hey guys,

im new to the forums....

jus a quick question to all of you....

I have a Halogen Headlight and i want to buy an HID KIT.....
now my question is what color temp to get 8000K or 6000K

Im gettin the HID kit from this site..... http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p...=102&parent=85

please lemme kno ASAP

Thanks
....RKILLER691.....

 

i would get 6000k youll get better lighting on the road, and is 30$ really the price for those?

 

Since you are new, I'll be nice.

The whitest light is about 4300K, the higher the temp (K) number, the bluer the light gets. Humans don't see blue well, especially at night. The lower the temp in K the more lumens of usable light the bulb produces, and the more usable light you can see. Get something in the 5000K range is the best compromise of light output and color.

That said, putting a HID bulb in a halogen housing isn't the best solution form an optics standpoint. It will produce more light, but it may not go where you intended it too. The headlight assembly was designed for projecting the light created by a bulb in a specific location. Changing from a 9006 halogen bulb to a rebased, (D2S to 9006) bulb to fit a halogen assembly is going to change the aiming.

You can get the entire projector assembly from a car that came with HID's and replace your current headlights.


Either way, I'm not sure that you won't have some problems with the car's electronics. In BMW's you will get a low beam failure message due to the reduced current of the HID's.

 

This is true, I think the 6000 will be better in the rain as well. Thy are also closer to the color of the Xenons that come in a MINI with OEM Xenon lights. The 8000's will not be as good overall, but will give you that deep blue look when driving that some people like.

 

Some people are idiots, and think style over function...lol

That or they are under 40 years old. As you get older, night visin goes in the crapper. The blue lights just make it worse...

 

Exactly as previously posted. The higher the kelvin rating the more blue/purple the light color itself is and you begin losing light output on the road itself. I put a set of 6000K HIDs on my 05 Yamaha R1 this summer for the pure purpose of vision at night.

Poor weather visibilty would be aided greatly by 3000K fogs (for poor weather only like snow or rain) as these are yellow and it doesnt reflect light as easily in poor weather.

 

Those prices make me question the quality/longevity of the kits, but I supposed you won't know unless you try.

As said above, if you are looking to get MAXIMUM visibility, you should get a 55w 5000k kit... according to thier site.

You will get much better results if you can get your hands on an HID housing from another mini, but the upgrade should still provide some additional visibility.

 

The only issue I think coming up running an HID kit in a halogen housing is mainly going to be the light spread. The halogen housing werent made for these types of beam patterns and chances are its going to be all over the place....just be careful as doing sometimes can get you ticketed. Especially if your beam pattern does not have a cutoff and it blinding oncoming traffic.

Im also not sure how the normal halogens work, but you may want to also look into running a relayed harness for the power of these lights. Although they require less power to run, they require an intense amount of power to ignite the ballasts. Running a relayed harness would be a failsafe that I would definitely opt for...plus its easy to make.

 

^
6000k is best for lighting considering your choices. Odd though that the new SAAB's have some sort of purple color to their Xenon's now....

The kits you have listed are 55W. Most kits are 35W. As they tend to produce more heat than conventional bulbs, I would not use the 55W set ups in our housings. My 2 cents.

IMO, get a set of genuine MINI Xenon headlights, they will produce the proper patten of light emission, and not blind the oncoming traffic.

* The housings reflectors are designed and patterned for a specific type of bulb. The only production cars on the road today which come with headlight assemblies prepped for Xenons are most Jaguar models mfg from 2002-2006. So if you have a Jag and currently have Halogen, a Xenon kit goes in very nicely, has factory mounting points/areas, and will apply the proper pattern of light you want.

 

http://www.vvme.com

They already have the resistors to work with CANbus systems.

We put them on our BMW motorcycles with no ill effects.

And I agree with the previous poster. While the car would probably handle the 55W HIDs, I'd stick with the 35W.

 

For those questioning DDMTunings quality, and reliability, they are a really popular company for BMW owners.

I've bought may sets of HID kits from them and they really are quality, especially for the low price. Their customer service is not always the best, but for the price what can you whine about?

 

Yea its 30 plus H13 is a lowbeam/highbeam so its an extra 20 and shipping is 10 and tax... like 64

 

Those are probably not legal in California. HID headlights require an auto-leveling system tied to the suspension. Your Halogen setup doesn't have that.

 

They are illegal, although not for that reason. Auto-level and washers are required for HID in Europe but not the US.

The kit is illegal because it isn't "DOT approved" (doesn't conform to federal standards). There are NO aftermarket HID kits that are street legal. Many vendors post an "off-road use only" disclaimer. This letter outlines some of the requirements: http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/deetz.ztv.html

 

This stuff is GARBAGE. All of it, whether from these guys, whose "customer service is not always the best", or anyone else. It's illegal for a reason - it's DANGEROUS. You can easily blind oncoming drivers with crap conversions like this. You can also have fun with stuff like fried wiring harnesses and other electrical system maladies.

Please do NOT encourage people to buy crap like this!! You get what you pay for, and you endanger everyone else on the road, as well as yourself, when you install crap like this on your car. That's not some whacked out opinion, it's FACT.

 

ddmtuning has good kits and much better pricing...i bought 4 sets for 4 diff minis and several more for other cars..if you want to return a faulty item it'll take some time but other than that the price is unbeatable

i myself have a 5000k on the mini and with it being aimed correctly will NOT blind oncoming traffic or cause glare. It is way brighter than stock tho.

if you're getting a kit, get code eliminators also or they wont work. and if you're getting a single beam bulb you will have a high beam bulb out, unless you make some resistor or something.

 

hello again guys,

I took most of your advice, and I ordered a 6000K HID Kit

I shall put pics up when it come in the mail and when I Install it

thanks again... to all of you

 

I loathe aftermarket "xenon" kits. Here in Texas, every third pickup truck has some kind of bright blue lights on it that spray their beam in all directions...except forward where it counts. Some folks just don't get it, your car's lighting should be functionable, not fashionable. Either do it right with the correct OEM parts or not at all.

 

It could be like the lifted diesels here....one has blue that you cant even see on the road because of his beam pattern, and the other is 20,000K so its pure purple...pure crap. lol

Glad you at least went with 6000K youll get nice output, the problem is the beam pattern.

 

x1000

A voice of reason. Thank you.

This is a BAD IDEA, period. Blinding oncoming traffic should be a felony.

 

Isn't that why you carry guns in Texas?

 

If you can get the aftermarket kit aimed properly to look like factory without the ridiculous glare, I'd say go for it. But few are successful and drive around with a blue or purple fog/glare in front of their car/truck. To me it is kind of like putting spinners on your Mini. "Look at me! Look at me! I installed a cheap ebay HID kit on my Mini... and look at my wheels... they're spinning when I'm sitting still."

There's this guy around here with a new Dodge Ram 4x4, looks like it has at least a 12" lift, 22~24" wheels, etc. He has ebay HIDs in the headlights and fog lights, all bright blue and on all the time. "Look at me! My side mirrors stick out 4' on each side! And I got cheap HID kits in my 'spensive truck!" I just laugh whenever I see it. Then I try to refocus on the road and continue on my way.

 

* The housings reflectors are designed and patterned for a specific type of bulb. The only production cars on the road today which come with headlight assemblies prepped for Xenons are most Jaguar models mfg from 2002-2006. So if you have a Jag and currently have Halogen, a Xenon kit goes in very nicely, has factory mounting points/areas, and will apply the proper pattern of light you want.[/QUOTE]

I'm 99% sure previous generation E class Mercedes had a halogen lamp that could run Xenons.

I agree that putting HID bulbs in a halogen housing is less than ideal. The standard lighting system on the Mini does suck though. I have tried several different bulb types and my Audi still puts them to shame. I may try a 4500K 35 watt kit just for the hell of it.

 

I know someone that sells these kits, basically they are designed to fit & the sport bike market but also will work with minis. I looked into it also but as stated above they are completely illegal, it's beyond me why he is still able to sell & install these kits.