HID/Xenon Lights

[KurtMP3]

Who has them? White or Blue? How do they look....anyone know what kind we need? thanks

 

[derrick1623]

just got mine last night. i put them in in no time flat, what a difference!!! i got blueish ones. we use H4 for the headlights. i think the foglights are H3, but i haven't done them yet.

 

[KurtMP3]

How do they look? Im thinking about getting the hyper-whites...was it as easy as unscrewing the bulb and screwing the new ones in?

 

[derrick1623]

i think they look way better than the yellow-ish stock ones. my fog lights look weird being yellow,so im leaving them off till i get them changed. i had to break out the manual to figure out the clips, but...step 1. unplug the wiring harness. step 2. pop off the rubber boot on the back of the haedlight. step 3. push clip over and down,swing it out of the way. step 4. grab the middle clip on the bulb and pull out( may have to twist it to get it past the wires). step 5. replace with new bulbs, lining up the three little things sticking out on the sides of the bulbs. replace clip into plastic holder....put boots back on and hook up wire harness. done. good luck.

 

[KurtMP3]

Thanks man, appreciate the help!

 

[kep0ne]

get PIAA super plasmas......they have a slight purple tint when you look directly at them, but the beam is actually a super white...it looks really nice on the car.

 

[KurtMP3]

How much are the PIAA????

 

[kep0ne]

i get them at cost cause i have a friend who owns a shop...but retail i think is around 80 bucks. but they come with a lifetime warranty, which piaa always honors (so ive heard so far)...like carson says...you pay for what you get.

 

[Section 8]

The bulbs you guys are talking about is NOT HID and do not have any xenon gas in them. Real HIDs have a separate ballast and special bulb that makes light by discharging a arc of electricity through a capsule of xenon gas rather than a tungsten filiment like halogen lights. You can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to over $1200 for a set of real HIDs depending on the quality you want. There is absolutly no comparison between real HIDs and the "HID look" bulbs. I have a set of HIDs in my MP3, I'll try to get some pics of it later today and post them tonight.

Shawn

 

[70]

Originally posted by Section 8:
<STRONG>The bulbs you guys are talking about is NOT HID and do not have any xenon gas in them. Real HIDs have a separate ballast and special bulb that makes light by discharging a arc of electricity through a capsule of xenon gas rather than a tungsten filiment like halogen lights. You can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to over $1200 for a set of real HIDs depending on the quality you want. There is absolutly no comparison between real HIDs and the "HID look" bulbs. I have a set of HIDs in my MP3, I'll try to get some pics of it later today and post them tonight.

Shawn</STRONG>

How did you put real HID's in?? You would have to completely redo the headlight because the reflector surface in the headlight is designed for a halogen bulb, not a xenon gas discharge bulb. Xenon bulbs require a different kind of assembly to focus the light, a halogen reflector can't do that...

 

[Section 8]

Actually you're right, the stock headlamp housing is designed for halogens and not HIDs so the beam pattern isn't as perfect as it should be but it is plenty acceptable. You can buy the retrofit kits many places online but I highly suggest getting the Philips brand ones...you'll be much happier with the quality and color. Check out www.hid4less.com for some info. Here's a couple of shots of my HIDs:

You can never really capture how headlights really look with a picture though. You really need to see them in person to appreciate them. In person, they change color from pinkish to purplish just like the audi's or honda S2000's and my foglights are actually deep yellow...my crappy digital camera just can't get the colors right. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Shawn

 

[dominoy2k1]

how do i change out the fog lights? and what should i get

 

[jsesq]

Section 8

I imagine your car now looks even more like a Lexus IS 300 at night.

 

[Section 8]

I imagine your car now looks even more like a Lexus IS 300 at night.

Actually it looks very similar but the foglights still aren't as deep rich yellow on my car as it is on the Lexus'. I'm using the PIAA Plasma Yellow bulbs and they look pretty good and throw out quite a bit of yellow light onto the road, but when you look directly at them, they aren't that beautiful deep yellow you see on the Lexus.

Shawn

 

[jsesq]

Section 8

Are you still using the stock fog light housings with new bulbs, or did you get a whole new lamp kit?

 

[LinuxRacr]

Section 8,

You get some stars for this!

 

[KurtMP3]

Looks good Section 8....ya i have the same question as jsesq "Are you still using the stock fog light housings with new bulbs, or did you get a whole new lamp kit?"

let me know...looks damn good though

 

[LinuxRacr]

What did you have to do install these?

 

[LinuxRacr]

Nevermind, I talked to a rep on the phone. These are supposed to be of great quality (German Components). They have a 5 year warranty. Even if they burn out, it is covered! The electronic control unit is also covered! Our wiring harness plugs right in to the unit, and it is ready.

 

[jsesq]

By the way,

I replaced the factory bulbs with PIAA Xtreme White 60/55w (4150 K).

They certainly make a difference and the high beam is outstanding. I have been in cars that have the true HID lamps and I agree that the HID's are better. But the Xtreme white's are noticeably better (and whiter) than the factory bulbs. I try to look at my reflection in chrome bumpers and low, reflective windows and they look pretty white - not much blue tint at all.

I got them from Wholesale Hyperformance for $63.