Has Anyone Noticed How Cheap HIDs are Getting?
11-17-2008, 08:34 PM
#1
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 3,047
Total Cats: 12
Has Anyone Noticed How Cheap HIDs are Getting?
Just what the title says! Getting a "group buy", I'm picking up 4 sets of HID's, one for each bike, one for my car, one for TeamPlur's "silvia", for under $400, shipped, and that's paying extra for slim ballasts. Two of those are mechanical shuttered bi-xenon, too. OMG!
I'll let you know how it turns out in the end, but seriously, that's no bad. 50 watts, and I am getting (some of them at least) in 5000k so they aren't all blue and getting attention of the cops.
-Abe.
I'll let you know how it turns out in the end, but seriously, that's no bad. 50 watts, and I am getting (some of them at least) in 5000k so they aren't all blue and getting attention of the cops.
-Abe.
Reply
0
0
11-17-2008, 08:43 PM
#2
Just what the title says! Getting a "group buy", I'm picking up 4 sets of HID's, one for each bike, one for my car, one for TeamPlur's "silvia", for under $400, shipped, and that's paying extra for slim ballasts. Two of those are mechanical shuttered bi-xenon, too. OMG!
I'll let you know how it turns out in the end, but seriously, that's no bad. 50 watts, and I am getting (some of them at least) in 5000k so they aren't all blue and getting attention of the cops.
-Abe.
I'll let you know how it turns out in the end, but seriously, that's no bad. 50 watts, and I am getting (some of them at least) in 5000k so they aren't all blue and getting attention of the cops.
-Abe.
Reply
0
0
11-18-2008, 02:57 PM
#8
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: ATL GA
Posts: 295
Total Cats: -216
how would you say HID look on the 90-97 miata with the frog eyes? do they light up the road well? do they blind other drivers? i have the hella 90w bulbs and they seem fine but i would like more light for the mountain roads. please take Pictures of some miatas with HID with pop up lights thanks. i would also like to see from the drivers point of view.
Reply
0
0
11-18-2008, 05:48 PM
#12
I don't mind my current crappy '99 $7 headlamps (non-HID). Maybe I just have good night vision but they don't bother me any. I'd like better headlamps but I don't really care. I would rather have good backup lamps, can't see jack when reversing with my windows as tinted as they are.
Reply
0
0
11-18-2008, 06:44 PM
#15
Elite Member
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 4,847
Total Cats: 27
I don't mind my current crappy '99 $7 headlamps (non-HID). Maybe I just have good night vision but they don't bother me any. I'd like better headlamps but I don't really care. I would rather have good backup lamps, can't see jack when reversing with my windows as tinted as they are.
FWIW I am running the Sylvania Silverstar Ultras. They are expensive but work well, and are of course optically correct compared to an HID retrofit. Durability is another story. It is too soon to tell on that.
Personally I hate those glaring HIDs with a crap retrofit. When they are coming at me I let them have it with my brights if no one else is caught in the crossfire.
Reply
0
0
11-18-2008, 07:02 PM
#16
I ran the super fancy SilverstarrrRRr's. They lasted me about 30 hours of use. Then one died. Same week, the other died. Finally replaced them both. Both died again after ~30 hours. Put the $7 bulbs back in and gave up. I don't know what the solution is, but it's not Silverstars. I have a set of projectors I'd like to retrofit into the stock housings. Maybe one day.
Reply
0
0
11-18-2008, 07:54 PM
#17
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 3,047
Total Cats: 12
Yep, two are going in bikes. One of those bikes has projectors, so no worried there for sure. The other, the lights are so bad, I'm afraid to ride at night.
The miata, well, I'm going to see how they look. I'm hoping the mechanically shuttered HID's with actual H4 bulbs will have a good pattern. if they don't, then they go away.
I want to do a projector conversion, I really do, but I have a feeling if I adjust them carefully and keep them low, it should be ok. I'm certainly NOT out to blind anyone, I don't want anyone who's not inside my car to know I have HIDs. I do like good lights, though, being in a friend's car with them, or having a friend ride behind me on a bike with them, makes me realize what I'm missing.
These are all 50W kits, not 35, the $60-80 kits sound like 35W. If I get them and like them, I'll put together a group buy, but I don't want to commit a bunch of people on something I don't know is good under real world testing.
As a general rule, just cause you pay more, you're not getting better. These kits I'm looking at are made under ISO9001, CE and even ROHS... :-) For ~$100 shipped, I don't feel too bad about it. I found some cheaper, but I just get a good feeling about this one. Time will tell.
Anyone have any projectors from a 2001 they want to sell to me for basically free?
The miata, well, I'm going to see how they look. I'm hoping the mechanically shuttered HID's with actual H4 bulbs will have a good pattern. if they don't, then they go away.
I want to do a projector conversion, I really do, but I have a feeling if I adjust them carefully and keep them low, it should be ok. I'm certainly NOT out to blind anyone, I don't want anyone who's not inside my car to know I have HIDs. I do like good lights, though, being in a friend's car with them, or having a friend ride behind me on a bike with them, makes me realize what I'm missing.
These are all 50W kits, not 35, the $60-80 kits sound like 35W. If I get them and like them, I'll put together a group buy, but I don't want to commit a bunch of people on something I don't know is good under real world testing.
As a general rule, just cause you pay more, you're not getting better. These kits I'm looking at are made under ISO9001, CE and even ROHS... :-) For ~$100 shipped, I don't feel too bad about it. I found some cheaper, but I just get a good feeling about this one. Time will tell.
Anyone have any projectors from a 2001 they want to sell to me for basically free?
Reply
0
0
11-19-2008, 01:30 AM
#19
Senior Member
iTrader: (10)
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: South Eastern Wisconsin
Posts: 1,274
Total Cats: 0
I ran the super fancy SilverstarrrRRr's. They lasted me about 30 hours of use. Then one died. Same week, the other died. Finally replaced them both. Both died again after ~30 hours. Put the $7 bulbs back in and gave up. I don't know what the solution is, but it's not Silverstars. I have a set of projectors I'd like to retrofit into the stock housings. Maybe one day.
Reply
0
0
11-19-2008, 02:26 AM
#20
Elite Member
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Overland Park, Kansas
Posts: 5,360
Total Cats: 43
Yeah even the good quality HID aftermarket kits are really coming down in price. Recently I purcahsed through the Mazda6club a set of Apexcone/DDM (LIFETIME WARRANTY ON WHOLE SYSTEM!!!!) for 130$ shipped, but an extra 25$ of that was for a premade relay wiring harness. Bought those for my 2000 Protege.
When I bought the Protege I noticed the lights were really dim, and one of the connectors was melting on the bulb. Replaced the bulbs with those shitty silverstars and they lasted 4 days and the drivers burn out. Replaced it, the passenger burnt out the next day. Got another full set of cheap lights, they burnt out. In all I've spent nearly 150$ in HALOGEN headlight bulbs for that ******* car, so I decided to cut my losses and buy the Apexcone HID setup. 4500k and they're perfect looking, almost identical color to my Mazdaspeed6's stock lights.
For temp, I don't know about up north but here in Kansas it gets down pretty cold sometimes and I never had an issue with bulbs going out. But, pretty cold to me is like 2*F and it doesn't stay that way for long.
Reply
0
0
