Dadillac Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 Since I bought my SLS, back on November 13th, 2004, I have really been displeased with the headlights. The first thing I did, was install Sylvania Silver Stars. They helped a little, but still, these headlights were some of the worst I have had. Not shining up the road very well. I ordered a McCulloch 5300k HID set on Ebay, this past Friday, the 18th. I paid $260.00, with free shipping. That was the lowest price I had ever seen, and was worried that I was getting a refurbished kit. Well, the kit arrived on Tuesday the 22nd, straight from Hong Kong. It was a brand new kit. The Ebayer I purchased from, noted my sale, as a "warranty replacement". Along with the kit, was the invoice, for $75.00. That is a nice mark-up, and it gives me a business venture idea. Anyway I installed the kit today, and it iook about 1 and 1/2 hrs. I really got delayed, when I mounted the ballast on the driver side. The air box got in the way, and took about 35-40 minutes to get everything back together. Well, after my first drive with these lights, I can honestly say, I am quite impressed. And I do not impress easily. They work just as I have heard they would. Now, i just need to play with the alignment, as I think they are aimed a bit too high. Once I have them dialed in, I am sure they will be working even better. So, anyone who is hesitant to drop several hundred, on HID's (as I was), you won't be disappointed. They are worth the price of ownership. Now I just hope they last as long as they are supposed to. Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddyman Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 I put a 8000k kit on my seville. I had to aim the lamps down a bit, but after that WOW what a difference. Best thing is I can transplant them into my next caddy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 I don't mean to start a debate...this is a yes/no question really. What is the legality of aftermarket kits? Are they on the up and up? I thought that at one time, retrofit kits weren't legal, but that very well could have changed by now. I'm just wondering. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 Kits are supposed to be illegal and most US based web sites dont sell them anymore. Not sure how the sellers on Ebay get around that. DOT made them illegal because of so many being put into non-projector type headlights. They cause a lot of glare in a headlight designed for a halogen bulb. The Cad. projectors eliminate the glare if properly aimed. You shouldnt have any problems, especially if HIDs were a factory option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navion Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 Bill, If your HID lights are set to high, you need to get them adjusted ASAP!. Even on low beam and properly adjusted, those lights are painfully bright. I have had some older folks who have had cataract surgery tell me that they are blinded by the HID lights. The even make me want to look away when they are comming , even on interstates. I can see a senario on curving country highways where these lights could momentarily blind an oncomming car. And if the HID equipped driver is distracted and leaves his HID's on HI, watch out! I will admit, from the drivers seat on an HID equipped car, the view is fantastic. But how much light is too much? I remember back in the sixties (that dates me, dosen't it ) that Lucas Flamethrowers where among the brightest avalible. Even those were not "legal" back then. If your car has HID lights, you owe the others on the road the courtesy of keeping them properly adjusted and being quicker on the dimmer than you used to be. The time to dim, no matter what kind of lights that you have is when you first notice the aura of the oncomming cars lights. Don't wait until you can see their headlights, by that time you have already "flashed" the oncomming driver. Most times, (at least here in the midwest) when the oncomming drivers detect that you have dimmed your lights, they will as well. Then again, we have all experienced drivers who are oblivious to the fact that they have their lights on HI and drive like they are the only ones on the road. If they have HID lights, God help the oncomming drivers. Remember, if enough people abuse the HID lights, DOT will probably outlaw them and take action to have them removed from the highway. Take Care, Britt Britt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddyman Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 The most popular car with HIDs, have reflector headlamp housings. The acura TL and CL. Proper aiming is an absolute must. Mind you I have never been flashed, and have only been asked where I got them. My dad has an S2000 and the projector beam does allow for better control of the light but two car lengths up, the lights CUT OFF, and will go no higher than the bumper of the car in front of you. In Virginia, technically, you could argue the legality due to the increase og HID usage, but here in Northern VA, cope don't pull people over for that, wayyyy too many BMWsand MB, Caddys, Rovers, etc. HIDs only use 35w, wich is les than the maximun 55w. On the lumens front, the 8000k put more than legal out, but then you would have to have calibrated, documented equipment to prove that, I'm sure no cop has that. As long as oyu have them aimed properly,you won't have a problem, plus on a Caddy, people won't think twice about it. The New acura TL has BLINDING lights, next time you see one, you will see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 The New acura TL has BLINDING lights, next time you see one, you will see. Timely subject -- I have my mother-in-law's 2005 TL for the day, while she and my wife and my mother have our van shopping. (Caddy is clean in the garage.) The headlights are absolutely fantastic in that car. I've never been blinded by one that I can recall, but I can see how that might happen, given how bright they are. I agree that proper aim is more necessary now than ever. The TL has projector beams and there's an astoundingly distinct upper cutoff for these lights. You can pretty much draw a line in the trees where the light ends and darkness begins. I noticed that while driving, this upper cutoff is generally below other drivers' face level, but I suppose that if you're riding in a ground-scraper, you might be bothered. Aside from the lights, this car is fantastic. The 5-speed automatic, while in manual mode, does EXACTLY what you tell it to with the stick. No hunting, no fishing. It's in whatever gear you want it to be in. While in manual mode, it won't downshift even at WOT. You have to tell it to. It's basically a clutchless manual. The 3.2L engine is a little screamer too. I expected it to be pretty gutless down low, but even in 5th gear at 1500 rpm, it'll pull very well. Variable valve timing in action! Handling is above average I'd say, and the brakes are out of this world. It feels like you're putting a lock pin through the wheels when you need to stop fast. It just plain STOPS. Unfortunately, I compared the price on this car (low 30s) to a new CTS, which is about the only domestic that is comparable in my opinion. Optioned like the TL, the CTS runs in the 36-39k range. Hmm... Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbuc Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 When put my HID kit in my car, I immediately adjusted the level at which they were aimed. I lowered them to abotu where the cut off line, was in the middle of the bumper, on the average sized car. This insured that it would not shine up into people's windshields, and rearview mirrors. The Acura's that are the worst, are the older ones, that came with HID's, but had reflecting lenses, instead of the projectors. They are horrible. Them, and Lincoln Navigators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 My HIDs are now & have always been adjusted correctly, thank you very much. The light housings on the HID OEM equipted Cads cant be adjusted anywhere near as high as the halogen equipted housings. The optics in the HID housings are different from the halogens also. Many people confuse the true HIDs with the wannabe bluish lights that are usually adjusted too high beacuse the drivers are trying to get more light out of the blue bulbs. Those are the real glare monsters. Not all, but most HID systems still use a halogen bulb for the high beam. Dadillac, Since my car didnt come w/HID the low beam bulbs turn off when the high beam were turned on. This is not good for an HID system to be turned on & off like that. It will dramaticly shorten the life of the system. I got the relay from KC Hilites that keeps the low beams (HIDs) on when the high beams are on. You need to get one if you havent already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navion Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 danbuc, jadcock, Bill K & caddyman. I understand that the HID lights have a dramatic cut-off, but that is effective only on flat ground, kind of like some spots in Western Kansas. If you are in rolling hills & even more aggressive (read Vertical) real estate, then the cut-off is a moot point as far as oncomming traffic is concerned. There is a method of determining the temperature of the light that is transmitted to the retina of the eye. I haven't delt with it lately, but the theory is akin to using a magnifying glass to concentrate sunlight onto a piece of wood. The same effect is achieved by the eye's lens. Admittedly the focal point at which the rays converge is forward of the retina, but light is energy. Light is turned into heat when focused. The eye is capable of absorbing just so much before it overloads. The symtom is like seeing a welding arc with out a filter lens. Even after the arc is gone or you look away, you can still see it centerd in you vision. HID lights plus halogens on HI can have the same effect. HID's alone can have the same effect if the HID equipped car is cresting a hill & the victim, er, approaching car gets the full effect as the HID beam arcs thru his field of vision. This effect is magnafied on people as the get older, say Over Thirty . And Bill, even if your lights are perfectly adjusted and you modify it so the HID stay on, what happens when get supprised and fail to dim & flash the oncomming car on a twisting two lane hilly road? I'm not picking on you, but there is a limit to what human eyes can stand. I think that we are pushing that limit with the HID's. So, what is the answer? If enough people abuse them, or install illegal units, then that is when our beneficent govenment will step in and outlaw ALL of them. Remember, be quick on the dimmer, weather you have HID lights or not. If you blind someone & he crosses over & hits you head on, you may not be around long enough to complain. Take Care, Britt Britt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted March 26, 2005 Report Share Posted March 26, 2005 All HIDs from all mfgs. are designed to be on with the high beams. OEM HIDs always stay on with the high beams. Any lights cresting a hill will be too bright. Seems I remember that in driver training we were instructed to direct our vision to the side of the road in those situations. Failing to dim is always poor driving. However your low beams, whether HID or halogen, do not get brighter if you have your high beams on. Your low beams are still low beams, they just dont go off. So running into someone with your high beams & low beams being is no better or worse than just the high beams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadillac Posted March 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2005 BillK Thanks for the tip. I will say this upfront, I am an electrical idiot. If I do not have written, and pictured instructions, I am dead in the water. Where does the relay hook up to? Will I need one, or two, relays? Please be very explicit with the explanations. Thanks Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navion Posted March 26, 2005 Report Share Posted March 26, 2005 [quoteAll HIDs from all mfgs. are designed to be on with the high beams. OEM HIDs always stay on with the high beams. Any lights cresting a hill will be too bright. Seems I remember that in driver training we were instructed to direct our vision to the side of the road in those situations. Failing to dim is always poor driving. However your low beams, whether HID or halogen, do not get brighter if you have your high beams on. Your low beams are still low beams, they just dont go off. So running into someone with your high beams & low beams being is no better or worse than just the high beams.] Hi Bill, Like I said earlier, I'm not picking on you but your last paragraph stating that a combination of hi & lo beams isn't any worse than hi beams alone isn't true. When you add energy wheather it is light/heat/steam/horses, etc. the cumulative effect is always greater. Lets say for example, you have two 50 watt hi beams and two 25 watt lo beams. HI beams alone are 100 watts HI and lobeams together are 150 watts. Fully half again as much energy. This holds true for lumens also. Yes, they may be focused differently, but when you get into a glare situation then it really adds up. And as for the instruction to focus your vision elsewhere, it is good advice, but human nature when an object appears is to look directly at it. An extreme example is a welding flash at night. It is a reflex action. Probably left over from our hunter/gatherer ancestors. You can force yourself to look away, but not until you have glanced at the object. The biggest complaint that I have about the HID lights is that they are brighter than the eye can readily accomodate without losing its night vision capability. Admittedly, the eye loses some night vision every time that a vehicle is met at night. But the intensity of the HID's cause the night vision loss to be more pronounced and last longer than halogens alone. As I said before, I love driving behind HID lights. It's just when I meet someone with HID's on a dark rainy night on a winding hilly blacktop road with no edge stripes, THAT gets my attention! Take Care, Britt Britt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted March 27, 2005 Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 Britt, OK. OK. I give up. ....... Dadillac, Google: KC Hilites Quad Beam This will give you some on line sellers. You could also probably find it in an auto store that sells KC lights. This is a kit with instructions and it takes about 15 min. to install. Just mount the relay and tap into a couple of the headlight wires with provided taps. So simple I could do it. Let me know if you have any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadillac Posted March 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 BillK Thank you Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadillac Posted March 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 BillK I checked out the relay kit, but the info for it, states i cannot use it. It is stated that it cannot be used on vehicles with high beam DRL's. Now, I am assuming that your '99 has the high beam DRL's, as my '02 does, and you were able to still install it. Is there anything special that you did during install, or did you just hook it up according to the instructions? Please advise, as I do not want to order it, without hearing what you may have done. Thanks Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted March 27, 2005 Report Share Posted March 27, 2005 OoPps, forgot about that. I removed the DRL relay the day I got the car. Didnt want it wearing out my new PIAA bulbs. The top row of relays is missing one. Thats the DRL relay. The wire runnung through there is not involved with the headlights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadillac Posted March 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2005 Okay, now I get it. I am unsure that I want to remove the DRL's. I think that they are a good safety feature. I know that I am in the minority here, when I state that, but feel better having them. I guess that I will just leave everything else as is. I really do not use my highs that often anyway. Thanks again Don "Modern warriors saddle iron horses of chrome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted March 28, 2005 Report Share Posted March 28, 2005 There is a post somewhere about a guy who moved a couple of wires and used his fog lights for the DRL. I do a lot of night driving on two lane roads in deer country and would feel very vulnerable without my high beams. Personaly, w/the DRL removed, whenever I feel the need for DRL I just push the fog light button. The OEM uses the low beam HID as the DRL. You might inquire at the dealer or your shop if they can make that switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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