Posted: 1/22/2017 9:57:19 AM EDT
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I put an xtreme vision HID conversion kit in my daughters crv last night. This is my first experience with them and I was surprised when I kicked the high beams on and the beam turned yellow like a typical halogen bulb.
Is this normal? |
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All the HID kits I've seen either reposition the bulb at a different angle for the high beams (they will have a separate set of wires at the bulb that pulls the bulb closer to the base), or they have a little trap door that moves out of the way on projectors to allow the light to come out at a different angle.
Is it possible it's turning on a halogen high beam bulb? If it changes color temperature at the HID bulb something seems wrong. |
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Also if your daughters car dosent have projector housings people are going to hate her because in normal reflector housings the light spills everywhere vs a nice directed beam in projector housings I want her and my grand daughter to be safe... |
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I'm not concerned about other people. She travels a rural road at night that has a lot of deer and the occasional moose crossing it.. I want her and my grand daughter to be safe... I would have gone with an LED light bar wired to the high beam circuit if it was me. Thats what I do with all my vehicles. I am going to buy and play with some LED replacement bulbs for my high beams as well for my GX. See how that works. Projector headlights, should be interesting. https://www.theretrofitsource.com/ |
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I'm not concerned about other people. She travels a rural road at night that has a lot of deer and the occasional moose crossing it.. I want her and my grand daughter to be safe... And that's part of the problem on the roads today. Nobody is concerned about anyone else but themselves. The problem is, if your daughter is driving down a rural two lane road and the car coming at them in the other lane is completely blind, is that safe? Not really. In addition, a lot of these lights give you a false sense of "better lighting". They give extreme close-range lighting that gives the appearance of better light, but it's too bright and you get a vastly reduced distance of light. It either overpowers your near-field vision, or the change in beam focus no longer emits further, or both. It's much like fog lights, they only light up the first 30 feet or so--but that's not what you need in clear weather. You are much better off doing a proper lighting upgrade, with bulbs for their appropriate housings. Many of the cheaper HID kits can be unreliable as well, although most of them by now probably have that worked out. I'd recommend some Philips +100 halogen upgrades, consider a relay harness (you can buy them if you don't want to build), and some good auxiliary lighting connected to the high beam circuit. You don't have to spend a ton of money doing it. An LED bar might be an easy fix, but a lot of them also don't do much distance (they are getting better). You can install a fairly inexpensive set of Hella lights on the vehicle and gain a lot. You can get small light bars that mount to the license plate if they will handle it. If the housings are yellow or hazed, replacing them can make a huge difference as well. ETA: does her CR-V have four headlight bulbs, or two; how many did you replace? |
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And that's part of the problem on the roads today. Nobody is concerned about anyone else but themselves. The problem is, if your daughter is driving down a rural two lane road and the car coming at them in the other lane is completely blind, is that safe? Not really. In addition, a lot of these lights give you a false sense of "better lighting". They give extreme close-range lighting that gives the appearance of better light, but it's too bright and you get a vastly reduced distance of light. It either overpowers your near-field vision, or the change in beam focus no longer emits further, or both. It's much like fog lights, they only light up the first 30 feet or so--but that's not what you need in clear weather. You are much better off doing a proper lighting upgrade, with bulbs for their appropriate housings. Many of the cheaper HID kits can be unreliable as well, although most of them by now probably have that worked out. I'd recommend some Philips +100 halogen upgrades, consider a relay harness (you can buy them if you don't want to build), and some good auxiliary lighting connected to the high beam circuit. You don't have to spend a ton of money doing it. An LED bar might be an easy fix, but a lot of them also don't do much distance (they are getting better). You can install a fairly inexpensive set of Hella lights on the vehicle and gain a lot. You can get small light bars that mount to the license plate if they will handle it. If the housings are yellow or hazed, replacing them can make a huge difference as well. ETA: does her CR-V have four headlight bulbs, or two; how many did you replace? Her vehicle has an H4 bulb. Hi/lo combined. As for blinding oncoming drivers..the hid lights are no worse to me than the led bulbs in new vehicles and are approved under our provincial motor vehicle act so the gov't doesn't have any problem with them.. As for a light bar...that is something I will look into but she won't want her truck looking like a brodozer. |
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I'm not concerned about other people. She travels a rural road at night that has a lot of deer and the occasional moose crossing it.. I want her and my grand daughter to be safe... Quoted:
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Also if your daughters car dosent have projector housings people are going to hate her because in normal reflector housings the light spills everywhere vs a nice directed beam in projector housings I want her and my grand daughter to be safe... Thing about that is that all the non-projector lights are very bright but very little light down the road. |
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-snip- H4... well, I might know what the problem is. I have some experience with H4 systems, including the PNP kits. I actually bought one, installed it, literally drove my truck around the block and then removed them. From what I've seen, there are two designs for the H4 PNP kits. One has two bulbs in one assembly: the HID capsule, and a halogen bulb. The HID is used for low beam, and the halogen filament is turned on when you want a high beam. The more desirable version uses an HID capsule with a solenoid activated bulb shroud. When you turn on the high beams, the solenoids activate and move the shield for HID high beams. I'm guessing you have the two-bulb system (two bulbs, even though it's a single-bulb setup). That would explain the color shift, and why it looks like halogen. H4 is a pretty good platform for upgrade. If you can get your hands on them, the Osram "Rallye" 65/70W H4 bulb is incredible, and it will out-perform that HID kit. I have a set at home, ran them in my truck that used H4. That truck for a while had two 240MM Lightforce lights on the front of it, and when I switched to that bulb, I couldn't even tell the Lightforces were on--except for long distance. They are that good. Unfortunately, I've heard they are discontinued so you may not be able to get them. Don't get the 80/100W H4's, they are too much for your factory wiring and may be too much heat for the housings. The Philips +100 are probably the best you can get now, and while they won't be as good, they will be a huge upgrade--and still may out-perform the HID kit. If that wasn't enough, those along with a nice set of cornering lights linked to the high beam circuit would add a lot (good Hella, Cibie, etc). I really wouldn't recommend the LED bars anyway--they are mostly good for low-speed, off-road, etc. Optics size still makes a huge difference. Something to think about, with that "immediate" lighting. 45MPH is 66 feet per second. The average reaction time driving seems to be about 1.5 seconds (.7-3). That's 99 feet at 45MPH. The first 20-30 feet in front of a vehicle is practically useless for most driving. If you don't see it until it's in that range, you're not going to miss whatever you're trying to avoid. Drivers tend to gravitate naturally to the hot spot in the lights, and if it's directly in front of the vehicle, you're not looking down the road where you should be. I 100% agree that a lot of modern designs are really pushing acceptability--even some of the halogen setups. A lot more people now just drive around with their high beams on than they used to, as well. I see half a dozen every morning on my short commute. |
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From what I've seen, there are two designs for the H4 PNP kits. One has two bulbs in one assembly: the HID capsule, and a halogen bulb. The HID is used for low beam, and the halogen filament is turned on when you want a high beam. The more desirable version uses an HID capsule with a solenoid activated bulb shroud. When you turn on the high beams, the solenoids activate and move the shield for HID high beams. I'm guessing you have the two-bulb system (two bulbs, even though it's a single-bulb setup). That would explain the color shift, and why it looks like halogen. H4 is a pretty good platform for upgrade. If you can get your hands on them, the Osram "Rallye" 65/70W H4 bulb is incredible, and it will out-perform that HID kit. I have a set at home, ran them in my truck that used H4. That truck for a while had two 240MM Lightforce lights on the front of it, and when I switched to that bulb, I couldn't even tell the Lightforces were on--except for long distance. They are that good. Unfortunately, I've heard they are discontinued so you may not be able to get them. Don't get the 80/100W H4's, they are too much for your factory wiring and may be too much heat for the housings. The Philips +100 are probably the best you can get now, and while they won't be as good, they will be a huge upgrade--and still may out-perform the HID kit. If that wasn't enough, those along with a nice set of cornering lights linked to the high beam circuit would add a lot (good Hella, Cibie, etc). I can say I'm not impressed with the HIDS and they will probably go away. Have you any experience with these ones? VOSLA H4 +100 |
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you nailed it..these have the 2 bulb's in one. She is a very cautious driver and takes her time when it's dark (especially with her daughter in the car) and yes..I am probably being over cautious, worried, paranoid..but that is what dads do. I can say I'm not impressed with the HIDS and they will probably go away. Have you any experience with these ones? VOSLA H4 +100 I have not used those exact bulbs, but wouldn't hesitate to try them. I've heard good things about Candlepower.com, I think that may be where I got my Rallyes (I can't remember--either there or Rallylights.com). I have not had a H4 bulb in a vehicle in a couple years, so had not heard of them (the VOSLA), but a quick search turned up this thread below. Candlepowerforums has some pretty knowledgeable people, so I would trust it. I do plan on getting some sealed beam H4 replacement lights for my old Toyota, so I will probably be trying some of these out. Candlepower Forums Thread |
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you nailed it..these have the 2 bulb's in one. She is a very cautious driver and takes her time when it's dark (especially with her daughter in the car) and yes..I am probably being over cautious, worried, paranoid..but that is what dads do. I can say I'm not impressed with the HIDS and they will probably go away. Have you any experience with these ones? VOSLA H4 +100 Quoted:
Quoted:
From what I've seen, there are two designs for the H4 PNP kits. One has two bulbs in one assembly: the HID capsule, and a halogen bulb. The HID is used for low beam, and the halogen filament is turned on when you want a high beam. The more desirable version uses an HID capsule with a solenoid activated bulb shroud. When you turn on the high beams, the solenoids activate and move the shield for HID high beams. I'm guessing you have the two-bulb system (two bulbs, even though it's a single-bulb setup). That would explain the color shift, and why it looks like halogen. H4 is a pretty good platform for upgrade. If you can get your hands on them, the Osram "Rallye" 65/70W H4 bulb is incredible, and it will out-perform that HID kit. I have a set at home, ran them in my truck that used H4. That truck for a while had two 240MM Lightforce lights on the front of it, and when I switched to that bulb, I couldn't even tell the Lightforces were on--except for long distance. They are that good. Unfortunately, I've heard they are discontinued so you may not be able to get them. Don't get the 80/100W H4's, they are too much for your factory wiring and may be too much heat for the housings. The Philips +100 are probably the best you can get now, and while they won't be as good, they will be a huge upgrade--and still may out-perform the HID kit. If that wasn't enough, those along with a nice set of cornering lights linked to the high beam circuit would add a lot (good Hella, Cibie, etc). I can say I'm not impressed with the HIDS and they will probably go away. Have you any experience with these ones? VOSLA H4 +100 Keep the HID setup and buy her some proper projector based headlight housings as they make ALL the difference in the world! Matter of fact, my new Silverado came with halogen projector beam headlights and I had the projectors upgraded to morimoto HID projectors and bi-xenon electronics as the originals were designed for halogen. I had originally planned to install an LED light bar but now there is no need since my lights are super bright and sharply focused where they should be. |
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None of those HID conversion kits are worth a damn. Either buy the correct entire projector headlight assembly, or buy brighter/higher wattage H4 bulbs.
That kit you installed is probably LESS safe for night driving. Remember, your eyes adjust to light levels, right? All that bright unfocused light up close to the car reflects more light than normal back, causing your pupils to shrink. This means night vision is REDUCED compared to stock headlights. What you really want is light projected out down the road, not only letting you see farther, but less ambient light is reflected back, which means your night vision stays intact. So, not only can you see farther down the road, your eyes are also able to pick up more. Bright light isn't the answer. Bright light where you want it is. |