I took this from ClubGP, but I think it's a good thing to be on the forum and maybe people will see it before posting similar threads all the time

HID Kits

Single Xenon: Single xenon bulbs mean that they do not have a high beam built in. If you have a 04+ GP(size 9006 IIRC) get these. And if you are a 97-03(size 9007) guy or gal and don't mind losing your high beam then these will work fine since they are cheaper then Bi-xenon.

Bi-Xenon: Bi-xenon means, well obviously there are two beams, a low and a high. There are 3 types of bi-xenon in the 9007 size(97-03 GP guys) Each one has a different type of high beam.
9007-2 has a HID low and a Halogen High. 9007-3 is just one HID capsule that pivots or telescopes to change the focus of the light thus making a low and high beam. 9007-4 has two HID capsules on the same base, one for low and one for high. But the high beam pattern, from what I've heard is crap with the 9007-3, UNLESS you modify the base like BackInBlack did in his HID thread, which can be found here:Click me. Anyone who is buying a 9007 kit please refer to his thread, for a step by step walk through of the modification to the 9007 bulb's base.

Whats the K stand for in 6000k?

That K stands for Kelvin, it means the color temperature. Typical Hid kits come in K between 3000k and 14000k but there are some that are higher. And to any ricer boy who thinks that the higher the K number, the brighter.....FAIL/BAN/ASSWHOOPIN!!!! 3900k-4300k is the brightest and has the highest lumens out of all the K Temps. This is also the K that comes stock on all luxury cars...BMW, Lexus, Range Rover, Mercedes, any luxury car you can think of....they all have between 3900k and 4300k. The ever popular 85122+ D2S bulb is rated at 3900k and is what comes on most cars. So, no Vin Diesel...your 10,000k HID's wont look like the BMW lights.....sorry.

3000k=Golden Yellow Around 2900-3000 lumens
4300k(OEM)=Pure White with a slight blue tint. Identical to what you see in all the BMW's Lexus' etc etc... 3200 lumens
5000k= Pure white with a little more blue then 4300k. 3100 lumens
6000k=White with some blue and a BARELY noticable purple tint 2800 lumens
8000k=Blue 2600 lumens(ish)- For the sake of visibility, you don't want to go any further than 8000k.
10000k=VERY Blue 2300 lumens
12000k=Violet Purple-ish
14000k=Purple/Pink-ish and also very-->

For reference, the average Halogen Bulb will make somewhere around 1200-1600 lumens, depending on the bulb.

Some Pointers to get more life out of your hid kit:

1.First and probably most obvious, DON'T FLICK YOUR LIGHTS ON AND OFF!! I see retarded rice fan boys doing this all the time, trying to look like a cop or something and it will FRY your ballasts. NO NO NO!!!

2. DON'T run HID's with stock wiring. I know I know, HID's are 35 watts and halogens are 55 watts, BUT the amount of wattage required at start-up and warm up is what WILL fry your stock wiring over time. There is about 45 seconds after start-up when they are draining more power than normal, and you can see when it stops doing it. About 45 seconds or so after start-up you will notice the lights get slightly dimmer just like that *snaps*, like a switch was flipped. This is when the lights are only drawing 35 watts. Some HID kits come with wiring harnesses already, so if it does you do not need to buy one. If it didn't come with a harness, YOU WILL NEED ONE! Don't let ANYONE tell you that you can run HID's on stock wiring. Anyone who thinks you can run HID's on stock wiring, please show proof, because I have not seen any yet. A wiring harness draws power from the battery, taking the strain off of the stock wiring. This is the best harness available, IMO, and its only 15 bucks: 3BSpec: HID Relay Harness

If you are getting Bi-xenon then you need a Bi-xenon harness,like this:
http://shop.3bspecialties.com/produc...0&productId=23

That's VERY cheap insurance.

3.Turning HID's on and off more than like 3 or 4 times per hour is also bad for the bulbs, and possibly the ballasts. Once you turn them on it takes about a minute or two for them to be fully warmed up. After shutting them off it takes about 5 minutes for them to cool down. If you are going to turn them off and have to turn them back on, its good to wait the 5 minutes, so your not damaging the bulbs. Click me for more info

4. For us GP guys disable your DRL's(its as simple as pulling a fuse iirc). The DRL lights run at a lower wattage than the regular lights. Running HID's at a lower wattage will kill them. But if you are running the harness it is OK to leave the DRL on since the harness only uses the stock wiring to trigger the relay, and is not using the stock wiring to power the ballasts.

Facts about HID Kits:

ALL Hid kits come from china. Don't let any seller tell you that they are German or Japanese made ballasts or bulbs. All the REAL HID companies(Philips, Bosch, Matsu****a etc.) do NOT make hid kits. (I think Philips USED to make kits though...)They only make D1S, D2S, D3S and D4S(there are also D1,2,R bulbs) bulbs which are the ones that come on cars out of the factory with HID. So if any seller says its a KIT made by Matsu****a or comes from Japan or Germany or something, declare Shenanagans! Don't fall for the "These are Genuine Philips Ballasts!!" BS. They were made in china by some dude who got a paycheck of rice.

Now don't get me wrong some kits are actually pretty good and will hold up well, but the quality is hit or miss. Some people say their kits died in a week or month, others say theirs lasted them like a year or two. Its a chance you just gotta take! HID kits are well worth it IMO. You should be able to score a kit off of ebay in the 50-60 dollar price range. Also check ddmtuning.com

Questions and misconceptions about HID

1.Do HID's run hotter than halogen?
No, HID's actually run cooler than halogen at the same wattage. If you take a 35 watt halogen bulb and a 35 watt hid bulb, the HID bulb will be slightly cooler. Don't get this confused with our fog lights, as they run 27 watt halogens. People put 35 watt HID kits in the fog housings and end up melting them sometimes. It is because: 1, the bulb is hotter. 2, the HID bulb is longer and sits closer to the lens.

2. Do I need projectors to have HID's?
No, you do not need projectors to have HID's, its just better to have them. Projectors have a much better beam pattern than traditional Halogen reflectors, and will spread the light over the road more evenly without "hotspots", which are highly concentrated areas of light in the beam pattern. Many people have HID's in the stock reflectors without any problems. The only issue with putting them in stock housings, is that the housings were not designed to handle the additional light produced buy the HID capsule, thus creating glare.

3. Should I remove that metal thing that is inside the stock housing that goes around the bulb?
NO! Dont remove that. It is there to reduce glare. Also there is no way to take it out without removing the lens from the headlight anyway.

4. Do I need to order a harness for each headlight?
No, you only need one harness that powers both ballasts. Installation is very simple. Red power wire goes to the positive terminal on the battery, black goes to either a ground or the negative on the battery. Then there is either a blue 9007 connector or 2 prongs for H1, depending on which harness you needed. Those plug in to one side, either passenger or driver, to trigger the relay to turn on the ballasts. 9007 adapter plugs into the stock wiring, and if you have the Spyder projectors the H1 plugs into the wiring on the projector. Then there are 2 plugs that go to the ballasts, and you are done.

5. Can I use one ballast to power two bulbs?
No. Each bulb needs a separate ballast.

6. Should I get a 35w or 55w kit?
It personal preference I guess, but in my opinion 55w kits are total overkill and absolutely unnecessary. You will most likely end up pissing a lot of people off with them, especially if you put them in the stock headlights. 35w is MORE than bright enough. If 35w HID's are not bright enough you should not be be driving.

"Retro-ing" or Projector Retrofitting

This is the way to do it if you want hid lights. Retrofitting is basically taking the projector out of a car that comes with them and sticking them into your headlight housing. ANYONE who knows HID will tell you "DON'T stick a kit in headlight housings designed for halogens, you will get all sorts of glare." But some i have seen do seem to get by without much glare.... Along with HID projectors(there is a difference between HID and Halogen Projectors), you take the bulbs and ballasts from the car also and use them. All cars that come with hid's use D1S, D1R, D2S, D2R, D3S and now there are D4S bulbs. The "S", ex. D2S, bulbs are projector based bulbs. The "R", ex. D2R, is reflector based. D2S is the most common bulb among projector retrofits, with the bulb of choice being the Philips 85122 or 85122+. There are other high quality HID oem HID bulbs, like the Osram Xenarc's This is the best route if you want real HID lighting. This is also the most expensive route, but also the most cost effective, because the genuine hid parts will FAR outlast any Kit.

Single Xenon Projector
A single xenon projector, is a projector that is a low beam only. Most are quite a bit cheaper then bi-xenon projectors and can be used if you dont mind losing your high beam.

Bi-Xenon Projector
A bi-xenon projector, is a projector that has both a low and high beam. It uses one bulb that stays on, and at a constant level at all times(doesnt get brighter for high beam). How the high beam is achieved, is there is a shield that is blocking light from traveling upward. When you flip the high beams on, a solenoid moves this shield and allows all of the light to shine through. Example of Low and High beams on a bi-xenon projector( Pics are of an FX-R projector).

Low:



High:



If you want to retrofit, first thing you have to do is decide which projector you want to use. Do you want to keep your high beam, or can you live without it? If you want to retain high beam functionality, you will need to choose a bi-xenon projector, if you don't mind losing it single xenon will do fine. Choosing a projector should be the easiest part, just have to know what will fit and what wont.

In order to retrofit our 97-03 GP's, you are going to have to work around the crammed space. There is not a lot of room in these headlights so there are very few projectors that will fit. As far as single xenon projectors go, I haven't dug into this too much but the E46 single and TSX will both fit without a fight, the better being the TSX. Bi-Xenon projectors(low and high beam) are different. A lot of them are pretty big and will require some serious modification to make fit. Some that will fit are the fx35, E55, E46 Bi-xenon, FX-R, and the G35. ( You will have to make modifications to both the G35 and FX35 projectors, as well as the headlight housing for it to have a chance.) All of those will fit, but will still require serious modification to the housing. Arguably the best Bi-xenon projector on the market, the TL (from the Acura TL, obviously) will not fit no matter what you do. The thing is huge so don't bother lol.

Now that you picked your projector, you will need a few things to make it work. First, you will need some D2S bulbs. You will then need some Amp to D2S connectors( if you want to use ballasts you have from a kit). Lastly you will need a 9007 bi-xenon harness.( Links to all these below) This harness is different from the Bi-xenon harness mentioned at the top, as it is designed to keep the low beam on, and power the solenoid to the bi-xenon projector.

Now its time to get to work. You will have to get the lens off of your headlights. All you have to do is bake them. Put them in the oven at about 250* for about 3-4 minutes.( Just put the headlight in, not the bracket or corners.) Once you take it out, use a flat head screw driver to CAREFULLY pry the lens off. I don't think I need to say this but just in case, IT WILL BE HOT!! ........ Anyways, the lens may be difficult, and if it is stick it back in the oven for a few minutes if need be. Take it out and keep prying. Eventually you will get the lens off, and from here on out is where all the hard work is.

You will need to measure to figure out where you need to cut the housings, figure a way to securely mount them and make sure you align the projectors perfectly straight and even. It will take time, and lots of trial and error, and lots of aiming to make sure you have it all straight. Once you are satisfied that its all straight and even, mounted securely and all the housing is all sealed back up and water tight(where ever you made your cuts), you can put the lens back on. You can either stick it back in the oven to heat up the adhesive and clamp it back on, or remove all the old gunk re apply some rtv where the old gunk was and clamp the lens on that way. Then you are done!

Some supplies you may need are:
Black RTV Silicone
Quicksteel( or similar) Epoxy putty
JB weld
Liquid electrical tape
Long screws/nuts

Links:

Amp to D2S connectors: AMP > D2S Ballast Adapters - HID Ballasts from The Retrofit Source Inc

9007 harness(FOR BI-XENON PROJECTOR RETROFITS ONLY): Relay Harnesses from The Retrofit Source Inc

D2S bulbs: HID Bulbs from The Retrofit Source Inc

Many projectors can be purchased at theretrofitsource.com or on ebay.

I hope I help someone with all this info! Also if I missed anything let me know so I can add it in. Good Luck!

 

With this thread comes this disclaimer.

THESE ARE ILLEGAL. It is illegal to retrofit a HID into a non-projector housing. Even if you "aim them low" you can not judge the output by the cutoff line.

 

Is it legal to retrofit a HID into a projector housing?

 

You can add that to the above if you'd like, Mike.

No, because the projector focuses the light. Projectors (newer ones) are designed for HIDs. There are old school projectors though..

 

Here are some different color charts to give everyone some idea on the Kelvin temperatures