How to Make your own HID for your Trans Am
07-10-2008, 08:20 AM
#21
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Beam pattern photos?
Chevyfreak: That's because you're using HID's in a reflector housing. That's extremely illegal. Let's see... $5,000 fine per bulb and ballast. $40,000 for ya.
People who do it correctly are still "illegal", but safe about it. 2 reasons a police officer will pull you over for an HID setup: Glare & color. If you are blinding the officer, he will not be happy with that and is likely to pull you over. If your lights are extremely blue and draw attention, he is likely to pull you over and give you the "paper" test.
What's the paper test? Turn on your lights. Let them go through the warmup cycle. Take a blank sheet of white paper. Put that paper into the beam pattern. If the paper is anything other than white, you get cited. Pretty simple. So 5000K is typically just passing the paper test, anything higher registers as blue, purple, pink and is usually enough for an officer to pull you over and cite you.
Chevyfreak: That's because you're using HID's in a reflector housing. That's extremely illegal. Let's see... $5,000 fine per bulb and ballast. $40,000 for ya.
People who do it correctly are still "illegal", but safe about it. 2 reasons a police officer will pull you over for an HID setup: Glare & color. If you are blinding the officer, he will not be happy with that and is likely to pull you over. If your lights are extremely blue and draw attention, he is likely to pull you over and give you the "paper" test.
What's the paper test? Turn on your lights. Let them go through the warmup cycle. Take a blank sheet of white paper. Put that paper into the beam pattern. If the paper is anything other than white, you get cited. Pretty simple. So 5000K is typically just passing the paper test, anything higher registers as blue, purple, pink and is usually enough for an officer to pull you over and cite you.
I think you're goin a little too far overboard there buddy. I really doubt anyone has been cited $40k for HIDs in non-projector housings before 
Nice thing with these cars is that the headlights are low enough to the ground that you can just about get away with the glare just reaching the top of the next persons bumper. Anything else and I would have to agree with you. Trucks, SUVs, and any bigger cars really should have HIDs in projectors. 
07-10-2008, 04:06 PM
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I think you're goin a little too far overboard there buddy. I really doubt anyone has been cited $40k for HIDs in non-projector housings before Nice thing with these cars is that the headlights are low enough to the ground that you can just about get away with the glare just reaching the top of the next persons bumper. Anything else and I would have to agree with you. Trucks, SUVs, and any bigger cars really should have HIDs in projectors.
I find that very hard to believe
07-10-2008, 04:28 PM
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I don't know where this $40 grand stuff came from, but I just talked to my wifes uncle, whom is a Lieutenant with a Police Force here, and he said that NO state would issue that kind of citation for that amount of money! People whom "Ghost Rider" it and shut their headlights off on a dark road get cited with a WAY less fine than $40K! That is IMO more dangerous to other motorist than an off beam pattern that scatters a little light!
-Justin
-Justin
07-10-2008, 04:32 PM
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Plus, I have gotten pulled over recently after doing my Conversion kit, and eventhough my beam pattern is not spot on as on True HID's in Projectors, they are pretty well noticeable and the Police Officer said Nothing about it.....this after asking what modifications I have done to my car, cause he was interested in my car!
07-10-2008, 04:46 PM
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Plus, I have gotten pulled over recently after doing my Conversion kit, and eventhough my beam pattern is not spot on as on True HID's in Projectors, they are pretty well noticeable and the Police Officer said Nothing about it.....this after asking what modifications I have done to my car, cause he was interested in my car!
I don't even know if there's such a thing as a $40k citation at all. You would think you'd be cuffed and put away in prison for that amount and I highly doubt that would happen with HIDs
Also, I would never drive anything that could possibly harm other motorists. I've driven in front of my car before to check out the glare and in these cars, there's nothing blinding about it. If properly aimed, these cars shouldn't be a big deal.
07-10-2008, 05:05 PM
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^^I've done that same thing and also had my wife test it by driving in front of me in her car, and she tells me that it looks like any other headlights, just whiter with a tinge of blue!
So unless Hibachi can back up his claim...we'll just chalk it up in the BS Category!
$40K...........I've been cited before for not having my Concealed Weapons permit on me and that was like $200!
So yeah....
So unless Hibachi can back up his claim...we'll just chalk it up in the BS Category!
$40K...........I've been cited before for not having my Concealed Weapons permit on me and that was like $200!
So yeah....
07-11-2008, 08:28 PM
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My point was that you CAN be fined up to $5000 per bulb, and per ballast. I never said the $40k fine has happened before, but I have seen expensive tickets for illegal HID's. Anything illegal an officer cites you for has a dollar value or range. Does that make sense? Again the MAX is $5000 per bulb and per ballast.
These are direct quotes from police officers:
"First of all the statement DOT APPROVED is misleading. NHTSA, an arm of the U.S. DOT, does not approve or disapprove MV equipment. It does set Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for all MV equipment. FMVSS 108 covers lights. Manufacturers SELF-CERTIFY that their product meets the standard.
Several years ago when the aftermarket tail light/lens first became popular, there were many versions and most of them did not comply with FMVSS 108 even though the packaging said legal in 50 states or DOT approved. The products also have DOT numbers imprinted on them. These letters/numbers indicate certain parts of the product are compliant such as rear lens, rear color, rear reflector, side reflector, side lens, side color etc. There were DOT numbers on many of these aftermarket lenses but usually all of the numbers were not present. This indicates that parts of the lens were not compliant. Also see http://fmvss108.tripod.com - this is a NON-government site with lots of info about lights-mostly taillights.
HID headlights - If it has a transformer (ballast) it is an HID light. A true HID light casts a white light (looks like light blue tint). There are cheap imitations which are a plain bulb with a blue coating and these cast a blue light. When I stop a car with suspect headlights I hold a piece of white paper in front of the light. If the paper turns blue, that is illegal and driver gets "Norked" (gets a ticket). See the following NHTSA Interp letter at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...21118.ztv.html - It says, "SAE J578c defines white by blue, yellow, green, red and purple boundaries within a chromaticity diagram. Thus, it is possible to design a headlamp that emits a light that approaches the blue boundary and is perceived as having a blue tint but which nevertheless remains within the boundaries that define "white"".
As far as what state you live in it does not matter. All states light laws follow FMVSS 108 for the basic MV lights.
I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT YOU ARGUE WITH ANY POLICE OFFICER WHO MAY STOP YOU FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. You could try carrying a copy of the above NHTSA interp letter with you and politely asking to officer to read the above paragraph (this could backfire). Best bet is to plead not guilty and plead your case at court."
EDIT: Links are incorrect.. here are the correct ones:
The FMVSS 108 site is http://fmvss108.tripod.com
The NHTSA interp is http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...21118.ztv.html
And more:
"I found 3 more Interps which say CONVERSION KITS are not compliant with FMVSS108.
see-
http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/Shih.3.html
http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/deetz.ztv.html
http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/kim.ztv.html
On this issue, enforcement could vary state to state depending on your state's motor vehicle statutes and motor vehicle regulations. Some states have regulations adopting FMVSS 108 into their laws by reference and if a lighting device does not meet FMVSS 108 you could be ticketed. That would be IF the officers in your area are aware of this. In CT there is no training on DMV Regulations and the Motor Vehicle statutes on equipment are treated lightly with no practical info on current equipment violation trends or inspection methods. But Joe Citizen is from CA where there is a large street racer culture. If Joe gets stopped by a CA officer who regularly deals with this clientel he or she will probably be able to determine if the lights are a conversion kit.
Where I work, it is the color of the lights that draw enforcement attention. "
Sorta related/funny.. ricer got cited for HID's:
http://www.civicforums.com/forums/68...id-ticket.html
These are direct quotes from police officers:
"First of all the statement DOT APPROVED is misleading. NHTSA, an arm of the U.S. DOT, does not approve or disapprove MV equipment. It does set Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for all MV equipment. FMVSS 108 covers lights. Manufacturers SELF-CERTIFY that their product meets the standard.
Several years ago when the aftermarket tail light/lens first became popular, there were many versions and most of them did not comply with FMVSS 108 even though the packaging said legal in 50 states or DOT approved. The products also have DOT numbers imprinted on them. These letters/numbers indicate certain parts of the product are compliant such as rear lens, rear color, rear reflector, side reflector, side lens, side color etc. There were DOT numbers on many of these aftermarket lenses but usually all of the numbers were not present. This indicates that parts of the lens were not compliant. Also see http://fmvss108.tripod.com - this is a NON-government site with lots of info about lights-mostly taillights.
HID headlights - If it has a transformer (ballast) it is an HID light. A true HID light casts a white light (looks like light blue tint). There are cheap imitations which are a plain bulb with a blue coating and these cast a blue light. When I stop a car with suspect headlights I hold a piece of white paper in front of the light. If the paper turns blue, that is illegal and driver gets "Norked" (gets a ticket). See the following NHTSA Interp letter at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...21118.ztv.html - It says, "SAE J578c defines white by blue, yellow, green, red and purple boundaries within a chromaticity diagram. Thus, it is possible to design a headlamp that emits a light that approaches the blue boundary and is perceived as having a blue tint but which nevertheless remains within the boundaries that define "white"".
As far as what state you live in it does not matter. All states light laws follow FMVSS 108 for the basic MV lights.
I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT YOU ARGUE WITH ANY POLICE OFFICER WHO MAY STOP YOU FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. You could try carrying a copy of the above NHTSA interp letter with you and politely asking to officer to read the above paragraph (this could backfire). Best bet is to plead not guilty and plead your case at court."
EDIT: Links are incorrect.. here are the correct ones:
The FMVSS 108 site is http://fmvss108.tripod.com
The NHTSA interp is http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...21118.ztv.html
And more:
"I found 3 more Interps which say CONVERSION KITS are not compliant with FMVSS108.
see-
http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/Shih.3.html
http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/deetz.ztv.html
http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/kim.ztv.html
On this issue, enforcement could vary state to state depending on your state's motor vehicle statutes and motor vehicle regulations. Some states have regulations adopting FMVSS 108 into their laws by reference and if a lighting device does not meet FMVSS 108 you could be ticketed. That would be IF the officers in your area are aware of this. In CT there is no training on DMV Regulations and the Motor Vehicle statutes on equipment are treated lightly with no practical info on current equipment violation trends or inspection methods. But Joe Citizen is from CA where there is a large street racer culture. If Joe gets stopped by a CA officer who regularly deals with this clientel he or she will probably be able to determine if the lights are a conversion kit.
Where I work, it is the color of the lights that draw enforcement attention. "
Sorta related/funny.. ricer got cited for HID's:
http://www.civicforums.com/forums/68...id-ticket.html
07-11-2008, 11:50 PM
#31
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I see what you are saying, however, there are alot of rules and regulations that are on the books that don't get enforced. Just like how "Window Tint" is said and stated to be illegal in all areas of the United States....but now, it is a state by state basis.
Like you said above about the "Conversion Kits": "On this issue, enforcement could vary state to state depending on your state's motor vehicle statutes and motor vehicle regulations."
HID's may be illegal on the books....even federally, but here in my state of Colorado, that rule doesn't always get enforced....if at all! That comes from a 25+ Year Police Officer and ex-State Patrol.
Again, I'm not arguing your point Hibachi, I'm just stating that even though it is on the books as being Federally Illegal...doesn't necessarily mean that it is going to be enforced..all of the time...in every square inch of the United States.
Good research by the way! See........you do learn something new each day!!
Like you said above about the "Conversion Kits": "On this issue, enforcement could vary state to state depending on your state's motor vehicle statutes and motor vehicle regulations."
HID's may be illegal on the books....even federally, but here in my state of Colorado, that rule doesn't always get enforced....if at all! That comes from a 25+ Year Police Officer and ex-State Patrol.
Again, I'm not arguing your point Hibachi, I'm just stating that even though it is on the books as being Federally Illegal...doesn't necessarily mean that it is going to be enforced..all of the time...in every square inch of the United States.
Good research by the way! See........you do learn something new each day!!
07-12-2008, 12:09 AM
#32
I'm sorry, but haven't you guys noticed this has gone on way too far? Half the laws aren't even enforced anyway. If everything was done by the books, this wouldn't have happened:
Got pulled over in a IROC for speeding.. cop checked out the car, said its a nice car, he used to have one, then said have a nice day, no ticket or anything, and drove away.
Cops around here have nothing better to do, and it seems its getting like this in alot of places.
But if my lights are somewhat blue, and fail the "paper test," but still is not blinding anyone or hurting anything, I think it's a load of BS on a bored cop's behalf, who is just trying as hard as he can to reach his quota.
I'm not saying all cops suck, because they don't. There are some that do their job, and worry about the important things, and some that do nothing but pull people over for useless ****. Is there really a point in pulling someone over for having clear turn signals, for example? You can still CLEARLY see that its flashing. Just some of those stupid laws..
My $.02
Got pulled over in a IROC for speeding.. cop checked out the car, said its a nice car, he used to have one, then said have a nice day, no ticket or anything, and drove away.
Cops around here have nothing better to do, and it seems its getting like this in alot of places.
But if my lights are somewhat blue, and fail the "paper test," but still is not blinding anyone or hurting anything, I think it's a load of BS on a bored cop's behalf, who is just trying as hard as he can to reach his quota.
I'm not saying all cops suck, because they don't. There are some that do their job, and worry about the important things, and some that do nothing but pull people over for useless ****. Is there really a point in pulling someone over for having clear turn signals, for example? You can still CLEARLY see that its flashing. Just some of those stupid laws..
My $.02
