HID 10000K in Diamond Headlights

Just in case anyone is wondering about installation of the HID kit on a 1995 Explorer (not sure if it applies to others, but i assume it applies at least from 1995-2001 4 door models) HID kit is easy to install. Just follow the directions the only thing that confused us at first was where to plug the headlights in to. All you do is slide the 2 metal pieces in the OEM socket. A search online will show you which goes where (Theres only 3 spots to put 2 wires... can't be too hard right)

Anyway, it looks AMAZING and I will post pictures soon. I also have diamond cut corners and they look amazing with it... and the LED's I bought match the HID headlights perfect.

All of my lights were purchased off of ebay. The Diamond cut corners and Diamond cut headlights came in the same package for about 120 dollars.
The LED's were 21 LED HID hyper white led's. I will post more information later.

The way the lights look on our explorers is so amazing I just had to waste your time and tell you.

 

[Afboy143]

Agreed, my headlights arent legal but they are not going to blind other drivers and WILL give the full potential of HID lighting due to the fact the light is all aimed to the ground and not all around.

Your saying the reflector in your bulbs make them project like your stock low beams, I take it they are D2R bulbs then? If so, that also robs light output.

if memory serves me correctly from past research, stock halogen is about 1330 lumens. 4300k HID is about 3500 lumens. 12000k is about 2000 lumens. 6000k is like 3100 or 3200 lumens. I cant remember exactly...

 

[justin146]

Is not.

You may be right... I know they are legal in MS though, but maybe not in other states. It is called a "safety upgrade" here. I went and checked it out before I bought the kit. Colored halogen bulbs will get you pulled over though.

 

[Afboy143]

My retrofit kit, with the exception of the bulbs, is FULLY DOT approved. Your projectors,while nice looking, are in no way street legal. Great job on them by the way --I think the are awesome, but I dont think you could get an inspection sticker in Mississippi with them.... depending on the shop. My good friend had a projector conversion on his Accord and had difficulties getting a sticker.


My 12000k bulbs are still rated at 3000lumens, which is about standard for HIDs. The reflector that is built onto my bulbs make them project into the exact same pattern as my stock low beams. I am using the stock headlight housings. My Explorers headlights are still not as bright as my cars factory projectors.

What exactly is FULLY DOT approved? The ballasts and ignitors? LOL

The bulbs cant be legal because anything over 6000k is not legal.
Putting the bulbs into halogen housing is not legal.

So im guessing just the ballast and ignitors are?

I know my HID setup is not legal, but I bet I wont ever get pulled over for it and if I do, im sure I could explain to the cop a lot more than someone with a ebay halogen kit could.

 

[Afboy143]

You may be right... I know they are legal in MS though, but maybe not in other states. It is called a "safety upgrade" here. I went and checked it out before I bought the kit. Colored halogen bulbs will get you pulled over though.

Since when is putting HID bulbs in a halogen housing a safety upgrade?

Last i checked, it was a federal offence to do so and that is why the NHTSA banned the making of all kits and is trying to shut down all manufacters of the kits. I know a lot sites got shut down selling these kits

 

[justin146]

What exactly is FULLY DOT approved? The ballasts and ignitors? LOL

The bulbs cant be legal because anything over 6000k is not legal.
Putting the bulbs into halogen housing is not legal.

So im guessing just the ballast and ignitors are?

I know my HID setup is not legal, but I bet I wont ever get pulled over for it and if I do, im sure I could explain to the cop a lot more than someone with a ebay halogen kit could.

When I say they are legal, I mean they have been approved by the Mississippi DOT. HID "upgrades" are allowed here. No doubt your projectors have a better beam than mine, but my like I said before.... mine are LESS blinding than my Audis stock projectors.

Something else that is crazy about MS - I have been told that 240hz light modulators are allowed on cars, not just motorcycles.

 

[4FordFamily]

Man that's cool and all, and I won't argue I'll just show you a picture. The lights don't scatter nearly as bad as you think. Nobody has complained yet and the cops don't bother me. These are the cops that in this little surburb town pull me over for goign 3 over, lie about my license plate light bein out to search my car, and tell me that my 30% window tint in front is illegal.

 

[IAmTodd]

HID is a lot more widespread which is why it needs projectors.

BS. Lincoln doesn't use projectors in the Aviator.

I love this, a pissing contest about friggin' light bulbs.

 

[justin146]

BS. Lincoln doesn't use projectors in the Aviator.

I love this, a pissing contest about friggin' light bulbs.

fun huh

 

[BauerOnDubs]

I was PM'ng WhiteXPlurr about his purchases.

I have the $350 diamonds w/o projectors, because that's how they were designed... to project outward but not upward. The $120 kit has crap aim, and therefore requires a projector. I have already tried Audi projectors, but I am just not satisfied. I love the lenses alone.

As for blinding drivers, that's only if it's aimed at them. Projectors make this easier if your lens sucks, but the wide and narrow explorer lenses are perfect. Spend the money, and you get what you paid for. I have a cheap ebay kit aswell, but I replaced the 10000k's it came with, and got 5500k bulbs. The light is whiter without turning yellow, and isn't that blinding purple color. The light output is also more by the way. I went with the phillips bulbs. I might be selling the kit back on ebay with the 10000k's and get a reputable Audi setup from a friend.

I am very impressed with the look, and I even like the 10000k light!! It's a brighter purple/blue and its SO bright and it matches my LED's in the diamond corners perfectly. It's amazing looking and I think I go tmy money's worth!

LED's... I cut my corners (clear, not diamond) to house the larger 2 filament bulb from the side in the corner. (So the 2 blinking bulbs are beside each other on top). I bought a white LED yard light kit, hacked it apart, and epoxy'd 2 yard lights to the inside of the now cut-open sidemarker. I wired them to the headlights. I also have amber led sidemarkers below the mirrors.

End product: a 100% LEGAL (if you know me, you know why) 100% Custom job. The blinkers and running lights are only on top, amber, and the headlights are HID with white LED sides that come on simultaneously.

I also have Whelen Strobes in the headlights (mounted on radiator side of top of headlight lens) and the single-filament hi-beam bulb beside it (outside, top of lens). The extra hi-beam is also to make it legal because my crap HID kit doesn't have a hi-beam function (which, coincidentally can be done with a retracting bulb in a projector...). The strobes are because they were free.

You should have seen the lighting I had on the Mustang...

 

[huskyfan23]

I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, just correcting. There was a thread a while ago that stated aftermarket HID kits are illegal (and always have been). I think Sylvania has a couple that are DOT approved and OEM are fine, but nothing more. You can't pull OEM ballasts and use them on a vehicle without DOT approved HID lamps.

 

[4FordFamily]

I didn't realize that by telling people from my experience that what I have has an awesome outcome (in my opinion) that it would start such a riot! haha

I cannot tell you that my light output is as nice as those of you with true projectors. I can, however tell you that NOBODY complains about my lights I haven't been flashed once and that I am very happy with the output. Those of you who currently have brighter Xenon Plasma HID wannabe bulbs (like I used to) Will be VERY impressed with the HID kit with the diamond headlights.

I understand where you are all comming from, but I also know that if I spent the money on projectors when it would have been at least satisfactory to have just had diamond lights with HID then I would be pissed and tell you it's wrong too.

Bottom line I guess is if you want your HID kit to look like it came stock on the vehicle, projectors are a nessesity. But if you are happy with more light output and are capable of aiming your lights down so not to blind other drivers... and cannot afford or feel like wasting the time/energy to put in projectors... then it is not nessesary. Sure it may be illegal in some states, but as long as it is not damaging anyone's eyes I can't see it as really being a problem.

 

[Fish Man]

big friggen deal, he got a kit, put it in, he likes it. the pics look nice, good job white. im sure it looks nice, sounds like a good upgrade, dunno why its such a big conflict

 

[Bill Kemp]

WhiteXplurr, Your lights look really good. Do your driving lights in the grill go on as high beams now?
By the way those lights make your white X look like its some bluish color.

 

[huskyfan23]

big friggen deal, he got a kit, put it in, he likes it. the pics look nice, good job white. im sure it looks nice, sounds like a good upgrade, dunno why its such a big conflict

I'm sure if he'd removed his cats you and a bunch of others would be all over him. Same thing.

 

[Fish Man]

i mean he can do whatever he wants, it doesnt matter to me. im saying its cool and dont know why this has turned into an argument. i dont know, maybe its just me being too laid back...maybe its like that bumper sticker hows it go? if youre not outraged youre not paying attention or someting like that

 

[Bill Kemp]

OK guys lets put an end to this.
FACT: No HID conversions are legal. HIDs are brighter & better than halogens.

OPINION: Only HIDs in projectors are good/safe. OR HIDs are fine in any fixture so long as they dont glare enough to get you flashed.

Lets leave it at that.

 

[Afboy143]

My final word is

Putting HID kits into halogen based housings are very unsafe. I do not care what you say, it DOES cause excess glare and does blind people. There is a reason these kits were banned on a federal level.

To get the most out of HID and to be the safest, its best to use OEM projectors MADE for his systems. Not only does it direct all the light where it needs to go, it creates a cut off point that will not blind drivers if aimed correctly.

Like husky said, its just like someone saying they cut off their cats...everyone here knows someone would be all over him. For people who know hid systems and how they work and operate, its the same deal. There are reasons people retrofit projectors and there are reasons why these kits are illegalized and banned on federal levels. Like I said in my previous post...WhiteXplurr, go up against a wall or a garage door and turn your HID in halogen housing lighting system on at night and take a pic. You will be suprised just how much glare is being put off. Compare it to my pic or even a halogen bulb in a halogen housing and you will be amazed. This is nothing new folks, do your homework...its been discussed over and over and over.

 

[4FordFamily]

Hey man seriously... this requires no amount of heart attack. I will post a picture here in a minute. To be totally honest with you, my HID's project no differently than my OEM bulbs did in the diamonds with the "reflectors (forget wut they really are but once again the thing that the bulb goes into, instead of just poking in and being open) The projection looks no different really the light is very well directed where it needs to be, and I will post a picture to prove it.

And even still, what is a picture? Unless you see anything for yourself it's not as credible. Unless you know somebody with the same HID kit and same Diamond Lights as me it's pretty unfair to assume.

I'm sure however that there is something wrong with them in your eyes but whatever... I'm with everyone else end this discussion.

Thank you guys for the compliments

Also, No the fog lights in the grill aren't my high beams lol I wired those to a switch.. and I know isn't that wierd how changing my lights changed the color of my car too? Who needs a paintjob, just change your lighting!

 

[Fish Man]

im with bill but yea im interested to see how the pattern is too...it looks fine from the pics but afboy is so animate about it i wanna see if its actually bad

 

[4FordFamily]

here

i had to use flash because it glared my digital camera too much. Also, some of the excess light is from the diamond clears and LED's. But i think it is safe to say 95% of the light aims where its supposed to even with the flash and corners. find a light that shines as dim as the rest of the garage where u see light and then have someone shine it at you from even a few feet away and that should eliminate your belief that my lights blind people and the light randomly scatters and is irregular.