinion i say theyre awesome, just never want to have to install them ever again. hope this helps.

edit: just for reference by 9k bulbs look very blue in pictures but are actually a very bright white, almost purple. not sure how the 6k are. i could post pics if you want.

 

[Protege2886]

so for my overall opinion i say theyre awesome, just never want to have to install them ever again. hope this helps.

That is totally the opposite of the experience I had - granted my friend (BRIANMP5T) did all the work - but he said that it was a really simple kit to install. For the rubber protector - we simply took a socket that was matched the diameter of the bulb and exact-o'ed the hole to fit.

The jumble of wires on the drivers side is kind of a mess but with enough zip ties you can make anything look clean.

 

[novAKs47]

another reason why I disagree with people who retrofit HID's in their regular non-projector housing, is when they're driving towards you, you're ****** blind one way or another. You can say whatever you want, but until you re-aim your headlights down, I still don't like people who retrofit the HID's.

True, retrofiting HID's from one car that came with them to a car that didn't never seems to work right, and DOES blind everyone else. However, converting to HID's that use the same exact bulb base as what came stock seems to work just fine, and not blind everyone. Especially when you keep that little bracket-thingy that's in our housings. The cut-off is exactly the same. And yes, the light you get if your heading towards me is a little brighter, but not enough to be considered blinding. But, I'm sure someone out there considers anything brighter than barely functioning halogens to be too bright. lol No worries, to each their own.