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Any of you here have aftermarket HID kits?

G

GoingUp

Lifer
I'm interested in throwing in some HID lights into my new 2008 Malibu. I just can't seem to turn up any info if my headlights will support HID bulbs. I don't want to be a dick and blind everyone on the road with some crappy aftermarket kit if they won't be properly aligned.

Just wondering how many of you have aftermarket kits, how well do you like them, where did you get them from, and were you worried that your car would support the new bulbs?
 
Originally posted by: RichieZ
i'm pretty sure its illegal since you won't have the auto-leveling.
Click to expand...

You don't have to have auto-leveling, just some form of leveling. My Mazda3 has stock HID's and a manual leveling switch.
 
My brother put them in his Jetta. Friggin' bright. Although he did buy the ones well past "legal" wattage. Pretty simple to install. Just make sure you have room to route cables and mount the ballasts. Pain in the butt on his VW.

He got them from www.therpmstore.com
Mostly Mazda parts, but they sell the HID kits.
 
Originally posted by: aphex
Originally posted by: RichieZ
i'm pretty sure its illegal since you won't have the auto-leveling.
Click to expand...

You don't have to have auto-leveling, just some form of leveling. My Mazda3 has stock HID's and a manual leveling switch.
Click to expand...

As does my Mazda6. I keep them high as they go.
 
The only legal way to fit HID lights to a non-HID vehicle is to replace the entire lighting assembly (lens, reflector, housing, etc). It is IMPOSSIBLE to achieve an acceptable beam pattern by merely dropping a HID bulb into a housing designed for a halogen bulb. The optical properties of a HID bulb are significantly different than those of a Halogen bulb and this will cause a disruption of the beam pattern. This is true even if the cutoff appears to be acceptable to a layman's eye.

ZV
 
Ya you'd need an hid projector fitted into your current housing if you want to do it right. Normally this job costs around $700.
Sticking an hid bulb into your housing, no matter what the wattage, will still make it look like shit.
 
Yes, I have them in the stock projector housings on my 300ZX. Contrary to what some people will say, the beam pattern did not change by any perceptible amount. They cannot confidently make claims without seeing the vehicle in front of them. Many new cars on the road that came with stock HIDs will blind you, mine don't.

No, it's not legal, and no, I don't care.
 
Originally posted by: shabby
Sticking an hid bulb into your housing, no matter what the wattage, will still make it look like shit.
Click to expand...

It depends on the car and its headlight design. I've seen some really crappy results on Hondas and other cheap econoboxes, while I've seen results that look like stock on other cars. Mine came out just fine and doesn't blind oncoming traffic.
 
Normally thats hard to believe than an hid bulb would work well in a halogen housing, do you have any pics of the beam pattern?
 
Sometimes if you have a car where HID lights are an option and you have the std. version, it is legal to swap the HID parts into the car, but you can't leave any parts out.
 
its very very bad idea. as said no autoleveling, and the lense is not setup for hid and will blind everyone in front of you. people who add hid like this need to be clubbed to death i swear.
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
its very very bad idea. as said no autoleveling, and the lense is not setup for hid and will blind everyone in front of you. people who add hid like this need to be clubbed to death i swear.
Click to expand...

You don't need auto-leveling, just some form of leveling.
 
Originally posted by: JDub02
Originally posted by: aphex
Originally posted by: RichieZ
i'm pretty sure its illegal since you won't have the auto-leveling.
Click to expand...

You don't have to have auto-leveling, just some form of leveling. My Mazda3 has stock HID's and a manual leveling switch.
Click to expand...

As does my Mazda6. I keep them high as they go.
Click to expand...

So you're that jerk that keeps blinding me...
 
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Yes, I have them in the stock projector housings on my 300ZX. Contrary to what some people will say, the beam pattern did not change by any perceptible amount. They cannot confidently make claims without seeing the vehicle in front of them. Many new cars on the road that came with stock HIDs will blind you, mine don't.

No, it's not legal, and no, I don't care.
Click to expand...

The laws of optics do not change because you want them to. You may perceive little difference. The beam pattern may not even cause other drivers problems due to the nature of how a projector beam system manages the cutoff. None of that changes the absolute and unchangeable fact that the beam pattern is significantly sub-optimal. In fact, it is common for a poorer beam pattern to be perceived as "better". This is because many times the result is greatly increased foreground illumination which is almost universally perceived as "better" even though it causes excessive pupil constriction and reduces the effectiveness of distance vision.

The beam pattern may seem fine, but I guarantee you that it is a far cry from an optimised setup using a housing designed for the HID bulbs.

ZV
 
Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
I'm interested in throwing in some HID lights into my new 2008 Malibu. I just can't seem to turn up any info if my headlights will support HID bulbs. I don't want to be a dick and blind everyone on the road with some crappy aftermarket kit if they won't be properly aligned.

Just wondering how many of you have aftermarket kits, how well do you like them, where did you get them from, and were you worried that your car would support the new bulbs?
Click to expand...

Last thread about them:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=85&threadid=2179784
 
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

The laws of optics do not change because you want them to. You may perceive little difference. The beam pattern may not even cause other drivers problems due to the nature of how a projector beam system manages the cutoff. None of that changes the absolute and unchangeable fact that the beam pattern is significantly sub-optimal.
ZV
Click to expand...

You are greatly exaggerating the difference. Greatly.
 
I don't think it was legal anymore when I installed mine, that's why I make sure that I bought the 43k kit, and make sure it doesn't produce excessive glare. Having high k blue/purple light or headlights that look like high beam all the time will probably attract cops, otherwise it's safe.
 
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