Im sure this has been beat to death but I can not get any real answers. in HID kits you can get either a 35W kit or a 55W kit...which both are powered at 12v from the battery.

so correct me if any of this is wrong^. where is the 35W and 55W come from? the amount of W at the bulb or what?

and I do know that the 55W is brighter by like 30-40%...so im told...

 

The wattage is how much power the ballast is putting out to power the bulb, not the drain on the battery. Well, actually in this case its going to be the amount of power the ballast needs to operate the bulb, since the ballast is providing the bulb with alot more power than that.

Volts and Watts are two very different things.

In basic terms a Watt measures the amount of energy being consumed, so the ballast is consuming 35watts to power the light.

 

ok so would the basic difference be the brightness in the light that is produced? I have heard that the 55W would burn up the stock harness in due time. have you heard that?

 

I have the 35w and it is REALLY bright. 55w is overkill, especially for not using a projector housing. I've driven 3-4 hours straight with my HIDs on multiple times through the night and no damage to the housing.

 

could the 55W burn/melt the housing?

 

You can be the first to experiment and let us know

 

lol what a great honor it is. ill let yall know what happens.

 

You can't be serious... you would take your chances on that... and perhaps burn your whole truck...

 

do you know if the 55W lights would do that? please share with us your knowledge.

 

The OEM lights are 55 Watts unless I'm totally out to lunch. Wattage is power and that much power is being delivered to the light filaments in the OEM lights to turn them on. 55 Watts is not going to hurt your wiring harness. The harness is designed to carry that much power.

BUT - the 55 Watt HIDs MAY burn at a much hotter temperature than the OEM lights and they are surely hotter than the 35 Watt versions. So, if these lights DO burn hotter, they could melt the light housings or the lenses. I suspect that is the real problem.

I would not chance it.

- Jack

 

I sent the company an e-mail asking how hot they typically run. but i guess thats really the only thing left, Id hate to melt my new housings...

 

I wouldnt trust the company anyways. Theyll saya it will work just to sell their product. Ive heard of the housingx getting burned on vehicles so personally i just wouldnt chance it. Just find someone with a setup you like and ask them what they have.

 

I don't know anything about it, but I would rather be safe than sorry right?
Anyways my 35W HID seems great to me.... I get flashes now and then, but imagine if I went 55W the chances of me getting flashed again would be greater... and the chances of my OEM housing to melt would go up too.

 

so why would they make a product that could melt the housing? can housings differ in thickness to handle the extra heat?

 

It would be more like different materials or special heat sinks or venting. Possibly all of the above. But, an OEM housing may not be suitable for a 55 Watt HID light.

- Jack