Maybe harness failure isnt so common within the first couple years. I have not seen many threads about it but a couple. However i do see alot of threads about the ballast and ignitor and bulb warmup problems because of inssufficient power at startup caused by the weak oem harness.

 

Do you sell HID? Do you install them? Do you support them?

So you're saying that if you see HID threads and someone complains about startup, that means that everyone complains about it? And, that the internet is a microcosm and representative sample of all HID installs?

Just trying to set the parameters, not being antagonistic so let's start from a factual basis about your knowledge and experience and how it pertains to your assertions.

 

hahaha, this is hilarious. You post on my thread how you're gonna school me, and you can't back it up. That's just funny. And then you turned it from the harness failing to startup problems. From the sounds of it, maybe you should do more research and find out the point your trying to make.

S

 

I am wanting to upgrade my lights, but have no idea where to start. First off would getting the sylvania silverstars headlights be a start or are those no good? Next the lo beam lights take a round bulb and the have that awful looking yellow tint and it doesnt match the hi beam ones. Is there a way i can make the lo beams match the hi beams. Sorry if that sounds stupid but i just started to upgrade my maxima and thats the first thing i didnt like was the unmatching headlights. Any advice would be helpfull thanks in advance.

 

It's kinda tough to upgrade your stock lights without giving something up. In the case of brighter bulbs, it's generally bulb life. I personally don't have a good experience with Silverstars. Alot of people use them and like them, however, so give them a try if you'd like. The reason I don't like them is that my brother had them on his '91 Regal. I once drove the car 400 miles to Rochester, NY. The whole trip over was at night, and it was snowing the last 2-3 hours of the trip. The Silverstars just barfed light everywhere, and all I could see in the blizzard-like snow was millions of tiny bluish dots rushing at me at 70mph. Not fun. I had to tail trucks to stay on the road. The free-from design of the stock lights were not able to focus the light in a meaningful way, much the same way that many people experience with simply adding an HID bulb to an existing housing. Most (if not ALL) new HID type lamps use projectors because it can focus the light without blinding everyone. You also get the trademark razor like cutoff with projectors.

I know there is a way to run the stock lights directly off the battery for more current and hence more light (since some current is inevitably lost in the wiring), or you can custom build a projector housing for you car (costly, time consuming etc.) There are pro's and con's to both, and also pro's and con's to using HID.

This is a good site I found which covers some of the basics of the different types of lighting options out there:
http://faqlight.carpassion.info/

 

Turboast hit the nail on the head, re-wiring them to run off the battery is by far the first thing to do before you start swapping bulbs. Bone stock I measured 11~ish volts at the bulbs. By splicing in a relay at each bulb and using the existing power lead as the trigger for the relay, and taking power from either the battery or the alternator itself ( what I did, least possible voltage drop ), you will get a nice solid 13~ volts at the bulbs. It makes a nice difference. Second best "mod" you can do to a second gen is convert to 9007 bulbs. There's a lengthy write-up and discussion about it in the 3rd gen forum. I find that I have a wider pattern with them and can see the edge of the road a lot better than the silly pencil beam I had before that washed out 15' in front of the car.

 

how would i use a set of H3 bulbs for my se, they dont just plug up anyhere.

i know the main lights are 9004 but where could H3 go???

 

fogs if you have them.

S

 

Yes, fogs improve visibility a good deal. Find some good ones that you like and make sure they are going to be effective in lighting and not just for looks. Ive had mine for 5 years now and I think they are trying to tell me something. They are dying on me now. I have Catz. I paid over 80 bucks for these suckers back then, so Im trying to stick with them. Gotta do some rewiring. Anyway, Turboast4 came with a good idea. I dont think it would be hard to run your headlights off of the battery at all. For the projectors with our housing the pattern would prolly not live up to its potential. I myself, now that I have new headlights have been pondering the 9007 conversion. There is a lot of good info on this site, you just gotta look.