Ok I've tried different setups wasn't a fan of light out put. After putting HID's in my cobalt love it!
now are the ebays even worth it? I was checking between those and TLG and pretty good price difference. I know the ballast can make a huge difference on longevity.
How is the light pattern controlled? Do they have a cutoff so as not to blind oncoming traffic (like OEM units).
Curious.
BTW, I remember when HID first starting hitting the OEM and how expensive they are. It is pretty amazing that the prices have dropped to "halogen" costs.
[This message has been edited by jaskispyder (edited 04-02-2014).]
Originally posted by FieroCanada: Don't go any higher than 5000k or you will be blind
To Many others drivers, Aftermarket HID set causes Major glare problems regardless of Color Temp.
1. Many "old design" like 6054 aren't aimed. Replacing with any bright bulb make aim even more critical. Worse, many HID and LED often do not have Aiming reference points. So aiming after install is much harder. You need level ground and very carefully marked wall to aim new bulbs. W/o that can aiming to high then you blind everyone else. That is If HID/LED use correct output pattern. Many don't and perfect aiming still blinds everyone else.
2. Find how HID handles high/low beam... Many are low beam only and use tricks to fake high beam. Most that are, high beam is crap and causes glare problems.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
For the love of God, like theogre says, research your reflectors. Seeing that you're looking at something in the price range of that eBay, I'm not sure what you're really willing to spend. Those housings are not actual projector housings, they just have a curved lens to appear so. The included bulbs do appear have shields to only operate like a standard incandescent low-beam bulb, so it probably wouldn't be too obnoxious to oncoming traffic... that's if you have it aimed low enough to not blind oncoming traffic - it will have to be lower than a standard incandescent because they're so much brighter, which is counterproductive, most factory HID setups I've seen have a relatively hard cutoff line.
The black will also cut down on your already minimal color choice, I would keep it below 7000k because the higher color temps are harder for the human eye to pick up.
Factory is around 4000-6000 depending on manufacturer I believe, if I were to get a set I would personally shoot for 5000.
I would recommend getting a standard 6054 housing and get a set of reflectors from someplace like The Retrofit Source, and run your applicable bulb of choice. http://www.theretrofitsource.com/
I'm not sure how the bulbs handle going up/down compared to incandescent, but I would hope they're similar considering the constant jarring while driving down the road.
HID may be brighter, but you are not going to get real optics at this price. It's kinda like getting like buying a bigger bat to hit a ball of yarn.
Also, buyer beware: Nowhere on the listing does it say if these fixtures are DOT or E-code compliant.
I would suggest that you ask around to get nightride in a Fiero equipped with quad Hellas or DoubleC4's flushmount HID set-up. Out of town darkness and 100mph required.
... that's if you have it aimed low enough to not blind oncoming traffic - it will have to be lower than a standard incandescent because they're so much brighter, which is counterproductive, most factory HID setups I've seen have a relatively hard cutoff line. .
Seems very counter productive to me, I have headlights to see whats on the road ahead, If I dont see it until its really close because there is a hard edge line where my headlights stop, it doesnt really matter if inside the hard line is real bright its too late. Are these type headlight only really useful if you aim in a way that blinds other drivers?
Seems very counter productive to me, I have headlights to see whats on the road ahead, If I dont see it until its really close because there is a hard edge line where my headlights stop, it doesnt really matter if inside the hard line is real bright its too late. Are these type headlight only really useful if you aim in a way that blinds other drivers?
You really need to check out an OEM HID system, as it is hard to describe how they look in real life. They work very well and the light shines further (but not blinding). The difference is amazing and you can see why it is popular. The non-oems (for the most part) only replicate the look of true HID, but not the quality.
Would do projectors, but the knowledge and know how of getting them all set up eww
I know the bulbs in kit are not real projectors. I hate driving at night due to my stock lighting being so horrid. With the cobalt I did have to aim down a touch, but still over stocks more light out put and a more pure light is easier to see with.
between the 2 cars and literally night and day and I want the fiero to have better lighting so I feel more at home driving at night from work.
Would do projectors, but the knowledge and know how of getting them all set up eww
I know the bulbs in kit are not real projectors. I hate driving at night due to my stock lighting being so horrid. With the cobalt I did have to aim down a touch, but still over stocks more light out put and a more pure light is easier to see with.
between the 2 cars and literally night and day and I want the fiero to have better lighting so I feel more at home driving at night from work.
Check out Silverstar lights. The problem is that oncoming drivers will have a more difficult time seeing because of your HID lights. Just saying...
(and that is why they are not DOT approved).
[This message has been edited by jaskispyder (edited 04-03-2014).]
Originally posted by LoW_KeY: I hate driving at night due to my stock lighting being so horrid.
Fiero OE bulb are dimmer to start and any Old bulb does "wear out" but Did you check power and grounds? Most don't and worse just add hotter bulbs. Bulbs that need more power but still have crap wiring then new bulbs just degrade wiring/switches faster.
Don't get hung up on HID. It is only a light source. It is brighter with less wattage. Unfortunately HID bulbs cannot just go into any reflector fixture because the shape of the arc, and consequently the light source, is the interior volume of the bulb. This is optically different than burning filament within a Quartz glass / Halogen gas bulb. HID is not new technology, modern compact electronic ballast suitable for 12v automotive applications is. Projector optics nullify the disadvantageous shape of the HID light source by containing errant light within the fixture. It is the projectors not the HID bulb that make these light rock!
That being said, I have seen HID bulb upgrades put in reflector lights that made a reasonable pattern. I have, however, seen far more that caused so much glare that they are a hazard to everyone else on the road.
More food for thought.... When it is raining, if you throw more light out, it will just bounce off into other driver's eyes and into space. Quality is much more important than quantity
Much of the misunderstanding of HID's about blinding on-coming traffic is because people install HID Bulbs into factory housings designed for incandescent bulbs. 4500k and 6000k bulbs are the color temperature of the bulbs ,the "k" at the end of the number is Kelvin. 4200k-4500k is a typical temperature in alot of OEM cars that run HID's. HID's are bulbs and the ballasts, not the housings. There are OEM HID Non-Projector Housings in cars (like my wife's 06 G35x) but I don't know of any of those that will fit into a Fiero without major modifications.
If you want to install HID's, do it correctly and install the correct projectors and the correct wiring.
As far as the cheap 7x6 Projector Housings go, I can't imagine the optics being of the highest quality, so the cutoff probably won't be the greatest and you may have some scattered light. As with most stuff these days, you get what you pay for with HID's and Projectors.
The 200mm Hella Lights that hairballrm posted about are for incandescent bulbs only, but the design of them makes better use of the light. I have heard that the Hella 200mm housing are pretty good. But I have also heard the Cibie 200mm housing are better. But both are probably better than the factory sealed beams as far as light output and light placement goes.
