Factory HID's

[OneFast440]

Has anyone seen if it is possible to convert out non-HID Projectors to accept the factory one? If so, what parts are required?

 

[1tufgt]

Has anyone seen if it is possible to convert out non-HID Projectors to accept the factory one? If so, what parts are required?

You just need to buy the ballast and bulb it looks like.

Bulb - $235
Ballast - $180

From looking at the part list they seem to use the same headlight housing.

 

[OneFast440]

Can anyone else confirm this? Nothing in the wiring has changed, etc? I would really like to add HID's to mine but do not want to fry anything in doing so.

 

[cryptiq]

Can anyone else confirm this? Nothing in the wiring has changed, etc? I would really like to add HID's to mine but do not want to fry anything in doing so.

OK, so I was shocked to see this, but I just looked on fordparts.com and this does seem to be the case.
EDIT: I retract this statement, I don't think that's correct after further research.

However, I'd be interested to know this...most HID headlamps have an auto-leveling feature. I believe this is required in some countries but I don't think it is in the US. For those with factory HIDs, do they see the lights auto leveling when they start the car?

If the factory HIDs don't have the auto leveling feature, I'd save the $ and buy an aftermarket kit. People have been getting kits from kryptonbulbs.com and ddmtuning.com and have had good results (myself included) for about $60 w/ shipping.

 

[OneFast440]

I guess the only thing I am afraid of with aftermarket HID's is that I have read some either get so hot that they melt the housing they are in or melt the wiring system. Neither would I like to go through.

Also for some reason factory bulbs seem to last 4x longer then any aftermarket brand I have seen. This goes for the normal bulbs too.

 

[cryptiq]

I guess the only thing I am afraid of with aftermarket HID's is that I have read some either get so hot that they melt the housing they are in or melt the wiring system. Neither would I like to go through.

Also for some reason factory bulbs seem to last 4x longer then any aftermarket brand I have seen. This goes for the normal bulbs too.

OK, I did a little more research, and I don't think they're the same housing assembly. When I looked on fordparts.com, I did in fact get the same part# for both housings....however I noticed they list the same part # for both the left and right housing too...so this makes me think the # I'm seeing is really just a reference # and the housings are most likely different.

Also, something to note, the factory HIDs use a a D3S HID bulb, whereas the factory halogen bulb is a 9005 bulb. Headlight bulbs have "keys" built in them to prevent using the wrong bulb in the wrong housing. The keys do not match up between a D3S and 9005 bulb, so there has to be more to this.

Regarding the melting...once illuminated, an HID bulb draws less power than a halogen bulb, so your wires should be fine. Everything I've read also indicates HID bulbs have a lower operating temperature than halogens, so I wouldn't be worried about damage to your housing either. Maybe if you bought a crappy HID kit you would have these issues, but I think most people have been happy with their kits. ddmtuning.com offers a lifetime warranty on their bulbs and kits. I carry my halogen bulbs with me as a backup in case they go out, but I'm not too worried if they do since they'll be replaced for free.

 

[OneFast440]

I know this may have been covered in a separate thread but does anything need to be modified to make the HID kits from ddmtuning.com work?

 

[1tufgt]

Here is a ebay auction for a HID headlight.

Someone with a non HID should pull their housing and compare.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/11-1...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

[cryptiq]

I know this may have been covered in a separate thread but does anything need to be modified to make the HID kits from ddmtuning.com work?

Yes, just need to cut about a 3/4" hole into the rubber dust/moisture caps to allow the ballast wires to pass thru (GregV8 posted pics of this in the other discussion). The caps are like $6 a piece, so I ended up buying 2 replacement caps in case I ever needed to go back to the halogen setup.

If you order a kit, i would get something in the 4300K - 4700K color range. I ordered my 5000K kit before I had much knowledge and the bulbs are too blue for my taste. I'm thinking about ordering a set of replacement bulbs in case I ever need them, and will get something in the 4300K - 47000K color range.

 

[1AJeremyD]

If you are concerned about heat from HIDs in a non-HID housing the only thing you will have to be careful about is selecting the correct Watts for the bulb. The more Watts the hotter the bulb. I would say stick with a 35W bulb which is the lowest one I know of that you can get.

 

[cryptiq]

If you are concerned about heat from HIDs in a non-HID housing the only thing you will have to be careful about is selecting the correct Watts for the bulb. The more Watts the hotter the bulb. I would say stick with a 35W bulb which is the lowest one I know of that you can get.

Agreed...and since the factory halogen bulb is 55w, I don't think you're going to see a heat issue. You're most likely ending up with less heat.

 

[OneFast440]

If I was going to convert over to HID I would want to do the same as the factory (55w).

cryptiq, I know that you have given out a lot of information (from the other threads I have read). How do you feel yours are compared to your 525? I just got rid of my 335 and would like the same effect.

 

[cryptiq]

If I was going to convert over to HID I would want to do the same as the factory (55w).

cryptiq, I know that you have given out a lot of information (from the other threads I have read). How do you feel yours are compared to your 525? I just got rid of my 335 and would like the same effect.

Personally I can only recommend the 35w kit. If someone else wants to be the guinea pig and try out the 55w kit, I would consider them if they were able to run them without issue. I read this on the kryptonbulbs.com website and it scared me away from the 55w kit.

It is strongly recommended that you use a relay harness with a 55W HID kit, 55W kits have been known to Damage stock wiring without this.

55W kits should not be used in small headlight housings (like fog lights) they can actually melt the lens

We assume NO LIABILITY for damages due to running 55W kits, ALL YOU NEED IS A 35W kit.

We are only offering these because of the demand, I Josh Sauls (the owner) DO NOT run 55W kits in my vehicles.

​

In comparison to my 525:

- I definitely prefer the whiter light my BMW has, that's why I'm steering you away from a 5000K or higher bulb.

- The cutoff on the BMW is slightly cleaner. This isn't really an issue but you might notice it when you're illuminating street signs 300' away and the reflection off them is really bright. I'm guessing BMW uses a better lens to achieve this. I need to test this a little bit more to get the perspective of what an oncoming driver might see, but so far it doesn't appear to be blinding oncoming traffic.

- As far as actual light output goes, well it's difficult to be objective on this - I really need to break out the DSLR and get some good comparison shots. I will say this, the first time I started going down a backroad with no street lights, a huge smile came over my face, I was really impressed that a $50 kit was putting out this kind of light. The output is well distributed with no hotspots. The slight blue tint of a 5000K bulb somewhat degrades your total light output, but from what I can tell without doing a good side by side comparison...I'd say they are at least 90% as good as my 525's output.

 

[cryptiq]

Also, FWIW, it took about 12 days to get my order from ddmtuning.com. Their kits I believe are all drop shipped out of China, so they have to go thru customs. Out the door with shipping my total order came to $60.57. I have less than an hour of usage but so far I'm pretty happy. I did a bit of research and there's quite an array of happy and unhappy customers with ddmtuning, but so far I'm pleased with my purchase.

 

[1AJeremyD]

If I was going to convert over to HID I would want to do the same as the factory (55w).

cryptiq, I know that you have given out a lot of information (from the other threads I have read). How do you feel yours are compared to your 525? I just got rid of my 335 and would like the same effect.

The only thing I would be worried about is the headlight housing melting. I understand that they may appear to be the same housing 9 times out of 10 they are not the same and have a different reflective material inside so it does not burn the lens

 

[1tufgt]

The only thing I would be worried about is the headlight housing melting. I understand that they may appear to be the same housing 9 times out of 10 they are not the same and have a different reflective material inside so it does not burn the lens

HID put out far less heat than your standard halogen bulb. The vest test is to hold your hand in front of the headlight that has the factory halogen and feel the heat emitted from it and then feel what no heat from the HID puts out. Takt it another step and get a infared heat gun.

 

[OneFast440]

Well, if there is anyone out there that wants to trade their HID assemblies with my halogen assemblies, I am more then willing to do some negotiating.

 

[cryptiq]

Well, if there is anyone out there that wants to trade their HID assemblies with my halogen assemblies, I am more then willing to do some negotiating.

For $60, why not just give the aftermarket HID kit a shot? You're going to shell out a lot of $ to get the factory HIDs, and I'm willing to bet, after you try an aftermarket kit, you'll be thoroughly satisfied.

 

[Willykarla]

HID Help

Hello, I'm new on this Forum and I got a explorer XLT 2011 last week. I want to add HID kit but am not sure what to buy.
-I have verified the bulb and says 9005L+, can I use any HID 35 watt 9005?
-Also do I need and harness or relay or its just plug N play?
-The dashboard displays any error massage when installing the HID?
-Does this headlight use a single beam bulb for Low and High, How does this work?
Any help would be great!
Thanks

 

[cryptiq]

Hello, I'm new on this Forum and I got a explorer XLT 2011 last week. I want to add HID kit but am not sure what to buy.
-I have verified the bulb and says 9005L+, can I use any HID 35 watt 9005?
-Also do I need and harness or relay or its just plug N play?
-The dashboard displays any error massage when installing the HID?
-Does this headlight use a single beam bulb for Low and High, How does this work?
Any help would be great!
Thanks

Hi there, welcome to the forum. I think you'll find all your questions answered here: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=318470 Feel free to ask your questions there so we can have a consolidated thread.