Xenondepot HID conversion kit

For anyone interested in HID conversion kits, I just scored a great one from Xenondepot.com. I did a review and first impression here.

Nice setup.

 

[celly]

ahh i knew you'd end up doing it..lol

i'm glad your happy!!! i have to say its one of the best mods you can do IMO anyway.

I'm glad to report I didn't have any issues with the message center. I was going to put my $$$ towards headers, but too much $$$ right now and no way could I do the install myself. Deciding factor was the DIY factor. If anything, seeing your threads on the kits got me thinking.

Yes, excellent mod. I still am partial to performance mods like exhaust, intake, tuner, EE swaybar, shocks, but this is a great "secondary" mod I reckon.

 

[Afboy143]

I did a ton of homework on HID conversion kits. I spent a lot of time over on hidplanet.com. What a bunch of HID snobs. My gawd, you MUST retrofit a setup using expensive projectors or you SUCK. What a bunch of **** retentive wankers! Anyhow, I digress.

Imust agree with the HID planet people. I too did A LOT of homework and there is a reason people complain so much about putting HID in non-hid headlights. First off is the blinding factor, HID does not project forward like halogen light does. It is scattered light which is why projectors are used to put it in its place. HID is also 3x brighting then halogen which needs to be aimed properly or it will blind people. Projectors create cut off lines so a certain amount of light doesnt pass a certain point. This is why when I installed HID, I did not half ass. I bought projectors, ballasts, and ignitors from a wrecked bmw and retrofitted it in my diamond cuts. Projectors are really the only safe and "legal" way to do it. (Good projectors that is. Some projectors are only "look a likes" which is why people say dont skimp) Projectors take full advantage of the HID light and project ALL the light given off by the bulb to where it needs to go. People who have done all their HID homework will agree

 

[justin146]

Imust agree with the HID planet people. I too did A LOT of homework and there is a reason people complain so much about putting HID in non-hid headlights. First off is the blinding factor, HID does not project forward like halogen light does. It is scattered light which is why projectors are used to put it in its place. HID is also 3x brighting then halogen which needs to be aimed properly or it will blind people. Projectors create cut off lines so a certain amount of light doesnt pass a certain point. This is why when I installed HID, I did not half ass. I bought projectors, ballasts, and ignitors from a wrecked bmw and retrofitted it in my diamond cuts. Projectors are really the only safe and "legal" way to do it. (Good projectors that is. Some projectors are only "look a likes" which is why people say dont skimp) Projectors take full advantage of the HID light and project ALL the light given off by the bulb to where it needs to go. People who have done all their HID homework will agree

Do your projectors have weight/aim correction? The Murano I am driving has a dial that lets you aim them demending on the weight/amount of passengers. Automatic aiming correction is required in Europe, but I have yet to see a retrofit that could be remotely aimed.

 

[Gonzo]

Originally Posted by BrooklynBay:

I think they are going to be used on some new Lincolns, and other vehicles. I actually read about it on this website a few months ago. There was a picture of it on that thread. it looks like a cluster, and is super white. They only pulled a few watts too. The light was equivalent to a standard 65 watt headlight. The brights on them were made by shifting between either half, or all of the LEDs being on at the same time.

This sounds interesting. I would like to find more info on this.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I did a search on this website for that thread. I typed in LED headlights. Here it is: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148302&highlight=led+headlights

 

[celly]

Imust agree with the HID planet people.

I know you agree with them. I've read so many of your posts and you sound like a hidplanet clone. I've never seen such a bunch of self-righteous people as I have on that site. Not all HID conversion kits are going to yield bad results. I fully accept the fact some kits are going to look like crap. Mine do not and throw no more glare than my Silverstars did. I was worried about that before I decided to go with the HID setup.

Sorry, but there are people that don't want to do projectors. You did a great job on yours. Good on you. Doesn't mean we have to agree with you. I've checked out my setup using other vehicles from all sorts of angles. I'm not causing problems for anyone.

Remember, all HID kits be it conversion kits of retro-fits are illegal, so I don't really want to hear that what you're doing is right and what I'm doing is wrong.

We can agree to disagree and I'd imagine you'll continue to shoot down everyone that does these kits. That's your choice.

Projectors are really the only safe and "legal" way to do it.

From what I see over and over again, projectors are only legal if they're OEM and used in the vehicle they were designed for. Last I checked, the Explorer is not built by BMW.

By the way, I was just waiting for you to pounce on this one.

 

[96limitedX]

hey celly..can i look forword to some pics of them? i'd love to see them on your truck/in the dark ect..if you get some time.

 

[celly]

hey celly..can i look forword to some pics of them? i'd love to see them on your truck/in the dark ect..if you get some time.

I'm one of these people with 512K memory cards that takes photos and they sit in the camera for months. I do plan on adding some photos to my registry in due course and will probably have a few then. Haven't taken any shots for a while.

 

[DOZIER]

Sorry I had to be one of those illegal few. The picture does not do much justice, but I can really assure you that it is not that bad with 10,000k in my headlights of this 2001 Sport. I even got the police who I personally know to look at them and they said that they are illegal but they are not too bright. I lowered my headlights a little. I don't care if they are illegal. They told me not to worry about it.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Now a day with all these imports and luxury vehicles that have them - why would they hesitate at thinking an explorer could have them. Granted a lot of explorers are out there WITHOUT them, but there's a lot of cars out there that had the option or didn't get them until later years. Anyhow...Illegal or not - they are some cool lights

-Drew

 

[celly]

I tell you one thing, I scored this conversion kit at the best possible time. On the night I put them in, it was snowing qute heavily out. I couldn't believe how well these things cut through the night even with the snow. This past weekend I was restless and took a 100 km jaunt in the country and it was pretty rough outside as well. Lots of cars driving very slow because of the visibility and blowing snow. I didn't even notice it. The ultimate testimony is that I came across a LOT of semi drivers who are usually pretty "flash happy" when I normally drive with fogs and I didn't see anything from them. I still need to tweak the aim a little bit, but high beams will remain a thing of the past on my Explorer. Definitely not needed.

 

[Afboy143]

I guess I sound like a HIDPlanet clone because I did all my HW there. HID lighting does not work like halogen lighting, therefore if you do not put them in the proper housing
a)You do not have the right cut off and you WILL cause a glare on other drivers. Granted it maybe not be bright but its there, HID light scatters...thats why they need to be directed
b)You will not get the FULL potential of hid lighting because all the light is not aimed properly and directed to where it needs to be.

I agree with explorerDMB, i remember 3 years ago cops pulled people over for those "off road only" halogen lights, windshield wipers LEDs,undercar neons, and HID lights. Now a days, cops dont care about anything unless the neons are blue or red. It seems like everyone in tampa drives a HID equipted car

 

[celly]

I guess I sound like a HIDPlanet clone because I did all my HW there. HID lighting does not work like halogen lighting, therefore if you do not put them in the proper housing

I spent days over there before I got my kit. Everyone sounds the same and they're so predictable in their pile-on approach when people want to buy a kit and ask about them. Sort of like how you rip on any person considering a HID kit on this site. You guys are bunch of lemmings in that clique over there. That site began to annoy me to no end as I scoured through the forums over the course of several days.

a)You do not have the right cut off and you WILL cause a glare on other drivers. Granted it maybe not be bright but its there, HID light scatters...thats why they need to be directed

I have no more glare now than I did with my Silverstars. I could have taken before and after photos, but it proves nothing....to me. I know I'm not hurting anyone else. I've tested it extensively now. HID kits rock if they're set up with care.

b)You will not get the FULL potential of hid lighting because all the light is not aimed properly and directed to where it needs to be.

OK, not getting full potential, but it's WAY better than halogen. I can see WAY better in a variety of conditions. I'm sure you don't drive in snowy conditions at night down there in FLA, but this kit is kickass at night in snowy conditions. I'm happy. That's all that matters. To each his/her own. Variety is the spice of life. I can accept your reason for spending the time of projectors. You did a GREAT job. It's too bad you don't accept the fact that not all HID kit applications are as bad as you and your Hidplanet clones seem to suggest. :thumbdwn:

 

[inh]

hmm may have to get one but thats a bit pricy, think ill just toss in some silverstars till i can afford it

 

[Bill Kemp]

Just to throw in my 2 cents worth.....
My Cadillac has projector HID lights. The Merc has PIAA(same as silverstars) halogens in the OEM reflector housings. The HID projectors are very good but they dont light up as much of an area as the Merc reflector halogens. The HID projectors concentrate the light in a sharply defined area. That area is really bright. However it is not near as large an area as the Mercs reflector type lights up. I have to use Catz fog lights to "fill in" the area the projectors dont light on the Cad. That "stray light" is very beneficial to see what is beyond the projector beams "cut off". If you can aim them correctly and the reflector doesnt put out too much "stray light" (glare) an HID system in a reflector type housing is going to light a much larger area and, to me, is preferrable. The Diamonds seem to do just that. The OEM lenses are deffinetly glare monsters and should not be used w/HID. Finally, anyone who doesnt have high beams better drive slow because HIDs, in any form, dont take the place of high beams.

 

[Richie18]

I have a 2003 Sport Trac and if
celly or the other contributers you wouldn't mind commenting on my situation as i am looking to get an HID kit.

First of all it's good to hear the the solid customer support from Xenondepot

Right now i'm comparing a kit from Xenondepot,

http://www.xenondepot.com/product.php?product_id=143

against a kit from a company called V-LED

http://www.v-leds.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/vpid/4782969/vpcsid/0/SFV/32481


The kit from V-LED claims that the bulbs are moving allowing for both High/Low. Was wondering if you have any knowledge on the quality of a kit like this and/or if the moving bulb really works. Also it was mentioned above that new lenses would be almost necessary for HID lighting, what links to where they can be purchased?

Edit: Just clicked on a link you posted to xenondepot for this kit that differs greatly from the ones i was able to find on their website

http://www.xenondepot.com/product.php?product_id=9
titled 9007 4300k XenonDepot HID Conversion Kit priced at $354

compared to the one i could find

http://www.xenondepot.com/product.php?product_id=133
9007 4300k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit priced at $224

it's very ambiguous as to which kit is the better of the two disregarding the price.

But what are the big differences here, the fact that one uses Philips components? Also like i said before i could not find the more expensive kit on their site at all? What gives here?

Edit: Just saw how old the thread was, sorry for the resurrection

 

[JCUZ]

The BiXenon kits (with the moving bulbs) do work, but do you need them. If you have separate high/low globes, then you don't need them, but if you have a low/Hi globe AND a Hi globe as well (or not), then you would need them.

The Bi-Xenons work by magnetism - when you flick the high beam switch, an electric magnet flicks a metal part up, allowing light to be emitted at a different angle, hence the high beam.

Those kits seem expensive - I have 2 of the cheap ebay kits (from Diane shop, I think), and they would be less than $150 each kit. I have also had a higher priced Phillips HID kit, and the balasts and everything look the same as the cheap ones from ebay. I have been using mine for around 6 months with no issues whatsoever.

 

[JCUZ]

Here's alink to a kit:
http://cgi.ebay.com/HID-XENON-CONVE...yZ102560QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and to diane-shop (who don't seem to have 9007 single at the moment, though they do have 9007 Bi-Xenon):
http://myworld.ebay.com/diane-shop/

 

[Richie18]

To me it looks like i have a single bulb for high and low...this would lead me to believe i need the low/hi kit so i don't use my high beams.

Could anyone comment on diamond cut headlight assemblies, as to what they are and where they are available...it may just be that there are none offered for the Sport Trac i'm guessing.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Harbor Freight is now in the HID business: http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=hid