HID's

Michael01127 · 09-08-2009, 05:44 PM

i just finally bought my own first maxima
it is a 1997.
its like a teal color a green with a tint of blue mixed.
and i wanted to get some hid's. i was thinking of doing Yellow in my fogs and a light blue in my headlights. but to be honest i dont know much at all about HID's!
So basically i am not sure what to look for or where to look for it.
So im asking if anyone can recommend what ones i should pick up?

Yellow in fogs - Light blue in Heads

**mtrai760** · 09-08-2009, 05:47 PM

Retrofit projectors or don't install HID's in your headlamps. HID's in stock housings = glare glare glare

It's like leaving your highbeams on all the time for oncoming traffic, and light output will suck.

Michael01127 · 09-08-2009, 05:50 PM

so basically to get HID's i would need after market headlights?
or what do you mean by retrofit projectors??

*DAVE Sz* · 09-08-2009, 06:07 PM

please do a search....

Michael01127 · 09-08-2009, 07:00 PM

i did a little research but im not fully understanding how the hid's still work but i think i need to get a HID Conversion kit before i can even purchase hid bulbs?
is this right?
and should i get completely different headlights before i invest in hid's?

tigersharkdude · 09-08-2009, 07:06 PM

these are retro's. you can either make your own, or do what i did and find some for sale in the classifieds
all retros are, are oem projector's out of another car, retro'd into our housing

Coolsaber57 · 09-08-2009, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael01127

i did a little research but im not fully understanding how the hid's still work but i think i need to get a HID Conversion kit before i can even purchase hid bulbs?
is this right?
and should i get completely different headlights before i invest in hid's?

You need to do a lot more reading before you install HIDs into your car.

Basically it goes like this:

HID: High Intensity Discharge lights that require you to use a ballast (it basically transforms the DC power in your car to 85v AC power) in order to "ignite" them.

The three components of HIDs are:
1. HID Bulb
2. Ballast
3. Ignitor

These lights are a LOT brighter than our stock bulbs (9004 size) and seeing as how our headlights were not designed for HIDs, they can't control the light output and produce a lot of glare, which blinds the other people on the road.

The solution to this problem is to find a way to control the light and point it forwards and downwards so you don't blind people but still retain HID output. This is where "projectors" come in. Projectors focus the light forward and downward and have a "cutoff" where no light goes above a certain point.

When someone says "Retrofit projectors" they mean that you buy projectors taken from cars with stock projectors (i.e. Acura TL, BMW 3 series, 2004+ Maximas, etc) and install them into your car.

Go to www.hidplanet.com/forums for more information regarding HIDs and retrofits. It's where I did the majority of my research for my retrofit.

/spoonfeeding

eFLO · 09-08-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigersharkdude

these are retro's. you can either make your own, or do what i did and find some for sale in the classifieds
all retros are, are oem projector's out of another car, retro'd into our housing

just awesome man. nice azz retrofit

aackshun · 09-08-2009, 08:21 PM

I actually can't believe you guys, being all nice and warm giving him detailed answers... I'm almost ashamed!!!

J/K.

Michael01127 · 09-08-2009, 08:45 PM

alrite now i have a lot of a better understanding!!
I really appreciate it all guys.
now i understand that i need the projector and then the hid.
now my final question is, when a projector is installed, does the HID still give out its full power? or does it technically seem a little weaker since it is "cutoff"

aackshun · 09-08-2009, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael01127

alrite now i have a lot of a better understanding!!
I really appreciate it all guys.
now i understand that i need the projector and then the hid.
now my final question is, when a projector is installed, does the HID still give out its full power? or does it technically seem a little weaker since it is "cutoff"

(since they don't have a facepalm smilie)

No, the cutoff is used not to glare people when using the lowbeams.

Seriously, it may seem ambiguous at first, but check out hidplanet, kill 30 mins there and I swear you will come out a MUCH more knowledgeable person. Or spend some time searching here.

mightyMax95 · 09-08-2009, 08:51 PM

a projector improves light output. instead of the like from the HID bulb being scattered by a unmatched reflector, it is instead focused into a specific pattern. google "projector cutoff", you'll see what we mean.

Maximum-Maxima · 09-08-2009, 09:09 PM

An HID kit like everyone else has said is a bad idea in our housings. But a great solution would be to convert the standard 9004 bulbs to 9007. The stock 9004 bulbs use 45 watts of power on low beam and 65 on high beam. Now the 9007 bulbs on the other hand use 55 watts on low and 65 on high. Thats a noticeable difference and if you like the way hid's look you can get some bright white bulbs off ebay for a pretty penny.

Heres an excellent write up:
9004 lights to 9007 conversion write up and pics

aackshun · 09-08-2009, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximum-Maxima

An HID kit like everyone else has said is a bad idea in our housings. But a great solution would be to convert the standard 9004 bulbs to 9007. The stock 9004 bulbs use 45 watts of power on low beam and 65 on high beam. Now the 9007 bulbs on the other hand use 55 watts on low and 65 on high. Thats a noticeable difference and if you like the way hid's look you can get some bright white bulbs off ebay for a pretty penny.

Heres an excellent write up:
9004 lights to 9007 conversion write up and pics

+1

*erty67* · 09-08-2009, 09:58 PM

9004 to 9007 is nice....and easy to do!

QNO_A32 · 09-08-2009, 10:02 PM

6k top

3k bottom

supamonkey · 09-08-2009, 11:08 PM

do this and lmk how it goes:
http://forums.nycmaximas.org/showthread.php?t=44005a

cut-off isn't as good as a real retrofit, but hell it will probably save you a lot of time and money

queenambeach · 09-09-2009, 09:11 AM

To me that 9004 to 9007 conversion sucks! Nothing compares to a projector retro.

*erty67* · 09-09-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by queenambeach

To me that 9004 to 9007 conversion sucks! Nothing compares to a projector retro.

my 9004/9007 cost me $15 and took 10 minute to complete. How much and how long did it take to do the projectors? This is obviously like comparing apples to oranges, but the 9007 conversion is a good cheap and quick fix.

aackshun · 09-09-2009, 10:18 AM

We're kinda getting off topic here... Basically to the OP

If you want more light in a cost effective way, do a 9004->9007 conversion, there is an actual improvement.

But....

If you the best possible lighting availiable (which blows 9007's out of the water and also you have more stylistic options) you are going to do a retrofit which requires you to install...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolsaber57

HID: High Intensity Discharge lights that require you to use a ballast (it basically transforms the DC power in your car to 85v AC power) in order to "ignite" them.

The three components of HIDs are:
1. HID Bulb
2. Ballast
3. Ignitor

These lights are a LOT brighter than our stock bulbs (9004 size) and seeing as how our headlights were not designed for HIDs, they can't control the light output and produce a lot of glare, which blinds the other people on the road.

The solution to this problem is to find a way to control the light and point it forwards and downwards so you don't blind people but still retain HID output. This is where "projectors" come in. Projectors focus the light forward and downward and have a "cutoff" where no light goes above a certain point.

When someone says "Retrofit projectors" they mean that you buy projectors taken from cars with stock projectors (i.e. Acura TL, BMW 3 series, 2004+ Maximas, etc) and install them into your car.

Go to www.hidplanet.com/forums for more information regarding HIDs and retrofits. It's where I did the majority of my research for my retrofit.

/spoonfeeding

Having a retrofit could cost around $600 if you do it yourself AND if you find some bargains, but I've seen some retrofits north of $1grand on here (Search Dual Projector R34).

It's all about what your budget allows and what you really want, most people will disagree with what i'm about to say but... To me the 9004 w/ Sylvania bulbs works just fine to me and I even have 95/96 headlights on my car (don't know how they got there, but the highs do a good job IMO).

And if you want yellow fogs, just get the yellow H3 bulbs off of eBay, surprisingly they work, and I haven't seen too many long term consquences from running a 100w bulb.

Michael01127 · 09-09-2009, 10:30 AM

so i can run H3 yellow HID's in my fogs with no ballast? with no real issues? but you ay you havent seen to many consequences? so there have been some bad ones?

Michael01127 · 09-09-2009, 12:24 PM

well i called our local guy around here who installs hid's and other car stuff and he told me that he will sell me the Yellow H3 Fog Light Bulb, but he said it isn't going to work, he told me i need the ballast because it runs on a higher voltage, and if i put just the bulb, then i could possibly "break" something.

aackshun · 09-09-2009, 12:52 PM

Fog shots

Ebay 100W 3K Bulbs, and he's not the only one with them in his car with no adverse effects yet, I think ilyak has em too, amoung many others, only thing I've read bad about buying ebay bulbs is that they don't last as long as the brand name ones, but hey they're under $15, what did you expect?

Honestly,

USE THE SEARCH!!! It has answered allot of my questions, and it could have answered all of yours.

mightyMax95 · 09-09-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aackshun

Having a retrofit could cost around $600 if you do it yourself AND if you find some bargains, but I've seen some retrofits north of $1grand on here (Search Dual Projector R34).

why you tryin to scare the man? lol seriously though, you could do a retro yourself for roughly $350 with decent quality parts and buy some already made for less than $500. i'm building my bi-xenon setup (murano projectors, ddm slim HID kit, and custom headlight housing) for approx $250, that is if i stop procrastinating and it ever get it done, lol. however, you're correct about some of those setups gettin pretty darn pricey.

Michael, this does seem, and is, a lot of money but the return is so worth it. you'll be able to see better at night, be more easily seen, and it'll improve the looks of your car. win-win... and win.

MOHFpro90 · 09-09-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aackshun

Fog shots

Ebay 100W 3K Bulbs, and he's not the only one with them in his car with no adverse effects yet, I think ilyak has em too, amoung many others, only thing I've read bad about buying ebay bulbs is that they don't last as long as the brand name ones, but hey they're under $15, what did you expect?

Honestly,

USE THE SEARCH!!! It has answered allot of my questions, and it could have answered all of yours.

Look my thread.

I should throw in something here though, one of my bulbs burned out. I dont think it was due to the 100W, I think the bulbs are just crappy. Im going to get something worth while like Hella or Nokya, with some sort of warranty.

mightyMax95 · 09-09-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael01127

well i called our local guy around here who installs hid's and other car stuff and he told me that he will sell me the Yellow H3 Fog Light Bulb, but he said it isn't going to work, he told me i need the ballast because it runs on a higher voltage, and if i put just the bulb, then i could possibly "break" something.

won't break anything because it won't work, there won't be enough juice to get the bulb going. you'll need the bulb, ballast, igniter, (which is a full HID kit anyway) and a HID wiring harness (saves your stock wiring which can't handle the extra load for very long).

go to the www.hidplanet.com forums and read your heart out. you'd be amazed with how much knowledge you'll come away with after about an hour of reading. and when you're done, read some more.

queenambeach · 09-09-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael01127

well i called our local guy around here who installs hid's and other car stuff and he told me that he will sell me the Yellow H3 Fog Light Bulb, but he said it isn't going to work, he told me i need the ballast because it runs on a higher voltage, and if i put just the bulb, then i could possibly "break" something.

Nothing is going to break, hell, you won't even be able to connect the bulb to you factory wiring.

Michael01127 · 09-09-2009, 02:42 PM

ok now im getting mixed reviews here... some of you are telling me to buy these H3 Yellow Fogs and pop them in and it will be fine, and now some of you are saying it wont even work?
which is it??

queenambeach · 09-09-2009, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael01127

ok now im getting mixed reviews here... some of you are telling me to buy these H3 Yellow Fogs and pop them in and it will be fine, and now some of you are saying it wont even work?
which is it??

Regular H3 halogen bulbs with a yellow coating will work with the factory harness. A H3 HID bulb by itself will not work because it needs a ballast and won't connect to the factory harness.

Regular H3 Bulb

HID H3 Bulb (needs ballast)

tigersharkdude · 09-09-2009, 05:30 PM

exactly.
they are telling you to purchase stock h3 bulbs that are yellow.
NOT hid bulbs that 4300k

aackshun · 09-09-2009, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightyMax95

why you tryin to scare the man? lol seriously though, you could do a retro yourself for roughly $350 with decent quality parts and buy some already made for less than $500. i'm building my bi-xenon setup (murano projectors, ddm slim HID kit, and custom headlight housing) for approx $250, that is if i stop procrastinating and it ever get it done, lol.

250?! But if I remember correctly there was something I didn't like about the murano's.... Either way....
You're so helping me do my retro, there's no way outta it!!! Just wait till I have the money and when I'm back in town, you'll be hearing from me...

Michael01127 · 09-09-2009, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigersharkdude

exactly.
they are telling you to purchase stock h3 bulbs that are yellow.
NOT hid bulbs that 4300k

ok but even though, those bulbs still run on 100w, and people are telling me it may burn my harness, or even ruin the wiring and can possibly just burn out quickly. so it it really worth the risk? or are these things not true?

mightyMax95 · 09-09-2009, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aackshun

250?! But if I remember correctly there was something I didn't like about the murano's.... Either way....
You're so helping me do my retro, there's no way outta it!!! Just wait till I have the money and when I'm back in town, you'll be hearing from me...

hahahaha! well i got:
- the projectors from Luke (gtr_rider) for $100 shipped
- STI replica clear projector lenses (defect) from the retrofit source for $23 iirc
- the HID kit from ddm tuning for $70ish shipped (i paid for the cheap one and upgraded to the expensive one for free cause they were on backorder during the holidays)
- made my own wiring harness for $25ish
- and am going to buy some polycarbonate to make my own headlight lenses for ~$40
- plus little whatevers (glue, screws, etc).

so slightly more than $250 but close enough to make my point,

.

this also makes a good part list for anyone that wants to make their own, just substitute 97-99 style Maxima headlight (have clear lenses) for my home made ones.

mightyMax95 · 09-09-2009, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael01127

ok but even though, those bulbs still run on 100w, and people are telling me it may burn my harness, or even ruin the wiring and can possibly just burn out quickly. so it it really worth the risk? or are these things not true?

don't get the high wattage bulbs. they can over heat your stock harness as it's not rated for bulbs that high. and they will give you better output but not for very long.

unless you're retrofitting, stick to stock. easy, cheap, and it won't hurt the car's looks, lol.

aackshun · 09-09-2009, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightyMax95

don't get the high wattage bulbs. they can over heat your stock harness as it's not rated for bulbs that high. and they will give you better output but not for very long.

unless you're retrofitting, stick to stock. easy, cheap, and it won't hurt the car's looks, lol.

Please, find someone who has actually over heated their harnesses?
[edit] i removed my last opinion, it's being further discussed.

Michael01127 · 09-09-2009, 11:00 PM

so many mixed reviews.. lol so crazy

i talked to my local store guy he told me he'd put hids in my headlights with no problem and no need for a retro fit but wanted to charge me 220
so i turned him away.. but i dont understand why hes telling me i dont need to retro fit and i can still put hid's but the majority of ppl here on this org are telling me to retrofit.. lol

MorpheusZero · 09-09-2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aackshun

Please find someone who has actually over heated their harnesses?
As I read, the bulbs are rated for 100W but they're not going to get 100W because the car doesn't provide that much power for the fogs.

You are not that familiar with electricity, are you?

MorpheusZero · 09-09-2009, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael01127

so many mixed reviews.. lol so crazy

i talked to my local store guy he told me he'd put hids in my headlights with no problem and no need for a retro fit but wanted to charge me 220
so i turned him away.. but i dont understand why hes telling me i dont need to retro fit and i can still put hid's but the majority of ppl here on this org are telling me to retrofit.. lol

Because he's an ignorant fawk who puts HIDs in the stock housings.

It's easy as pie to just get a POS HID kit and install it and call it a day. Your lights will be brighter, bluer, you will blind everyone on the road and to top it all off you won't be able to see any better. That's where projectors come in.

mightyMax95 · 09-09-2009, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aackshun

Please, find someone who has actually over heated their harnesses?
As I read, the bulbs are rated for 100W but they're not going to get 100W because the car doesn't provide that much power for the fogs.

i demand a retraction statement!

aackshun · 09-10-2009, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MorpheusZero

You are not that familiar with electricity, are you?

Nope, but I have a test on it Friday, which I'm going to fail but I have bronchitis, so I'mma try to get it rescheduled, that will be legit...

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightyMax95

i demand a retraction statement!

wtf! I edited my statement!