I'd like to improve the lighting on my Si, and am impressed with the results I see people getting out of the very inexpensive HID kits from DDM tuning. While projectors would be optimal, I'm going to try one of these kits considering both are well under $100 these days.
So the question is: is there any reason to try the slim ballast setup? It appears the Apexcone is a well-known and proven ballast, but the only information I have to evaluate the DDM slim ballast is their own verbage on the website. What's your DDM experience?
And since you still don't quite get it, let me reiterate that what I am asking is not for a comparison of what you have and the Apexcone, but rather the Apexcone and the DDM slim ballast, which are indeed two substantially different product.
DDM slim ballast do not have a label, they are cast with DDM on them, they are not the same as any other ballasts i have seen, and I've seen many (its called research). I have the 55w slims and they are sick (so far)
And exactly what proof or fact is conveyed here? That they look similar? Geez, all refrigerators look pretty similar, but they aren't the same product. Now you're intimating that the DDM slim ballast and the Hella unit are the same? And I guess by inference that the Hellas are made from the same Chinese components...
Theyre all bought at wholesale and lie to their customers to get easy money. False advertisement has been on the internet for years now. You should learn more about it
So threadstarter, your not asking which is better due to the actual pieces (because Striker told you they're all the same) but rather which is better due to the design (internal ignitor vs external) is that right?
I too would like to know this... that's why I was trying to clear it up. Let's assume they are all made with the same quality of parts, is one desgn superior to the other for any reason?
How can they? they're all bought wholesale thus the quality on every single of those ballasts are the same. What you have to go is after the seller's reputation with regards to warranty(which is usually the cheapest since they are the factory retailers rather than the middle man who are always greedy and tend to disappear to not lose merchandise). As a result, I said to buy whichever is cheaper to save you money. But the OP went all out on me as if i made a threat to his life.
And Leonard, in case you still didn't catch what I fully meant by buy whichever, it means the ignitor, whether it's inside or outside, has the same components and share the common platform. As a result, slim ballasts for tight places, others for spaces which are fully open or when you have enough space for them.
Again, the cheaper the better for your pocket.
ive been following this thread and must say striker is a pretty offensive and aggressive poster. im not that comfortable with it but seeing that he isn't banned yet, i guess people do tolerate it.
however, after 10+ posts of technical jargon and flaming, striker still hasnt quite addressed the original question..
does it MATTER whether the darn ignitor is INSIDE or OUTSIDE?
meaning.. we don't care that they use the same components.. DOES IT MATTER IF ONE IS INSIDE AND THE OTHER IS OUTSIDE?
i thought the question was asked clearly enough in the first post...
^ Didn't do your research? DDMtuning has 55w HID kit for around 75 shipped. A little more if you get the slim kit. Comes with lifetime warranty for free.
well, imo, i think that if the size doesnt matter to you, i would get the full-size one. just because a lot of people have bought that exact kit before and have no problems with it for over a year.
seems solid.
the slim ballast on the other hand is a newer design and although i havent heard anything complaints about them, there is no evidence of their reliability right now.
sorry i cant answer in a design point of view.. just my 2 cents.
for the record i bought the slim ballast.. just because it was only a bit more and i thought it would look neater and be easier to install.
Apexcone/DDM ballasts are designed not to exceed 6 amps.
The cheap chinese ballasts actually state that they pull a max of 20 amps when starting up.
I've got a set of Apexcone 55w D2S bulbs and ballasts (normal size) and they are great. Start up rather quickly (non OEM, so it's not instantaneous) and the ballasts seem like they are made out of some tough stuff.
The kit just shipped today. Its a 10k 55w setup. I have a 07 SI. I hope they look good. I am going to use the oem headlamp first but if i need to go projector i will. How do you like your set? What color /watt did you go with?
The kit just shipped today. Its a 10k 55w setup. I have a 07 SI. I hope they look good. I am going to use the oem headlamp first but if i need to go projector i will. How do you like your set? What color /watt did you go with?
Haha. Now how much research did you do to conclude with a purchase of a 10000k HID kit? One. Glare to the max. You're going to be blinding the cars in front of you. Two. You just reduced your visibility, especially in rainy/foggy weather. Stick to around 4300k for best visibility. That is, unless you prefer "bling bling" and would rather have form over function.
On another note, the reason why Striker comes off as a "crude or harsh" person is because this topic has been addressed MANY, MANY times. Threads like this pop up every week or so and it gets quite irritating. Most HID ballasts, with the exception of a few OEM ones (Matsushita, Hella, Phillips, Denso, etc) are made in China and are pretty much copies of their more expensive OEM counterparts. They're in essence, the same thing, but lack quality control. The difference between the ignitor being inside and outside the ballast won't prove to be that much of a difference because time and time again these cheap ballasts have proven themselves to be poorly made with junk materials. It goes to show that you get what you pay for. Oh yeah. "Lifetime warranty" doesn't mean much. If your ballast dies, you're probably going to send them an e-mail. They won't respond like usual, and you're out $75. Even if they do respond with an e-mail, you'd have to send them the "faulty" ballast and have them check to see what happened. If they deem that the ballast was "improperly used," which they seem to tell you 90% of the time, the warranty is now void. Good luck with that.
Brightness does not equal increased visibility. It just means without proper housings, you're going to blind the driver in front of you.
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