Mod Grocery List Item #3 - HID Lighting

Tru-Blu

Tru-Blu

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Yet another item that has a lot of threads discussing it. I've tried to read most of them, but there's a LOT of them to go through.

First off, I have to admit that I don't know squat about HID lighting. I thought it was supposed to be better on the car - less wattage or amperage needed to light them. Also thought that the bulbs were supposed to last longer than the Halogens that the LS has in it now.

What I don't know is what all I should look at doing. Do I completely replace all the main lights up front with HID kits - Lows, highs, AND fogs? Will it look crappy if I only replace the Lows?

I'm pretty set on doing the 6000k temperature range - wherever I decide to get them from. In regard to that, I've found a few sites that appear to be reasonable, but don't know if anyone has any experience with them:

ddmtuning.com - they appear to be the cheapest, but I think Pek mentioned that they could be questionable to deal with.

carhidkits.com - not bad on price, but I don't know anything else about them

lskoncepts - pricier, but I imagine there's a few that have bought their kits and installed

Can you guys recommend anywhere else to get them?

How about installation? Is it a pain in the butt to wire these things into the car?


TRU - Newbie Mod Researcher
 
The point of HID's is that you dont NEED highs. At least I think so anyway. YOu should get plenty of light from just lows and fogs.
 
What year is your LS, tru-blu? Do your low beams stay on when you turn on the high beams?

I bought my kits (low beam and fogs) from Umnitza:

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=35989

Easy to install. Almost as easy as just changing a bulb. HID bulbs are also supposed to last the life of the vehicle.

Good choice on 6000K.
 
Pek - I've got a 2006

I'm not sure if the lows stay on with the highs or not. I haven't actually turned them on yet. I'll have to check on that.

TRU
 
Just wondering. My gen 1 does not keep the lows on when the brights turn on. HID's take a while to get up to full intensity. I live out in the country, with unlighted roads. If I switch from low's to highs (and the highs were HID's), it can take 6-10 seconds before the lights reach full intensity. You can cover a lot of ground in that time while driving 65mph. So for safety's sake, I have regular halogens in the high beams so it's instant.

But if your low beams stay on, you could do HID's, since you wouldn't have a period of darkness where one set is off, and the other is warming up.
 
If the Lows DO stay on, would having HID's in both pretty much blind someone? I've never seen a set on an LS in real life, but I've heard these things are really bright.

TRU
 
I put HID shields in. really reduces the glare. reduces output a little, and I'm still refining them. I wish I could get a nice sharp cutoff, but probably not gonna happen with reflector housings.
 
ok Tru... im gonna try and explain my experience with HIDs so far...

After about 6+ months of research and looking around, I bought 2 HID kits from DDMTUNING.com last month. One for the lowbeams [5000k] and one for the fog lights [5000k]. I got the ddmtuning kits [$69.00 a kit plus S&H - i think].

so far i love 'em...3x as bright as halogens, yes a little bit of glare for on-coming traffic, but because there more ''white'' then ''blue'' [8000k+] and since the LS sits so low, i dont think its really much of a concern.

anyway to answer your questions...
I thought it was supposed to be better on the car - less wattage or amperage needed to light them. Also thought that the bulbs were supposed to last longer than the Halogens that the LS has in it now.
​
better on the car...umm maybe?? idk... yes, the HID ballasts only draw like 6 amps [ea.] at startup and i think they draw less voltage then the halogens... but i dont think anyone can say that it would matter one way or the other as far as "better for the car"... however, one thing i have noticed is that my subs used to make my halogens ''blink'' at higher volumes [yes even with a capacitor] the HIDs dont blink at all, so thats a plus....
What I don't know is what all I should look at doing. Do I completely replace all the main lights up front with HID kits - Lows, highs, AND fogs? Will it look crappy if I only replace the Lows?
​

...easy answer...do the lowbeams and the foglights... it will look crappy if you only do the lowbeams, and the foglights actually add ALOT of light when they have a HID kit..so do both...dont do the highbeams for two reasons... A) its a waste of $$ unless u live in the country where u use them all the time...and B) unless u really need the extra light, the HID ballasts take a couple of seconds to ignite and almost 20 seconds to fully warm up - chances are when u need the high-beams or even want to "courtsey flash" someone u will click them on and be in almost complete darkenss for a couple of seconds while they warm up [especially since the foglights click off]...like i said, bad idea, you wont need them much with the HIDs in the low beams and fogs anyway
I'm pretty set on doing the 6000k temperature range - wherever I decide to get them from. In regard to that, I've found a few sites that appear to be reasonable, but don't know if anyone has any experience with them:
​
...colors are hard to standardize...some cheaper kits like ddmtuning really have a hard time making a significant color difference between the 4300k [4500k in the case of ddm], 5000k and 6000k kits... however the $200+ kits will definitely have a big difference between color temps. my girlfriends brother just paid $250 for a 6000k HID kit installed on his srt-10 pickup and i almost like his color better than mine because they are a lil "whiter" [but mine cost about 1/3 what he paid, so i like mine better] .For example PEKTEL's pics with his HIDs on is basically what mine look like, he has 6000k and i have 5000k...so i would say no big difference between the 6000k, 5000k and even some 4300k kits, but it all depends on the manufacture


...my experience with DDM has been completely pleasant, fast shipping, easy to call them on the phone for any questions...and a lifetime warrenty on the ballasts and n the bulbs....cant beat that

...i imagine ken over at lskoncepts would give the same service, but there is a difference in price...its totally up to u, but remember... u typically get what you pay for... im happy with my "cheaper kit" but i know its not as nice as the more expensive kits out there... so dont think that the cheaper kits are just as good as the more expensive ones, however dont get me wrong - i still love mine :)



... if you feel comfortable enough to change a headlight bulb, the plug-and-play kits are almost as easy to install... its a lil cramped and takes a lil to find a place for the ballasts, but no biggie - maybe 20-25 minutes each headlight, just grab some long cable ties...


...and one last thing, there was a lil confusion with the foglight install [the pos and neg wires were reversed on the factoiry wiring harness - [leave it to ford to f*ck something like that up] - i kept blowing fuses when i turned the fogs on... so if that happens to you, reverse the plug and it works 100% - thanks pete!


...so good luck!...and post pictures, im working on taking some of mine
 
Thanks Long Island for all the info you put in your reply!! It looks like DDMTuning puts a slim ballast in their kit that you have to pay more for at CarHIDKits.com. I could do both lows and fogs for close to the price of the slim lows at carhidkits.

Thinking about going the DDM route since you had a positive experience. Which bulb type to I get - is it H4 or something else? <smacks head because he should know this>

TRU
 
umm... im not a 100% sure about what bulbs u would need... i have a gen1 LS... so my bulbs are gonna be different then your gen2. best thing to do would be to call/ email them over at ddmtuning and they will tell you the exact ones u will need.

if you want, a quick way to look up your bulbs would be to check sylvania's website here http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/LampReplacementGuide/

...that should give you a place to start, but sometimes the exact bulb u need can be referenced to a different HID kit...for example my fog light is a 9145, but they dont make a 9145 HID kit...but the 9145 is the same as a H10 kit or 9005 kit... u get the idea
 
Switching the 12v pos and neg wires is really not that big a deal... takes 10 seconds to move em back. Its happens in all cars and stock harnesses do not care what place its in... so yeah

You could also try using HIR bulbs in the stock harnesses, its about 80% of the HID lighting, and the bulbs are like $20 a piece. You have to do a little modding as they only come in a size we dont use. 9003 or something like that.
 
I have hid 6000k kit in low and fog lights you won't even think about hi beams anymore the combo gives more than enough light output.
 
I did 5000K lows/fogs in both my vehicles. I love them. I also used DDM for the last 2 sets I bought. They sent me the wrong size, and took care of it quickly. If you do use DDM make sure you swap the pos/neg when you plug them in.
 
I thought all 2006 had HID anyway?

Also on the high beams, since most people use them to flash oncoming traffic to give the right of way, or to tell them they are pricks for cutting you off etc,... etc,.. its hard on the unit. Pointless.

I agree with TDUB but at least having a HID housing is still good enough.
 
My 2006 V8 Premium does not have them. I think it only came with the "Elite" option, which also included the backup sensors and Factory Nav.

But, are my headlight housings okay for putting HID's in or is this a futile attempt?

TRU
 
In my opinion and I know others differ, its pointless. The clarity is not that great and nothing compared to having a HID unit to put them in and they must be pointed down to not blind on coming traffic with the horrendous glare.


Also, not that anyone checks but in the US retro fit kits are not legal on non HID units.

No one else has these bulbs yet so none can take my word but the Bimmian Xenesis bulbs are a very close match in output and a exact match as far as aesthetics.
 
Okay, I'll add my opinion too then.
I have an 06 LS with factory HIDs, and an 04 LS without HID. As far as being able to see at night, I really don't notice any difference between the two. (Yes, the 06 is whiter, but that really doesn't help with seeing anything.)
 
such controversy haha... i think im going to have to chime in....

...as far as a 35w vs 55w kit... i dont see the need for the 55w, the glare is probably twice as bad for on-coming drivers and i would be concerned that the amount of extra heat from the 55w could damage the housing or wires...

...the 2006 LS (along with all gen2s) uses the same headlight assembly for the HID and halogen headlights.... therefore i dont see why there is so much concern about "glare"....its the same headlight housing for HID and non-HID so what could possibly be the difference between factory HID and aftermarket HID?

...one last thing, i know not everyone is a fan of aftermarket HIDs....but i think we all can agree they are brighter then factory halogens...well at least mine are...i think im going to have to take some pictures tonight so i can put this one to rest ...
 
Long_Island_LS said:
such controversy haha... i think im going to have to chime in....

...as far as a 35w vs 55w kit... i dont see the need for the 55w, the glare is probably twice as bad for on-coming drivers and i would be concerned that the amount of extra heat from the 55w could damage the housing or wires...

...the 2006 LS (along with all gen2s) uses the same headlight assembly for the HID and halogen headlights.... therefore i dont see why there is so much concern about "glare"....its the same headlight housing for HID and non-HID so what could possibly be the difference between factory HID and aftermarket HID?

...one last thing, i know not everyone is a fan of aftermarket HIDs....but i think we all can agree they are brighter then factory halogens...well at least mine are...i think im going to have to take some pictures tonight so i can put this one to rest ...
Click to expand...

It's not just a matter of being brighter. It's a matter of the light scatter that is caused by putting an HID bulb into a housing that is built for a halogen. You're not going to get a properly focused light output unless you install what is needed for it. I think we can all attest to driving by the dumb ass who has installed an aftermarket HID kit and blinds you as you drive past because of the horrible light scatter.
 
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