Hid Lights

[coderighter]

So....which bulb, 5k or 6k. I know 5k has more light but the slight blue in the 6k might get someones attention before they hit me,....... or maybe not.

[Hoover]

If you are set on going with HID's I would suggest 3K to reduce as much glare as possible.

[teksdailyride]

I agree with hoover the 3k r the best option if ur lookin for function over form. They use the 3k because the yellow tint reflects back better then the white or blue light and u dont blind people too bad.

[AnikMankar]

I prefer the range 5K and 4K. I have fitted 4.8K - they are really very bright and white.

here is the range of the colors

Color Temprature 2K to 12K.JPG

[ermisVFR]

So....which bulb, 5k or 6k. I know 5k has more light but the slight blue in the 6k might get someones attention before they hit me,....... or maybe not.

6K same temperature as the sunlight. I have used them, they are great and work better in fog. Unfortunately in Europe are not legal.

It is better to buy the bulbs separately. The bulbs of a kit are usually of low quality.

Edited October 27, 2009 by ermisVFR

[coderighter]

So....which bulb, 5k or 6k. I know 5k has more light but the slight blue in the 6k might get someones attention before they hit me,....... or maybe not.

6K same temperature as the sunlight. I have used them, they are great and work better in fog. Unfortunately in Europe are not legal.

It is better to buy the bulbs separately. The bulbs of a kit are usually of low quality.

Can you recommend a good place to get bulbs?

[V4 Rosso]

6K same temperature as the sunlight. I have used them, they are great and work better in fog. Unfortunately in Europe are not legal.

Not all of Europe. I have 6K and and here you can have a colour temperature up to 8K. If I have to replace the bulb it will be a lower temp bulb.

[Terminex]

I have used 3000K, 5000K, and 6000K on vehicles in the past 6 months.

I will never use 3000K again as they are yellow, and do not illuminate the road nearly as well as the 5 or 6K.

Between the 5k & 6K I think it is just personal preference of whether or not you want the blue tint.

I am running the 5K with the slight blue tint on my '07 VFR.

I am running the 6K pure white on my '08 CBR1000RR.

It is mostly up to you personal preference. The only advice I will provide, is ensure that you get a kit that has slim DIGITAL ballasts. It makes it real easy as it is plug & play, and you no longer need to run a wire directly to the battery. You can get these kits for $50 from ebay. (I have put half a dozen on my vehicles, and friends vehicles in the past few months since they are so inexpensive now)

Cheers:-)

[Guest elwray]

Speaking strictly in luminosity, I believe the peak output of HID lights is at 4300k.

I'm still a noob on the VFR scene, but I looked into this quite a bit when I was searching for a plug and play kit for my WRX.

I went with the 5000k 35W Raptor kit from DDM Tuning:

http://www.ddmtuning.com/products/Raptor_B...Kit-102-85.html

Fast shipping and great price, great reputation!

I believe the low beams on the 6th gen VFR are an H4 high/low bulb, however the "high" circuit is never engaged (unless you've modified it to do so). In that case, you SHOULD be able to use the H4 kit from them, and save the $20 they are asking for the Hi/Lo setup.

The 5000k burn with a slight blue hue to them when see from outside the car, and noticeably whiter light output than my Sylvania Silverstar high beams when driving.

Side by side, a 5000k HID will look blue compared to a halogen. Side by side, a 5000k will look considerably whiter than a 6000k.

On one hand, once you're above 5000k you're trading light output for "looks". On the other hand, HIDs output SO much damn light that even with the output lost in, say an 8000k kit (purpleish) you're still blowing halogens away. That being said, I wouldn't go with an 8000k because I personally think they look stupid (though they are noticeable!!) My opinion would be go for 5000-6000k 35W. If you opt for the 55W, you will need to run a relay since you shouldn't put that much through the stock wiring. It's a high amp draw at startup.

Also a personal opinion: I don't like HIDs for highbeam setups like ours (low and high beams separate bulbs) because the beams DO take a second or two to fully ignite. This makes it almost impossible to flip your highbeam at someone.

Anything I wrote pertaining to the VFR electrical system take with a grain of salt; I think it's accurate but I'm still learning!!

[StuntManDan]

I've got 10k installed on my bike I'll take some pics, the blue light looks sweet and it's about 2x as bright as before. make sure you get a kit with slim ballast, their solid state and can handle more vibration and shock. I'll take some pics with it lined up with my wife's sv650sfr. the light broadcast is the same even pattern as oem but they are brighter, and as a result more annoying to others. the advantage is they run at lower wattage 35w vs 55w, are more reliable because they don't have a filament, and i don't think I'll ever have a need to use my high beams again.

[Guest elwray]

I've got 10k installed on my bike I'll take some pics, the blue light looks sweet and it's about 2x as bright as before. make sure you get a kit with slim ballast, their solid state and can handle more vibration and shock. I'll take some pics with it lined up with my wife's sv650sfr. the light broadcast is the same even pattern as oem but they are brighter, and as a result more annoying to others. the advantage is they run at lower wattage 35w vs 55w, are more reliable because they don't have a filament, and i don't think I'll ever have a need to use my high beams again.

Can you also take pictures against a wall in the dark progressively getting farther away? I'm curious what the cutoff/glare is like with the reflector housing.

[StuntManDan]

I've got 10k installed on my bike I'll take some pics, the blue light looks sweet and it's about 2x as bright as before. make sure you get a kit with slim ballast, their solid state and can handle more vibration and shock. I'll take some pics with it lined up with my wife's sv650sfr. the light broadcast is the same even pattern as oem but they are brighter, and as a result more annoying to others. the advantage is they run at lower wattage 35w vs 55w, are more reliable because they don't have a filament, and i don't think I'll ever have a need to use my high beams again.

Can you also take pictures against a wall in the dark progressively getting farther away? I'm curious what the cutoff/glare is like with the reflector housing.

Here's some pic's in my garage, it's really windy outside and when I took these it was raining, now it's still windy and too sunny. I'll try to get some pic's tonight if the wind dies down. I mounted the slim ballasts in the inner fenders. because they use H4 bulbs instead of 9006's the bulbs have spade connections which make the wiring a little messy and a pain because of the space constrains.

here's a link to the company I bought my kit from, when I got the kit it had a defective ballast, they were very helpful with some troubleshooting before I sent the one back, I think I mailed it back to them on a Monday and got the replacement on Thursday, same day turnaround since I live in ohio and they're in Florida. it's been installed for 5mo's without any problems. I would by from them again, in fact I'm seriously thinking of getting another kit for my Caravan.

http://www.xerayusa.com/hid/hidkit-10000k.php

[MRHEAT]

I used a guy on EBAY LIGHTING 623 for my hid's he charges 9.99 for what ever bulb you want,and the shipping is 39.00- and he charges extra for the slim ballast hope that helps

[coderighter]

I used a guy on EBAY LIGHTING 623 for my hid's he charges 9.99 for what ever bulb you want,and the shipping is 39.00- and he charges extra for the slim ballast hope that helps

You sure about the name, couldn't find them on ebay. Normally, I avoid those who change little for product but a lot for shipping since it limits any refunds or returns to the purchase price, which is why they do this. The cost should be $39.00 and the shipping $9.00 dollars. They way they do it any return or refund would be $9.00 (the purchase price). That being said, if you had good luck with them, I'd like the name.

[Terminex]

I used a guy on EBAY LIGHTING 623 for my hid's he charges 9.99 for what ever bulb you want,and the shipping is 39.00- and he charges extra for the slim ballast hope that helps

You sure about the name, couldn't find them on ebay. Normally, I avoid those who change little for product but a lot for shipping since it limits any refunds or returns to the purchase price, which is why they do this. The cost should be $39.00 and the shipping $9.00 dollars. They way they do it any return or refund would be $9.00 (the purchase price). That being said, if you had good luck with them, I'd like the name.

I always use a vendor called "zgperformance" on ebay. $55 a set with free shipping. (I also prefer to pay for the item and get free, or cheap shi[pping just in case. I have bought over a dozen sets from him now over the past year.

I even bought one set for a friend who didn't want the blue tint. I ordered the 3000K for him, but they were too yellow. This vendor allowed me to send back the bulbs and get them swapped for a different color, at NO CHARGE even though the change was our choice.

HID kit

Edited November 1, 2009 by Terminex

[coderighter]

I used a guy on EBAY LIGHTING 623 for my hid's he charges 9.99 for what ever bulb you want,and the shipping is 39.00- and he charges extra for the slim ballast hope that helps

You sure about the name, couldn't find them on ebay. Normally, I avoid those who change little for product but a lot for shipping since it limits any refunds or returns to the purchase price, which is why they do this. The cost should be $39.00 and the shipping $9.00 dollars. They way they do it any return or refund would be $9.00 (the purchase price). That being said, if you had good luck with them, I'd like the name.

I always use a vendor called "zgperformance" on ebay. $55 a set with free shipping. (I also prefer to pay for the item and get free, or cheap shi[pping just in case. I have bought over a dozen sets from him now over the past year.

I even bought one set for a friend who didn't want the blue tint. I ordered the 3000K for him, but they were too yellow. This vendor allowed me to send back the bulbs and get them swapped for a different color, at NO CHARGE even though the change was our choice.

HID kit

Thanks for the tip. I noticed the listing is for $59.99. Is did you "best offer" him $55.00 and he accepted?

[StuntManDan]

I used a guy on EBAY LIGHTING 623 for my hid's he charges 9.99 for what ever bulb you want,and the shipping is 39.00- and he charges extra for the slim ballast hope that helps

You sure about the name, couldn't find them on ebay. Normally, I avoid those who change little for product but a lot for shipping since it limits any refunds or returns to the purchase price, which is why they do this. The cost should be $39.00 and the shipping $9.00 dollars. They way they do it any return or refund would be $9.00 (the purchase price). That being said, if you had good luck with them, I'd like the name.

I always thought they did that to reduce the Ebay charges, I guess it's a double win for them. lately Ebay hasn't been the super saver it was in the past. i regularly find stuff cheaper on online stores when I'm looking for something specific and special.

Anyway here are the pics at distances in my driveway. Take into account that my driveway slopes to the street, at 40ft away it's about 2ft lower. Each panel on my garage is 2ft high.

This was taken at 10ft away

This was taken at about 20ft, keep in mind that the light pattern would be about 1ft lower.

This was taken at about 40ft, again this would be about 2ft lower if the ground was perfectly level.

I think the most important thing is that the pattern is even and that they're no spikes in the pattern. On the kit that I bought, the bulbs came with a blinder on them to block the bulbs light output from the bottom of the headlight assembly, this is important because the light from the bottom is projected up, and gives a highbeam effect.

when I did all my hunting on the internet the slim ballasts all look the same and are probably made in the same factory in china. I did notice a difference in the bulbs, wether they had a blinder and how the blinder was shaped, was the only real variable. I would imagine that since the slim ballast are solid state; if you get a set that works at the beginning they'll last forever, but I would also assume that they have a high defective rate from the factory given their low cost, keep that in mind when picking a seller.

[Knife]

It doesn't appear from your photos that these bulbs provide the same width of coverage as the standard bulbs. This is important where I live because of the deer problem. My standard bulbs light up the shoulders of the road incredibly well, as well as provide great distance coverage. In fact, it's amazing how well and how far they illuminate everything.

When you're on the road, do these bulbs improve significantly upon width and distance of coverage? I don't want to lose anything just for the sake of having a bulb with a "cool" color. But if they are a significant improvement, I do want to get them. Anybody?

[Guest elwray]

I always thought they did that to reduce the Ebay charges, I guess it's a double win for them. lately Ebay hasn't been the super saver it was in the past. i regularly find stuff cheaper on online stores when I'm looking for something specific and special.

Anyway here are the pics at distances in my driveway. Take into account that my driveway slopes to the street, at 40ft away it's about 2ft lower. Each panel on my garage is 2ft high.

This was taken at 10ft away

This was taken at about 20ft, keep in mind that the light pattern would be about 1ft lower.

This was taken at about 40ft, again this would be about 2ft lower if the ground was perfectly level.

I think the most important thing is that the pattern is even and that they're no spikes in the pattern. On the kit that I bought, the bulbs came with a blinder on them to block the bulbs light output from the bottom of the headlight assembly, this is important because the light from the bottom is projected up, and gives a highbeam effect.

when I did all my hunting on the internet the slim ballasts all look the same and are probably made in the same factory in china. I did notice a difference in the bulbs, wether they had a blinder and how the blinder was shaped, was the only real variable. I would imagine that since the slim ballast are solid state; if you get a set that works at the beginning they'll last forever, but I would also assume that they have a high defective rate from the factory given their low cost, keep that in mind when picking a seller.

There actually isn't too much glare considering it's a halogen reflector housing. The only thing you don't get with the reflector instead of projector is there is no cutoff at the top. Thanks for the pictures! Does anyone flash the highbeams at you thinking you have yours on at night?

[ermisVFR]

6K same temperature as the sunlight. I have used them, they are great and work better in fog. Unfortunately in Europe are not legal.

Not all of Europe. I have 6K and and here you can have a colour temperature up to 8K. If I have to replace the bulb it will be a lower temp bulb.

Here in Greece, and in Italy, the first and most important reason is that you must have a system that automatically stabilizes the beam horizontally (usually from a sensor in back axle).

The second that you must have headlight wipers and the third that the low and high beam should not operate in the same time.

Furthermore, insurance companies could not pay damages when there is a modification like this (there is such a case in Italy).

[coderighter]

I used a guy on EBAY LIGHTING 623 for my hid's he charges 9.99 for what ever bulb you want,and the shipping is 39.00- and he charges extra for the slim ballast hope that helps

You sure about the name, couldn't find them on ebay. Normally, I avoid those who change little for product but a lot for shipping since it limits any refunds or returns to the purchase price, which is why they do this. The cost should be $39.00 and the shipping $9.00 dollars. They way they do it any return or refund would be $9.00 (the purchase price). That being said, if you had good luck with them, I'd like the name.

I always thought they did that to reduce the Ebay charges, I guess it's a double win for them. lately Ebay hasn't been the super saver it was in the past. i regularly find stuff cheaper on online stores when I'm looking for something specific and special.

I think the most important thing is that the pattern is even and that they're no spikes in the pattern. On the kit that I bought, the bulbs came with a blinder on them to block the bulbs light output from the bottom of the headlight assembly, this is important because the light from the bottom is projected up, and gives a highbeam effect.

when I did all my hunting on the internet the slim ballasts all look the same and are probably made in the same factory in china. I did notice a difference in the bulbs, wether they had a blinder and how the blinder was shaped, was the only real variable. I would imagine that since the slim ballast are solid state; if you get a set that works at the beginning they'll last forever, but I would also assume that they have a high defective rate from the factory given their low cost, keep that in mind when picking a seller.

Good point, never thought about the Ebay charges.

I've noticed three types of H4 bulbs. Ones with the shield, like yours. The ones with the hood that has a tail. And the ones with nothing. Has anyone ever used the ones with the hood?

[ermisVFR]

So....which bulb, 5k or 6k. I know 5k has more light but the slight blue in the 6k might get someones attention before they hit me,....... or maybe not.

6K same temperature as the sunlight. I have used them, they are great and work better in fog. Unfortunately in Europe are not legal.

It is better to buy the bulbs separately. The bulbs of a kit are usually of low quality.

Can you recommend a good place to get bulbs?

I just bought them from a local store. The original (Chineze) bulbs had bad geometry and after 350 hours of use lost 40% of the initial luminosity.

In the following photo you can see the diversion of the axis of the cheap bulb.

The respective diversion from the top to the bottom of the more expensive bulb is much less

So even when the cheap bulbs are new the bad geometry causes bad focusing.

Right focusing is when there is a definite separation between the dark and the bright areas

The two bulbs side by side. The left one is dull

About the cost; there are three categories cheap 15, good 35, best 55 euro each bulb, but these are prices in a local store more than a year ago.

[coderighter]

So....which bulb, 5k or 6k. I know 5k has more light but the slight blue in the 6k might get someones attention before they hit me,....... or maybe not.

6K same temperature as the sunlight. I have used them, they are great and work better in fog. Unfortunately in Europe are not legal.

It is better to buy the bulbs separately. The bulbs of a kit are usually of low quality.

Can you recommend a good place to get bulbs?

I just bought them from a local store. The original (Chineze) bulbs had bad geometry and after 350 hours of use lost 40% of the initial luminosity.

About the cost; there are three categories cheap 15, good 35, best 55 euro each bulb, but these are prices in a local store more than a year ago.

You seem pretty bright about this HID thing.(Sorry, bad pun) Maybe you can answer why some H4 low bulbs have a shield on bottom, while some have a cap on the end with a short tail down the bottom, while still others have nothing at all. Which type am I after for my 6th Gen?

[ermisVFR]

So....which bulb, 5k or 6k. I know 5k has more light but the slight blue in the 6k might get someones attention before they hit me,....... or maybe not.

6K same temperature as the sunlight. I have used them, they are great and work better in fog. Unfortunately in Europe are not legal.

It is better to buy the bulbs separately. The bulbs of a kit are usually of low quality.

Can you recommend a good place to get bulbs?

I just bought them from a local store. The original (Chineze) bulbs had bad geometry and after 350 hours of use lost 40% of the initial luminosity.

About the cost; there are three categories cheap 15, good 35, best 55 euro each bulb, but these are prices in a local store more than a year ago.

Which type am I after for my 6th Gen?

6th gen uses H7.

Take into account that you will have to built or buy also two bases (adapters) for the HIDs to fit in the headlight.

This is the original base

And this is the base I built

Furthermore, you have to buy two wedge LED lamps the same temperature (color) to match HIDs

[Terminex]

I used a guy on EBAY LIGHTING 623 for my hid's he charges 9.99 for what ever bulb you want,and the shipping is 39.00- and he charges extra for the slim ballast hope that helps

You sure about the name, couldn't find them on ebay. Normally, I avoid those who change little for product but a lot for shipping since it limits any refunds or returns to the purchase price, which is why they do this. The cost should be $39.00 and the shipping $9.00 dollars. They way they do it any return or refund would be $9.00 (the purchase price). That being said, if you had good luck with them, I'd like the name.

I always use a vendor called "zgperformance" on ebay. $55 a set with free shipping. (I also prefer to pay for the item and get free, or cheap shi[pping just in case. I have bought over a dozen sets from him now over the past year.

I even bought one set for a friend who didn't want the blue tint. I ordered the 3000K for him, but they were too yellow. This vendor allowed me to send back the bulbs and get them swapped for a different color, at NO CHARGE even though the change was our choice.

HID kit

Thanks for the tip. I noticed the listing is for $59.99. Is did you "best offer" him $55.00 and he accepted?

correct:-)