headlight upgrade confusion .. help

[chaz]

since the OP mentioned SS ultras, one of the things alot of people may not consider is that one problem with any plus or blue coated bulb is that in general, depending on a few things, hours used, temp, etc., is they can sometimes last only 200-400hrs, so spending $60-80 or more every 6 months to 2 years on bulbs may not seem worth it to some, (but they are legal) so for an example, that same 60 will get 2 DDM hid kits that will be much brighter or better, & last, hopefully, thousands of hrs of use. for whatever reasons, i can understand someone not wanting hids, but a wise thing to do is make sure that you carry at least one set of spare bulbs, h9, h11, HIDs, etc. just in case. also 1 more thing to consider is that while the h11-h9 is a great swap, since the h9 is a high beam bulb, its designed to throw light farther down the road & may be a bit lacking for some that prefer a light pattern closer to the vec. like the h11 have, so aiming adjustment down a bit may be required.

 

[ddnww]

ok i think the ddm are worth a shot and i will keep my stocks as a spare in case... do i need any of the add'l stuff like harness, error code elim, bracket etc.. thanks for all the replies and info ..

 

[chaz]

some will say install a harness while others say its not needed, i do know the DDMs use more power at startup than the xenondepot extreme kits & thats one reason why some use the harness. you can use double backed tape or zip ties instead of brackets for mounting, & i dont believe the error code eliminator is reguired with the DDM kits on the 4r either, but better check it out. without the harness its a very simple pnp, & if theres ever a problem, its just unplug the ballast & bulb & plug in the h11 or h9, takes just a couple of minutes to switch. if you get them, im sure you will be surprised & delighted at how much better than stock they are. my advice would be to not go above 5000k, get the 35w & since they are much brighter,aim em down a bit.

 

[NJshadow93]

No harness, error code eliminator, or brackets on my 06. As chaz said, I just used double sided tape and zip ties to install and they haven't budged, even through off roading.

 

[ddnww]

ok thanks guys.. and one last thing.. i get the h11 bulb type right.. on my '07

 

[NJshadow93]

ok thanks guys.. and one last thing.. i get the h11 bulb type right.. on my '07

Yes, H11, if you do the fog lights too it's 9006.

 

[flnycus]

thanks for replying,, i understand hid are better, but the h9 upgrade is quite noticeable from what ive read.. am i right in saying the kit you suggested is around $200... i cant spend that right now..

I think i got them for 169, got to look out for coupons etc, expensive i know but well worth it if you can save up and wait and not waste money on other stuff. The Volt kit is cheaper and probably just as good. good luck though!

 

[zopperman]

I think i got them for 169, got to look out for coupons etc, expensive i know but well worth it if you can save up and wait and not waste money on other stuff. The Volt kit is cheaper and probably just as good. good luck though!

169!? how?

I got mine for 100 with 6 bulb/ballasts

 

[zopperman]

No harness, error code eliminator, or brackets on my 06. As chaz said, I just used double sided tape and zip ties to install and they haven't budged, even through off roading.

X2 on this, i zip tied all three of my ballasts on each side together and just let them chill. they're doin fine

 

[ddnww]

so I ended up purchasing the ddm hid kit with 5000k bulbs, figured at that price its worth a shot. little longer than I hoped on delivery since they came from china, but was actually pretty quick considering they came from china.
got them, no instructions was a little confusing for a second but figured it out and install was very easy. they look great, very noticeably brighter, take a second to get to full brightness but not a big deal.. kept my og bulbs in case of any issues. They are working perfect and I love them. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[chaz]

yea, i was wondering how they worked out for you. worth the bux huh? did you have to aim em down a bit?

 

[HHIRunner]

I have sylvania silverstar ZXE 4300k. Just regular halogen bulbs filled with xenon. They are considerably whiter than stock bulbs and you will definitely see the difference on the street. on the street. They also are more expensive however. They are $50-$60 depending on what size you need

How do you like those bulbs? I have an 03 thus no projectors but I wanted HIDs but can't really justify all the money to do a retrofit so I've been thinking about picking these up. If you have any output shots that would be great. And of anyone wants to take some output shots with their DDM kits that would be great too

 

[LobstaMobsta]

How do you like those bulbs? I have an 03 thus no projectors but I wanted HIDs but can't really justify all the money to do a retrofit so I've been thinking about picking these up. If you have any output shots that would be great. And of anyone wants to take some output shots with their DDM kits that would be great too

Don't be one of those guys that everyone hates by putting hid bulbs in halogen reflectors! (2003), atleast buy a set of 2006 projectors!

 

[Love4myRunner]

Don't be one of those guys that everyone hates by putting hid bulbs in halogen reflectors! (2003), atleast buy a set of 2006 projectors!

Haha Do you have that big of an issue with HID's in non Projector headlights? If someone can't or doesn't want to spend the money for Projectors that's their decision. It doesn't seem like "everyone hates" when people do it. I'm starting to think you are either being a funny guy here or you have a serious issue seeing well at night because most HID kits are hardly brighter compared to stock. 55w kits could be annoying but I see more people getting 35w kits. I get the fact that light "bounces randomly" without Projectors but it shouldn't make you that upset. lol

 

[Ryan H]

How do you like those bulbs? I have an 03 thus no projectors but I wanted HIDs but can't really justify all the money to do a retrofit so I've been thinking about picking these up. If you have any output shots that would be great. And of anyone wants to take some output shots with their DDM kits that would be great too

I love them. Like I said they're considerably whiter than stock halogen bulbs and you will tell a difference on the street when you're looking at other cars at night. People have flashed they're lights at me before because they think they're my high beams. I'll take some pics tonight.

 

[HHIRunner]

Don't be one of those guys that everyone hates by putting hid bulbs in halogen reflectors! (2003), atleast buy a set of 2006 projectors!

Wasn't planning to do that. That's just trying to be an *******

 

[LobstaMobsta]

Haha Do you have that big of an issue with HID's in non Projector headlights? If someone can't or doesn't want to spend the money for Projectors that's their decision. It doesn't seem like "everyone hates" when people do it. I'm starting to think you are either being a funny guy here or you have a serious issue seeing well at night because most HID kits are hardly brighter compared to stock. 55w kits could be annoying but I see more people getting 35w kits. I get the fact that light "bounces randomly" without Projectors but it shouldn't make you that upset. lol

Actually yes i do have a issue with people who put hids in halogen housings as most knowledgable people also do. There are probably 15-20 people in my area that are running this and when you pass them going the other direction at night, especially when it is raining or wet outside, you can not see a damn thing and it is extremely dangerous and absolutely ridiculous. If you are too broke to do the upgrade the right way than i suggest you dont do it at all...kind of like halogen headlights that are painted blue. As far as you saying most hid kits are hardly brighter than stock, that is completely unfounded. In fact most HID bulbs produce almost 2x as many lumens as halogen bulbs. most halogen bulbs produce 1350 lumens compared to well over 2000 luments in an hid bulb. get the facts straight pal

 

[LobstaMobsta]

Haha Do you have that big of an issue with HID's in non Projector headlights? If someone can't or doesn't want to spend the money for Projectors that's their decision. It doesn't seem like "everyone hates" when people do it. I'm starting to think you are either being a funny guy here or you have a serious issue seeing well at night because most HID kits are hardly brighter compared to stock. 55w kits could be annoying but I see more people getting 35w kits. I get the fact that light "bounces randomly" without Projectors but it shouldn't make you that upset. lol

not to mention it is completely illegal

 

[Love4myRunner]

Nah 8000k and up are too blue for good visiblity. Around 5000k for sure are brighter. I still think something is wrong with your eyes because you get way too upset over something so small. I bet you cry over all cars at night not just the ones with HIDs.

Ps. I haven't been flashed yet so I still think you're alone in this.

 

[Love4myRunner]

Also my headlights are aimed down since the Hid install.