GUIDE: Installing HID (Xenon Discharge) Lightbulbs

[blinnbuc89]

I have installed several pairs of Xenon headlights over the past several years. This is for actual HID headlamps, with ballasts, not the cheap ones from walmart that are just "gas charged". Unfortunately, I did not think about doing this when I installed the lights and made the relay system. So I did the best with what I could do without taking it all apart. For this I apologize.

1. First off I ordered the HID Conversion kit from http://vvme.com; http://www.vvme.com/hid-conversion-kits-c-44.html?zenid=g49te8ju7f4hpvqvgk3tid1h8bkdhuc1
I ordered the 9007-2 Kit in 8000K, it has a Halogen low beam. I was concerned about fitment of the telescoping HID inside the factory housing, order whichever one you please though.
As a note, I would not recommend using the halogen highs, I would get the telescoping kit, the halogen lights just aim down on the ground like fog lamps. I tried switching the bulbs since they were not identical and I will post if this works tonight.

2. I then cleaned and resurfaced my headlamps while they were being shipped to me.

3. Upon Arrival I inspected the kit to make sure it has all components:

• Ballast x2

• HID Bulb x2

• Wiring harness (adapter) x2.

• Various mounting hardware

4. Remove Air intake and filter, remove battery.

5. Remove the factory bulbs, take off the plastic bulb holder from the wiring harness, mine were black (well at one point in time), you will put this on the new HID bulb, pass the bulb and wires through the inside of it, making sure the little tabs are on the bulb side.
It should look like this now.

6. Put the HID bulb in the back of the housing and screw down the black bulb holder.

7. Get a couple of these: Or these if you aren't of legal age or just dont like the stuff (or you are at work like I was):

8. Plug the wire harness from the kit into the vehicles headlamp harness.

9. Plug the braided cable from the harness into the ballast in the only available place, put the clip on the side with the slanted clip, not the square one (on the actual ballast). You will see it.

10. Plug the New headlight wires (from the HID) into the wires coming out of the ballasts.

11. Find a place to mount the ballasts.
Here is where I mounted my Passenger side:

Here is where I mounted my Driver Side:

12. Put your battery back in and hook it back up.

13. Put all your intake back together and on.

14. Start up your truck.

15. Turn them suckers on.
Here is how mine look during the day.

I'm at work, for the next 17 hours so I will take some pictures of the lights tonight.

 

[Roger]

And putting HIDs in housings not designed for them should be criminal. They will not focus or aim correctly, and the glare for the oncoming drivers is beyond dangerous.

 

[yyc_tbird_sc]

It is criminal. It is against the law to put non-stock replacement bulbs in any vehicle. These crap ass kits are a pain to all other drivers, and I really wish the gov't would get involved and stop companies from being able to sell them.

The stock housings are not designed to have this kind of light in them. The HID bulbs radiate their light completely different that a halogen bulb. The HID bulbs radiate light from the length of the bulb, while the stock style halogen lights radiate their light from filaments across the bulb. The reflectors in the stock housings were deisgned around the stock style bulbs (9004). These kits do not give you any type of high beam either as the bulb does not have a separate filament for it. This is often overcome by just making them brighter. On some factory equipped vehicles, the actual lens is shifted upwards by an actuator to allow the light to act as a high beam.

These kits are also known fire hazards, not just from shoddy installations (I'm not saying people here don't know how to install things) but from the added heat the bulbs put out causing the housings to melt and thus catch fire. The voltage that these lights use can be in the 1000v + range.

I have seen a car fire as a direct result of these lights, and have known of many more documented cases as such. A few family friends, and my father work in Accident Reconstruction and the such.

Please don't take too much offense to this post, but take those things out of your truck. I can't say I won't smile if/when another post pops up saying that someone's vehicle was impounded because of these lights. Having them in your vehicle is light having a lit-up sign that says to the police "PULL ME OVER!"

I have been blinded by them way too many times on the road, and they are unsafe for all the other drivers on the road.

*EDIT* I'm guessing by the back-boards and stickers on the lockers that you may work/deal with an emergency service. Check with your co-workers on this topic, then check with your local LEO's or law enforcement (check directly with the dept dealing with traffic enforcement or inspections).

 

[Beanmachine7000]

I've posted numerous times about my loathing of these HID conversion kits... They are illegal EVERYWHERE... They don't put out any more usable light than high quality halogen bulbs anyway... Keep your housings clean and clear, and use high quality bulbs and you will be fine and LEGAL, and not annoy other drivers by blinding them with bulbs you can't get aligned to legal specs...

 

[blinnbuc89]

While you post some true things, some of the things you posted are not accurate. These will not cause the headlight to catch on fire. period. They put out much less heat, that is a fact, they are gas discharge, not incandescent. They do ignite at approx. 23kV (23,000V), and? don't hold the wires when you turn it on, also it is not voltage that causes harm, it is the amperage. My lights are aimed properly. You likely see individuals, which I am about as much a fan of as y'all are, who buy these, then do not aim they lights properly, and have nasty dirty assemblies. a dirty assembly will send light everywhere. NO LEGAL HALOGEN LIGHT WILL PUT OUT THIS MUCH LIGHT. PERIOD. I have even taken pictures with the silverstar ultras in and HIDs in the same location, minutes apart to show you the difference. Mine do not glare as brightly as the silverstars, they are simply a brighter color, giving the appearance of more glare. If some people do not clean their headlamps and put these in, that is their fault, not the light. Also as far as wiring is concerned I run all my lighting through properly wired relays.

Here are the lights @ 10 Yards.

Here are the high beams @10 yards.

Here is the cut-off on the side of a building, note that the whole side is not lit up.

Here are the silverstars.

Here are the HIDs.

And the silverstars again.

The HIDs again.

The HIDs from the side.

The rock pile is where the lights cut off, at approx 80 yards.

 

[blinnbuc89]

what about this?

Guess y'all won't like these tails either.

And for the record, I was pulled over and the officer actually commented on my lights saying they are the nicest non-glaring aftermarket lights. he said they were fine because of where THEY WERE AIMED. He let me go after about 10 of shootin the shit about the lights. I'm a full-time paramedic too, that probably helps.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

It doesn't matter how they're aimed... Still illegal, just because a cop let you off doesn't mean they're legal... You may be able to aim them somewhat, but the pattern is still off for an arc discharge type of bulb... Even a professional lab could not get them to work at DOT specs... I promise you, a high quality halogen bulb will put out more USABLE light than most HID's... Why do you think OEM lights are (were) yellow? Not because they couldn't do any better, but because "bluer" light scatters more readily than "yellower" light, therefore you would have less USABLE light... I don't really want that happening with my headlights... Plus, since blue light has such a shorter wavelength it is VERY hard for the human eye to see, go look at a blacklight... Looks fuzzy doesn't it? Because it is extremely shortwave radiation, blue light isn't much farther from that... Look at a blue LED compared to a green LED at the same distance and tell me which is easier to focus on... I bet you it's the green one... Once you know the physics behind light and the biology of how we see it, you really won't like HID's...

This is a good read: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

 

[blinnbuc89]

I am well aware of the physics behind lighting and lighting spectrums. Black light emit ultraviolet light, an extremely short wavelength, much shorter than the light blue emitted by my lights. If you like longer wavelength, then please install yellow or orange lights and see how well you can see. I like my lights just the way they are now. Legal or not. Who has a vehicle that is 100% street-legal? I think if you look hard enough you will find that answer to be quite low.

 

[rkneeshaw]

It doesn't matter how they're aimed... Still illegal, just because a cop let you off doesn't mean they're legal... You may be able to aim them somewhat, but the pattern is still off for an arc discharge type of bulb... Even a professional lab could not get them to work at DOT specs... I promise you, a high quality halogen bulb will put out more USABLE light than most HID's... Why do you think OEM lights are (were) yellow? Not because they couldn't do any better, but because "bluer" light scatters more readily than "yellower" light, therefore you would have less USABLE light... I don't really want that happening with my headlights... Plus, since blue light has such a shorter wavelength it is VERY hard for the human eye to see, go look at a blacklight... Looks fuzzy doesn't it? Because it is extremely shortwave radiation, blue light isn't much farther from that... Look at a blue LED compared to a green LED at the same distance and tell me which is easier to focus on... I bet you it's the green one... Once you know the physics behind light and the biology of how we see it, you really won't like HID's...

This is a good read: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

Have you ever even been behind a HID equip'd vehicle vs a halogen equip'd vehicle? There's no contest. I don't know what you consider "usable" light, but halogens dont hold a flame to HIDs. At all.

EDIT: if you're only talking light color, you can get HID's in the 3100k color temp range, same color temp as halogens, but it seems 4300k to 5000k is optimal for light output, and is what all newer car manufacturers are using

 

[rkneeshaw]

blinnbuc, nice install, the aiming is the key part that other people almost always overlook with these kits, and what makes many of the posters in this thread hate guys who retrofit HID's into reflector housings. For the most part, if you adjust the aim afterwards they work beautifully, and the extra light output is incredible. Look at that cutoff on the beam in picture #1 against the building, thats impressive for headlights with reflector housings.

 

[blinnbuc89]

thank you rknee

 

[Nater]

Nice blinn! :thumbsup: I have the VVME kit too but I went with the 6000K bulbs...Talk about a nite and day difference!


And before someone complains that mine are illegal....sure they are.....in the States.....pretty much every car over here has HIDs in them...most of them without projectors.

 

[blinnbuc89]

Rock on Nater!

 

[hoosier1104]

Nice install. I have been running HID's in my Ranger for over a year w/o being flashed or pulled over. I am going to be doing my fog lights soon w/ 6k's to match my headlights. I prefer the slim ballast though.

 

[blinnbuc89]

If I had had more money I would have gone with the slims, and 55W for that matter, but I'm a full-time college Student so money is a little tight, also I want better housings (01+) before I go brighter.