Anyone tried the Nokya's ? They are a higher wattage will that be a problem for sure or just in some cases? How do you install them?

 

it's pretty easy. there are three clips aound the outside of the light switch box that hold it in place. one is located top-right, one is located at bottom center(where the notch is) and the other is located left-center. take a screw driver and start at the notch and work the other sides out. it will eventually work loose and no scratches if you're careful. good luck.

 

I tried a set of Sylvania 'Cool Blue' lights (9007CB BP). Picked them up Pep Boys, they have somewhat of a blue tint to them but they are noticably brighter then stock.

 

Blue lights? Are you on the volunteer fire department? If not why would you want blue lights?

 

Because every car that costs over 70K runs 'em. Just a thought

 

I believe I do run the same kit as SurfsUP, here's pics of mine:




And contrarty to what anyone might tell you, if you bought a "HID" light and its -just- a bulb, it is NOT an HID light. Any HID light will consist of a bulb AND a ballast set, and will run you NO less then $200 an individual unit (min, $400 for a pair) for any one of quality.

My (and SurfsUP's) kit run at 4150K as an intensity. They'll be blue for a few mins as they warm up when first ingnited, but after that, they will turn to a more pure-white light color. They may look blue on the off-angle due to chromatic spread.

Bosch makes a couple of other intensities... 4000k, which is heading more like the color area of a standard halogen, 4150 (which is like mine) and 6000K which is a purplish-color. 4150 is one of the most "intense" white light you can get.

There are some Krypton/Argon/Xenon standard bulbs that will approach 4150K, unfortunately, this will be at the expense of either decreased lumens or increased wattage/heat. If you're going to run a set of 100W or 110W bulbs to keep the lumens up for that color-level, I would -definately- recommend upgrading the headlight wiring harness as you will probably melt the plug over time. (I know, I did it before I got my HID's).

Daniel

 

Every car car over 70K comes with HID.

Here's the benefits:

arc light: aka single point source, easier to build a good reflector.
higher color temperature: more white/blue instead of yellow
higher lumens/Watt: about 3x the light output given the same wattage.

disadvantages:

cost: $200 a bulb is a MINIMUM, more like $400
fragile: HID bulbs break easier. Only a real concern in serious off-road/hand-held
warm up time: anywhere from 5-30 seconds for full bright, so tunnels can be a bear.

Here's a link to get them for the lightning:
http://orderxenarc.sylvania.com/orderxenarc/

Coldie

 

What's the cheapest anyone's paid for those xenarc lights? The cheapest I found was $799, but that's still too much.

 

The Xenarc's don't come for much less then that. There was a guy in the other mods forum that said he had a line on them for ~$650, but I don't know if that is still available.

Xenarc's include a new fixture and a second bulb for high-beam, so they are a complete package to do the same thing I did with peices.

If you do not care about your high-beams, you can get a 9007 HID kit for around $400 (2 bulbs/2 ballasts).

While there is a 5-30 secnod warmup time until full brightness (depending on ambient temperature), I can assure you tunnels are not a bear. They're bright enough even when warming up...

I can't nessecarily speak for offroad capabilities, but I can't see how they're anymore fragile then a halogen bulb? A halogen filament is thin-wire burning at a high degree of tempurate, I see that being more sensitive to shock then the gas filled capsule and metal cathode for an HID light.

Cost and proper focal point (for retrofit kits) are the two biggest hurdles I see.

Daniel

 

Do your ballasts contain a fusible link that cuts power to them in the event of an accident?

My wife's I30t has factory HIDs, and they blow themselves out in an accident. This keeps you from frying the EMTs with the kilovolts when they try to pull you out a vehicle.

Also - how it the vertical cutoff of the new reflectors compared to the stock 01-02 units? I've seen some HIDs that have a VERY agressive cutoff which makes the lights appear to strobe on a bumpy road (eg S2000). My wife's car has a moderately agressive cutoff which get annoying sometimes.

 

Where can we find, and how much for a HD harness for those of us that dont want to spare $800 for a true HID system but want to see the road better?

 

Andrew -- you can probably find one in Autozone or such.

Snoopy -- There is no automatic cutoff in that sense, but they are fused so that if there is a short (aka, the ballast grounds out to the chassis) it will blow either a fuse or a relay and not keep a closed circuit running.

There is no autoleveling on American headlight units like there are on Euro e-code compliant ones (Audi, BMW, etc). Therefore its key to get properly aimed headlights, the proper bulb (D2R for most applications), and the proper focal-length so that you do not continuously dazzle oncomign taffic.

The vertical cutoff is dependent on your headlight fixture... a straight in 9007 in the standard SVT enclosure will not have much of a cutoff at all... My CrystalEyes beams have a nice cutoff, not too low, but enough to keep me from blidning most standard height drivers. I have no idea what the cutoff for the Xenarcs ...