I'm planning to get a Phillips 6000K h7 HID kit for my low beams. The car is a non-xenon car. Where do you guys mount your ballast at since the lights goes with the hood when you open it?

 

-BUMP!-

sorry to revive an old thread. but the 2004 MC i got didnt come with HIDs so im planning to order me some...

quick q's

-wheres a good spot to mount the ballast? Pics would be helpful...

-i read on another thread, you had to drill out some metal light bulb bracket?

any other helpful hints and tips would be appreciated!

if anyone with other suggestions on how to get xenons or HID's on the little beast would be cooL!

nancy

 

Search is your friend

Take a look at post 12 on this thread

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=103183

 

If you put xenons in reflector housing, you will just get glare, and wont be happy. This subject has been talked about extensively. In a nutshell, if you put HIDs in, you need projectors to get a clean cutoff, so you wont blind others. Also, the quality of any non OEM bulb is very bad. You want Phillips D2S / D2R, D1S / D1R.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...12#post1833112

Click on my link ^^ I had 03 xenons (reflector), and i wasn't happy w/ the cutoff of the OEM reflector xenons, so Im putting in TSX projectors.

Go to HIDPLANET.com for more info on retrofitting.

 

Take a close look at the lenses on a xenon equipped mini, and then a halogen equipped mini. You will see that they are not the same. The effect will be that you will have a horrible looking headlight, that will be nothing but super bright, with no or little focus.

 

yes, and oncoming traffic will hate you! Please don't blind other drivers

 

Thanks for Your opinion............but
I have HIDs in stock reflectors on my Vette, as do many, and they work great. I never get flashed. Are they as clean as projectors...NO..but they work so much better than stock lights.

And as to not being happy........my HIDs cost me $80 shipped, that makes me HAPPY compared to several thousand for an OEM setup. Maybe others have the $$ to burn, but many of us do not.

 

Not if you adjust them properly

 

So, you're getting projectors then. Nice.

good luck with the install.

 

Nope, not projectors, just true HID bulbs with ballasts in the stock housings. Not as good as projectors, but all I can afford at present

 

False.....Even aimed properly they have no cutoff and lose much of their light through glare above the cutoff....even if you aim them at the ground.

Proof: http://youtube.com/watch?v=yVuSSdZNsZw

So why not save up your money? It's not like your halogens don't work....and the HID plug-ins put out less light than halogen headlights so you're just making things worse anyways. Sorry, just doesn't seem like a good reason to lose so much light output, harm oncoming drivers, and have cheap looking headlights.

 

You can get HID projectors for 50 bucks. And if you care about output, even the worst HID projectors will be brighter than any reflector housing. The reflector housing loses much of the light due to scattering. A focused beam is much brighter.

I've seen good results in some reflector housings, and some really bad. I had OEM reflector xenons (02-04), and I thought it was still pretty bad. I got flashed ALL the time... Lots of glare.

I could just imagine an HID kit in a cooper. Take some pics, Im curious to see. Who knows, it might work.

 

Heres an output shot from an E46 projector, one of the worst and cheapest HID projectors you can get. $50 a set....

 

Someone posted pics of the cutoff of HID kits dropped into 02-04 halogen housings.....it was hilarious. The cutoff was so bad, and it was losing so much light output to scatter. Looked pretty rough.

 

Guys,

As I said in my posts, I know that projectors have a better cutoff and are a better choice....never argued that.
But I cannot afford the OEM Projectors from MINI so I will try the HID bulbs and ballasts in my MC.
If you can point me to a projector that works in the MC housings for reasonable cost, I will sure look into it.

But as I said, I have had HID bulbs and ballasts in my stock C5 housings for over a year and have never had a problem, no flashes from other drivers or attention from the LEOs..........and the difference in the ability to see at night is amazing.

If I find that I don't like them in the MC, no great loss......I can always go back to the stock Halogens.

Not sure why everyone seems to argue so much, what folks do with their car mods is a personal decision.

 

Two questions;

Where do you get these for $50 a set?

How do you use these on a MC ?

Thanks,

 

Agreed....but it becomes less of a personal decision when it's creating a dangerous environment for OTHER DRIVERS on the street. I don't know about your C5...but i have seen pics and talked to people who have HID's in their 02-04 headlights and the glare is incredibly noticable.....they even admit to being flashed by oncoming drivers.

 

Check the for sale section of HIDPLANET.com, or ebay. Im not trying to give you a hard time, but for just a few bucks more, and a little modding, you will have a MUCH better setup.

Also check good ol' Ebay!

Its an "E46" projector. Also look for hella or bosch projectors, shouldn't be much more.

 

So by a "little modding" what do you mean? Looking through many posts it looks like fitting a projector into stock 04 MC light assemblies would require both a lot of skill and a lot of time........not to mention LUCK.
Just getting the clear front off looks to be a major PITA.
Is there a step by step posted that I missed ?

 

Yep.

1. Bake. Pry. Bake. Pry.

2. Drink a beer.

3. Curse

4. Bake. Pry. Bake. Pry.

-----

Order may be changed, but thats the basic gist. Its really not that hard. Takes more patience than skill. Should take you a weekend if you have all the parts. Check out HIDPLANET.com for step by step instructions in the university section.

 

What temperature did you use?

 

200 for 10 minutes did nothing.

300 at 8 minutes did nothing.

350 at 10 minutes melted the plastic a little, but still glue was hard as a rock. I just stuck w/ 350 in 5-7 minute increments.

I think newer headlights will melt better. I think the older the glue, the harder it gets. Mine's on 03....

 

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36360

Here you go, 4 projectors for 30 bucks shipped. Cant beat that with a stick... There are 2 MDX HID projectors for sale and them a couple others that you can just sell or play with.

$30 Shipped.....

 

Heres another link for 3 sets, about 50 bucks each. Get the ZKWs, which are $45, thats a GREAT deal.

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37221

 

I love these threads because you can always predict what everyone is going to say and who is going to say it.

Chances are it'll turn out just fine when you stick the H.I.D. bulbs in there and you'll probably get a decent cutoff. And lastly, if you're smart enough to aim your headlights well you won't be blinding anyone. Good luck with the project and I may be following the same path to get more range of visibility with my headlights.