DDM Tuning HIDs! Amazing!

[Rafarios]

Any problems with the High / Low?

 

[MikeCallery]

The one thing I have picked up from this thread, and a few others on the forum, is that there does not appear to be an overwhelming concensus on moving to HID's for a non-HID Explorer relative to finding a quality project. Some people are recommending DDM and yet some are not. Some are showing an acceptable beam pattern and others are saying to install the bulb upside down which I thought would be relatively impossible on a bayonet style bulb mount.

I hate the yellowish look of OEM bulbs, they just don't cut it and I would much prefer HID's or a bulb replacement that gave me a white light without going to a higher K value which actually is more blue.

So, I'm asking retrofit.com to make a recommendation and will see what they say. For anyone else, my objective is to have a stock HID look, a whiter light, not yellow. Hopefully we can get even more discussion here and see where this project goes.

 

[diesel_s]

ddm is pure chinese made cheap garbage.
on top of waiting 6 weeks for delivery the damn things lasted less then 2 weeks and they had the audacity to charge $15 for a replacement bulb. a week later the other side went and another $15. less then a month later both ballast started smoking and promptly fizzed out and died. their service is horrible in every sense and it takes weeks to get any sort of response, if you're lucky enough to even get one.. the products are pure junk.
never again.
buy a proper kit and never look back.

Wish I saw this 2 years ago haha. I work for Dynamic SOund, the biggest seller of HID's in Ga. We sell kits that have been known to last for years with proper installation. I have had the same kit in my 2001 Sport for 7 years, never had to change it, its our 55 Watt Bixenon 6K and 55 Watt 3K foglights. I've currently been running our 55 Watt 6k H13 bixenon kit in my 2008 ST for a year now along with the 5 watt 3k fogs. Our website is allxenon.com, check us out.

 

[pingbling23]

Wish I saw this 2 years ago haha. I work for Dynamic SOund, the biggest seller of HID's in Ga. We sell kits that have been known to last for years with proper installation. I have had the same kit in my 2001 Sport for 7 years, never had to change it, its our 55 Watt Bixenon 6K and 55 Watt 3K foglights. I've currently been running our 55 Watt 6k H13 bixenon kit in my 2008 ST for a year now along with the 5 watt 3k fogs. Our website is allxenon.com, check us out.

do you offer any forum discounts? i would be interested in getting a 35w 6000k x2 kit and relay for my wife's 2012 explorer.

 

[diesel_s]

The one thing I have picked up from this thread, and a few others on the forum, is that there does not appear to be an overwhelming concensus on moving to HID's for a non-HID Explorer relative to finding a quality project. Some people are recommending DDM and yet some are not. Some are showing an acceptable beam pattern and others are saying to install the bulb upside down which I thought would be relatively impossible on a bayonet style bulb mount.

I hate the yellowish look of OEM bulbs, they just don't cut it and I would much prefer HID's or a bulb replacement that gave me a white light without going to a higher K value which actually is more blue.

So, I'm asking retrofit.com to make a recommendation and will see what they say. For anyone else, my objective is to have a stock HID look, a whiter light, not yellow. Hopefully we can get even more discussion here and see where this project goes.

4300 kelvins to 6000 kelvins, nothing above that. Once you get above 6K its goodbye vision and hello ridiculously blue light.

 

[diesel_s]

do you offer any forum discounts? i would be interested in getting a 35w 6000k x2 kit and relay for my wife's 2012 explorer.

We don't offer any at this time, the price of our kits are very affordable already so my boss doesn't have any discounts available. I've already looked into it before.

 

[mayher]

We don't offer any at this time, the price of our kits are very affordable already so my boss doesn't have any discounts available. I've already looked into it before.

Diesel: If you were going to install one of your kits in a 2011-2013 Ex, which kit would you recommend. Based on your earlier post, you don't recommend anything above a 6000k. Which of your kits would you recommend and why? Looking for a kit that is reliable and offers more light than the standard bulbs. Everyone seems to have a different opinion. Thanks

 

[_RELENTLESS_]

I've had DDM and Starrotors HIDs for going on 6 years now and never had a problem with either one of them. Yes the factory is in China, but it's shipped first class and I've never waited more than 5 working days for my kits. Say what you want about those companies, but all my friends are running DDM HID kits and have had no issues. Btw, I installed 6000K HID fogs/headlights on my 2012 explorer. I had factory halogen headlights so the part number was 9005 for high/low and H11 for fogs. Here's a few pics of them installed:

 

[diesel_s]

Diesel: If you were going to install one of your kits in a 2011-2013 Ex, which kit would you recommend. Based on your earlier post, you don't recommend anything above a 6000k. Which of your kits would you recommend and why? Looking for a kit that is reliable and offers more light than the standard bulbs. Everyone seems to have a different opinion. Thanks

For all out vision purposes, if you want the look of a factory system, i Would recommend the 55W 5K system. With the AC 55 watt ballast and matching 5K bulbs, the color is a very brilliant white. The more white you have, the more vision you gain. It actually changed the bulb from a 5k to more of a 4300K without the annoying yellow hue that those tend to have. A 6K which is usually Diamond white with a blue tint on 35 Watt ballast drops done to more of a 5K, pure white. Once you cross the threshold of 6K, which by the way is the actual legal limit for factory HID systems, you begin to get too much blue in the light. With more blue, the more your lights blend into the road and into the night. It may look bright while staring at the car, but actual light output goes out the window. To put it frankly, a 4300K 35 Watt kit is about 2900-3100 Lumens, a 5K 35 watt kit is 2800-3000 lumens, a 6k 35 watt kit is also 2800-3000 Lumens, an 8K 35 Watt kit drops to 1800-2100 Lumens....not worth the hassle going beyond 6K.

 

[diesel_s]

I've had DDM and Starrotors HIDs for going on 6 years now and never had a problem with either one of them. Yes the factory is in China, but it's shipped first class and I've never waited more than 5 working days for my kits. Say what you want about those companies, but all my friends are running DDM HID kits and have had no issues. Btw, I installed 6000K HID fogs/headlights on my 2012 explorer. I had factory halogen headlights so the part number was 9005 for high/low and H11 for fogs. Here's a few pics of them installed:

Its a different experience for everyone, I actually see a lot of DDM tuning and especially Zentec ballast end up in our shop from kits that are only 1 - 2 weeks old. We're not talking their cheap kits either. People bring them to us to test, once we show them the problem the person ends up buying the same kit again, except from us this time. Its all about experience and I myself had a DDM tuning HID kit back in the day that only lasted 3 months in my 2001 Ex, right after I met the owner of the company where I work now and installed our kit, its been in there for 7 years now, bixenon headlight and foglights, with no issue.

 

[diesel_s]

Diesel: If you were going to install one of your kits in a 2011-2013 Ex, which kit would you recommend. Based on your earlier post, you don't recommend anything above a 6000k. Which of your kits would you recommend and why? Looking for a kit that is reliable and offers more light than the standard bulbs. Everyone seems to have a different opinion. Thanks

BTW, HID's will provide much more light regardless as long as your projected or non projected housing is properly aimed and your bulbs aren't blue

 

[mayher]

For all out vision purposes, if you want the look of a factory system, i Would recommend the 55W 5K system. With the AC 55 watt ballast and matching 5K bulbs, the color is a very brilliant white. The more white you have, the more vision you gain. It actually changed the bulb from a 5k to more of a 4300K without the annoying yellow hue that those tend to have. A 6K which is usually Diamond white with a blue tint on 35 Watt ballast drops done to more of a 5K, pure white. Once you cross the threshold of 6K, which by the way is the actual legal limit for factory HID systems, you begin to get too much blue in the light. With more blue, the more your lights blend into the road and into the night. It may look bright while staring at the car, but actual light output goes out the window. To put it frankly, a 4300K 35 Watt kit is about 2900-3100 Lumens, a 5K 35 watt kit is 2800-3000 lumens, a 6k 35 watt kit is also 2800-3000 Lumens, an 8K 35 Watt kit drops to 1800-2100 Lumens....not worth the hassle going beyond 6K.

Diesel_S

Thanks for all your help. Everyone has an opinion of which system works best for them and i am sure there are several good aftermarket systems being sold. I would like to be able to install the system once and for all and be confident it will work for many years. Good to hear from someone who has industry experience and can make recommendations based on facts. Looks like its time to pull the plug on the factory lights. Once again thanks

 

[SHOnSUV]

For all out vision purposes, if you want the look of a factory system, i Would recommend the 55W 5K system. With the AC 55 watt ballast and matching 5K bulbs, the color is a very brilliant white. The more white you have, the more vision you gain. It actually changed the bulb from a 5k to more of a 4300K without the annoying yellow hue that those tend to have. A 6K which is usually Diamond white with a blue tint on 35 Watt ballast drops done to more of a 5K, pure white. Once you cross the threshold of 6K, which by the way is the actual legal limit for factory HID systems, you begin to get too much blue in the light. With more blue, the more your lights blend into the road and into the night. It may look bright while staring at the car, but actual light output goes out the window. To put it frankly, a 4300K 35 Watt kit is about 2900-3100 Lumens, a 5K 35 watt kit is 2800-3000 lumens, a 6k 35 watt kit is also 2800-3000 Lumens, an 8K 35 Watt kit drops to 1800-2100 Lumens....not worth the hassle going beyond 6K.

So I checked these out diesel_s but it seems they are out of stock.
( get this foot note when added to cart *** )
When are you expecting more in ?

 

[diesel_s]

So I checked these out diesel_s but it seems they are out of stock.
( get this foot note when added to cart *** )
When are you expecting more in ?

First week in March

 

[broken strut]

I just bought a sport. It has the halogen headlamps. Not impressed. I asked the dealership to upgrade to HID. Am I better off getting an after market kit?

My thinking is by having the dealer do it, I won't have to worry about screwing things up. They should be the "experts" at doing this. Right? Probably cost me more, but then I won't have to worry.

They just have to install the ballast and bulbs. Is there a difference in the housing for the HID's? Project lamps? Or can the use the housing the current bulbs are in. Forgive me. I'm not up to speed on the headlamps.

Thanks in advance

 

[diesel_s]

I just bought a sport. It has the halogen headlamps. Not impressed. I asked the dealership to upgrade to HID. Am I better off getting an after market kit?

My thinking is by having the dealer do it, I won't have to worry about screwing things up. They should be the "experts" at doing this. Right? Probably cost me more, but then I won't have to worry.

They just have to install the ballast and bulbs. Is there a difference in the housing for the HID's? Project lamps? Or can the use the housing the current bulbs are in. Forgive me. I'm not up to speed on the headlamps.

Thanks in advance

You can use the same headlamps you have now or you can have a retrofit done, essentially cracking opening the housings and having HID projectors installed. Asking the dealer to upgrade to HID is going to cost you a huge fortune, the factory parts are up there!

Are they experts at doing this, no....Not at all, most dealers don't know too much about HID's. You can save money by ordering a quality aftermarket kit and installing it yourself with a step by step guide.

 

[broken strut]

Thanks, you are correct. The dealer quoted me 2500.00 for parts alone.