HID or Xtreme HID?

[b0yd07]

I'm looking for a low cost HID conversion kit. Currently I have a stock galaxy gray 06 si coupe.

After reading A LOT about these things, I've narrowed down what I'm looking for. I don't want a blue color, so I'm thinking 4300k or 5000k. First off, what do you guys think will look better on a galaxy gray?

From what I understand, I can get those s from eBay(china) for about 160 shipped or the Xtreme from XenonDepot for 250 shipped. What do you recommend?

Thanks.

[TRANCEBOY]

wait a week
im gonna be buying a set for 125 from a guy locally
in miami
i might get discounts if we start buying and i can ship thm out
to you guys
not sure the quality ill let you guys know

[an0malous]

if you read "A LOT"
you would have come across all the info out there about how HID lights in the incorrect Halogen Reflector housing causes dangerous amounts of glare to oncoming traffic?

Personally I would recommend looking into the way HID lighting is produced, and save up for Projectors to do it right.

[striker_1818]

Originally Posted by an0malous

if you read "A LOT"
you would have come across all the info out there about how HID lights in the incorrect Halogen Reflector housing causes dangerous amounts of glare to oncoming traffic?

Personally I would recommend looking into the way HID lighting is produced, and save up for Projectors to do it right.

i've tried telling them that but they plain don't care...
they believe "our headlights can handle hid's without glare"...
This is all i can say

[an0malous]

its the same everywhere.
people just want the purty blue bright lights.
and dont care how they get them.

just want em now
and want em cheap.

and the rest of us are left squinting on the roads.

Ive converted a quite a few people on the cobalt forums by beating them over the head with the facts about HIDs and glare.

its a real pet peeve for me.




how they SHOULD look

[striker_1818]

Originally Posted by an0malous

its the same everywhere.
people just want the purty blue bright lights.
and dont care how they get them.

just want em now
and want em cheap.

and the rest of us are left squinting on the roads.

Ive converted a quite a few people on the cobalt forums by beating them over the head with the facts about HIDs and glare.

its a real pet peeve for me.




how they SHOULD look

join the club lol
btw the last one is an sti with s2k lense swap...
But people in here are learning...slowly but learning a good value where before a pnp kit setup on a reflective halogen would be oMFG it's so SeXay! but now they're going for the retro look

edited: Oops lol

[b0yd07]

Can they not be adjusted?

After reading some more, the eBay ones from China are completely out of the question. Either 4300k or 5000k Xtreme HID's from XenonDepot... about 250 dollars shipped. And no, I'm trying to stay away from the 'purty' blue lights as you call them. I just want something that will light the road up a little better and have that crisp white look.

What do you guys suggest for someone on a 250 dollar budget? It's not a matter of me not having enough for something fancy, I just don't care to spend that much.

[striker_1818]

it doesn't matter who you buy from...
u can have an OEM hid kit say hella gen3 ballasts with rebased bulbs and you'll still get glare...
the thing about our headlight design is that optics for HID's are out of the question...
this is a matter of optics from high lumen bulbs vs low lumen bulbs...in other words, HID bulbs vs halogen bulbs...
but then again if u wanna go pnp why not support our sponsors? =]

[an0malous]

Originally Posted by b0yd07

Can they not be adjusted?

After reading some more, the eBay ones from China are completely out of the question. Either 4300k or 5000k Xtreme HID's from XenonDepot... about 250 dollars shipped. And no, I'm trying to stay away from the 'purty' blue lights as you call them. I just want something that will light the road up a little better and have that crisp white look.

What do you guys suggest for someone on a 250 dollar budget? It's not a matter of me not having enough for something fancy, I just don't care to spend that much.

I would suggest you save your money and do it right with projectors once you can afford it.

right now, maybe shop around for some quality aftermarket Halogens to tide you over.

[Coastale]

Hi, I'm wondering what you read that turned you away from the chinese lights. . . Just stuff from 8th re: flickering? Or more than that?

[b0yd07]

Originally Posted by Coastale

Hi, I'm wondering what you read that turned you away from the chinese lights. . . Just stuff from 8th re: flickering? Or more than that?

The flickering and people complaining about them not working after 4 months or so. They don't mention it early on in that DIY regarding the Chinese lights, but later you start to see it a lot. A lot of people also have problems getting em to start up for the first time out of the box.

Again, saving my money for this is not the problem, I just don't want to spend that much.

I really don't see the problem. Take a look at this guy's:
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/showp...9&postcount=57

Did he have a different type of housing?

[striker_1818]

Originally Posted by b0yd07

The flickering and people complaining about them not working after 4 months or so. They don't mention it early on in that DIY regarding the Chinese lights, but later you start to see it a lot. A lot of people also have problems getting em to start up for the first time out of the box.

Again, saving my money for this is not the problem, I just don't want to spend that much.

I really don't see the problem. Take a look at this guy's:
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/showp...9&postcount=57

Did he have a different type of housing?

no his pics suck and doesn't show the glare effect above the cutoff that normal civic headlights do indeed have even with halogen bulbs...
BTW, if your crap flickers even once, you got a bad product...why? your bulb lifespan will decrease significantly upon every flickering

[an0malous]

striker is right on.
trust me, we have seen this crap before. time in and time out.
they will take pics that make it seem like they are all wonderful.

tell him to take a pic from 20ft away at eye level looking at the headlights.
they never want to take that one.


I had a buddy close to me in alberta buy HIDs, I tried to explain all this to him.....he and I got in a BIG argument over it.

we decided to "agree to disagree" cuz we would have to go to meets together and stuff.

6 months later...he tore them out after getting tickets and getting flashed all day.

Look at those pics i showed you.
you think a cop who sees that coming at him down the road is gonna ignore it?

[CivicDude]

What it comes down to, is if you choose to purchase either one of these products, id go with the xenondepot ones.

A) they ahve been around heck of a lot longer then any ebay seller.
B) if you have any warranty issues good luck dealing with someone from ebay.
C) Steve supports this site, so as members we should support him back.

[b0yd07]

What can I buy to make it not glare? That won't void any warranty? That won't cost a small fortune?

Are the Xtreme HID's generally reliable?

EDIT: Would SilverStar Ultra's be a better investment at this time?

[striker_1818]

Originally Posted by b0yd07

What can I buy to make it not glare? That won't void any warranty? That won't cost a small fortune?

Are the Xtreme HID's generally reliable?

EDIT: Would SilverStar Ultra's be a better investment at this time?

yep

[an0malous]

Originally Posted by b0yd07

What can I buy to make it not glare? That won't void any warranty? That won't cost a small fortune?

Are the Xtreme HID's generally reliable?

EDIT: Would SilverStar Ultra's be a better investment at this time?

Silverstars will give you increased lighting, while staying legal, cheaper, and not blinding everyone.

basically you have to go projector to do HID properly.
Im sure you guys can buy some cheap projector headlight assemblies.
if we can get some for <$250 for a cobalt, im damn sure a civic can find them

the thing with projectors is, if you cheap out....your going to affect your own lighting, but you will at least have a cutoff that will keep blinding glare from your fellow motorists eyes.

when you spend money on a retrofit, and go high quality, you still have that nice cutoff, but your lighting will increase.

I would rather see a cheapo set of projectors with HIDs, than just HID in reflectors.

[b0yd07]

OK! well... Here's some more stuff I've been reading:
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=16
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=19
Eh? Eh?

So basically, in order for me to go all the way with projectors, I'll need a projector housing and then a HID kit? Is this is a two part thing or what? The housing you say will cost ~300 and then I'll need a "REAL" HID kit(as opposed to the PnP kits)?

How long do the SilverStar's last on average? How long will the Xtreme HID last me?

If I were to get an HID kit, will a certain temperature give off less glare than another? Say 4300 vs 5000?

EDIT: I'm so confused! lol

[an0malous]

HIDs will outlast halogens when installed properly by a long shot.
the only difference between a PnP kit, and one that fits in your type of projector, is the bulb type.

The temperature doesnt make much difference to anything but color and lumens. a good projector will reduce glare regardless of what bulb you put in there
just avoid anything over 8k. because then you really start losing lighting for the sake of color.

[RiceBowL54]

Just get the HIDs. I installed pnp 8000k Xetronics HIDs in my EX with the reflector housing for about 5 months. After hearing all this talk about glare, I had my friend drive my car while I drove his as we passed each other on a two way street. Glare wasn't that significant, and I haven't had any cops pull me over. Those pictures are an extreme exaggeration.

Spend the extra money on the Xtreme HIDs. They'll probably be more reliable and any warranty problems will be taken care of easily. If you don't like the blue-ish color, stick with 4300k.