erbaha

Has anyone on the org purchased after market Hids for their 5gens. I'm curious because i just purchased a set hids stage 2 for optimum color and the bulbs are 6000k (supposed to be brighter than the standard 2002 and up bulbs which use 4300k) I would like some opinions and responses to people that have aftermarket Hids.

asu174

iTrader: (11)

Xenon bulbs are not HIDs.... Is that what you are referring to?

And what is your question? Do we like xenon bulbs? Yes.

maximadriven

HID kits dont do well in our cars because you lose your high beams. The regular H4 bulb does both lows and highs whereas the HID only does lows. Not a big deal for some but it is very dar where I live at night and with out my high beams I would have a deer as a hood ornament.

maximadriven

btw, I had the same kit in my BMW 328i (which has 2 lights one for low and one for high) and they were awesome. The light pattern was a little high but they were very nice. Definately my most favorite mod.

Eric

Uhh, I thought Xenon was synonymous with HID (high intensity discharge). When someone says HID to me, I'm thinking of high voltage arcing (discharging) through Xenon gas.

Perhaps this person is referring to halogen (filament based) bulbs with special coatings?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by asu174


Xenon bulbs are not HIDs.... Is that what you are referring to?

And what is your question? Do we like xenon bulbs? Yes. [/QUOTE

asu174

iTrader: (11)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Eric
Uhh, I thought Xenon was synonymous with HID (high intensity discharge). When someone says HID to me, I'm thinking of high voltage arcing (discharging) through Xenon gas.

Perhaps this person is referring to halogen (filament based) bulbs with special coatings?

Quote:

Originally posted by asu174


Xenon bulbs are not HIDs.... Is that what you are referring to?

And what is your question? Do we like xenon bulbs? Yes. [/QUOTE

Hyperwhite bulbs ARE charged with a xenon gas. These are the $25 bulbs that those of us without HID's (the real deal) have. HID's are just HID's.

maximadriven

I think he got thye real thing. 6000k is a tough one to find in a 25.00 bulb.

asu174

iTrader: (11)

Yeah, I think you're right... I just caught the stage two part... Although I wouldn't call HID's bulbs.......

erbaha

The reason I'm curious is becuase I just bought some lights through hids4less. Its a company that I had not heard about and I bought the most expensive set up for my 2k1 Anniversary. They have a website and I did the research so I hope I made the best move

asu174

iTrader: (11)

How much did you pay? Dave B can get you the whole 2K2 setup for dirt cheap (price unknown...but it's cheap).

maximadriven

you must have paid around 900.00..if I had to guess. btw, hids4less is a good company to do business with.

Eric

Not to flame, but I'm pretty sure these bulbs are still mainly halogen with some additional trace gases added in to allow them to run the filament hotter without burning it out. This gives them the higher temperature look.

I don't think filling a filament bulb with Xenon would buy you much of anything. Xenon produces light in the same way that Neon does; when a sufficient voltage is discharged through the gas, the electrons in the Xenon atoms jump up to the next energy level and then "relax" or drop back down to their orginal level. When the electron drops down it releases a quanta of energy, i.e.: a photon.

Filament bulbs on the other hand generate light by heating a small wire to high temperature and making it glow. The gases in a filament bulb dictate how hot you can heat the wire before it burns up, hence the use of inert gases. The hotter you can run the filament, the closer you get to white.

If you go to PIAA.com, you will note that they refer to these "extreme white" bulbs as halogen. Less reputable places may refer to them as hids or Xenon bulbs which, if they have a filament, is not true.

MetaOrbit

iTrader: (19)

Well, even if he did get a real HID setup (bulbs + ballast) he's incorrect in saying that 6000k is brighter. 6000k bulbs are actually dimmer (i.e. they put out less light). The difference is they have a higher color temperature and look "bluer."

The best bet for an HID upgrade on a 5th gen is the 2k2 setup - H4 is a horrible (as in extremely difficult) bulb to attempt to retrofit while still keeping a decent beam pattern.

salkana

MetaOrbit has the right idea here. I have also done a lot of research on this before I decide to pay the big $$$ for 2k2 stock lights (by the way, due to a recent drop, they're not much more than aftermarket without the housing). I almost bought from HID4Less also, but without the proper housing that you get from the stock 2k2 assembly, your lights are not going to get the proper beam pattern, which I believe is not street legal. Also, Xenon lighting requires the Xenon ballast. If your kit does not have the ballast, you do not have the real deal. I got my stock Xenon lights with the housing for $1,000 from Courtesy Nissan and the necessary plugs from DaveB for $74. I'm currious how much DaveB sells the Xenon kit. Hope this helps.