Slim Cubby HID Bi-Xenon kit installed!

First off, I gotta give a huge shout to Paul for putting together a killer kit, with killer service & price point. Also to CableTec for the killer install how-to.

My kit arrived in the mail this morning and having anticipated it, I had all the equipment/tools I needed to install so I charged into it.

Tools/Materials
10mm Gearwrench (Removal/installation of battery hold down, washer fluid tank, factory grounding points, negative/positive battery terminals)

12mm Socket (Removal/installation of positive battery post nut for add-on accessories)

Flathead screw driver (Removal of plastic clips for radiator shroud)

Industrial Velcro (installed on the bottoms of the relay, ballasts & resistors/inverters?)

Needle nose pliers (Removal/installation of factory clip that holds headlamps in housing)

I followed the instructions listed here: Link

Tips
1) I did remove the battery completely to give me more room to mount the ballast/inverter. I would recommend this to expedite the install.

2) I disconnected the washer fluid tank and swiveled it as far out of the way as possible to allow for more room to remove the headlamp. Once you've removed the halogen/installed the HID lamp you can put this back.

3) I mounted the ballasts on vertical surfaces to minimize the chance for moisture penetration. On the driver side, I mounted to the fender near the battery. On the passenger side, I mounted to the radiator support. I determined the mounting locations based on the grounding points which limit where you can mount the ballasts due to wire length.

4) Mounting the ballasts and determining the locations takes the longest. Everything else is just a matter of plugging and refastening.

5) I used the factor grounding points. Driver side is near the battery. Passenger side is to the right of the washer fluid tank, towards the engine block.

6) Test fit all of your wires/connections before finalizing your ballast mount location. Make sure all the wires that need to be plugged into the ballast can reach the connection point.

7) The first and last thing that you remove/install should be the negative battery terminal.

I ordered the 35w 8000k kit to match the LED parking lights and DTRL's I ordered from CSJumper. In retrospect, I think the 6000k would've worked as well. Ah well, it still looks sick and the light output is head & shoulders better than the stock halogens. Once I buttoned everything up, I fired up the Taco and tested both the low/hi beams and everything worked flawlessly.

I would highly recommend this kit to anyone looking to retrofit to HID without using a projector kit. The price kicks ass and Paul is awesome with his customer service. Needless to say, the quality of the kit will only make itself apparent in time, but based on what I've seen of it (I do commercial lighting for a living), the components are high quality and should provide excellent service. I lucked out and did not need to adjust the height of my lights. If you do have to do this, I would recommend you err on the safe side and aim low.

Unfortunately I didn't take a whole lot of pics of the install due to the following reasons: It went really fast, and it was raining. I can go back and take pics of the mounting locations if you really need to see them. Here are the pics of the before & after:





I have not taken a light/lumen meter to it, but I would say a 50% increase in photopic lumen levels would not be surprising with the visual effect lumens being even higher due to the color temperature.

 

Cutoff pic?

 

HIDs in ahalogen the cutoff won't be pretty.

 

HIDs don't give a cut off. it's the CUTOFF SHIELD inside a projector that gives a cutoff line. not to mention how stupid it is to HID without doing a retro.

 

I cant see !!

 

Yeah as the others mentioned, there is no real cut off. Since this ain't the best way to do HID (Projectors preferred) I just made sure they're aimed low so I don't bother other drivers as much as possible. I just needed more lumens since the stockers are so dim. Mission accomplished......for now.

 

if theyre aimed low and are 35w, they're well within tolerable glare levels.

though projectors are preferred.


Ive run them for a few years without any problems

 

Agreed.

 

Looks good dude. I like the hids in the black heads.

 

Glad I read this. Been debating HIDs for a while. Did you pay the extra and get the slim ballasts?

 

Aidenhardcore - Thanks brutha! Looks awesome at night. I'll get some pics eventually and post them here....

Tennfan - Yes I did. They're definitely worth the added cost. Like I mentioned, locating a mounting location that accommodates the ballast wiring & size in critical. If I went with the larger ballasts I think finding a location where the sticky velcro would be able to to get a good contact patch would've really limited my mounting locations.

 

I've installed 5 pairs of HIDs in several cars/trucks...

the slims are WAY WAY easier to install

 

I want pics of the output on the road!!

 

Will do.....except it's flash flooding at my place right now. LOL, truck is all clean and I don't wanna drive it.

 

Yes I am a huge proponent of shooting people who do HIDs without projectors, however I have seen a few halogen style reflectors that actually work with HIDs (have a decent cutoff without the blinding stray bands)...I was wondering if the 2012's were any good with that...

 

Naw the 2012's ain't much different in the diffuser/deflector dept from previous years. I marked the cut off on a wall with the stock halogen's and confirmed that the light pollution from the HID's did not exceed that line at the same distance. The primary light emission from the HID's is about a foot lower than where the stocks were at, at a 25' distance.

 

Be sure to post some pics when it stops raining, I will be basing my decision off of them...

 

I was expecting something good w/the talk of a light meter to measure lumens....then I read it's an HID in a reflector. Ugh. Why bother if it's not done right? I ask because now you've aimed the lights down. Ok, that helps and maybe I won't have to flash you like the idiots who don't have a clue. But isn't the idea of a headlight to illuminate stuff in front of you? If you aim it down, your throw is cut. Seems like a waste of $$$ and effort.

 

Waste of money? Naw. Incase you missed it, I mentioned I got what I bought the kit for.

As for the idea of illuminating stuff in front of me, I also mentioned already that this is significantly better. Just because you aim the MAIN beam lower doesn't mean that it's not still very effective at lighting the way ahead. While I do realize that the projector retrofit is a better alternative, I'll tell you that a well done HID only install can be more than effective enough without being offensive to the cars ahead of me.

What are you referring to when you say "I was expecting something good w/the talk of a light meter to measure lumens"? I commented that there's currently a flashflood going on here in Hawaii and I ain't going outside to take lumen readings with my $5k light meter now...what were you hoping to see?

I'll say this, HID's in the stock housings ain't for everybody, that's fine. I don't go onto every thread spewing my upset opinion to people who don't see it my way. BTW, did you have anything to contribute to the thread?

 

no matter how you aim them, they will always glare. ALWAYS.


http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/sho...RFECT-videos-to-link-people-who-swear-by-KITS

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?18954-The-Reality-of-HID-Kits-Truths-and-Myths

but i'm not trying to argue, sorry i'll shut up on this. enjoy more light output, stay away from me on the road!