Stock headlights and HIDs

[Sporty94]

New member here,looked around at some picture threads and decided to join.

I've got a 1994 Ford Explorer 2 Door Sport,4.0Liter,slushbox transmission.

I replaced some bulbs with LED bulbs because I go offroad quite a bit and I didn't want to keep replacing incandescent bulbs.

I was looking into getting some "crystal"/clear lens replacement headlight assemblies because I have a set on my 93 E-150.Better light output and with HIDS they are super bright.

Should I keep the factory headlights and install some 5k or 6k color temp HIDs or should I go with the crystal style replacements first..the downside is the clear headlight replacements are spendy.The ones for my E-150 were only $110 and they included clear corners as well.

http://www.amazon.com/1991-1994-Explorer-Crystal-Diamond-Cut-Performance/dp/B0037H6BOM
Those are the ones I have found so far.

eBay only netted me the crystal clear corners..no crystal clear headlights.

The HID kit I bought for my E-150 is a 5k color temp,and it does the high beam/low beam function which is nice.I only buy my HIDs and LEDs from one source because their warranty is really good. I only spend maybe $1-3 more per set of bulbs than asian suppliers on eBay.

Thanks for all your help

 

[mechjames]

here's a 6000k HID in stock housing in daytime, then compared with a stock halogen:

then at night

IMO, keep the stock housings. Less glare and annoying other drivers then the brightness of HID's in a new clear diamond cut housing, because the stock ones are faded a bit.

EDIT: And heres a vid of me offroading at night with them. I'm behind the bronco ii:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOL3OKByWM

 

[Anime]

Fake HIDs are complete junk, and are dangerous to drive with in either the stock housing with fluted lenses or the junk aftermarket "crystal" lights. The HID bulbs themselves are junk in terms of construction and electrical quality, the housings not being designed for HID bulbs makes them glare all over the place and compromises the visibility of other drivers, especially oncoming traffic and the drivers in front of you on the highway, and if nothing else, they are just plain and simple ILLEGAL.

If you want good light, keep the stock housings, clean them up with some PlastX or other plastic headlight cleaner, and use some really good headlight bulbs like Sylvania XtraVisions or Philips Hi-Visibility in the stock 9004 bulb size. If you must have the "fake HID" look you could go with Sylvania Silverstars or Philips Crystal Vision bulbs.

You could also go with those "crystal" housings, too, though they are usually not DOT/SAE approved and sometimes have a worse beam pattern than the stock lenses. Add in some Silverstar or Crystal Vision bulbs and you'll have a gimmicky looking but decent set of lights.

 

[huntman58]

I find it great. I have been so fond of Ford ever since. And if it happens that you still did not heard anything about the news that After 2011, no new Ford Rangers could be produced in the United States. You can check it out here:Ford Ranger will cease production in 2011 The pickup used to be one of the best selling light pickups on the market. Ford didn't want to mess with a good thing. Next year, the Ranger as it is known may have its swan song and definitely won't be produced anymore. Ford will try to steer customers toward the Ecoboost F150 with a V6.

That is sad to here. I personal will not own the sport explorer thing as to me the bed is to small to be use full and I want a truck to haul things and that means I want a truck bed!

I have missed my 93 ranger and the only reason I replaced it was the kids got to big for the back seats of the extra cab. That’s how I became an owner of an explorer in fact.

I believe Ford is making a mistake on this one as they will leave the field open to every one other with no real options for the Ford lovers out here. Thankfully some of us know how to work on them and what a good truck they are so they will be around for many years still.

 

[Sporty94]

Fake HIDs are complete junk, and are dangerous to drive with in either the stock housing with fluted lenses or the junk aftermarket "crystal" lights. The HID bulbs themselves are junk in terms of construction and electrical quality, the housings not being designed for HID bulbs makes them glare all over the place and compromises the visibility of other drivers, especially oncoming traffic and the drivers in front of you on the highway, and if nothing else, they are just plain and simple ILLEGAL.

If you want good light, keep the stock housings, clean them up with some PlastX or other plastic headlight cleaner, and use some really good headlight bulbs like Sylvania XtraVisions or Philips Hi-Visibility in the stock 9004 bulb size. If you must have the "fake HID" look you could go with Sylvania Silverstars or Philips Crystal Vision bulbs.

You could also go with those "crystal" housings, too, though they are usually not DOT/SAE approved and sometimes have a worse beam pattern than the stock lenses. Add in some Silverstar or Crystal Vision bulbs and you'll have a gimmicky looking but decent set of lights.

In your state it might be..but HIDs in crystal housings and stock housings are EVERYWHERE up here in Alaska. I have yet to find any articles in the newspaper(both online and print form) where a State Trooper has pulled someone over for their headlights.

I know in Las Vegas that it is illegal to have the "blue" bulbs because the PD has blue flashers in their headlights.

For about 3-4 years now,HIDs are slowing appearing on all forms of transportation here. I've had a couple of people flash their standard incandescent bulbs at me because they think my brights are on,then I flash them back with my HID high beam and they quit.

I did slightly lower the aim on my 93 Ford E-150 after I put in the HIDs.

I think I'll stick with the stock headlight housings..maybe use some of that headlight restorer and then go HID.

The kit I buy isn't the fake HID,it has everything: relays,wiring harness,connectors. The bulbs are nice and they are magnetically controlled for high beam and low beam operation.

I wouldnt buy those fake "HID" "blue" incandescents for anything.

Thanks mechjames, and sorry you don't feel the same way about HIDs like I do anime.

HIDs have been legal in Europe for a long time.

 

[mechjames]

No problem.

When I reaimed my lenses after some people were flashing me, and I could see that my headlights were also shining into people's back windows in front of me.

After reaiming the lights point at peoples bumpers like they are suppost to, and I rode along with a friend oncoming to my truck, and there wasn't any glare, because they got reaimed properly. Also, we parked right in front of my truck and the HID's didn't blind in the rearview mirror, or brighten up the inside of the car much at all.

If properly aimed, they don't bother anyone. It's these guys who put in HID's which our stock housings weren't designed for (like us) and just leave them be. They put out so much more light and if they aren't reaimed, become a danger and a bothersome for other drivers.

No one seems to be pulled over here either, and it seems like more people have them all the time. You can tell the difference while on the road at night between the people that get them professionally done and the people that do a 5 minute job. HID's are legal here in North America too. All the new cars have them. Why can't we upgrade our old vehicles for safety?

 

[Anime]

It's not that HIDs are illegal, it's that the conversion kits to put HID bulbs in housings designed for halogen bulbs are illegal, for the reasons stated above.

Yes, it's true that some HID kits use high-quality GE/Philips/OSRAM bulbs, ballasts, and everything. But these kits are expensive. Those $50-199 kits from China are pure junk, made with cheaper knockoff bulbs, ballasts, and more. They are unsafe not just in terms of light output but electrical safety.

It's also true that some stock halogen housings do quite well with HID bulbs in them. While these are few and far between, and as nice as these are, it's still illegal.

The only "loophole" in the law is the kits that were sold prior to the nationwide ban on the conversion kits. Some of these are actually still available, but of course they are pricey.

The RIGHT and LEGAL way to get HIDs is to get the whole package, and use a lens housing designed for HID bulbs, with all the high end HID hardware.

 

[jd4242]

hid in stock housing WILL BLIND EVERYONE!!!IT SPREADS THE LIGHT EVERYWHERE!!!!i ran them in stock housing and got pull every time i turned them on.i got the diamond cut ones now and they are way better,i love them they focus the light more at the road instead of spreading it every where!!here is a pic of 55wat 8k in stock housing and it not the camera thats maken the glare they are that f**n bright,i dont have a pic of them in the new housing yet but ill get one tonight for you.o and if you are looking for the 6pc set here is a link,only place thats carries them anymore.and yes they are aimed correct in these pics and the first one is blurry do to taken from inside the truckhttp://www.procarparts.com/product_...ts_id=30702&osCsid=qubpgo9fihq9u8v54g0r75ecq6

 

[jd4242]

good thread
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2522147#post2522147

 

[nismotunedgtr]

I have a '96 Sport with a Mountaineer front end on it. I installed a cheapo $65 set from VVME. 8000k and I aimed them correctly with the aimer at work. The housings send a REAL nice clean beam down the road....

 

[mechjames]

I have a '96 Sport with a Mountaineer front end on it. I installed a cheapo $65 set from VVME. 8000k and I aimed them correctly with the aimer at work. The housings send a REAL nice clean beam down the road....

agreed.

jd4242, I've never been pulled over. Have them aimed properly and they don't spread the light everywhere, they spread it where you aim. Aim them so they don't go across oncoming traffic and you are fine.

 

[FIND]

just because you have never been pulled over for having a horrid retrofit in your stock housing doesn't mean it isn't blinding other drivers or illegal.

Learn something before you kill someone

agreed.

jd4242, I've never been pulled over. Have them aimed properly and they don't spread the light everywhere, they spread it where you aim. Aim them so they don't go across oncoming traffic and you are fine.

I have a '96 Sport with a Mountaineer front end on it. I installed a cheapo $65 set from VVME. 8000k and I aimed them correctly with the aimer at work. The housings send a REAL nice clean beam down the road....

Care to get some pictures of the beam pattern sitting 20' from a wall with reference marks to show the center of the vehicle, sides of the vehicle, and height of your headlights? Betcha it doesn't look anywhere near as nice as the beam pattern from halogens in my good stock housings or the beam pattern from HIDs in an HID housing.

 

[Sporty94]

Ive talked to a couple of people at the car parts stores scattered around town.(NAPA,Schucks,Carquest)
I made sure to ask about all kinds of HIDS..heck there is even a green chevy pickup driving around with green HIDs..
The local city police and the state troopers don't really mind stock housings with HIDs,aftermarket HID housings,projector housings,HID projector housings; provided you don't go around blinding everyone.Thats #1 right there..proper aim.

Of course when it's dark outside from 3pm until 8am the next day during the winter months,people tend to want to see and HIDs let them see further..especially on icy roads and you run the risk of hitting a 1000lb moose vs your 3900lb explorer..theres going to be damage and a lot of it if the moose goes through your windshield.

Check local laws..there might be a law against having HIDs headlights in your vehicle.

How do I feel about HIDs and the rare occasion that someone might get some small glare at the wrong angle? Oops..oh well.

For years there have been plenty of lifted pickups driving around,blinding everyone with their stock headlights because they didn't spend a couple of minutes to adjust their headlight aim.I have yet to see a lifted pickup or any vehicle with HIDs(stock or aftermarket) get pulled over because of their lights.
When I do read about someone getting pulled over,it's because they were speeding,drunk, or drugs.

Having a headlight out can get you a ticket,as speeding is also illegal too.

 

[mechjames]

All of our new transit buses have HID's installed, and Translink is slowly converting all the old buses with the regular halogen bulbs to HID's. The housings are the same as the halogens, and this is a government funded transit company. Go figure.

What about all the trucking companies convertibg to HID's? They sit up high too.

 

[FIND]

HID retrofit in housings made for halogen lights are illegal everywhere in the US. I don't know about Canada, but if they are putting HID retrofits in housings designed for halogens, then obviously Canada doesn't care too much about motor vehicle safety. Take a look at the lenses on those new transit busses, they are marked for HIDs I'll bet you, because the reflectors are designed for HIDs.

by the way, the laws I am talking about are DOT, not local laws.

Also, if you are so sure your headlights are making a proper beam pattern, why don't you go ahead and get some pics facing a wall from 20 feet away. You'll be shocked at how wrong you are.

The guys at napa, carquest, etc are not the sharpest spoons in the drawer, going to them to check about the legality of an aftermarket retrofit is not the brightest thing in the world. Just because cops don't want to be d-bags and pull over everyone with a dumb halogen retrofit doesn't mean anything either. They are much less offensive in city environments anyways due to all the ambient light, so most city cops don't care.

Now, there is no law about how a lifted truck should have their headlights aimed down or anything else. The beam pattern is determined by the height of your headlights, not a fixed height. A lifted truck isn't putting light up any higher than most over the road semis. Yeah, it sucks, it can be annoying, but meh. Still a lot better than a d-bag driving up behind you with some horrid HID retrofit in their stock housing shining that blinding bluish light everywhere, most of it in your rear view mirror. Likewise with the d-bags coming towards you on the highway with those horrid HID retrofits.

Like I said before, you are so sure about your headlights? How bout some pics against a wall to show how good your beam pattern is and how well aimed they are. 20 feet away. Make a reference mark to show the height of your headlights, the center of the vehicle and the sides of the vehicle. You can use that as a baseline to determine where you are putting your light when it comes to other cars you meet on the road. You will be quite surprised.

But then again, I'm talking to a wall anyways. Every time someone does an HID retrofit, there is no way they will ever say anything but "perfectly legal, doesn't blind other drivers, lights up the road perfectly." There is a reason HID reflectors and projectors are designed differently. not that you care about facts or anything like that

 

[Sporty94]

Nothing more fun than cold temps,25MPH wind and rain to make driving fun..especially when the vehicle in front of me is a Alaska State Trooper in a 2nd Gen Ford Crown Vic P71 and coincidentally the vehicle behind me is a Alaska State Trooper in a Ford Expedition.Nothing more fun than perfect timing at a left turn intersection.

So anyways..remembering what FIND and anime had said..I figured "great..now I'll get pulled over and the Trooper in front will say something about how bright the headlights were..*even though they are aimed down further than stock because of the light spread*

But...

nothing. I have always obeyed the traffic laws,never been stopped for speeding or any technical infraction on my vehicle/s.

Wasn't stopped or anything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_State_Troopers

 

[FIND]

Nothing more fun than cold temps,25MPH wind and rain to make driving fun..especially when the vehicle in front of me is a Alaska State Trooper in a 2nd Gen Ford Crown Vic P71 and coincidentally the vehicle behind me is a Alaska State Trooper in a Ford Expedition.Nothing more fun than perfect timing at a left turn intersection.

So anyways..remembering what FIND and anime had said..I figured "great..now I'll get pulled over and the Trooper in front will say something about how bright the headlights were..*even though they are aimed down further than stock because of the light spread*

But...

nothing. I have always obeyed the traffic laws,never been stopped for speeding or any technical infraction on my vehicle/s.

Wasn't stopped or anything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_State_Troopers

You completely ignored what I said didn't you? Don't worry, most people that install HID retrofits do completely ignore anything that doesn't jive with their view of, "HID ARE TEH AWESOME SAUCE AND LIGHT THE ROAD BETTER AND ARE LEGAL AND NEVER BLIND OTHER DRIVERS AND MAKE 100% USEABLE LIGHT EVEN WITH COLORS ABOVE 4500K!!!!!!!1!!!!1!!!1!ONE!!!!ELEVEN!!!!!11!!!"

just because you have never been pulled over for having a horrid retrofit in your stock housing doesn't mean it isn't blinding other drivers or illegal.

Learn something before you kill someone

Care to get some pictures of the beam pattern sitting 20' from a wall with reference marks to show the center of the vehicle, sides of the vehicle, and height of your headlights? Betcha it doesn't look anywhere near as nice as the beam pattern from halogens in my good stock housings or the beam pattern from HIDs in an HID housing.

All it means is a cop doesn't feel like bothering with something they consider minor or they don't feel like being douches.

 

[zjrog]

Well here is a good test. Have someone drive your vehicle at you while driving another car or truck.

 

[cobrapete]

This is one of my greatest pet peeves. Follow FIND's advice and have regard for the safety of others and the facts - HID planet is a great place to start.

Ever since Oklahoma did away with safety inspections, too many idiots are running around with with their stock headlights using these HID retrofit systems (but don't get me wrong, I do like not running cats on my Mustang).

Using a projector, retro fitted in the stock headlight is the ONLY way to do it without being an inconsiderate ****** bag.

 

[Sporty94]

Yes..
and then there are COMMERCIAL outfits like this guy..running up to 9 HIDs at once.

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=105394

I'd gladly trade my explorer and my left nut for that bad*ss pickup.