I did a bunch of searching on here and am just getting confused. Instead of stealing someone's thread I'm just starting my own:

I have an '09 Maxima S. First of all, do I have HID headlights, or Xenon?

Second, I'm just interested in making my fog lights match the color of my headlights. It drives me crazy that the headlights have the crisp white/blue color and the fog lights are an ugly yellow in comparison.

Is there a bulb I can get for my fog lights that will make them match? Preferably for an inexpensive price as well?

 

You have halogen's not HIDS/ Xenons from the factory that is... unless the prior owner put HIDS in.

Most higher color halogen bulbs tend to burn out quickly. Most here through an HID/ Xenon kit in the fogs to match if they have HIDS/ Xenons in the lows

 

I don't think the prior owner did anything, but I'm not 100%. My headlights look like yours in the picture... they have the little round bubble for the low beams, and the big open area for the high beams (which are normal lights). I do have a blue-ish tint to my low beams... so can these be halogens? Are my stock fog lights halogens as well?

 

The bluish tint you're seeing is not the bulb color, it's the color at the cutoff from the projector lenses. It will be nearly impossible to match that color because it changes.

 

Hmm, very interesting. That's true it does change from the lens. Do you think I could just get a whiter bulb for the fog lights to get it close? It would be nice to get some more light out of them as well for the country roads I have to take home.

 

You honestly might as well get HID headlights and foglights.

 

For a color-matching reason? I'd rather spend a fraction of that on a set of bulbs to get it close than spend a ton and have it match perfectly. How much would a kit cost to convert both to HID?

 

Most kits are about the price of good bulbs so you might as well.

 

I also have the 2009 type S...I bought 2 set of Morimoto H11 HID kit the first week I had the car and the kit still working till today!

These kits are very sturdy and reliable!

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...oducts_id=3955

You would need the H11 harness and heavy duty relay. I went with 5000K but would prefer 6000K (a lil blueish).

I have pictures where I mount the ballasts and the wiring if you need help with that.

 

That's an awesome link, thank you so much! Looks like they got incredible reviews as well.

Do you see any blue color coming from the 5000k? What's the difference between the different options?

What ballasts did you pick? Looks like there's an option for 35w or 50w. What's the difference?

Sorry for all the questions, I can email the company instead if need be.

Thanks

 

That's the kit I always suggest. Their quality and service are top notch but on the pricier side. You said you didn't want to spend much so I didn't suggest it lol

5000K is pure white. 6000K will have a tiny bit of blue and 4300K will be more on the yellow side.

50W ballasts are a little brighter than 35W but also run hotter and wash out some of the color. 50W will probably be fine for the headlights but not for the fogs. Also, 50W 5000K headlights will not match 35W 5000K fog lights.

I suggest 35W 5000K headlights and fogs. You won't be disappointed and they will match perfectly.

 

Got it! Very well put, thank you. Yeah I just realized that I'll need 2 kits... that jacks the price up pretty quick.

I really wonder if there are just bulbs for the fog lights that would match the headlight color better than stock. I would imagine there has to be something I would be happier with than stock, and would only put me out $20 - $30 for now.

Anyone else ever change just the bulbs for the fog lights and get a better color match (and hopefully a brighter light)?

 

I just picked up a 2012 and am going to change the High Beam and Fog lamps to the Philips CrystalVision Ultra for under $50 shipped from Amazon. Also in case you didn't know installing aftermarket HID's into your headlights is illegal, and may keep you from getting a sticker I know there cracking down on it in my area.

 

Oh wow, that's an interesting point as well. I wonder why they would make them illegal... don't they light things up better and make it safer to drive? Maybe from shining in people's eyes? Weird.

So do my headlights (low beams) and fog lights take the same bulb? That's a good thought to just change both sets of bulbs to the same kind!

 

That's why you don't go insane and add anything above 6000k, doing so will result in looking like an idiot to other people. Our cars have the projector so it has the cut-off so you don't blind oncoming traffic. Some other cars with aftermarket HID's are a little overboard, I don't know if it's another car coming or if I'm being welcomed into heaven.

Crystal vision bulbs are not gonna look much different than stock, so in the end you spent $50 on an extra set of stock bulbs.

To each their own

 

No cop will question your car if you dont go crazy on the Kevlar rating, they cannot prove you have aftermarket HID's if you keep it simple. He's not gonna inspect your car, some Maxima models come stock with HID's.

If you don't have stock HID's then yes, your headlights and fogs share the same bulb, H11.

 

Good point, I definitley know when someone has aftermarket lamps when I blink black spots for the next 15 minutes. I hate that.

Do the crystal vision bulbs look like the stock headlights, or stock fog lights, in your opinion? They both look very different to me. If you say headlights, then I can probably try and just get the crystal vision fog light bulbs, throw them in, stand back and see how close they are to my stock headlights and hopefully be a happy camper!

 

The crystal vision bulbs are a tad whiter, really not that much. But it could be white enough where it solves your issue. Both PIAA and Nokya make bulbs that produces a whiter light.

 

It's no problem, we're all here to learn and do research. When it comes to HID lighting always to the retrofit source website. I have nothing but the best experiences with them!

Fast shipping fast response and they always treasure their customer.

Go with the 35Watt, the 55Watt is a lil brighter but at higher temperature. The ballast is included in the kit so you don't have to worry about that.

 

Perfect, thank you. I think I'm going to look into my options for the H11 bulbs and price some out. Have to keep it simple and cheap right now.

I'll look into all of the brands and see what kind of reviews I can find. I'd rather a very white color if that means they shine brighter for catching those deer that like to jump out in front of everyone! Thanks for the tip!

I appreciate that, it's nice to have a forum (no pun intended) where I can get some answers. I agree with the 35Watt for both, when the time comes. For now I think I'll have to go fog bulbs only, but I did bookmark that site

 

You can buy bulbs if you just want to spend 20-30 bucks. h11 bulbs, get nokya h11 fogs in whatever color you want

 

See below for my comparison of the Philips CrystalVision Ultra bulbs, they are rated at 4000K but dont have the blueish color you get with an HID kit

The drivers side fog has the Phillips Crystalvision and the passenger has the OEM bulb

 

Yup, I think a set of H11 bulbs for the fogs is definitely the way to go.

Thanks for the pic madmax! I definitely can see the direction I want to go now. So if those are 4000K, if I went with a 5000K or 6000K, I may be a little bit of that blueish tint I'm looking for as well to better match the headlights, right?

Or are the K ratings different for standard halogen bulbs compared to an HID kit?

 

Oh, and do you have to pull the wheels to access the fog light bulbs? Just curious.

 

I have the HID headlights and 6000k HID fogs. I believe factory color is 4300k, so you can def see a difference in color temp in the pic.

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic though. It was the only one I had on me while at work.

 

No standard bulb will put out HID quality light even though they say "6000k look"

Check out the Nokya Arctic white bulbs, they put out a nice blueish/white light.

You can access the foglights from under the front bumper, just pop out all the pushpins and drop down the plastic cover. You can access them with no problem.

 

Awesome! Thank you everyone for your help, it is greatly appreciated. I think I saw the Arctic bulbs on Amazon. Thanks for the tip on the install as well, doesn't sound too bad.

 

PIAA is a great option too, Their Xtreme white is pretty good match

 

That's good to know, thanks. I saw that the PIAA's were almost double the cost of the Nokya's so I'll probably head in the less expensive direction for now.

I'm seeing all kinds of different Nokya's on Amazon, all with the same name... anyone know the exact one's to get? Almost all of them say 7000K... will that be too blue or even close to purple?

 

Nope. They're halogens so they won't be blue. They actually have a blue coating on them but that just makes them look white.

 

Oh that's right, it's the HID's that will give that color. Thanks man, I'm learnin'!

 

Ok so quick question. I'm just assuming I have the normal halogen headlights... but tonight I saw this sticker on my car (under the hood, drivers side near the battery). Do all of our cars have this, or do I really have Xenon headlights?

 

When you turn on your headlights, are they instantly at full brightness or do they take a few seconds to warm up?

 

Hmm, I'm not 100% sure, but I know they sort of flicker on and start off looking more blue then they do after I've start driving (they then turn a bit more whiteish/blue).

Does that mean anything?

 

I'd say sounds like you have Xenons/ HIDS do you have any packages on the car? Like the color monitor/ Nav?

 

This. Definitely sounds like you have xenon headlights.

If that's the case, you can't go with the Nokya bulbs for your headlights. I suggest these:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...oducts_id=1250

5000K FTW.

 

Yes I have the color monitor/voice activated nav/backup camera deal. I'm not sure what other packages I might have... I do not have heated seats, nor do I have paddle shifters. I did a bit of searching online and see a lot of different packages, but my car doesn't seem to match up to any of them...

I thought my car was an S model, but some things online point to it being an SV...

So confused! I'm not even sure I drive a Maxima any more

 

On motortrend.com I found a list of options packages... it looks like from what I have my car is actually an SV. And I think I have this tech package that looks like it comes with the Xenon's:

 

I learned something today I wasnt aware that you could get the HIDS/ Nav in the 3.5 SV model without getting the Sport or Premium

 

I'm here for you man!

Assuming motortrend is correct, here is the link to the explaination of packages:

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2009/...kages_options/