Question about headlights

[babytruck]

I have been looking at different lighting options.
There are bunch out there. Does anyone have opinions about HID's, LED's, VS. Projectors. Personally I like the halogens and xenons with a clear lens. I have checked out ebay and there are a ton of set ups. But I wonder why folks have projectors selling really cheap. They can't be worth a darn can they. Fill me in, thanks.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Well Projectors are jsut a type of housing not a bulb type.Personally I keep hearing negative stuff about HID's but if you get the right setup they are 100% better, the only problem seems to be that if you go with HID's you have to stick with 1 beam usually low beam. LED's are mostly used for dashboard illumination but a few people here have LED lights that look pretty sweet. I am going to get dash lights and some amber LED strob lights to mount high as extra hazard lights.

I don't know why projectors are so cheap either but I like the clear lenses too.

 

[Doom's Day Custom]

Hid are illegal to have unless your truck came with them stock from the factory..]
But laws only apply to the honest person.....

 

[daniel3507]

HID lights are more work and if you dont do it right you piss A LOT of people off. With out real projectors you blind everyone that is coming in your direction. LED headlights, personally I dont think the technology is there yet. I like my Phillips X-Treme power halogen and just regular non projector housings off ebay. Simple, provides plenty of great light, and 100% legal

 

[daniel3507]

Here is some reading on HID light kits that is worth a look.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
Clears up the fact that putting projectors in halogen housings still sucks

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Yeah HID's really piss me off, Save your money and stick with the few of us that devote our lives to making people who improperly install HID's heck by getting Off Road Lights!

Shoot... I should make a group About that...

 

[shadow6]

HID's are NOT illegal. don't know where you heard that. Now, aftermarket lights that say "OFF ROAD" on the box, those ARE illegal for street use. Also check your state laws, in MN you are only allowed two driving lights and two "fog" lights. Found that out while driving with all EIGHT of my lights on.......


A side note on HID lighting, they are actually less harmful to your eyes than traditional halogen lighting.

 

[LearjetMinako]

HID's are illegal when installed in a halogen light fixture. But are legal when installed in the correct light fixture designed for HID's (usually only allowed from the factory). And most conversion kits will say this or put a mark stating "for off-road use only".

When HID's are done right, the really do make a world of difference. Had one for a little while on my KLX. The light is cleaner, whiter, brighter, and reaches further and wider. But I had issues with it not igniting (low voltage drop upon engine start). The lo/hi beam were too far apart that it made it worthless to have both beams and adjust for only one beam.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

HID's are NOT illegal. don't know where you heard that. Now, aftermarket lights that say "OFF ROAD" on the box, those ARE illegal for street use. Also check your state laws, in MN you are only allowed two driving lights and two "fog" lights. Found that out while driving with all EIGHT of my lights on.......


A side note on HID lighting, they are actually less harmful to your eyes than traditional halogen lighting.

Well yes and no... HID's are not illegal... in cars that came factory equipped with them... HID's are illegal when improperly installed such as in a halogen light housing and (most reciently I believe) in vehicles that didn't come factory equipped with HID's. As for off road lights it does say they are for offroad use only right on the box and everything so people are forewarned... and do it anyways!

The Alaska law is you can have as many as you want as long as you don't flash a cop with em.

HID's put out a more natural light which is better for the eyes then a hallogen bulb but they actually harm your eyes from the intense glare of not properly aligned or installed to the oncoming traffic, and you for having them improperly adjusted your eyes are straining to see places they need to (example far away because there is a massive light concentration right infront of you where you keep going to because you can see the best there but you need to look out to the darker poorly lit or well lit areas but since your so used to the bright light infront of you you strain to adjust.)

 

[rangerdude91]

i love my HID's. i have the 5k which is the pure white. i have the high/low beam option and the highs are almost worse. they just go up and out further. i have a hard time seeing at night when i drive(have perfect vision and 18 so idk why) but when i put my HID's in it was sooooooooo much better. i am putting a set in my Austin MINI and they are awesome.
i paid 120 with shipping for my set on ebay for the ranger. bought from a different internet store for the mini and i got the same name kit as my ranger and they are GREAT!!!

NW

 

[Nhaz]

I disllike HID's. for the simple reason that when you wear glasses and you have to look through a windshield. And someone comes along with hid's from the other direction. I get washed right out as they get closer and closer.

I use a pair of 100 watt offroad beams as a second pair of highbeams and they are totally illegal to use on road. Doesn't stop me. And I just turn them off when someone is coming.

And they light up everything for half a kilometer infront of me. better then the hid's

 

[OilPatch197]

I have been looking at different lighting options.
There are bunch out there. Does anyone have opinions about HID's, LED's, VS. Projectors. Personally I like the halogens and xenons with a clear lens.

HID's, GREAT if it is a OEM job, SHITTY if it is one of these "no name" kits off of Ebay, sure it can be done right, if you want to cut up your halogen headlamps and install a HID upgrade kit, maybe retrofit some 7" HID lamps into your stock headlamps and do a custom job, that would be cool.

LED's are great for Tail lamps, I've heard a few designs for Headlamps, but it's not viable for after market just yet. LED's are great for signal/marker lamps.

Projectors are really the best way to go, economically/efficiency you cannot beat a projector, the only disadvantage a projector has is all the light is more concentrated vs a Free form reflector(this could be seen as an advantage as well), that more of the light is leaving the unit in a more concentrated beam, which means that anything(mud, bird shit) gets on the front of the headlamp lens immediately in front of the beam, it will slightly hinder light output more than a typical free-form reflector which has a much larger "beam spread" going out the lens.

The best makers of OEM/Aftermarket lamps are companies located in Germany, Japan, USA and France.