Legality of HID Kits

All right, guys, quick question concerning HID Kits. I'm wondering how everyone who has an HID kit installed is getting away with it, aka not being stopped by 5-0. I'm looking to get an HID Kit relatively soon, and thats the last thing I need is the police pulling me over for some petty bull$^&% such as headlights, ya know? I've read that the reason it is illegal is due to cars not coming with an HID option, aka my 02 Explorer Sport, have a halogen only bulb housing that could scatter the light all over the place and blind other drivers, blah blah, etc. etc. Which leads to my second question of is there any way around this conundrum, other than being sneaky and trying to 'legalize' something illegal? Like, is there an aftermarket HID bulb housing I could buy or anything like that? Everybody put their two cents in, and we'll see if we can get around yet another crazy law, ahha. Thanks guys.

 

[DoItBig]

The real reason they are illegal is because they cause excessive glare if not installed properly. Typically using a projector will solve this problem, or being really careful to eliminate the glare using covers.

Typically the Projectors cause more even lighting in the first place, so they are typically chosen. I suggest you check out the retrofiting of hid projectors to your expo, they are worth it.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=209015

 

[vroomzoomboom]

i had mine in for not even 3 mins. the first corner it turned onto there was a cop coming the opposite way. they didn't say anything. i even had a cop tell me that he liked them, and wanted to know how hard it was to install them. mine you i live in canada, so the laws up here are a little more forgiving.......sometimes.

 

[TheJackal]

HID Retrofits, Don't Do It!

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

You must use a projector housing with HID lamps (like the luxury cars that come with them have) in order for them to be legal and safe. This pretty much rules out those eBay kits.

Many people around here have them. They're unsafe and aggravating as hell.

Around here people typically don't get pulled over for them, but every once in a while if a cop is having a bad day you'll hear someone talking about it.

If you state does inspections tho you could get caught, I know a few people who didn't get their brake tag because of improperly installed HIDs.

 

[ShadowRaven]

Hmm...

Well, does this mean that I could find a replacement HID housing, or something to that extent? The main reason I want this done is the fact that my friend's Mazda Speed 3 can see forever in the dark with his HID's, and I would like to do that as well. Also, because HID's have a higher voltage, they use less current, therefore solving my light dimming problem, which would be fantastic. I don't know, I'll need to figure out something sometime.

 

[celly]

Take the time to focus them (and it can take a while). Avoid getting some of the real colourful ones too (over 5000K or so) so they don't attract attention. I've taken hours to get mine focused and I've got the 4300K variety. I rarely get flashed and the beauty of 4300K is they have more useful light than the bluish ones.

 

[Uafan]

Most cops aren't going to bust your balls about it, the only thing you would definately have a problem with is state inspection, but the good thing being they are plug and play you can swap them back to stock quick.

 

[ShadowRaven]

Bought a kit

Well, I went ahead and bought an HID kit from vvme.com so I'll just have to see how the cops handle it, lol. Plus, as far as the state inspections are concerned, I haven't had to do one yet, so I should be ok there. Thanks again for all the input, guys.

 

[97sprt4x4]

I have a 8000k Kit, and now that i fixed the Hi-low relay, i don't get flashed anymore.. you just have to make sure they're properly aligned.. if you weren't prior to putting them in you may not have noticed, but you will after getting the HIDs

 

[gijoecam]

The Sylvania Xenarcs I installed in my F-150 came with a lens/reflector assembly specifically designed to properly focus the beam pattern generated by the HID bulb. Placing an HID retrofit bulb in a housing (projector or otherwise) designed for a halogen bulb will generally scatter the light more than an equivalent halogen bulb. It is a legitimate concern. I see a guy at least once a week on my way to work who drives a minivan with HIDs that gets a blast of my daylighters every time.

*Some* people who research the beam patterns have found a projector beam that works better at focusing the beam of an HID bulb than the stock housings. Those housings are a decent alternative, although they are still not *technically* 'approved' by any governmental organization. There's no 'getting around' that fact, no matter how much they may state "100% street legal" on an Ebay site.

My Sylvania Xenarc kit came with a pamphlet (which still resides in my glove box) that states that they meet FMVSS {something?} and are certified legal for street use by {some governmental regulatory organization}. Sylvania put it in writing and stands behind their product, and the federal government recognizes that. The only way to make them street legal is by showing documented evidence that they meet all the federal regulatory standards (and there are a LOT of them in the states).

-Joe

 

[WhiteLimited]

i had mine in for not even 3 mins. the first corner it turned onto there was a cop coming the opposite way. they didn't say anything. i even had a cop tell me that he liked them, and wanted to know how hard it was to install them. mine you i live in canada, so the laws up here are a little more forgiving.......sometimes.

All right, guys, quick question concerning HID Kits. I'm wondering how everyone who has an HID kit installed is getting away with it, aka not being stopped by 5-0.

I have had cops complement me on mine as well. I also see Semi's running around with 4+ pairs of HID's on the front of them haha. Along with some undercovers that I know oh and this Fire Chief has them in his Fire Chief truck... Cheers

ps: Aiming them right is a big key, I have 6,000K in my heads and 12,000K in my fogs...No problems.

 

[davesexplorer]

Moral of story, aim correctly and dont have a ridiculous color.

 

[gijoecam]

I have had cops complement me on mine as well. I also see Semi's running around with 4+ pairs of HID's on the front of them ...snip

While I don't doubt that, that does not make them legal. It's a violation of federal motor vehicle safety standards to run more than a total of four forward-facing lights simultaneously. That's why most vehicles turn the OEM fog lights off when you flash-to-pass. They cannot legally design it such that it can have six bulbs on at the same time.

I'm just sayin'...

 

[WhiteLimited]

While I don't doubt that, that does not make them legal. It's a violation of federal motor vehicle safety standards to run more than a total of four forward-facing lights simultaneously. That's why most vehicles turn the OEM fog lights off when you flash-to-pass. They cannot legally design it such that it can have six bulbs on at the same time.

I'm just sayin'...

I know, but most do not care up here. Were hitting day light savings time in a few days? And it will start being pitch black at 6 or 7 o'clock. People don't care to much about lights unless you get a cop that just broke up with his girl and has not had his coffee yet then your ####ed. Cheers