panchosmax00

sup guys...im gettin more and more interested in buying myself a hid kit for my max...now im a newbie on these hid kits and ive been looking around to what people rate the best brands ...i found the Helios kit in the group deals...found some McCulloch and ProLumens..i really need your experiences and opinions with the ones that are most worth the deal...and also im having a hard time deciding which K to get..thanks alot

shift_2kmaxima

iTrader: (4)

get stolen ones on ebay or something.....
and make sure that they are OEM 02/03
a lot of ppl told me to get those, and i just got some today hooked it up, and works really good, iam really happy with them... but now iam waiting for new 02/03 headlight....
and K temp.... the higher you go, the sooner you'll be seeing flashing blue/red lights on ur rearview mirror....so iam saying u stick with OEM which is 4500K i think i might be wrong or 6000K, which will be my next upgrade too...prbly....
good luck with those....
u wont be disapointed with HID kit
every1 says positive things bout' it
i havent heard anything negative

† ErV †

whatever you do don't put hids in the halogen housings.. get some depot headlights for cheap or something and plug in any d2r equipment of your choice in them. kits aren't worth the shipping, never have.

Kruppa

iTrader: (1)

I disagree. You saw my post in the other thread you started about my Helios HID kit that is in my stock halogen headlight housing and it works fine with no glare issues etc...All aftermarket headlights are ugly IMO and yes the 02/03 are nice but they are expensive, you have to worry about theft, and you get just as good visibility for much cheaper with Helios or another aftermarket HID brand

aussie983

iTrader: (16)

Honestly the reflectors designed in the 5th gen work pretty well and using a retrofit kit wouldn't be a problem.

lalaMAX

stock housing with HID kit are fine... just aim them lower...
after i aim them lower ive never get flashed....

Talyan03

McCulloch kti the best go for 6000k

spreenyk888

iTrader: (3)

i have a 10000k kit in my stock housings on my 01 and ive had no problems with police.

i also used to have a 12000k kit in the stock headlights of an 01 galant for over a year and also had no problems with police. and imo the maxima headlights are much much better glare wise then the galant was.

oh and i would also not buy a helios kit again, i had the kit for a year and both ballasts had some flickering problems.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

HID kits look like sh*t in halogen housing. I seen way to many and it looks like garbage. Do it right and either get 02/03 or depos......

NYghettoGLE

iTrader: (11)

02/03 hid reflectors are one of the worst ever designs. It's just utter crap compared to other projectors. Unless you do a retrofit on them, since at least they do look cosmeticaly nice.

so just get a h4 hid kit, the price of 02/03 headlight do not justify enough for what they offer in terms of performance.

Kruppa

iTrader: (1)

Well I suppose that's a matter of opinion...it kind of looks like blue/purple/white light coming from a rectangular design that lights up the road...which I'm pretty sure is the point of headlights...I am not a ricer by any means and i think it looks excellent in my halogen housings and I have received nothing but compliments regarding their visual appearance.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

I think the 02/03 look like $hit... No to mention they are the worst reflector type HID you can get, they are expensive and are stolen all the time.


If you get a decent Bi-Xenon kit like the Helios, there is a glare shield and I get to keep my highbeams.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

The HID on the 02/03 were standard equipment. For that I will excuse nissan for not making them projectors. What does theft have to do with halgen housing making a bad place for HID. The stock HID in the 5.5 gen look way better then the HID in halogen housing and the came with my car.............
Dont hate the 5.5 gen for being so sexy.!!!!!!!!!!!!

SixxOne

iTrader: (2)

10char

Progress

iTrader: (26)

At least we can all agree that any 5th gen housing is better than those poopy 4th gen housings.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

I mention this stuff because you tell people to get them and you mention none of the draw backs to them...

And I hate the 5.5gen because they consume more oil than an industrial boiler.






















BTW: I am joking about the 5.5gen so this does not start a big 5th Vs. 5.5gen cat fight.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

War!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2K3MAX2NV

iTrader: (10)

Prolumen HID KIT with lifetime warranty FTW!!!

jokerk01

While we are on the subject, I was thinking about upgrading my low beam bulbs but not sure what to get 5000k or 6000k. what do you guys think? also where is the best place to get them?

n3985

iTrader: (36)

Dude, that is f*cked up to recommend someone buy stolen headlights. Somewhere someone is furious over his/her damaged vehicle and missing headlights.

Teufelhunden

iTrader: (8)

never got my headlights stolen. i dont know why people always say that. "dont get them theyll get stolen". well i guess it applies if you live in a ghetto neighborhood, and if you do, you might wanna worry about getting your car stolen. if you put HIDs on halogen, it does look like crap. crazy glare, and it looks like your on high beems from what ive seen from other cars. and i would have to say that my HIDs are better than your halogens. for all you people who say we have crappy HIDs.

Kruppa

iTrader: (1)

Yah it definitely depends on where you live for the theft issue...

However to respond to your comments:

Look like crap: wrong, got nothing but compliments from people will all types of cars and styles...altho I guess looks are subjective and you're just as entitled to your opinion as me

Crazy glare: Totally wrong...read my post above...I didnt' even lower mine and I have had NO problem at all...you can't compare HID kits on "other" cars to HID kits in our halogen housings...they aren't that bad and it works way better than many other housings on different cars

Compared to 02/03: I have compared my HIDs to the stock 02/03 HIDs and they project just as far if not a bit farther...yes the cutoff line is not as straight but it projects like i said so I don't see the big deal here espeically since it's a fraction of the cost

The majority of people leaving negative comments on the HID kit don't have it and are using what they know about HID kits in OTHER cars and not necessarily 5th Gen Maximas and haven't taken the time to compare them with other setups like I have. Also, people who have retrofitted projectors or bought 02/03 will obviously leave negative comments because they spent extra money to get a better cutoff and different look and that's fine but there's no real argument against them if other drivers aren't bothered by any possible glare and you can see just as far as the 02/03 stock HIDs which is the truth at least in my personal comparisons

To respond to your initial reason for starting this thread...I only have experience with Helios but I have heard good things about the brands you listed as well... and I recommend 6000k...good luck with your choice.

Spliff_Star91

I have a set of 12000k hid helios i luv them but i think i payed to much however get 8000k or 9000k Helios there more purplish

† ErV †

you are clearly the exception then. i've tried it, it was crap.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

Ive seen it and it is crap. Do it right or don't do it at all.......

getbigtony

iTrader: (1)

how much for helios projector + HID kit for 2000 max?
and HID kit from prolumen?

bi-xenon?

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

Great idea genius

queenambeach

iTrader: (3)

Look, I'll say this. HID lighting will outperform halogen lighting anyday, anyway, and in any car. With that said I'll be fair and give you both the pros and cons.

Pros
Better lighting
Better down road visibility
The cosmetic look is nice
If your ballast last, then it's economically cheaper (last longer)
Less Wattage*

Cons
You WILL glare - reason being because the focus points of the halogen bulb and D2S bulb are different.
Melted stock harness - get a harness to power them from battery
Most kits are unreliable
Lost highbeams (You need highbeams)

Now when it comes to color, 4500K to 6000K will give you the most lumens.
Anything higher and you get more color but LESS usable light. That 10000K and upward is pure garbage.

Kruppa

iTrader: (1)

Response to the Cons:
1. I glare less than a 2006 BMW 330i according to drivers on the road flashing me (never happened once in my Maxima that I drive 6/7 nights of the week and I've had the kit since October and happens somewhat often in the BMW which I drive much less, have only had in the family since January and has amazing HID Projectors)
2. The kit runs at much lower wattage than halogen and there is no way a melted harness would ever happen at least with my kit
3. The kit has a lifetime warantee
4. I have a hi/lo kit and they also offer a bi-xenon kit now for all H4 Maximas which is all 5th Gens, which is this forum, so that is no problem either.

Maybe I'm a glaring exception as other users mentioned in this thread and I got some super quality amazing kit unique from all others in the world...but I highly doubt that is the case...just spent much less money than a retrofit or 02/03 housings and got real good visibility with no glare problems.

n3985

iTrader: (36)

1. You can't glare less than a D2S vehicle as they don't glare at all due to the cutoff in the projector. While the 330ci's beam pattern on a wall is a straight line, yours is two big hotspots.

2. An HID kit for the for two minutes *can* draw up to 75W, only afterwards will it only draw 35W. There are harnesses with relays to the battery for a reason, not just because people thought it would be cool.....

But it looks like trying to convince you otherwise is futile, so I gave my opinion, take what you will.

n3985

iTrader: (36)

You can check the price for a Helios/Prolumen kit in the Group Buy forum.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

http://hidtech.com/

They will do everything for you, installing the projectors, HID's...

Kruppa

iTrader: (1)

1. Yes i'm aware of this but my advantage in the argument is that I said - according to drivers - bc I honestly haven't been flashed once and I've driven it over twenty times more than the BMW and i've been flashed in that several times and many ppl say that you will blind other drivers so my point is that it doesn't from MY experience plus I dont think it glares anyways bc I've driven at my own car etc and it was fine to look at...I'm also not trying to even suggest that my kit is comparable to the BMW HID's...my point and the point of this thread is to tell people that the visibility is far superior to halogens and way less expensive than retrofits or 02/03 HID housings and they give a totally comparable safe viewing output at night with no negative side effects so why not.

2. It's only the first few seconds from what I've read while researching, however even if it is a minute my kit has relays and therefore the entire argument of a possible harness melting is irrelevant

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

Everyone can argue this till they are blue in the face and it will not make a difference.

Neither the 02-03 or HID kit in 00-01 housings are the BEST options. They both have drawbacks and advantages. IMO, neither is really that much better than the other. Personally I am going with the Helios kit because of cost, theft problems, and poor performance from 02-03. The 00-01's may not look the "best" and may not have the best beam pattern but I am going to stick with them.

With that said, the only GREAT Hid option for us is a projector retro, but yes, it is expensive and a lot of work. Money and work I dont feel like putting into a six year old Maxima that is going to be a winter car for me soon.

maxima57O

"Maybe I'm a glaring exception as other users mentioned in this thread and I got..."

Poor word choice for a conversion kit argument... haha I was looking on eBay (I know i know), and they have aftermarket OEM replicas with a ballast and everything. They also sometimes have broken 5.5 gen headlights you can take the housings out to put in your headlights, which seems like a lot of work. Or you can buy one 5.5 gen headlight at a time from different people. I am trying to figure out how to upgrade to HIDs, and these are the things I'm thinking about... I want the headlights to be as close to OEM as possible, and I don't want to blind everyone, thats why I decided on just getting the oem or replica headlights. I've found them for $150 a piece.

queenambeach

iTrader: (3)

Now I admit and HID kit will increase your visablity over halogens, but retro is still the best way to go.

Kruppa

iTrader: (1)

If you read my post 4 above this one then that would take care of #1

#2 If you read the same post you would see I somewhat agree with the high wattage at startup however it doesnt' last long enough plus the relays would result in my offering my first born child if the harnesses were melted...A friend of mine in Rhode Island has had the Helios kit for over a year (older and less updated one) and his harnesses are still in perfect condition...plus if you knew anything about the HID kits only one of the harnesses is being used anyhow because the other runs through the connections they give you in the kit so it would only be one if anything ever happened which it wouldn't...please do some research on my kit before posting

#3 You don't have an argument here at all so I won't bother.

#4 I don't have Bi-xenon so your argument here is also debunked.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

How do you figure the 02-03 hid are have poor performance. Putting hid in stock halogens is poor performance plus a crazy glaring problem. In my opinon the stock 02-03 look sick and I love the light output. And why do people constantly bring up the theft problem of the lights. Thieves steal what they want and if you allow them to make decision for you then your the big loser. Enjoy life and stop blaming people for why you won't buy something....

Progress

iTrader: (26)

If you have to take anything from this just know this (I'm sure you already do).

Output quality by housings: HID Projector > HID Reflector > Halogen Reflector. There is glare with halogen reflectors, there is a soft, but barely, cut-off with reflectors, but projectors have cut-off, therefore they are superior.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

Yes I am aware projectors are superior. But like I said the 02-03 came standard with HID so what do you expect. How many cars came standard with HID projectors in 02-03. Not many so nissan putting hid reflectors in the max was still awesome. When I pass another 02-03 max at night it looks awesome and the output looks great. Projectors were just starting to be used in 03 so I wouldn't have expected them in the 5.5gen. Look at the 02-03 acuras that have reflector hids and they cost much more then the max...