HID lights installed

[Unicornasaurus]

So some bad news. The bulbs that were sent don't seem to fit properly. One of the notches is just a hair off. I got sent 9004-1 bulbs. Was I supposed to get something else?

[SimonTuffGuy]

Hmmm... I don't remember the original bulb #'s for the Festiva lights. Do they look the same?

The difference between the Festiva and Pride headlights is just the looks mainly... Check out Doug's pics (or any Festiva for that matter) and then make your way to pimptiva.com and check out the headlights on either the Pimptiva (#3) or Casper and you'll see either the 121 headlight setup or the Pride setup. They are just differently shaped, makes it look better I think.

And my headlight install will be finished tomorrow... I've set aside the entire morning to work on the darn wiring in the engine bay to get it under control finally. I'll write more after I'm done.

[Unicornasaurus]

Well I got them installed with a bit of McGuyvering. I had to shave down some of the notches in the actual headlight casing. Turns out the 9004-3 bulbs are the dual filament(high/low), and 9004-1 is just the single beam. The old bulbs compared to the HID bulbs are almost identical. The only main difference is where the notches on the bulb are located to lock them into the housing. This was the only roadblock I ran in to. Also, I can't drive with my e-brake off and my lights off at the same time. The daytime running lights don't provide enough power and produce a loud buzzing sound unless you bring the e-brake up one notch or just drive with your headlights on all the time.

That being said, the improvement is absolutely amazing. I can actually see where I'm driving now, and it's crystal clear. I did have to adjust the lights to point down a bit since we took the housing off to dremel away at the notches in the housing.
I took a picture, it's a bit blurry since it was night time and the capture stays open longer..leaving me more time to mess the picture up

[Safety Guy]

Thanks for the link, Monkey!

I read through it and it looks well done. I'll let others be the guinea pigs before I go the "HID" route!

On my old Chevette, one of my Cibie Z Beams seemed to blow bulbs too often, so I went with only one, which worked well. The cutoff they had was great, even with only one headlight. It may have been the Chevette's cheap wiring that caused this.

Maybe these HID kits are dangerous, maybe not. Do they really provide an "advantage?" Don't know. I am familiar enough with various flashlights and lighting info that this site makes sense:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html

I've heard some flashlight guys say that the bluish LEDs are not as good as incandescents in smoke or haze. Perhaps the wavelength and color properties cause this.

I urge everyone to read that site!

Karl

[nautical_lifens]

when i put the hid's in my car...(protege) they work great just remember don't go crazy with the colour temps... stick to a 5k or 6k anything over that you loose visable lighting.... i have 8k and wish i would have bought 6.... also aim your lights a little lower due to glare or you will blind everyone...

[packrat427]

Humm , I have been a little busy that last few days also .

I am sure that there are cars that have headlight housings that provide lighting that is different from others .

I would never have installed them or left them in if they were offensive .
I have bought some of the better bulbs Silverstars and the Ultras , and they really never worked for me .

Even though we do not have projectors , our Festiva housings does have a descent focused beam , I did point them down quite a bit , and to this day , I have STILL not had anyone flash me .

I know how it is to have someone drive up on me with their brights on , and there are not like that , maybe if you had them pointing straight ahead .

Ya ..I fell like bashing also when they will not dim them .
But everyone has had a interest in installing these , but nobody really went ahead and done it .
So don't be surprised if I catch someone smashing MY lights out ??
Whos lights ??
Someone smashes out my lights better be prepared to suffer some serious consequences:angry4::angry4:

[Unicornasaurus]

Packrat what did you do about the Daytime Running Lights? Do yours make a loud buzzing noise if you have the headlights off but the DRLs are on?

[packrat427]

We do not have DRL's here ..LOL

But if I remember , it says to disable the DRL with this kit .

[GenevaDirt]

Packrat what did you do about the Daytime Running Lights? Do yours make a loud buzzing noise if you have the headlights off but the DRLs are on?

we do not have DRL's in the US unless someone installed them on purpose like I have seen a few on this board buy from stephan I believe

[Unicornasaurus]

we do not have DRL's in the US unless someone installed them on purpose like I have seen a few on this board buy from stephan I believe

Oh..dangit..well I guess I have to figure out how to disable them then.

[SimonTuffGuy]

Should be a relay of some sort that makes them come on... I believe it's outlined in the Ford CD that I've got. If I remember tonight, I'll check what is on there and post it up.

Also - I got mine installed! Finished the wiring and everything on Saturday morning before my MSP. Drove them Saturday "unaimed" since it was still daylight when I would be getting home... And then aimed them on Sunday. They were WAY high... Even with my Silverstars, it would've been way too high. So - I'm installed, aimed, and it's a blast to drive.

I'll get pictures up sometime this week I guess.

[packrat427]

Awesome !!
So you do like ..

It really brings out the white in the car ..LOL

[Unicornasaurus]

Has anyone that got these run into overheating problems at all? I have mine set up almost identical to yours packrat, but my driver's side ballast keeps overheating and turning the light off(which is a handy feature by the way). The passenger side doesn't do it at all. I guess I'll have to try and find a better place with more air flow.

[packrat427]

No.. no problems there I will mount mine a little different sometime , I just wanted to secure them so they would not bounce around .

You did use the ground for both sides ?

How long are they on before it kicks off ?

[Unicornasaurus]

No.. no problems there I will mount mine a little different sometime , I just wanted to secure them so they would not bounce around .

You did use the ground for both sides ?

How long are they on before it kicks off ?

I didn't really get a ground..it's just using the ground in my old bulb socket. I only got the single beam kit.

The time they stay on for differs all on the conditions outside. During the day, if it's a nice, sunny day..the driver's side will stay on anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending if I'm sitting in traffic, or actually driving. I think it's because it's so close to the radiator, that even though there's airflow, it's not cool air.

Everything is wired up properly.it's just getting too hot. I'm trying to think of different places that I could put it that would still give it more airflow.