Im getting HID's in my truck in a couple weeks! Cant wait. This is the company I am looking to purchase from, do they look good? What color temperature should I get, 4300, 6000, 8000, or 10000 kelvin? Does anyone know if they are legal in virginia? I would think so cause so many of the newer cars have them. Also, what bulbs should I use for the corner lights to match the hid? Im probably going to get the 8000k unless you guys suggest something else.

 

lower kelvin temperatures(k) equals higher light output... dont be fooled by thinking a 10000k will outperform 4300k. I would honestly go with 4300 because its the brighest and most commonly used. if you want blue tint to the light and good output go for 6000k.
Also, im pretty (99.2%) sure that retrofit HID kits are illegal in all states. The reason so is because they are blinding people on the road. the reason that the ones that come stock arent is due to the fact that they are properly aimed to the road and have a very difinitive cut off line as to not blind on coming traffic...

hope this helps.

beaux

 

if i aimed them properly it should be ok right? would it be an automatic inspection failure? lol, i know a lot of ppl on this forum have hids, or do you just swap out the system for inspection?

 

im not exactly sure on that, because there is always a way around the inspection. many of the HID systems today simply plug into your existing sockets, so when it comes time to inspect, unplug the HID and plug in your old headlights...

for more detail, you might want to search about HID lighting in this forum and maybe even contact some of the people who have HID kits installed.

Good Luck

Beaux

 

I dont know much about HIDs, but i do know Phillips make real good kits. A lot of those cheaper kits arent worth the money, the break easily. If you want brighter lights...get some aux.


just my .02

Matt

 

or you could save a ton of money and get some sylvania silverstars... claim to run at 4100k, im betting they inflate it a lil.. but, they light things up white and have great distance.. dont look completely 'white' when looking at the truck all lit up, but, i mean if you can save $250...

oh yea, plus.. you won't have to worry about inspection..

 

Silverstars have nothing on HID. I had Silverstars and moved to 4300k HID. I agree, stay in the 4100-4300k range. That's OEM on most HID-equipped vehicles. I wouldn't buy a kit that doesn't have either Hella, Bosch, or Philips (Osram) ballasts. I don't see you passing inspection with them. Proper aiming is most important. After my projector retrofit I went to Pepboys. $20 for a 2 hour aim After you get HID you won't wanna go back.

 

Unless you have projector bulbs, your beam pattern will be all over the place, which is why it's illeal. There's no cut-off. You need true projector lenses to get the best lighting out of using HIDs.

 

so they will still aim them even though they are hid?

 

They're projectors, so yes. I'm not sure if just an HID kit will aim. Maybe pull the lens on your headlamp and paint the inside of the lamp black.

 

I have seen that some H4 bulbs come with sheilds to help with the blinding of other drivers

 

I would strongly recommend getting a factory kit like from lexus, audi. etc. Replacement bulbs for the kit you'll get might go out of stock or even might not be available later. I went with lexus kit due to the reliability factor. And yes I did get the H4 adaptor kit from http://www.casperselectronics.com/Me.../merchant.mvc?. It's not a perfect beam pattern because our housing is not designed for HIDs but its decent. Without the shield it would look like you have highbeams on all the time...

 

I'll try to take some pics of mine tonight. One HID one Silverstar.

 

pics would be great, thanks.

 

Get the 6K bulbs...they have the best combination of looks and light output.

I don't know anything about inspection failure. Is that an East coast thing?

 

So just go to a lexus dealership and ask for a factory hid kit? (i dont want projectors cause i Have to cut up the housing.) what bulbs did you use for the corner lights, they match well with the hid's.

 

yea on the east coast you have to get a yearly inspection, i think on the west coast all you need is an emissions inspection, right?

 

6k would look cool

 

Doesn't anyone worry about blinding other drivers with such powerful lights? Luckily now that I have my lift, I'm not so low as to be quite as blinded by other cars' HID's but in other cars I feel like I have about 10 seconds of complete fly-by-wire, and it's quite unsettling...

 

Mine are 8,300K "Diamond blue."