HID Install (McCulloch)
#64
So I ran a relay for these today. Cost me about $40 total to make. I don't know how these other guys are making them for $10 unless they buy in bulk. I ran a 5 plug relay with Two 87's out (so I didn't have to splice the 87 into two) I tell you I feel a lot safer driving with the relay and fuses in. I used a silver star bulb I have a removed the bulb to solder in a wire for the remote turn on, on the relay. This way I didn't have to hack up my stock 9006 plug. At first I was going to throw everything away and say "f" it because of all the wires. but now that I have done it I'm glad I did... It make not look as clean (I'm also a neat freak) but it most defiantly gives me more confidence driving the care without worries.
#65
Originally Posted by Kaeon
So I ran a relay for these today. Cost me about $40 total to make. I don't know how these other guys are making them for $10 unless they buy in bulk. I ran a 5 plug relay with Two 87's out (so I didn't have to splice the 87 into two) I tell you I feel a lot safer driving with the relay and fuses in. I used a silver star bulb I have a removed the bulb to solder in a wire for the remote turn on, on the relay. This way I didn't have to hack up my stock 9006 plug. At first I was going to throw everything away and say "f" it because of all the wires. but now that I have done it I'm glad I did... It make not look as clean (I'm also a neat freak) but it most defiantly gives me more confidence driving the care without worries.
#66
Originally Posted by chrischoi
Originally Posted by Kaeon
So I ran a relay for these today. Cost me about $40 total to make. I don't know how these other guys are making them for $10 unless they buy in bulk. I ran a 5 plug relay with Two 87's out (so I didn't have to splice the 87 into two) I tell you I feel a lot safer driving with the relay and fuses in. I used a silver star bulb I have a removed the bulb to solder in a wire for the remote turn on, on the relay. This way I didn't have to hack up my stock 9006 plug. At first I was going to throw everything away and say "f" it because of all the wires. but now that I have done it I'm glad I did... It make not look as clean (I'm also a neat freak) but it most defiantly gives me more confidence driving the care without worries.
#67
WOW, alot to do about making them... How about these? Goto ebay and type in: HID 9006 Relay... or:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Harne...spagenameZWDVW
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Harne...spagenameZWDVW
#68
its really not that hard making them. if you know simple electronics and know how to use a wire crimper youre pretty much set. remember that when using a 5 pin relay like kaeon and using one relay to control both lights you should carry a spare relay and fuse. because if your fuse or relay goes out you will lose both headlights
#69
Originally Posted by reagulator
remember that when using a 5 pin relay like kaeon and using one relay to control both lights you should carry a spare relay and fuse. because if your fuse or relay goes out you will lose both headlights
BTW, the relay is not hard to make its very very simple its just a little time consuming
#72
i ran 8oook mccollough's from xenonpros.com
had them stolen from my car 3 months after
i ran them for three months no probs and yes ballasts are included with the kit
i got mine off of ebay though, save about 30%-40% from ebay
good luck with everything
my profile shows my car with the 8ooo's check it out
had them stolen from my car 3 months after
i ran them for three months no probs and yes ballasts are included with the kit
i got mine off of ebay though, save about 30%-40% from ebay
good luck with everything
my profile shows my car with the 8ooo's check it out
#74
uhm... so if i want quality i need to buy the phillips hid kit?
btw.. if i want a really sharp cutoff.. i need to buy those halogen beams or what??? with the oem headlight i never gonna get sharp cutoff, right?
btw.. if i want a really sharp cutoff.. i need to buy those halogen beams or what??? with the oem headlight i never gonna get sharp cutoff, right?
#75
csocso - i'll chime in about the philips HID kit.
I've tested multiple kits on the market and actually ran the philips kit for two years in my car.
Honestly, a ballast is a ballast.
As far as the bulbs - that's where I've noticed the difference. I offer a great HID kit that actually has BETTER cutoff than the philips kit due to being constructed closer to spec than the philips HID bulbs that I had before.
Here is one of my 9006 HID bulbs compared to a halogen 9006 bulb:
The cutoff was pretty good with the 35 watt 9006 bulbs that I have but when I swapped out for the 50 watt kit and of course, the 50 watt bulb, the cutoff was even better. In fact, with my factory housing that was originally for a halogen bulb, I get a nice little rainbow at the top of the lit area. Of course I still get some glare but it really is minimized.
I'll see if I can take some pics tonight.
By the way- a philips kit will cost you anywhere between 350-400... My kits are $170 shipped.
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=152060
c.
I've tested multiple kits on the market and actually ran the philips kit for two years in my car.
Honestly, a ballast is a ballast.
As far as the bulbs - that's where I've noticed the difference. I offer a great HID kit that actually has BETTER cutoff than the philips kit due to being constructed closer to spec than the philips HID bulbs that I had before.
Here is one of my 9006 HID bulbs compared to a halogen 9006 bulb:
The cutoff was pretty good with the 35 watt 9006 bulbs that I have but when I swapped out for the 50 watt kit and of course, the 50 watt bulb, the cutoff was even better. In fact, with my factory housing that was originally for a halogen bulb, I get a nice little rainbow at the top of the lit area. Of course I still get some glare but it really is minimized.
I'll see if I can take some pics tonight.
By the way- a philips kit will cost you anywhere between 350-400... My kits are $170 shipped.
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=152060
c.
#76
ok.. here is a BIG question:
if someone say: his HIDs was good only for 1 year.. that means he had to buy new ballast and bulbs??? or the ballasts good for lot of years and he had to buy only the bulbs?
if someone say: his HIDs was good only for 1 year.. that means he had to buy new ballast and bulbs??? or the ballasts good for lot of years and he had to buy only the bulbs?
#77
it really depends on the setup and use. as you can see, I purchased many kits for testing and only two came with a dedicated wiring harness. the philips one that cost me $380 two years ago and the one I ended up becoming a distributor for.
the wire harness is pretty important not only because I puts less strain on your electrical system but also because it gives a direct connection to the power source that the ballasts need when firing up. remember, you're pulling a spike of approx 23,000 volts to ignite the bulbs- that kind of power is best moved through a dedicated wire.
another factor in ballast/bulb life is the use. I read some SL member who hooked up their kit and their car had daytime running lights and they failed to disable them before putting in their kit- the result was their bulbs flashing repeatedly because DRL's only get 1/2 power and it wasn't enough to fully ignite the bulbs but it made them flicker... definitely a bad thing to do with HID's since your ballast is straining to function on half power.
another issue is mounting location, i've seen instances where a ballast has become rusted due to mounting it in the direct line of where water would normally collect. interestingly enough, they were both philips kits from xenondepot.com that had plastic protective cases that were put on with the intention of shielding them from the elements. what ended up happening was water collected in the small space between the plastic case and the ballast itself and made it's way into the ballast and shorted the electronics over time. I say over time because there was significant rust in the casing.
in dry climates, like florida, one shouldn't have to worry. I just recommend not mounting them like directly in front of your radiator or somewhere else that will be exposed to rain. some hid kits tout that their setup is completely water proof. that's great if you drive a submarine but I wouldn't suggest paying a premium for those kits, just be careful and treat the ballast like it's a fuse box or something and make sure it stays dry.
Hope that helps answer your questions.
Clifford
the wire harness is pretty important not only because I puts less strain on your electrical system but also because it gives a direct connection to the power source that the ballasts need when firing up. remember, you're pulling a spike of approx 23,000 volts to ignite the bulbs- that kind of power is best moved through a dedicated wire.
another factor in ballast/bulb life is the use. I read some SL member who hooked up their kit and their car had daytime running lights and they failed to disable them before putting in their kit- the result was their bulbs flashing repeatedly because DRL's only get 1/2 power and it wasn't enough to fully ignite the bulbs but it made them flicker... definitely a bad thing to do with HID's since your ballast is straining to function on half power.
another issue is mounting location, i've seen instances where a ballast has become rusted due to mounting it in the direct line of where water would normally collect. interestingly enough, they were both philips kits from xenondepot.com that had plastic protective cases that were put on with the intention of shielding them from the elements. what ended up happening was water collected in the small space between the plastic case and the ballast itself and made it's way into the ballast and shorted the electronics over time. I say over time because there was significant rust in the casing.
in dry climates, like florida, one shouldn't have to worry. I just recommend not mounting them like directly in front of your radiator or somewhere else that will be exposed to rain. some hid kits tout that their setup is completely water proof. that's great if you drive a submarine but I wouldn't suggest paying a premium for those kits, just be careful and treat the ballast like it's a fuse box or something and make sure it stays dry.
Hope that helps answer your questions.
Clifford
#78
i was asking if someone has a problem with your hids.. so i mean its stop working.. : its stop working because of the bulbs or the ballasts?
so if its stop working after 6 months i have to buy new ballast and bulbs or just the bulbs?
so if its stop working after 6 months i have to buy new ballast and bulbs or just the bulbs?
#80
Yep, I cant stand it when people slap cheap HID kits in stock halogen housings cause it "looks cool". You are making the road more dangerous by blinding others. Even properly designed stock HIDs end up glaring most of the time. In the very least you should be retro-ing in some projectors or just not doing this at all.
Thing about rust in the case, that could have happened in a day or so, rust does not take that long to build up.
As I have said before, about all you get out of all of this is some sort of bling factor (I guess... I have never been impressed by which headlights a car is running ). Vision is a little better, but damn, if you cant see well enough with a good set of halogens then maybe night driving should be left to someone else. Cost wise, you would have to replace your halogens a LOT to make up for the cost of HIDs. I typically go through MAYBE 3 sets of headlight bulbs in the life of a car.
Anyway, if for some weird reason you are all about the "bling" of HIDS, then do it right. Work with it until you are glaring no more that a set of production HIDs on another car no matter what it takes.
Thing about rust in the case, that could have happened in a day or so, rust does not take that long to build up.
As I have said before, about all you get out of all of this is some sort of bling factor (I guess... I have never been impressed by which headlights a car is running ). Vision is a little better, but damn, if you cant see well enough with a good set of halogens then maybe night driving should be left to someone else. Cost wise, you would have to replace your halogens a LOT to make up for the cost of HIDs. I typically go through MAYBE 3 sets of headlight bulbs in the life of a car.
Anyway, if for some weird reason you are all about the "bling" of HIDS, then do it right. Work with it until you are glaring no more that a set of production HIDs on another car no matter what it takes.