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Old 10-08-2010 | 08:49 PM
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Default HID's

I just installed em look great. Few pics. First one is lows and highs together.
Attached Thumbnails HID's-instinct-camera-1-006.jpg   HID's-instinct-camera-1-007.jpg   HID's-instinct-camera-1-008.jpg   HID's-instinct-camera-1-009.jpg   HID's-instinct-camera-1-010.jpg  

Old 10-08-2010 | 09:53 PM
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Nice! I still have yet to grab pics of mine, I love emm! The downside is that these bulbs aren't meant to go in these housings, so the light dispersal bothers me, it doesn't flow like the halogens.
Old 10-09-2010 | 12:00 AM
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HIDs in halogen reflectors are bad. Very bad. Illegal to boot.
Old 10-09-2010 | 01:34 AM
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Thank you JWMayes.
I do plan on getting some projectors. I just do not like the halos.
GXP25 There is no law regulating the use of HID's.
Old 10-09-2010 | 03:27 AM
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Originally Posted by CalamitySS
Thank you JWMayes.
I do plan on getting some projectors. I just do not like the halos.
GXP25 There is no law regulating the use of HID's.
Lol wut?

Read up and stop blinding people!

http://store.candlepower.com/trabhidki.html
Old 10-09-2010 | 04:06 AM
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Originally Posted by GXP25
Lol wut?

Read up and stop blinding people!

http://store.candlepower.com/trabhidki.html
You mentioned illegal. For your information I happen to pass state inspection at the dealer with my HID's, no one has flashed me with them on, and I have driven by police officers and have not been pulled over.
Old 10-09-2010 | 07:58 AM
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This has been beat to death.

Calamity, I am glad you are happy with your purchase. I love mine.
Old 10-09-2010 | 09:14 AM
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Nice! What is your color?
Old 10-09-2010 | 01:33 PM
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Originally Posted by CalamitySS
You mentioned illegal. For your information I happen to pass state inspection at the dealer with my HID's, no one has flashed me with them on, and I have driven by police officers and have not been pulled over.
Hold on. Just because something is not enforced or because the enforcers are ignorant to said law does not mean it is not illegal. Do not make that mistake!

Owning a motor vehicle and possessing a driver's license are privileges. Said privileges have rules that must be abided by. The same notion holds true for front license plates and window tinting, where applicable. A plea of ignorance is insufficient.

It is your duty as a citizen to know your rights as well as the law.

Illegal: http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/Shih.3.html

Illegal: http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/deetz.ztv.html

Oh yeah, illegal: http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/kim.ztv.html

Illegality aside (yes, many people use straight pipes and faux cats), they are also highly dangerous to oncoming traffic:

Another disturbing trend in this look-a-like phenomenon is the substitution of OEM filament headlamp bulbs with aftermarket HID conversion bulbs. The desire is to achieve the look and achieve the more robust performance of HIDs. While not designed to be interchangeable, some aftermarket companies are substantially altering the HID bulb bases or providing adapters so that the HID bulbs can be inserted in headlamps designed for filament bulbs. The consequence of making these substitutions is to adversely affect safety. Filament headlamps are optically designed for the volume of light and filament placement and other critical dimensions and performance that OEM filament bulbs have. The HID conversions result in two to three times the volume of light and potentially imprecise arc placement. Such conversions often result in beam patterns that behave nothing like the original filament beam pattern, cannot be reliably aimed, and have many times the permitted glare intensity. In informal conversations with persons who have tested such conversions, the light intensity on one at a point aimed toward oncoming drivers was 22 times the allowable intensity limit. Another lamp was more than 7 times too intense. With poor HID bulb and arc placement, the glare intensity could be significantly worse. Thus, the use of these conversions could be yet another source of the glare problems about which many drivers have complained.
Source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/glare.html

Glare:



Clean cutoff (no glare):



Bottom line, if you're going to use HIDs, go all the way with a projector retrofit. You will not be disappointed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvOXMfLKmWw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Cp4...eature=related

And go for a drive as well!

http://www.streetfire.net/video/driv...ght_726338.htm

Edumacate yoself.
Old 10-09-2010 | 05:49 PM
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man, this thread went in the wrong direction!

* the retrofitsource pic is an extreme case of poor housing design. Not all cars are like that, and ours are pretty good at cutting down glare. Most newer cars can get by with an HID kit. If aimed a little lower, the glare will be cut down dramatically. Of course nothing beats an HID retrofit, and I have done numerous projector retrofits, and made good money doing it. In the end, some people just don't have the time or money to do it the "correct" way.



How many of us have added mufflers to stock piping? The correct way is a full exhaust from headers all the way back, or at minimal a catback. (just an example)

don't get too wound up guys
Old 10-09-2010 | 05:56 PM
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+1... I just want to know what is your bulb color..
Old 10-10-2010 | 02:13 PM
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Originally Posted by mike690003
* the retrofitsource pic is an extreme case of poor housing design. Not all cars are like that, and ours are pretty good at cutting down glare. Most newer cars can get by with an HID kit. If aimed a little lower, the glare will be cut down dramatically.
You can't change the laws of physics. No matter how new a halogen housing is, it is still designed to "spread" the light in an unfocused manner.

This is fine for halogen bulbs as they do not output as many lumens as HIDs. In fact, it's around three (3) times less.

But the fact of the matter is that these extra lumens will blind people if not properly aimed in a HID projector. Aiming the HID bulbs lower in a halogen housing actually reduces your visibility. Note that I used the word visibility and not light output. Light output obviously remains the same.

Lowering the light to the point of loosing visibility seems kind of pointless when it comes to visibility. From there it just seems one's looking for the "bling" aspect of HIDs versus the actual benefits of an HID + Projector headlight/retrofit.

In the end, some people just don't have the time or money to do it the "correct" way.
Agreed. Then at the same time, said people cannot complain about visibility and the potential tickets involved.

How many of us have added mufflers to stock piping? The correct way is a full exhaust from headers all the way back, or at minimal a catback. (just an example)
Yes, but the end result isn't directly affecting other drivers on the road nor is there a law against it.

At any rate, I think all of this needs to be known as more and more people are moving toward HID plug and play kits.

Regardless if there was a law or not, they're just very dangerous for the recipient of the beam.

It really sucks that I cannot rear-flash the Honda kid with his HID kit behind me. The auto dimming mirror (not even stock in the GXP - retrofitted myself) can only do so much and we don't have side auto dimming mirrors.
Old 10-10-2010 | 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by 1BAD06MCSS
+1... I just want to know what is your bulb color..
HID colors are a joke. The higher the color (Kelvins), the less light output.

People purchase the colors because they're looking for the color flicker. Notice the range of color at the top of the cutoff in the second picture. That's what you will slightly see on the road from an oncoming car with factory HIDs and assume it's a color other than white. By the way, those bulbs are 4300K.

Check out the second video I posted for the color flicker effect.
Old 10-10-2010 | 03:25 PM
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Yes you have an answer for everything. Among talking to everyone that drives in my area you have had time to tell me that the three law enforcement agencies in my area are ignorant and do not enforce the law. Your links are to letters. Like I said I PASS STATE INSPECTION with my HIDs. Obviously you have nothing better to do with your time and than argue with someone. It is really simple you don't like it or agree, stay away and find another post to read.
texasGXP08 Thanks
Old 10-10-2010 | 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by CalamitySS
Yes you have an answer for everything. Among talking to everyone that drives in my area you have had time to tell me that the three law enforcement agencies in my area are ignorant and do not enforce the law. Your links are to letters. Like I said I PASS STATE INSPECTION with my HIDs. Obviously you have nothing better to do with your time and than argue with someone. It is really simple you don't like it or agree, stay away and find another post to read.
texasGXP08 Thanks
The law is the law. It's black on white. I don't care if your entire state doesn't know anything about it. It's a federal law.

Yes, the links are letters. But the links are from a government domain (.gov) with references to specific statutes found in FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard) 108. So you can turn the blind eye all you want. But when you get pulled over, and you will [eventually], don't say you didn't know.

Like I mentioned before, [il]legality aside, they're dangerous and extremely hazardous to others. But as long as it doesn't affect you it's fine right?
Old 10-10-2010 | 05:01 PM
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Pfft, the law here is to have a front plate, but I took mine off.

The law here sets speed limits to a max of 65, sometimes I do twice that.

The law here says no underglows, there are plenty of cars that have them.

The chances of someone getting in a wreck because of my lights, are the same chances that they will not wake up in the morning.

If rules weren't made to be broken, this world would be dull and plain. Have some fun!
Old 10-10-2010 | 05:34 PM
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Originally Posted by JWMayes
Pfft, the law here is to have a front plate, but I took mine off.

The law here sets speed limits to a max of 65, sometimes I do twice that.

The law here says no underglows, there are plenty of cars that have them.

The chances of someone getting in a wreck because of my lights, are the same chances that they will not wake up in the morning.

If rules weren't made to be broken, this world would be dull and plain. Have some fun!
And that's fine. I'm no enforcer. I'm just here to inform and spread light (seriously, no pun intended) onto the subject.

But when you get pulled for speeding and they hit you with a no front plate and illegal lighting, don't complain and get mad.
Old 10-10-2010 | 07:55 PM
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Oh I wont, lol. I know what Im doing wrong, and I am aware of the laws. But hey, you only live once!

P.S. They would also get me for illegal tint, and exhaust too, since I have my cutout. Hehehehe.
Old 10-11-2010 | 05:53 AM
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i have to agree in one aspect and it was something i noticed the first time i lit my new HID kit up, the throw ... the reflected light other then the direct beam that gets focused down the road, is nearly twice as bright, i could imagine at the proper angles, this being fairly annoying to someone coming in an opposite direction ... im considering adding a slight layer of night shades all over my headlights and aiming them a bit bitter, but only because the light is bright enough to warrant it

... but as far as the illegality of it ... the truth has been spoken on that too, i have had mine for nearly a month now and been behind, next to, opposing even overtaking cops at night and never was that a determining factor to pull me over ... if anything i imagine my taillights will cause more of a problem for safety and legality ... and give the roller pigs a reason to pull me over ...


a side question - does someone make a headlight housing for the monte/impala that will take the HID and distribute its light properly down the road without excessive reflection and throw ? or are they all retrofitted with cannibalised parts from other cars ?
Old 10-11-2010 | 05:25 PM
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they can be retrofitted with OEM HID projectors or aftermarket HID projectors. I have done them both ways. OEM takes more time, because you have to create a way for the projectors to be aimed if needed.



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