HID bulb question

I bought an HID kit a while back but don't know the make/brand of the kit. Are most HIDs the same in terms of compatibility with bulbs fitting in the housing? I remeber the box looked a lot like the Xenon group buy kit but I can't be certain for sure. Can anyone point me in the right direction for bulbs?

 

Bump

 

HID ballasts are pretty much universal to all HID ballasts. But the bulbs are vehicle specific.

I buy all my HID/LED equipment from here
http://www.diodedynamics.com/store/

I've already talked to the owner, once I get my 2016, I will be giving them the keys for R&D. So they should have updated products soon

 

Just say no to HIDs in OEM reflectors. This is a bad practice as the reflector lens is not compatible with an HID bulb. You will end up with significant light scatter blinding oncoming drivers and wasting usable light into the air vs putting it on the pavement. VangaSTL has a 2016 which uses different projector lighting technology that is more compatible with an HID conversion.

I've been trying to draw attention to this bad practice and have an alternative that is more powerful than an HID conversion while maintaining proper optics to put the light on the pavement, and keep it out of the eyes of oncoming drivers. It is also cheaper.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-not-led-or-hid.398066/

 

Depends on who you buy the HIDs from. If you buy an ebay set, yes you are going to have significant light scatter and can be hazardous for other drivers. If you buy a good quality set, the bulb replacement is the same dimensions as an OE bulb so the light will reflect off the reflectors equally as an OE bulb giving you the same light pattern with just a better quality light. Just depends who you buy your bulbs from

 

In a projector lens like the 2016 you won't have the issue. In a halogen reflector lens like the 2nd gen that is not the case. Just because the bulb is of similar dimensions does not make the light source the same, it will end up with scatter and reduced light output on the ground.

Besides the alternative I mentioned puts out more light than a HIDs, higher quality light then HIDs, doesn't have dependancies on ballasts to fail like HIDs, cost less and keeps the factory optics. Not to hurt anyones feelings, but it makes HIDs seem pretty foolish.

 

Your solution is taking an 85w halogen bulb 2400lumens (which might I add is about the same as HID) hook it up to the battery. And expect more light than an HID but less blinding. The only thing your doing is drawing more power and replacing bulbs more often. I guarantee those are not any safer than a 4300k HID. Your just more likely to start an electrical fire.

 

You can't just say that and give no reason

 

Speeding is illegal. That doesn't stop most people. So are those halogen bulbs @crashnburn80 are recommending. So what's your recommended solution

 

That's very true. Just something @awoit is going to have to decide

 

There is more tech to those bulbs than just higher wattage. True the bulbs will have to be replaced more often, they last about 15 months in my experience. The massive harness upgrade ensures there is no electrical issues, while improving efficiency, even though in the thread it has been shown that mathematically the factory system can handle it.

 

Your not factoring in heat. You have 12v pressured by 85w flowing through a thin wire in an encapsulated area made of plastic. The melting point of plastic is 221 degrees. I guarantee those bulbs are exceeding that. The surface of the bulb is probably close to 300 degrees. Your running a thin line of damaging your headlights

 

Take a look at the thread, all these concerns have been addressed.

I don't use stock thin wiring. I have massively upgraded beefy wiring rated for a whopping 180w for each bulb. And I isolate it from the factory electrical system with heavy duty Hella relays.

Heat is a valid concern but not an issue, as mentioned in the thread the lens is cool to the touch and I ran these for years in my 2003 Tacoma with smaller plastic headlights, which should get hotter than the larger 2nd gen, and it was never an issue.

 

Just don't put them in your fog lights

 

That definitely would be a bad idea.