HID lights installed

[packrat427]

And I received them this past Monday, the 28th.

I would have won that one , it was just a guess ..LOL

[m715]

No, i have std Festiva headlights in most of my cars too! The Curmudgeon, the white car that is my avatar, has a set of the German DA model headlights in it that have a slightly better focus "sweet spot" that helps make the lights "better" in certain situations like fog, especially with French spec yellow bulbs in them. They are the same setup that Simon had in The Pimptiva. They help my waning night vision to spot the deer that like to play shooting arcade with me 5 days a week. Another thing about them that I have not taken advantage of yet, is that they have electric motors on them that allow you to adjust the beam up and down to reduce glare in fog, and up to maximize long distance range in clear weather, and rural settings with little traffic. They also utilize a slightly higher wattage bulb that the stock 9004, but if you wanted, you could change them to the 50-55 watt 9007 by switching the wires at the bulb, or getting used to your dimming stalk being reversed from what it is now. I have also run 80-100 watt 9004 bulbs, but they don't last very long due to the intense heat build up, and the low alternator output of a Festiva that is also running amplifiers for audio. 45 amps running lights, heat, defroster, wipers, audio,sat reciever,cell,etc makes for some dirty current. If I were going to worry about anyting, I would be considering a REALLY good battery, and GOOD ground circuit to run the transformers for you HIDs. But that is just my 2 cents, and I am sure that others here could suggest solutions if you have problems, but it sounds like you won't have much trouble. The HID thing has piqued my interest for a while now, and I know what they are like in the Camry first hand. A low K set may be in my future, if you know what I mean.....

[packrat427]

My battery is fairly new .

The kit comes with its own harness and a very nice grounding circuit for each side .
It pulls less than half amps that the stock lights do .

I will be ordering another kit for the Caddy this week , I am sold on these and still have not had anyone flash me , but people love to look at them

I think I will go look at them now :laughing4::laughing3::toothy10:

[m715]

That's great! Being high voltage, I didn't really know what the true draw would be from the ballasts. And........ go ahead........it's a Festiva.........STARE!

Michael

[Unicornasaurus]

I'm getting excited!!

Date of Event Time of Event Location Description Retail Location Signatory Name 
2008/04/29 17:55  International item has left the origin country and is en route to Canada        
2008/04/28 17:05  International item mailed in origin country

[packrat427]

It will be awesome to see many Festivas with these ,

Looking forward to seeing Simons and Unicornasaurus installed

[Unicornasaurus]

I believe mine are flying over the ocean right now. Though that was at 7:00PM PST last night.

Update:
Woo!! They're in Vancouver! They're just going through customs right now!! I could have them by tomorrow or Monday..since Canada post doesn't deliver on weekends..

[SimonTuffGuy]

Still not able to get the install finished... Been a crazy week at work. :\

[Unicornasaurus]

I'm worried mine won't look good because I don't have the pride headlights

[SimonTuffGuy]

Doug is using the regular Festiva headlights and they look just fine?

[Unicornasaurus]

Doug is using the regular Festiva headlights and they look just fine?

Oh?

Well..I guess I'm not worried anymore
What is the difference between the pride headlight and the Festiva headlight?

[monkeyracing]

The question I have is why are they illegal? It could be that our laws just dont' cover this type of modification. Or it could be there is some safety hazard.

Any conjecture? How's the heat put out by these things? Higher or lower or the same?

Karl

My apologies for the delay in responding. I've been a little busy.

The reason they are illegal is that they were designed for a completely different type of lens and reflector assembly. The problem stems from the fact that the "filament" (in a virtual sense, of course) in an HID bulb is oriented differently than that in a halogen bulb. The light produced by the arc is reflected/controlled incorrectly. Also, standard halogen housings do not have cut off plates in them to control the vertical spread of the beam, and you get guys like the one that was behind me on the highway tonight, blinding the living crap out of everyone around them, but thinking they look cool, so who cares.

Read this guy's stuff. He's an expert in the field. Actually, read his whole site. It will teach you a lot.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

So, in conclusion. I'm really glad your (or who-ever's) headlights look so cool, but don't be surprised if you catch me smashing them. This sort of ego thing really gets on my nerves. Grow up people. They're just light bulbs.

If you want better lighting, do it properly, or don't do it at all.

As for heat output: Yes, they produce more heat, and have been known to melt plastic housings, and even start the occasional fire.

[Unicornasaurus]

Dangit! They're out for delivery..which means I'll probably have one of those "You weren't home when we delivered" notices! Shiza...Guess I'll have to pick them up tomorrow.

[Festiva_tunner]

So, in conclusion. I'm really glad your (or who-ever's) headlights look so cool, but don't be surprised if you catch me smashing them. This sort of ego thing really gets on my nerves. Grow up people. They're just light bulbs.

If you want better lighting, do it properly, or don't do it at all.

As for heat output: Yes, they produce more heat, and have been known to melt plastic housings, and even start the occasional fire.

I agree and dissagree
true the housings were not designed for this type of light however if you do it right it can be controlled . . . I am more blinded by the new cars with the projector lenses than by a ricer that has a bad hid install - if you do your install impropper your really only hurting yourself due to glaring problems and inefficient light patterns
But yes I've heard of headlight fires because of these - even in housings designed for them.

It bothers me that you say you would bash out someones lights - thats like someone bashing out your roundies because its a disgrace to a VW and they dont like it. -

[MONSOON]

It bothers me that you say you would bash out someones lights - thats like someone bashing out your roundies because its a disgrace to a VW and they dont like it. - Yes it makes you mad but all you'll do is piss the guy off and he'll just install them again

And given the current enviroment. He'll probably reinstall them after he's either shot you or kicked the crap out of you!