Calgary Jeep Association
4x4 Related Groups => Tech Talk => Topic started by: parabs on February 11, 2010, 10:38:01 PM
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So, I bought an HID kit in Sept from VVME:
http://www.vvme.com/5055w-h439003-bixenon-hid-kit-p-31.html?cPath=44_46_35
I just picked up some IPF housing from National
And today I installed because I had a burnt out light.
So, first of all, I am electrical tard, however from start to finish including a quick headlight alignment was about 2 hrs, +/- 30 min.
Pretty easy install, most difficult thing was finding a place to install the ballasts, but the kit works good, VVME is not top notch, but for the price, how can you expect it...also, VVME shipped fast, I think I had the product in 3 working days from when I sent payment via paypal, and there was no duty/brokerage on the parcel.
Overall, I would do it again, the lights are fantastic, however I am getting flashed on single lane roads, so I may have to make an alignment adjustment.
Just thought I would pass that on.
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Sweet, keep us posted on how they work out. Ive been thinking of doing an H4 conversion and hid's on the XJ...
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If you're running HID in a housing that's designed for halogens (not sure what IPF's you have) then you will probably get flashed a lot. HAlogen housings don't direct the light the same way that a housing designed for HID's will.
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If you're running HID in a housing that's designed for halogens (not sure what IPF's you have) then you will probably get flashed a lot. HAlogen housings don't direct the light the same way that a housing designed for HID's will.
hmmm, well the Shane at National said these are what I needed. I dont know for sure, but they are bright..I could see into a backseat of an oncoming Corrola last night. The light is great on the road, and illuminates signs from a long way away...as well as animal eyeballs I would imagine.
For the cost, it was worth it.
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shane was trying to sell me $140 h4 bulbs when i did my conversion, they were elligal and tinted blue. any one trying to sell me something that does not really benifit me and is illegal to run on the road i just wont deal with, so i only deal with dean now.
since the human eye has trouble seeing the blue tint (or that blue does not reflect well, or something to that effect), the lights might be brighter but your eye's (and everyone comming towards you) will have problems with them. so i opted for a pure white light that was not illegal and that my eye could acctualy see easier, and they only cost me $30!
are you getting flashed alot parabs?
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im getting flashed a bit, however I installed the 4300k lights. I wanted to avoid the "blue" look and the lights in that range are supposedly supposed to be the best for illumination.
I am getting flashed a bit, however it could be due to my aiming. It is possible my low beams are set to a lo/high hybrid if you know what I mean, however, all new vehicles seem to have wickedly bright lights, then the lens gets a few pits in them from road debris and they seem to dim over time...at least that has been my experience.
I am not trying to blind anyone at all, Im just going for great illumination, and as of right now, it is incredible.
I like shane, he gives me what I perceive as deals, and I havent spent much cash there. I bought a set of alum wheels and these ipf housings, he gave me prices lower than I could get from ebay w/o considering shipping/brokerage...so I like Shane.
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what price did you get per light? i have the same IPF light at $55.
i have found the illumination much better as to the regular halogens as well.
one thing you might consider doing is going to napa and getting a film to protect the lights. i only found this at napa for $20 its about 3mm thk and enough to do 4 - 6 square lights.
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thats a good idea, who makes that protective covering?? 3m? I will pick some up today likely.
and yes, 55$/light :D
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um... cant remember the name of the stuff but just ask for a headlight film.
bad news your lights are probly not designed for an hid. i would also worry about the heat building up in there as i am not sure if those housings can handle it. but then again who knows???
if you want to see how i wrapped my lights with the film and see how they are holding up after a years use just stop by on the weekend i will be installing them in my new rig.
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my buddy has the IPF housings in his TJ and he has run HID's since he got the jeep and has had no probs and hes on his 2nd set of HID's
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HID's in a non-HID housing=Bad. Plus you look like a tool since they will create an ungodly amount of glare.
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If you're running HID in a housing that's designed for halogens (not sure what IPF's you have) then you will probably get flashed a lot. HAlogen housings don't direct the light the same way that a housing designed for HID's will.
A proper HID housing has projectors in it, with a cutoff line. Yes running HID's in a non-projector housing kindof scatters the light, but as long as you dont put in a ridiculously useless K rating you should be fine. Ex...get 4000k or 6000k HID's, dont bother with 8000K +, the light output is crap. Just be sure to aim your headlights as well, that will reduce the blinding of these friendly oncomers that are already flashing you. ;)
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silverstars work just fine too
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hmmm, well the Shane at National said these are what I needed. I dont know for sure, but they are bright..I could see into a backseat of an oncoming Corrola last night. The light is great on the road, and illuminates signs from a long way away...as well as animal eyeballs I would imagine.
For the cost, it was worth it.
I've also been told by a guy that works at a local shop that nobody makes a 3 inch lift for a JK, that if I put a 3.5 inch lift on a JK that I would need new driveshafts, and that I'm a fool if I don't put a long arm kit on a JK when I lift it 3.5 inches....not that he could explain why a long arm kit was better.
Just because someone is paid to hang out behind the counter doesn't mean that he knows what he's talking about. There are some VERY knowledgeable folks working at local shops...but I've also encountered some folks that don't really know much at all working at local shops.
If you can see into the back seat of an oncoming corolla, what do you think that the driver of that corolla is going to be able to see? Nothing other than your headlights :o
I haven't seen your lights....I don't know for sure if there's a real issue...but I do know that HID's normally have a "projector" style housing for a reason.
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As far as a cutoff line goes, i am not 100% sure what you mean, however mine look like this on low beam..perhaps this is the cutoff you are referring too dubbleJ.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2676/3888087832_c226f4afa7.jpg)
W squared, I agree, when lead by a guy who doesnt know what hes doing, well, Just look at the USA after 8 years of "W".
I did some research, and read somewhere that the best choice for HID's were either the Hella's, or the IPF's...but of course I can not find that article sooooo...
and I also want to clarify, there wasnt intent to brag about being able to see into that corrolas back seat, it was more of a exclamation on how much light these HID's are emitting. Im not interested in blinding anyone, but I am interested in illuminating the road. I had HID's from the factory in my old Lincoln Aviator, and those were similarly bright.
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I hate to tell you this, but if you get a cop on a bad day, then you're going to get your jeep impounded. The HID lights did not come as stock, are not designed to be in those housings, and thus....are not DOT or Transport Canada certified. I know that I may get flak for saying this, but there is a reason for this. You mentioned that your lights lit up the back seat of a corolla....imagine just how blinded the driver was of that car. (I am aware that there are alot of things done to vehicles that make them technically illegal).
Don't get me wrong, if you're going to the trouble of putting in HID's, then get the proper lenses for them as well. If the lenses don't exist for a particular vehicle, then don't bother. All an HID conversion in a normal reflector is going to do is squirt off everyone else on the road. When you had your Lincoln....those housings were designed to have the HID bulbs in them, your jeep doesn't. The way the lenses/reflectors are designed is to keep the light on the road, and not up in the faces of on-coming drivers.
If anyone from National, Modern, or any other place that sells parts reads this, I hope they get the hint and stop selling these kind of products. Anything is legal to sell, if you look at the box, it will say "for off-road or show use only". This means it's not meant to be used on the road. However they will never say this when they sell them, cause then they wouldn't make money from the sale. I mean no offense, this is the nature of the business, but I wish that morals would dictate things once in a while.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's a bit of a peeve for me. I like being able to see where I'm going. Please don't take what I've said here as giving anyone trouble, just venting a bit.
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I hate to tell you this, but if you get a cop on a bad day, then you're going to get your jeep impounded. The HID lights did not come as stock, are not designed to be in those housings, and thus....are not DOT or Transport Canada certified. I know that I may get flak for saying this, but there is a reason for this. You mentioned that your lights lit up the back seat of a corolla....imagine just how blinded the driver was of that car. (I am aware that there are alot of things done to vehicles that make them technically illegal).
Don't get me wrong, if you're going to the trouble of putting in HID's, then get the proper lenses for them as well. If the lenses don't exist for a particular vehicle, then don't bother. All an HID conversion in a normal reflector is going to do is squirt off everyone else on the road. When you had your Lincoln....those housings were designed to have the HID bulbs in them, your jeep doesn't. The way the lenses/reflectors are designed is to keep the light on the road, and not up in the faces of on-coming drivers.
If anyone from National, Modern, or any other place that sells parts reads this, I hope they get the hint and stop selling these kind of products. Anything is legal to sell, if you look at the box, it will say "for off-road or show use only". This means it's not meant to be used on the road. However they will never say this when they sell them, cause then they wouldn't make money from the sale. I mean no offense, this is the nature of the business, but I wish that morals would dictate things once in a while.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's a bit of a peeve for me. I like being able to see where I'm going. Please don't take what I've said here as giving anyone trouble, just venting a bit.
Don't lift your jeep then because if you follow the letter of the law no lift kits are DOT approved.
Hypocrites, just a pet peeve of mine. ;D
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At the end of the day, to each their own. I didnt think this thread would create a negative reaction. I wrote this because it is may be a good thread for others who want more light output to follow. I had the silverstars in my jeep and they were terrible compared to other vehicles I had. I drive at night on the lonely secondary roads a lot, and I need to see. This mod increases that ability.
If a cop pulls me over and hes in a bad mood, I will likely get a ticket for something.
If National didnt sell me the housings, I would have go them from quadratec, or someone else...if there is a will, there is a way as they say...however I did buy the housing based on the fact I thought they were for HID's. I had thought I read that somewhere, but that doesnt mean much unless I can find the article.
Last night in my travels I didnt get flashed once, and I think they are aimed a bit better now. Heck, I didnt even get the finger. ;)
I understand your vent yyc, no one likes to get blinded by oncoming traffic.
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Don't lift your jeep then because if you follow the letter of the law no lift kits are DOT approved.
Hypocrites, just a pet peeve of mine. ;D
I have actually heard of people importing lifted vehicles from the states, and they are not allowed in until the vehicle has been returned to stock specs...what you say is true, no lift kit (that I know of) is DOT/Transport Canada approved.
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I meant no offense, and I do own a lifted 4x4 (ford ranger....). I am aware that there are many vehicle laws that are broken without even thinking about them, and I have probably done this without even thinking about it.
What I meant was, I wish that retailers would sell good quality and certified parts to buyers. However, we (as buyers) want stuff cheaper, so they will sell us what we want. Cheaper (cost) items often mean they're not to the same standard, ie....DOT certified or have lesser quality components.
I missed that you bought new housings....are these housings designed for the HID bulbs, or just new replacement housings?
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hey yyc, no offense taken, nor should any be taken the way you ended your first post in this thread.
The OEM housings are sealed, so you have to buy aftermarket if you want anything other than OEM/Silverstars.
I thought I read that these IPF housing I purchased were for HID's, however I cant find that link (or any link) to say they are for HID's. All H4 bulbs fit into these housings.
DubbleJ suggested that housing to be used for HID's should have a cutoff line. I dont know what that means exactly, but mine do have a cutoff line, similar to the jeep in the picture.
Thats all I know.. :-[
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Ahh..okay, thought you were referring to the IPF and Hella offroad aux lights. The cutoff line will be something designed into the reflector to cut off the light from going above a certain point....basically stopping the HID bulbs from throwing light everywhere and blinding other drivers. If you got housings designed for HID bulbs, then it's all good.
In my original post, I assumed you just got the HID conversion to replace the factory bulb. These kits are pretty cheap, and are mostly what I've seen around. Some of them don't even have a high beam function. I also didn't realize that the jeeps came with a sealed beam bulb still. The new housings always look good when you get them in compared to the original huh?
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http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html :)
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...The new housings always look good when you get them in compared to the original huh?
Absolutely. I have noticed, particularly with new GM products that their OEM halogens are extremely bright. I often mistake them for high beams, however once the lens gets pitted up with rocks, combined with the degradation inherent with Halogen bulbs over time, they dim significantly.
I think the fact I put in new housing could be a large contributing factor in the increase in lighting. The beam pattern of these IPF's is also far superior over the silverstars that were in the jeep.
That link by Bae146 is interesting. The only IPF part is the housing. The entirety of the guts came with that cheap HID kit, including the reflector. I wouldnt doubt it is a rip off of a quality product made somewhere overseas where patent laws dont matter/dont exist.