HID Simulation Kits - Review
HID Simulation Kits - Review
As I planned yesterday, today, I purchased a HID Simulation Kit from a local seller here in San Francisco. Basically, the kit looks like this...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33710
... except instead of paying $80 shiped for this one off ebay, i got mine for $25.
As soon as I got the kit I became anxious about putting it in. I read all the diagrams and precautions first (on the box). They were pretty much self explanatory. Then, opened the box, and after about 10 minutes the kit was already installed on the car. Notice that i DID NOT need to do ANY modifications to my stock harness and i did everything with an adjustable wrench (though i wished i had a 10mm box wrench).
Before i let you know my verdict, I have to say something... There is NO possibility of damage to your stock harness due to melting or otherwise. Maxima's harness is only used to switch the relay on. the "HID" system itself draws it's power from a positive terminal on a battery and gets grounded twice. Also each relay has a fuse in it. All the abra-cadabra takes place in the "HID" system, so your harness is absolutely NOT at risk.
Conclusion:
Here are the pictures i took with some daylight out (I am waiting for it to get dark so that i could take better ones). You be the judge.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/friscomaxima/my_photos
I personally think that it is an excellent product for owners of 5th gen and earlier Maximas. IMO it looks great and the light intensity is about 3-4 times higher than of your stock bulb. I'd have to give this kit a 9.5 out of 10. I'd give it a 10, but it is really not an HID kit adb you cannot do better than HID. Otherwise, even for $80 that ebay asks for them, i think that is a good investment if you cannot afford HID. One last thing, the kit uses clear H4 bulbs and a blue glass cover gets fitted over them, so in case they burn out, you can just get the cheapest stock bulb on ebay to replace it.
P.S. Sorry for the long post
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33710
... except instead of paying $80 shiped for this one off ebay, i got mine for $25.
As soon as I got the kit I became anxious about putting it in. I read all the diagrams and precautions first (on the box). They were pretty much self explanatory. Then, opened the box, and after about 10 minutes the kit was already installed on the car. Notice that i DID NOT need to do ANY modifications to my stock harness and i did everything with an adjustable wrench (though i wished i had a 10mm box wrench).
Before i let you know my verdict, I have to say something... There is NO possibility of damage to your stock harness due to melting or otherwise. Maxima's harness is only used to switch the relay on. the "HID" system itself draws it's power from a positive terminal on a battery and gets grounded twice. Also each relay has a fuse in it. All the abra-cadabra takes place in the "HID" system, so your harness is absolutely NOT at risk.
Conclusion:
Here are the pictures i took with some daylight out (I am waiting for it to get dark so that i could take better ones). You be the judge.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/friscomaxima/my_photos
I personally think that it is an excellent product for owners of 5th gen and earlier Maximas. IMO it looks great and the light intensity is about 3-4 times higher than of your stock bulb. I'd have to give this kit a 9.5 out of 10. I'd give it a 10, but it is really not an HID kit adb you cannot do better than HID. Otherwise, even for $80 that ebay asks for them, i think that is a good investment if you cannot afford HID. One last thing, the kit uses clear H4 bulbs and a blue glass cover gets fitted over them, so in case they burn out, you can just get the cheapest stock bulb on ebay to replace it.
P.S. Sorry for the long post
Originally Posted by nupe
I'm interested. Have you taken night pics yet?
NIGHT PICTURES UPDATED!!!!
I got mine for $25 only because i did a local pickup from a seller in my city, plus i had to bargain with him (he wanted $60). Now, once i know how well they work, I would pay $80 with no hesistation...
H4 is supposed to be about 10 watts brighter than 9004 (or vise versa). Usually foglights use H3 bulb, so is the case with maxima. If you want the same ones that i have, just look at the link i posted in my first post above. they are about $65 and $12 shipping off of ebay.
I got mine for $25 only because i did a local pickup from a seller in my city, plus i had to bargain with him (he wanted $60). Now, once i know how well they work, I would pay $80 with no hesistation...
H4 is supposed to be about 10 watts brighter than 9004 (or vise versa). Usually foglights use H3 bulb, so is the case with maxima. If you want the same ones that i have, just look at the link i posted in my first post above. they are about $65 and $12 shipping off of ebay.
Originally Posted by FriscoMaxima
NIGHT PICTURES UPDATED!!!!
I got mine for $25 only because i did a local pickup from a seller in my city, plus i had to bargain with him (he wanted $60). Now, once i know how well they work, I would pay $80 with no hesistation...
H4 is supposed to be about 10 watts brighter than 9004 (or vise versa). Usually foglights use H3 bulb, so is the case with maxima. If you want the same ones that i have, just look at the link i posted in my first post above. they are about $65 and $12 shipping off of ebay.
I got mine for $25 only because i did a local pickup from a seller in my city, plus i had to bargain with him (he wanted $60). Now, once i know how well they work, I would pay $80 with no hesistation...
H4 is supposed to be about 10 watts brighter than 9004 (or vise versa). Usually foglights use H3 bulb, so is the case with maxima. If you want the same ones that i have, just look at the link i posted in my first post above. they are about $65 and $12 shipping off of ebay.
Originally Posted by FriscoMaxima
NIGHT PICTURES UPDATED!!!!
I got mine for $25 only because i did a local pickup from a seller in my city, plus i had to bargain with him (he wanted $60). Now, once i know how well they work, I would pay $80 with no hesistation...
H4 is supposed to be about 10 watts brighter than 9004 (or vise versa). Usually foglights use H3 bulb, so is the case with maxima. If you want the same ones that i have, just look at the link i posted in my first post above. they are about $65 and $12 shipping off of ebay.
I got mine for $25 only because i did a local pickup from a seller in my city, plus i had to bargain with him (he wanted $60). Now, once i know how well they work, I would pay $80 with no hesistation...
H4 is supposed to be about 10 watts brighter than 9004 (or vise versa). Usually foglights use H3 bulb, so is the case with maxima. If you want the same ones that i have, just look at the link i posted in my first post above. they are about $65 and $12 shipping off of ebay.
So basically the H4 (the one you bought) will fit directly with the 9004 bulbs i have in my maxima? With no modifications at all???
Looking at pic #113, it doesn't look like they throw much light on the ground at all. I'm with nupe, I wanna see more shots from inside the car. The lights in your parking garage look like they put out better light. So far I'm not impressed.
I just went shopping with my mom and even she noticed how nice my lights look, and trust me she is NOT into cars.
OK will try to answer as many questions as possible...
Q:are you not worried about burning/melting your headlight housing?
A:no, i am not, i checked the lens about after 30 minutes of driving and they did not get any hotter than they used to be with my stock H4 bulbs.
Q: So basically the H4 (the one you bought) will fit directly with the 9004 bulbs i have in my maxima? With no modifications at all???
A: yes. H4 is supposed to be for "offroad" use becuase they are 10 watts brighter than 9004. but they do have the same exact shape. NO MODIFICATIONS AT ALL!!!
Q: Let just wait and see how long your bulbs will last.
A: Well, my result will be biased because i have my headlights running AL THE TIME. but when they go out, i'll be sure to let you know.
On the freeway, all signs are visible from a lot further than they used to be and they are WHITE!!!
OK will try to answer as many questions as possible...
Q:are you not worried about burning/melting your headlight housing?
A:no, i am not, i checked the lens about after 30 minutes of driving and they did not get any hotter than they used to be with my stock H4 bulbs.
Q: So basically the H4 (the one you bought) will fit directly with the 9004 bulbs i have in my maxima? With no modifications at all???
A: yes. H4 is supposed to be for "offroad" use becuase they are 10 watts brighter than 9004. but they do have the same exact shape. NO MODIFICATIONS AT ALL!!!
Q: Let just wait and see how long your bulbs will last.
A: Well, my result will be biased because i have my headlights running AL THE TIME. but when they go out, i'll be sure to let you know.
On the freeway, all signs are visible from a lot further than they used to be and they are WHITE!!!
Originally Posted by crispykid717
Looking at pic #113, it doesn't look like they throw much light on the ground at all. I'm with nupe, I wanna see more shots from inside the car. The lights in your parking garage look like they put out better light. So far I'm not impressed.
P.S. it is raining outside so i do not want to go out anymore, but tommorow i'll take more pics of light patterns and will even do a MPEG drive-by.
sounds good... maybe you can do a side by side comparison, maybe ask a friend who has hid's and put yours side by side at night and takes some pics... maybe you can point the cars at a white wall to show the color, brightness, and pattern....
Originally Posted by JdoubleOe703
sounds good... maybe you can do a side by side comparison, maybe ask a friend who has hid's and put yours side by side at night and takes some pics... maybe you can point the cars at a white wall to show the color, brightness, and pattern....
I have a friend who had C32 AMG with Bi-Xenons, he said he has a white wall in the garage so i will compare it to him and take pix
P.S. DAAAAAAAAAMN your maxima looks sick
Originally Posted by FriscoMaxima
I believe that your 2002 max came with stock HIDs, and you are probably sitting there and thinking that HIDs is the only way to go, that what i did is rice and ghetto. But in this case, a glance at the real thing is worth 1000 pictures.
P.S. it is raining outside so i do not want to go out anymore, but tommorow i'll take more pics of light patterns and will even do a MPEG drive-by.
P.S. it is raining outside so i do not want to go out anymore, but tommorow i'll take more pics of light patterns and will even do a MPEG drive-by.
Never said it was rice or ghetto did I? And yes I do prefer real HID as I stated in your other thread. The shots from outside the car looking at the lights look good. All I said was that based on pic #113 of your album they do not look like they throw much light on the ground and I would like to see more shots from inside the car. Don't be so touchy.
Originally Posted by crispykid717
Never said it was rice or ghetto did I? And yes I do prefer real HID as I stated in your other thread. The shots from outside the car looking at the lights look good. All I said was that based on pic #113 of your album they do not look like they throw much light on the ground and I would like to see more shots from inside the car. Don't be so touchy.
anyways, when i'll upload my videos and more pictures tommorow, you will see what i am talking about.
Originally Posted by steaLthyMax
As far as I can see, the pictures do not show much light output on the ground. Did you take a before/after pic to compare the stock bulbs to this kit? So far, I think this kit is purely cosmetic.
Originally Posted by MaximaPolak
Looks like the light output is nothing compared to HID output.....
Look how light the surrounding areas are on HIDs. Could be the camera though.
[/IMG]
Look how light the surrounding areas are on HIDs. Could be the camera though.
[/IMG]
for 25 bux that he paid there's no way you can compare it to HID. For 25 bux it looks damn good. Although looking at comparison pictures with real HID's and stock Maxima lights (00-01) will really tell how good they are.
Frisco, great pioneering job
Frisco, great pioneering job
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What a scam.
Put a blue cover over a high wattage standard halogen bulb and call it an HID conversion kit. Give me a break. If anything your "filtered" light output now appears whiter, yet is in fact lower then a standard halogen bulb of the same wattage would be.
What will they think of next?
Put a blue cover over a high wattage standard halogen bulb and call it an HID conversion kit. Give me a break. If anything your "filtered" light output now appears whiter, yet is in fact lower then a standard halogen bulb of the same wattage would be.
What will they think of next?
Originally Posted by njmaxseltd
What a scam.
Put a blue cover over a high wattage standard halogen bulb and call it an HID conversion kit. Give me a break. If anything your "filtered" light output now appears whiter, yet is in fact lower then a standard halogen bulb of the same wattage would be.
What will they think of next?
Put a blue cover over a high wattage standard halogen bulb and call it an HID conversion kit. Give me a break. If anything your "filtered" light output now appears whiter, yet is in fact lower then a standard halogen bulb of the same wattage would be.
What will they think of next?
Are they brighter than stock? YES
Do I like them? You bet!
Did i have to bust out $300 for them? NO
For one last time, "I never said they were HIDs!!!" I think they are best compared to PIAA and Raybrig bulbs that cost $95 (on ebay) a set. But even here my set wins, PIAA and Raybrig go out pretty often and i would be mad pissed if my $100 (shipped) bulbs went out. for my kit i can get the same bulbs for about $5.99 a set. See the difference?
Originally Posted by FriscoMaxima
Do they look better than stock? YES
Are they brighter than stock? YES
Do I like them? You bet!
Did i have to bust out $300 for them? NO
For one last time, "I never said they were HIDs!!!" I think they are best compared to PIAA and Raybrig bulbs that cost $95 (on ebay) a set. But even here my set wins, PIAA and Raybrig go out pretty often and i would be mad pissed if my $100 (shipped) bulbs went out. for my kit i can get the same bulbs for about $5.99 a set. See the difference?
Are they brighter than stock? YES
Do I like them? You bet!
Did i have to bust out $300 for them? NO
For one last time, "I never said they were HIDs!!!" I think they are best compared to PIAA and Raybrig bulbs that cost $95 (on ebay) a set. But even here my set wins, PIAA and Raybrig go out pretty often and i would be mad pissed if my $100 (shipped) bulbs went out. for my kit i can get the same bulbs for about $5.99 a set. See the difference?
quit flaming the guy for the way they look..everything in this post is 100% correct....he wont have to fork over 90+ dollars per bulb to replace them when they blow, therefore, it was the best bang for his buck...get over it!
Originally Posted by FriscoMaxima
Do they look better than stock? YES
Are they brighter than stock? YES
Do I like them? You bet!
Did i have to bust out $300 for them? NO
For one last time, "I never said they were HIDs!!!" I think they are best compared to PIAA and Raybrig bulbs that cost $95 (on ebay) a set. But even here my set wins, PIAA and Raybrig go out pretty often and i would be mad pissed if my $100 (shipped) bulbs went out. for my kit i can get the same bulbs for about $5.99 a set. See the difference?
Are they brighter than stock? YES
Do I like them? You bet!
Did i have to bust out $300 for them? NO
For one last time, "I never said they were HIDs!!!" I think they are best compared to PIAA and Raybrig bulbs that cost $95 (on ebay) a set. But even here my set wins, PIAA and Raybrig go out pretty often and i would be mad pissed if my $100 (shipped) bulbs went out. for my kit i can get the same bulbs for about $5.99 a set. See the difference?
yes they are 100W Philips bulbs. I wouldn't say that they blind anyone because the light goes exactly where the headlight aims it. And my headlights' pattern is up to specs ( i checked yesterday).