IHADAV8.com - Turbo Buick Tech, and Nonsense
Tech Area => General Buick Tech => Topic started by: Scoobum on October 15 2011, 09:38:05 PM
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Anyone tried this setup? I already installed Sylvania Silverstars a couple years back with good results. Will the headlight brightener from Caspers make a further improvement?
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yeah, it should...get full voltage to them and that can make a good difference
It's just a hot wire kit.
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I'll give it a whirl. I took pics with the stock headlights on the left...and the Silverstars on the right...and posted 'em when I did the flip. The stockers were literally yellow compared to the Silverstars.
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yeah, I have Silverstars in mine...I am going to Hellas in the Challenger. I picked up some late model relay centers..may use one to hot wire the lights, fuel pump, and ignition
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I've had the Capers headlight Hotwire sitting here for 2 years. Maybe it's time to either install it & start driving at night or sell it & keep driving in daylight hours like I generally do. :icon_eyes:
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Night driving has indeed become less fun. One of the things I notice most.
I like Wendy's use of OEM parts to build a system, just needs to be a little less obvious.
One can have confidence that some engineering actually went into the OEM design.
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I have the kit installed in my car...I didn't notice a difference, but other people with TRs did. Same thing for those power window motors and wiring harness upgrade I've got, I didn't notice a difference with those either but other people were amazed at how "fast" they are now.
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Look at the lumens output vs voltage on the chart under Why Install Relays
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html (http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html)
Now, we have to remember that lumens does not always appear as obvious due to the quality of reflector surrounding the bulb but there is still a significant improvement
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Look at the lumens output vs voltage on the chart under Why Install Relays
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html (http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html)
Now, we have to remember that lumens does not always appear as obvious due to the quality of reflector surrounding the bulb but there is still a significant improvement
Killer link, Steve.
I think it's just bad wiring overall for the high-drain devices..
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exactly...it's easy to make your own hot wire set up if you don't wanta go commercial. Just use the factory wire to trigger a relay that supplies power to the lights straight from the battery. Use a relay for low beams and one for high beams.
It does not help that the factory headlights suck to begin with.
I am looking at these hellas for the Challenger...I think they make rectangular ones as well for the Buicks Referred to as 165 mm rectangular
http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=739 (http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=739)
We also need to remember that voltage goes thru the ground side and that can be as large a drop source as the plus side.
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I just took my silverstars out of the GN and installed a hid kit, what a difference in light. I used the 165mm rectangular e- code housings from Autopal, I then used an H4 adapter glare shield fitted with D2s bulbs in the H4 housing. I also used a relay harness to supply full voltage to the ballasts on startup, and to take the load off of the stock wiring. I also used the D2s 6000k bulbs. Just make sure your headlights are aimed correct and you will not have glare with this setup, mine look great!
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I just took my silverstars out of the GN and installed a hid kit, what a difference in light. I used the 165mm rectangular e- code housings from Autopal, I then used an H4 adapter glare shield fitted with D2s bulbs in the H4 housing. I also used a relay harness to supply full voltage to the ballasts on startup, and to take the load off of the stock wiring. I also used the D2s 6000k bulbs. Just make sure your headlights are aimed correct and you will not have glare with this setup, mine look great!
nice! what did the HID setup cost you?
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I just took my silverstars out of the GN and installed a hid kit, what a difference in light. I used the 165mm rectangular e- code housings from Autopal, I then used an H4 adapter glare shield fitted with D2s bulbs in the H4 housing. I also used a relay harness to supply full voltage to the ballasts on startup, and to take the load off of the stock wiring. I also used the D2s 6000k bulbs. Just make sure your headlights are aimed correct and you will not have glare with this setup, mine look great!
nice! what did the HID setup cost you?
H4 -Autopal e- code housings --$42.00
H4- glare shields---------------$18.00
DDM tunings ballasts & bulbs----$50.00
Relay harness------------------$10.00
Total--------------------------$ 120.00
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Wow.. a lot less expensive than I expected
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Got a link to where you got the parts? That is a lot less than I though.
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Do I understand that this is for the hi/lo unit only and not for the single beam hi beam? No, it seems both are available...ho w about some more education on how to do it? :)
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here is the link
http://ddmtuning.com/Product-Categories/HID-Kits-Lighting/HID-Kits (http://ddmtuning.com/Product-Categories/HID-Kits-Lighting/HID-Kits)
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You got it Steve ( the link above) :D I used the DDM Raptor kit ballasts, and I ordered their D2s bulbs with their raptor kit for $50.00 plus shipping. I got the Autopal 165mm H4 housings off of ebay. I also got the H4 glare shield from ebay, and relay harness. I just did the low beams, I wanted to see how I liked the kit first, then again I hardly ever use the hi beams. The lows are a night and day difference as they are now with the hid. If you want the hi's and lows, you can order the bi-zenon kit, then you will have both.
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You need to do a do a write up on how to do it. That would save a lot of time for those of us that need a little help visualizing it.
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I am getting more and more obtuse with age, I think!
Okay, lets start with the E code conversions. Often I see two options. One of these look more like a conventional sealed beam and the other is called a crystal and looks more like a projector light and costs a bit more. For some reason, I seem to think I read somewhere that these have a worse distribution pattern than the first. Do you have an opinion on this? I will let Google be my friend as well.
Pretty sure that I have read that the Autopal housings are pretty good compared to most of the junk out there and looks pretty close to the Hella that I have been considering.
Another question...I don't see the bi-xenon on the DMM site....did you go with the 35w or the 55 w bulbs-if there is such an option with these bulbs.
I hate driving at night...being old does nothing for the eyes and the road sides are covered with deer. I notice some lights show them to me a lot better than what I have on my truck or cars.
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Steve, I went with the conventional sealed beam look, they have a nice beam pattern.
I ordered their 35 watt kit, not to sure about their bi-zenon kits, as I just did my low beams.
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Okay, I almost got it! :D
First, you need a pair of H4 housings. From my past experience, and my reading, a quality E code housing provides a lot better light cut off than do the DOT housings. They are not legal by DOT standards, but, there should be no problem in using them. I had Cibies a few years ago and they were very flat across the top but angled up to the right which made street signs show up at long distance. It is important to be sure the housings are made for cars driven on the right hand side of the road or the light will be thrown up to the left which ain't good.
There are a lot of housings on the market...some are plastic, cheap, and don't have nearly as good beam patterns as the better ones. The Autopal have a very good reputation for a lower price. They appear to be copies of the Hella housings and may even be made in a Hella plant. They have metal backs and glass fronts so they should have greater life and more strength than the really cheap ones.
Hella housings are also available at much better prices than they were a few years ago. I gave one link earlier that doesn't seem too bad and they should be a little better than the AutoPals, but, if the price is not pretty close, it might be a better deal to go Autopal.
There seems to be at least two lenses available. One looks more like our lights, and the other is more clear and is referred to as diamond crystal cut. Most things I google says they don't look right on older cars and probably don't work quite as well as the conventional look.
Then there comes bulbs. Bulbs come in a bunch of color temps. If you are trying for the best vision, then a color temp between 4300 and 5000 probably gives the most usable light. As the color temp goes higher, the light becomes bluer. Up to 6000 is probably fine and does not give that ricer blue look to oncoming traffic. 5000-6000 probably makes the white lines on the road pop out a bit better. 4300 to 5000 more closely resemble sunlight with regard to color accuracy.
Then we have 35 and 55 watt power bulbs. Most seem to think that the 35w bulb is plenty adequate. In theory, the 35w bulb should work with factory wiring. BUT if the wiring is low and has some voltage drop, then the ballasts will initiall pull power at start up and it will shorten the life of the ballast. So, a relay to trigger the ballasts is a good idea.
Next, we have single beam and dual beam lights. I see many are like JD and just use a single beam in the high/low because the light is so good. It may be that given the H4 reflector design that this is the best way to fly, but, I am not conclusive on that point.
Then to cut off the light, we need the anti glare shields made to work with the H4 housing and the H4 hid bulbs. Otherwise we will be soon on the side of the road discussing the issue with a Trooper.
Finally, we need the ballasts and, I think, a relay to light the bulbs up.
For the first time, I am seeing a lot of positive comments on the visibility provided by these lights without obstructing the vision of oncoming traffic and a reasonable price to match.
I hardly ever can leave high beams on for more than ten seconds without meeting a car even out here in boon docks so I need to find out more about them.
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Night driving has indeed become less fun. One of the things I notice most.
I like Wendy's use of OEM parts to build a system, just needs to be a little less obvious.
One can have confidence that some engineering actually went into the OEM design.
Having now seen Wendy's set up: it is a lot of cutting and fitting,
the Lexus parts extend back to the rad support. Kudos to him for getting it worked out.
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Here is a pretty interesting thread with some pics of the lights
http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f62/want-to-get-a-projector-like-cutoff-and-beam-pattern-out-of-your-hid-equipped-94-97-a-424965/ (http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f62/want-to-get-a-projector-like-cutoff-and-beam-pattern-out-of-your-hid-equipped-94-97-a-424965/)
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Nice write up Steve! Except you must use D2s bulbs in the H4 housing with the glare shields. And even after you get the new housings (Autopal) and decide not to go with the HID lights, you can always just pop some Halogen H4 bulbs into the H4 housing if you wanted to. Whe you order the Autopal housings they also give you a pair of 55/60 watt halogen bulbs. If you went this route,(H4) halogen you would need a H4 wire adapter to plug into the H4 bulbs, or move the pins in the stock wire harness as the pinout is different then the stock halogen bulb. Even with the Hid relay harness I received, I had to move the prongs around to match the stock wiring harness. ( tanwire lowbeam) and then ground pinout on the plug is what you need if your ONLY doing lowbeam setup.
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Thanks! I was going to say something about the H4 housings only taking the bulbs made to fit them...forgot about the D2s part. And, that is a good point about getting a good upgrade with the housings and the Halogen bulbs to begin with even before doing the hid part.
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Is D2S a dual or low beam only?
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D2s is a low beam only, unless you get the bi-zenon bulb.
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Do they make a dual beam that could be used in both instead of a single? That would make a really good upgrade for the high beams. My 89 olds has the high and low beams come on together on high beam, which is really nice at night.
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I see nothing about the glare shields on the DDM site. Did you buy them elsewhere? Also, if I understand correctly, the bi-xenon high low bulbs move in and out for high and low...wonder if these work with the glare shields....
so many questions!
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Steve, I bought my glare shields on ebay for like $18.00, I only converted my low beams to hid. I'm pretty sure if you get a bi-zenon bulb they have a built in glare shield around the bulb already. You might want to look into that a little more tho.
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okay, I will do some searching/asking
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Ok, after a bit more reading and some contradictory impressions/statements, I think I believe this at the moment... :D \
Over the past few years, I have seen a lot of screaming about how bad it is to try to use HID lights in reflectors that were not specifically designed for them, but there are plenty of people showing results that say it can safely done without endangering oncoming traffic while greatly improving the original lights. There are some things that need to be done to get it as optimum as possible to achieve this, however.
Converting to HID using H4 housings is not as good as a well designed HID light/housing but it is probably a helluva lot better than what we have. The beam spread will not be as wide nor quite as well controlled as good HID units.
The Hella and Cibie H4 housings in the E-Code (ECE) design are probably the best bet for ultimate performance. The Cibie seems to be considered the best particularly with regard to distributing light to the sides. It costs about twice the Hella, and the Hella is much more expensive than the Autopal housings, however. It is important to use the E-Code, or E-Code style, of housing in order to get the best light cut off vertically. The US DOT housings are designed to throw some light up to illuminate signs above the road and this is a bad thing when used with HID lights that are about three times more powerful than our conventional lights. Use the glare shield mentioned below to minimize any upward light.
The Autopal housings are referred to as Euro style but are not truly certified as E-Code. The statement that they are E marked is not the same as E-Code or ECE, but, the pictures of them projecting a beam is very close to the pattern projected by the E-Code units and they are about 1/3 the price. Most people are happy with them and they are not cheap plastic pieces of junk. I ordered a set for $43 including shipping off Ebay. Be sure they are for left hand drive cars driven on the right hand side of the road!
There are 35w and 55w HID versions offered. The DDM bulbs are rated to 60 watts and the difference is provided by the ballast.
The 55 w versions probably don't work as well when it comes to light control when used in an H4 housing and may cause glare problems and/or a lack of focused light. It might be interesting to try them as high beams.
The Hi/Lo bi-xenon bulbs are magnetically shifted to provide low beam and High beam. When they go to High, there may not be as much light on the road in front of the car. They, may not work well in H4 housings because of this. The 35w single xenon bulb is probably the better way to go if you want to see the sides of the road and immediately in front of the car at all times. That is opinion, not necessarily fact, developed after reading and looking at pictures.
The D2S bulb is what is used for the H4 housing with the below glare shield.
The glare shield is required with the D2S HID bulb in an H4 housing to prevent light bouncing from the bottom of the reflector upward into oncoming traffic's eyes. I see it referred to as the Casper shield in many places. http://www.casperselectronics.com/store2/product_info.php?products_id=693 (http://www.casperselectronics.com/store2/product_info.php?products_id=693) This uses the standard bulb (D2S) and not those sold as H4 replacements. There may be others sold as the same thing but I have not seen them in searches. Some of the bulbs being sold have a shield, but, I am not sure they work as well as these from what I read/see.
With regard to color temperature, the higher one goes past 5000 K, the bluer the lights become and the less visible to human eye illumination is provided. With age, the color temperature rises and the bluer the light becomes. For that reason, those that do a lot of night time driving may be better off sticking to the 4500-5000 range. 6000 is pretty good, but, when it shifts darker, you may not see as much. Darker the blue, the less you see, but, you increase the likelyhood of being ticketed by the cops for using an illegal light when they need to write tickets.
Regular ballasts sometimes are known for radio interference. The digital ballasts-not so much.
A weak voltage source and/or a bad ground can cause flickering as well as excessive heat and shorter component life. HID lights require more amperage as they warm up, but, pull very little current after they have done so. I strongly suggest using a relay to drive a pair of lights in order to avoid possible problems. A benefit is that the factory light switch will not see the load it used to and should last longer.
Bulb life should be quite long as there is no filament to burn out. After a considerable period, the usable light may diminish as the color shifts darker.
Looks like Turbojd is costing me some money, but, not as much as going to Hellas and good halogen bulbs. :D
I am ordering this HID kit from DMM http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/Apexcone-Raptor-HID-Kit (http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/Apexcone-Raptor-HID-Kit) I'm going with the 4500K D2S bulbs
along with the relay harness http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDE-Relay-Harness (http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDE-Relay-Harness)
I ordered a pair of these housings http://www.ebay.com/itm/165mm-H4656-H4-EURO-CONVERSION-HEADLIGHTS-/330549982609?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4cf6507591#ht_1796wt_1398 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/165mm-H4656-H4-EURO-CONVERSION-HEADLIGHTS-/330549982609?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4cf6507591#ht_1796wt_1398)
And will order the glare shield I linked above from John.
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I am still confused on the bulbs. The Caspers site says the glare shield is for stock D2S or D2R bulbs and will not fit others.
The DMM site sells kits but does not mention shields or if the bulbs are "stock" or what they fit other than they are for H4 housing. I sent them a note and asked...Their bulbs are a heckuva lot cheaper than stock listings I find. It is all JD's fault for telling us how easy it is! lol
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I am still confused on the bulbs. The Caspers site says the glare shield is for stock D2S or D2R bulbs and will not fit others.
The DMM site sells kits but does not mention shields or if the bulbs are "stock" or what they fit other than they are for H4 housing. I sent them a note and asked...Their bulbs are a heckuva lot cheaper than stock listings I find. It is all JD's fault for telling us how easy it is! lol
Most H4 bulbs have a shield on the bottom of the bulb. I followed John at Caspers advice on one of his write ups to use the D2s bulb with the glare shield, rather then a H4 bulb, the H4 bulb would fit right into the housing and snap shut. If you use the D2s bulb like I did you will need the aluminum glare shield. The D2s bulbs are true HID bulbs used in Audi's, Bmw, Mercedes etc. They are not some rebased bulb with a glare shield around it. They are relatively cheap to replace also, and plentiful available. If you order the D2s bulb kit it is $15.00 dollars more than the H4, this is because they give you the Amp to D2s connector adapters needed to connect to the back of the D2s bulb. It's all my fault, see what I started!!!
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Does not help that I have this pressing need to always know "why"
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ah, I just did not go far enuf down the list to see the D2S option....in the DMM kit listings...gra dually, things are coming into focus
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OK, JD, got another question... Will the relay harness they sell support two lights?
it appears to me that the DMM ballasts only pull a max of six amps as opposed to the 50--100 amp claims I have seen when the lights are being fired up.
Did not see a bi xenon lamp in the D2S section. I have seen a few pics where the ground was not lit up up when switched to Highs, but, I have also seen some where it did appear light was still on the ground while on Highs.
I would guess that if you installed D2S bulbs in the highbeam housing and aimed them higher and wired so that two low beam lights and two high beams came on when kicking up to High beams, that would solve all problems. As I said earlier, I hardly ever get to use Highs for any prolonged period, any way
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OK, JD, got another question... Will the relay harness they sell support two lights?
it appears to me that the DMM ballasts only pull a max of six amps as opposed to the 50--100 amp claims I have seen when the lights are being fired up.
Did not see a bi xenon lamp in the D2S section. I have seen a few pics where the ground was not lit up up when switched to Highs, but, I have also seen some where it did appear light was still on the ground while on Highs.
I would guess that if you installed D2S bulbs in the highbeam housing and aimed them higher and wired so that two low beam lights and two high beams came on when kicking up to High beams, that would solve all problems. As I said earlier, I hardly ever get to use Highs for any prolonged period, any way
I didn't buy the relay harness from them, I purchased one from ebay, but it looks like that harness will support the low beams, If you go with a bt-zenon kit or 4 D2s bulbs, I believe you will need a bi-zenon wiring harness for that. For my hid conversion (low beam only) I only needed a regular harness. From what I can see, if you use the D2s bulbs, and want High beams also (bi- zenon) you will need 4 bulbs (D2s) and wire it up that way with the harness as you said.
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The trip down to BG was all in the rain and the stock headlights were brutally dim.
I've been looking at/for solutions for a while and appreciate Steve sorting thru the BS.
Too bad the real Philips ballasts are so pricey, that would be my first choice.
I did see some comment about the Autopals not sealing well but they were the round ones.
I have the kit installed in my car...I didn't notice a difference, but other people with TRs did. Same thing for those power window motors and wiring harness upgrade I've got, I didn't notice a difference with those either but other people were amazed at how "fast" they are now.
Your car has been babied all it's life unlike many.
With the second car I'm realizing cosmetically perfect does not necessarily mean internals are less worn out, or maintained/reassembled correctly. Anti-rattle bits etc. My driver's doors were fast and tight- except for the rusty bottom 2 inches. eek
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Dave, I think JD is the one that is sorting thru all the mess for us :) What you see from me is my typical thought process as I continue in my old age to want to know as much as possible and understand everything before I do anything. Google has made it worse because it gives so many answers that often conflict. I have friends that cannot understand how I can go into a store and buy something without looking at all the options. They don't understand that I have already sorted thru the options before I got there.
On the bi-xenons, I would like to try and see for myself before committing. I think I will put a set of the regular D2S bulbs in the low beams for starters. Then someday, I might try the bi-xenons in the normal high beams only-only draw back that I see there is that some may start flashing me (with headlights) because they think I am on bright with four headlights showing.-in reality, I will probably never get past the low beam D2S's :)
Dave, I think we must be reading the same sites as I saw something about the round AutoPals leaking as well. Not sure the beam pattern is as good either as the 165mm rectangulars.
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Thats exactly what I wanted to do first Steve, start out with the (low) beam hid and see if I liked it first. Get the relay harness for the hid set up, some will say that you don't need it, but I don't want to take any chances putting all that draw at startup on the stock wiring and headlight switch. Plus by using the harness and going to the battery, your ballasts are going to receive full power instantly. This will eliminate the possible flickering associated by some who do not use the harness and go direct from the battery. I am totally satisfied with my hid's, beam pattern is nice, so is the cutoff point. The 6000k bulbs have a hint of blue to them, but for me they're perfect!
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Well, I got all caught up in talking about the hid kit and looks itself, I ran across a few minor modifications that had to made along the way when I went to install them on the car. My D2s shields that I bought, (don't know if this is all of them) I had to use a dremel with a carbide round bit I had in there, and just go round the inside of the hole and open it up some, reason being is because the D2s bulbs didn't seat in there perfect, after a quick hit with the dremel they were perfect. Like I said, I'm not sure if this is all of the shields. It's no big deal tho. Next, being that these are H4 housings, they will give you the rubber boot that goes on the back of the housing to cover the bulb backing, it was made for an H4 bulb. I had to take a razor blade and just put a slice in the boot to make it fit the D2s connector nice and tight. This is so no moisture can get in there. Finally, you will have to take a pair of pliers and bend the tabs of the headlight bucket out a little to allow for the new headlight and D2s connector to clear. That was it for the mods, Quite easy mods.
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Yep, these cars are too old to rely on the factory wiring.
My gut feeling is that the regular D2S bulb in the High beams aimed up to be right on top of the low beam pattern would be the way to go...that way the road would be flooded with light from the front of the car onward. Seems it would be the best way to use conventional h4 housings.
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The mods above are quite easy! Yeah, like you said try the lows and see how you like them, you can always go bi-zenon later!
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Okay, I went back to post 32 above and added some corrections/modifcations/and links
Thanks to turbojd for having the patience to help me figure it out!
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Curious, this Bi-Xenon:
(http://www.volksforum.com/albums/files/4/1/H4bi-xenon.bmp)
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lotsa wiring info:
http://faqlight.shopower.com/headlamp-harness.html (http://faqlight.shopower.com/headlamp-harness.html)
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Great! If you have anymore questions, just let them fly Steve!
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Wiring for a single beam D2S should be simple...will have to see what I get and what cutting and soldering I have to do, I guess.
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I didn't have to solder anything, the relay harness connectors are all "plug in" as well as the ballasts. One connector from the relay harness snaps into the ballast + and -. The other ballast wires then snap into the hid bulb connectors. Run the (red) wire from the relay to battery positive, then run the 2 black wires to ground.
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will have to have a look at what is in the box, but, I figured there would have to be some cutting required to trigger the relay from the original wiring
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Can one of you add some pics please?
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You should be able to pop a spade terminal into the correct old headlight connector position for the relay?
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Rather do it a bit better than that....:)
Charlie, once all the stuff arrives, I can put some pics together
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You should be able to pop a spade terminal into the correct old headlight connector position for the relay?
You could do it that way, but since I used a hid relay harness, the harness has a 2 prong male connector that you just plug into your stock harness. All I had to do was move one of the prongs on the harness to match the stock headlight harness pinout.( The tan wire on the headlight wire is lowbeam) this is what you will need to plug into, and of course a (ground)
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Yep, I figured something would have to be moved but that part is relatively easy. I will rig for a test and if I like the pattern and the light then I will do it right.
It is strange to me that no where have I found a simple how to do it posted as you have laid it out here. I guess it is so simple that no one thinks there are dummies out there like me that need the abc approach :D
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Steve, if you order from DDM tuning like I did, don't be alarmed on the shipping time it takes to receive them. When I ordered mine about a month ago it took about 10 days for me to receive the hid kit. From my understanding they have a warehouse in California, and one in China. Mine was shipped out of China, then it went through customs in New York, so it was about 10 days. Just giving you a heads up!
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I did...and I appreciate it!
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It is kinda amazing that this isn't posted some where in detail, but that's how people make money off of this stuff. Diagrams and pics are good and will help in the long run to make this work better. Thanks Steve.
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I tried to take a pic, it doesn't show to much. Don't mind the date on these pics, didn't reset camera.
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I found this write up on a H4 conversion http://www.3sgto.org/f20/autopal-e-code-h4-conversion-1st-gen-review-4267.html (http://www.3sgto.org/f20/autopal-e-code-h4-conversion-1st-gen-review-4267.html)
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I received the Autopal housings today. They seem to be made pretty well for the price.
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Steve, what bulbs did you go with? D2s or H4
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D2S....have not heard anything about them yet. Caspers has shipped the glare shields
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Good day to buy the glare shields from Caspers- %35 off
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Hey Steve,
Am looking at doing a similar conversion using D2S bulbs. What ballasts did you end up using?
Would these D2S to amp conversion harness be req'd if using a standard HID ballast?
I already have Caspers Anti Glare (D2S to H4 adapters).
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If your going to use D2s bulbs as your choice of bulb, then yes, you do need the D2s to amp wire adapter. The adapter has nothing to do with what ballast you use, it's the back of the D2s bulb that is different from the H4 bulb. I ordered my hid kit from DDM tuning. I believe Steve did also.
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below is what I ordered.....I need to quit playing Skyrim and go install the stuff LOL
Raptor HID Kit, 35W, D2S, 4500K
Wattage: 35W
Bulb Color: 4500K
Bulb Type: D2S (+$15.00)
RAP35W.D2S.450 0K $50.00
1
Pair of Mounting brackets for Raptor Ballasts
HID-Bracket-FullSized $4.00
1
DDE Relay Harness
349-LIT-1555-41525 $15.00
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The (plus $15.00) by bulb type what Steve typed above is for the D2s adapter, they add that $15.00 in their kits when you order a D2s, D2r bulb.
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Thanks for the clarification guys.
I was originally thinking of going with their slim line ballasts (due to the fact they're smaller and we all know there is not much room under our hoods for stuff). However, I see the slim line have extra stuff...ie an external igniter (probably because there's no room for it inside the smaller ballasts).
Is this correct? I don't want to order the raptor ballasts vs slim line....if the raptor ballasts also use an external igniter.....
????
dave
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Everything is internal on the ballasts, except for the two snap on connections, look at my pic above, you will see what the ballast look like.
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When you order Caspers bulb shield that price is for a pair (I hope)?
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Nope, that little billet shield price is for one...big gulp...I guess works of art cost money! He should have had that sale going when I ordered!
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After reading this https://www.ddmtuning.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=35&nav=0,2 (https://www.ddmtuning.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=35&nav=0,2)
I decided to go with the regular Raptor ballast instead of the slimline. It is really hard to fully understand/know the differences between them based on other net info. Most discussions seem to relate to fully analog vs fully digital and not the hybrid described in the link.
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Nope, that little billet shield price is for one...big gulp...I guess works of art cost money! He should have had that sale going when I ordered!
Sh*t!
I thought I was buying enough for both cars....
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Well you go the route I went and go on ebay and get a pair of "glare shields" I got mine for $18.00 for two. :D
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When I was buying, I did not find any on ebay so I bit the bullet.
Call John up and tell him you thought you were buying for two cars...maybe he will give them for that price
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JD,
I'm not finding any either. Do you remember any keywords from their listing?
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Site's hard to navigate. i think they are in the "TEST" category.
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http://www.casperselectronics.com/store2/product_info.php?products_id=693 (http://www.casperselectronics.com/store2/product_info.php?products_id=693)
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Sorry, I was referring to shields on ebay.
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Wow I see what you mean, they must have taken them off of ebay? they were all over ebay about 6 weeks ago. I found another link with adapters ( H4) http://hidexpert.com/producthtml/h4_adapters.html (http://hidexpert.com/producthtml/h4_adapters.html)
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Apparently they've changed their name:
Look pretty good:
http://www.autogoody.com/servlet/the-595/H4-to-D2S-fdsh-D2R-Adapters/Detail (http://www.autogoody.com/servlet/the-595/H4-to-D2S-fdsh-D2R-Adapters/Detail)
Santa may need to get Steve something from this page:
http://www.autogoody.com/servlet/the-TRANSFORMERS/Categories (http://www.autogoody.com/servlet/the-TRANSFORMERS/Categories)
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Damn, Damn, triple Damn!!!!!
I spent a day googling looking for those...cheapp pppppppppppppp pppppppppppppp pppppppppppppp pppppppppppppp pppppp
Hell yea, get me something from the transformer section
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autogoody, thats where I bought mine at, I just found their card. Thought that sounded familiar!
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Unlike the Caspers that I received, those have a locating pin on them-not sure how beneficial that may be
Either way, I bookmarked the site for further use
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That pin just helps to keep the bulb from spinning when putting on the D2s connector. I had to file my bulb tab a little to make it slide in between the pin.
Like you said Steve, you should be fine without it. Steve did your bulbs fit right in the shield holes with no problem?
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OH, hell, I went ahead and ordered a set from them as well..nothing like being prepared
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This JD guy is costin' me money :)
Although $18 for TWO vs $25 EA is allright!
Maybe I can rice up my car with some of that carbon fiber vinyl.....
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This JD guy is costin' me money :)
Although $18 for TWO vs $25 EA is allright!
Maybe I can rice up my car with some of that carbon fiber vinyl.....
No kidding, he got me to spend money on something I had no intention of buying!
I was thinking of using that cfv on a dash panel for the challenger.
That brings me to another question I will post in this thread since this is the only interesting thread going on-
Anyone got any experience with the gps driven speedometers-Speedhut and Autometer both offer them, I believe. Wondering what happens when you lose a good gps lock in certain terrain or in a tunnel, etc.
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But it'll be worth it when the (new) lights are in!!! :D :D
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I suppose the speedo will behave like the regular GPS does?
I hope there is a remote GPS antenna and not something burried in the dash.
Can only do one of two things - blank out or hold the last value.
Anecdotal: I have a GPS at work that is accurate with 1/2'' (inch) in ALL directions.
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:icon_redface:
I ordered a pair of these housings http://www.ebay.com/itm/165mm-H4656-H4-EURO-CONVERSION-HEADLIGHTS-/330549982609?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4cf6507591#ht_1796wt_1398 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/165mm-H4656-H4-EURO-CONVERSION-HEADLIGHTS-/330549982609?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4cf6507591#ht_1796wt_1398)
So a pair of housings is 26.95+26.95+(15.99+8 shipping)?
no need to explain why I ask ..... :icon_redface:
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:icon_redface: I ordered a pair of these housings http://www.ebay.com/itm/165mm-H4656-H4-EURO-CONVERSION-HEADLIGHTS-/330549982609?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4cf6507591#ht_1796wt_1398 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/165mm-H4656-H4-EURO-CONVERSION-HEADLIGHTS-/330549982609?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4cf6507591#ht_1796wt_1398)
So a pair of housings is 26.95+26.95+(15.99+8 shipping)?
no need to explain why I ask ..... :icon_redface:
It's $26.95 for the ( 2 ) headlight housings + $15.99 shipping = $42.94 total. They include a pair of H4 bulbs with the housings, 55/60 watt. But if you're going to use the D2s bulbs you won't need the H4 bulbs included with the housings. If you use the H4's, you won't need the adapter shields neither.
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LOL..once burned twice cautious, eh?
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I remember my uncle talking about how back in the day they would replace a head light with a spot light for mucho better illumination at night. But then it started becoming illegal.
anybody hear of that? or is he full of it?
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sounds right to me
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Harness is up $5 at DMMTuning, maybe we talked about them too much.
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lol...they musta sold a couple
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I still see the harness listed for $15.00, they did lower their raptor kits by $5.00 tho. I got my relay harness for $8.00 on ebay, same harness.
Did anybody install their hid kits yet?
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It's been a while since anyone replied or added to this post. Wondering if anybody has got thier HID's installed yet. Would like to hear more about your installation / experiences. Pictures would be great too.
Looking at doing this change over during the winter months myself.
Best Wishes of the Season to All
thx.
dave
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Waiting on parts....housi ngs not ordered ...
(then JD can can tell us he bought them elsewhere and they only cost this much... :) )
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DDM are sneaky, website lets you register with dual addresses but only ship to billing at checkout.
USPS available at least as a consolation.
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I hate that dual address crap...not allowing it, or if allowing it, being too dumb to look at anything other than the first line...and making it worse by not telling you that they only ship this way or the other so you can outguess them and use the correct address.
I guess the city numbnuts that work there don't understand that some of us have to get our mail at a post office and our shipping at home.
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I actually went out about a week ago to move the cars around and change the lights, but, the battery was down (because I keep forgetting to either go buy a new one or keep a tricklecharger on it) and I got made and went back to playing Skyrim
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Waiting on parts....housi ngs not ordered ...
(then JD can can tell us he bought them elsewhere and they only cost this much... :) )
$42.95 shipped!!
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interesting topic.. Hell I am almost understanding what I am reading :icon_super:
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Hey, Dan, it has to be pretty simple for me to get it...and it took me awhile, but, I think I got it now lol
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Not impressed with DDMTuning so far:
Missing 12volt connectors of any kind.
Didn't ship the relay harnesses I ordered.
Does ship from China BTW.
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AutoGoody vs Caspers:
Fit and finish obviously, similar thickness.
AutoGoody is significantly shorter, Caspers shield extends past the bulb end ~1/4 inch, Goody is flush.
(D2S bulb)
Caspers may seat the bulb about a 1/16 deeper in the housing/reflector
(http://www.dtekk.com/automotive/HID/casper%20vs%20autogoody.jpg)
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So which ones are you gonna use (shields).
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I need two sets, using both: so Caspers on the driver's and goody on the passenger's where the flaws will be less glaring (har har har).
Since I ordered two sets I got a few bucks knocked off the Autopals, first line item I beat JD on :) (never catch up on the others tho)
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OK. when is the actual install taking place now!! :icon_lol:
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OK. when is the actual install taking place now!! :icon_lol:
Can't wait to see some pics of your digital slim line ballasts Dave!
Do these have the igniters located in a separate enclosure outside & downstream of the ballasts?
Not sure what you meant by no 12v connectors? Did you finally get some connectors for it?
Am anxious to see some pics of the DDM Balasts + your installation.
Think you shoulda done it last week when it was +8deg C.....now we are back in the deep freeze!
Or will you wait till Spring time?
:111: Best Wishes to You and Yours for a Merry Christmas & a Happy, HEALTHY New Year! :114:
Cheers!
:atbeer:
dave
:powersix:
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the igniters are part of the ballast. The slim ballasts are digitial in and out while the regular are analog in and digital out.
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There is NO glare from the (autogoody) shields!! like you said, it is flush with the D2s bulb :D
I have had the GN out alot lately at night, and have never been flashed at once because of the hids, nice cutoff.
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(http://www.dtekk.com/automotive/HID/DDMTuning_as_received_dec23.jpg)
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Looks like your ready for install! :D
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Perhaps JD could describe exactly one would connect a system with ONLY the items show (AKA shipped) :)
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oops. sorry about that, but I looked at that pic and thats all that was included in mine. as I bought the harness else where :icon_smile:
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When you look at the kit they clearly show two pin weatherpack/metripack connectors:
(http://www.ddmtuning.com/images/fullsize/hidddm.jpg)
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Just a hid write up I thought some people would find interesing. http://www.intellexual.net/hid.html (http://www.intellexual.net/hid.html)
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so I guess we should order Phillips or Osram bulbs when the kit bulbs die
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I'm not to sure about that, those phillips and osram hid bulbs can be expensive! I can probably buy 5 or 6 sets of the cheaper ones compared to one of those. I'm sure some of these bulbs last longer then others tho. I know of people that have been using these lower priced bulbs for over 2 years now without any problems, guess I'll just have to wait and see.
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probably last me about ten years since I try not to go out after dark
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Interesting tangent:
http://www.iowa80.com/DirectionsWEB/webcart_productDisplay.php?itemid=196553&itemdesc=Peterbilt+Low+Beam+Projector+Headlight+with+LEDs (http://www.iowa80.com/DirectionsWEB/webcart_productDisplay.php?itemid=196553&itemdesc=Peterbilt+Low+Beam+Projector+Headlight+with+LEDs)
not cheaper, required mods....
better picture here?
http://www.truckchrome.com/product_detail.aspx?m=12&c=23&s=378&id=1944 (http://www.truckchrome.com/product_detail.aspx?m=12&c=23&s=378&id=1944)
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12v connector:
http://www.amazon.com/Pico-5462pt-9006-Bulb-Connector/dp/B0002JMZ3O/ (http://www.amazon.com/Pico-5462pt-9006-Bulb-Connector/dp/B0002JMZ3O/)
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PCO-5462PT/ (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PCO-5462PT/)
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These might work for a plug-n-play setup?
http://www.autogoody.com/servlet/the-597/H4-fdsh-9003-Male-Connector-Plugs/Detail (http://www.autogoody.com/servlet/the-597/H4-fdsh-9003-Male-Connector-Plugs/Detail)
(http://www.autogoody.com/media/00/a20792a12c043d4b64cd05_m.jpg)
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And this provides the missing connectors and the relay and fuse:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Xenon-HID-Conversion-Kit-Relay-Wiring-Harness-H1-H8-H9-H11-9005-9006-9140-9145-/130622065562?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item1e69ae8b9a (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Xenon-HID-Conversion-Kit-Relay-Wiring-Harness-H1-H8-H9-H11-9005-9006-9140-9145-/130622065562?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item1e69ae8b9a)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Xenon-HID-Conversion-Kit-Relay-Wiring-Harness-H1-H8-H9-H11-9005-9006-9140-9145-/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA==/$%28KGrHqV,%21jcE658WHWniBO+ZF%29VPhw%7E%7E60_12.JPG)
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Thats the harness that I used, but in the picture they're not showing a H4 connector, the picture that you posted above that one is what comes with the H4 relay harness. That looks like a 9006 connector in that pic on the harness they are showing.Make sure you order a harness for a H4 set up!!! :D
Also when I received the harness, I had to open the end of the H4 connector and swap position of two pins to match the " stock headlight connector pinouts". And yes, the "fuse" and 40 amp relay are included!
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You need the 9006 connector to power the ballast.
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More like this I suppose:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-HID-Xenon-Conversion-Harness-Fuse-Relay-Wire-Wiring-Vehicle-H4-HL-/320799650094 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-HID-Xenon-Conversion-Harness-Fuse-Relay-Wire-Wiring-Vehicle-H4-HL-/320799650094)
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Those two weatherpack 2 pin connectors above on that harness, they snap right into the ballast to power them.
Yes, the picture above is the correct H4 harness connector. Nice price to!
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Kanadians are far better off with Hong Kong sellers. His shipping is nuts, the other guy was free.
Metripack 150 series as are the so called 9005/6 connectors.
I'm beginning to suspect with a "digital" ballast stock wiring gauges maybe close to adequate.
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Heres a good write up for anyone interested in doing all four headlights in hid!! http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/how-tos/369469-wire-hid-headlights-using-all-high-beam.html (http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/how-tos/369469-wire-hid-headlights-using-all-high-beam.html)
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My next move will be 3D
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My next move will be 3D
:D
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What did you do with the rubber cup? Looks like it needs to be cut to fit the D2S bulb adapters
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What did you do with the rubber cup? Looks like it needs to be cut to fit the D2S bulb adapters
Take a utility knife and open up the rubber cup, I kept trial fitting it until it fit over the D2s adapters nice and snug. If you open up too much, don't worry, just take some RTV silicone and smear it around the rubber cup. I used some clear silicone for a nice tight fit.
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I'll have to look if I have a hole saw about the right size...
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Thanks to 1KWIKSIX we were able to compare 3'rd party, Hella and Auotpal housings.
(http://dtekk.com/automotive/HIDinstall/compare_H4_1.jpg)
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Is third party a brand?
So, tell us how the lights work against the wall? Even pattern and consistent light with no bright/dim spots?
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Pretty tough to illuminate the side of the Tim Hortons sitting in a VW at noon.
:)
We'll work on it.
Hella has an interesting centre(spelling correct) cap, chromed on the rear where the others are painted.
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3rd party H4 Housing is made by Neolite.
It's an inexpensive 4"x6" H4 Housing my son bought cheap on e-bay some years ago but never got around to installing when he owned the GN.
It's plain to see they are no where near the quality of the Hella E code H4's or the Auto Pal H4s. Biggest difference is the cut crystal and much better mirror finish on the reflectors with the Hella's & Auto Pal's being so much better looking. When comparing the Hella & AutoPal, there really didn't appear to be alot of difference between them.
Thinking of putting on some Hella H1 Housings in for the high beam too? Hmmmm....think ing of putting some 100 watt H1 bulbs in. Don't know if the buick wiring would stand up to these on + the D2S Low beams at the same time? All 4 lit up would be real "retina burners" Maybe a bit of overkill. Wondering how often I'd really use the high beams anyway?
LOL
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Interesting bit- digital vs analog:
Digital Vs Analog Xenon ballast Differences Explained (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6d06X3BCq8#)
Suspect the digital meter is too slow to show the real peak
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interesting: Autopals WITH centre shield
http://www.ebay.com/itm/165mm-H4651-H1-HIGH-BEAM-DIAMOND-EURO-HEADLIGHTS-/230256021890#ht_2896wt_1086 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/165mm-H4651-H1-HIGH-BEAM-DIAMOND-EURO-HEADLIGHTS-/230256021890#ht_2896wt_1086)
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the Buick wiring will not stand up to the load, but, it is easy to rewire them and use the stock wiring to trigger a relay
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the Buick wiring will not stand up to the load, but, it is easy to rewire them and use the stock wiring to trigger a relay
That's the plan! :D
These E code AutoPal H1's with 100 watt bulbs are great value at less than 1/2 the price of equivalent Hella's.
Will really light up the road when called for...all four on high beam : H4 housings with D2S HID's and H1 Housings with 100 watt bulbs......Kil ler!
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It will be interesting to see if they make a visible change to the HID's with regard to distance illuminated. I have been very curious about that aspect
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Wondering if 100W H1 is brighter than 55W HID....hmmmmm. ...
HID bulbs typically produce 71 lumens of light per watt compared to 18 lumens of light per watt for standard halogen bulbs.
18 71
Watts Lumens Lumens
100 1800 7100
55 990 3905
35 630 2485
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The human eye does not seem to see an increase in lumens on anything approaching a linear scale...and lumens may not reflect increased distance either as that is more a measure of focus, I think, than output. Will be interesting. Perhaps I said that wrong...given the same number of lumens, distance will be affected largely by focus?
OH, well, I always preferred playing with matches more than flashlights in my formative years
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Do we believe a sealed beam HIGH has a tighter beam than a LOW.
Or is it just a matter of alignment in the vehicle?
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sealed beam? Didn't know we were talking sealed beams...I was talking reflectors with replaceable bulbs....and some of those reflectors have varying focal patterns...whe ther it is standard to do so, or just exceptions, I don't know
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I believe going with the 100watt (incandescent style ) high beam (H1) is the only way to go.
Have been told that HID's do not like to be turned on / off quickly, basically they must stay on for at least 5 seconds or damage to the ballast will eventually occur (maybe after 50 times) then your ballast will Kack out.
If you used an HID for high beam, what happens when you go to flash quickly on hi beam....typica lly done to warn oncoming motorists of a radar trap, or some other hazzard they are approaching?
I think you see my point.....that is whay most vehicles I've seen (except the really high end ones that have a Halo ring on the high beam lamps) have HID's for low beam (cause they stay on all the time) and the H1 incandescent style bulb for high beam which can be flashed on or off rapidly with little or no consequence to the bulb.
If you want HID's for high beam.....you would need to have a halo ring on those lamps which are constantly on.....believe this would alleviate the issue , but I doubt you'll find these easily.
Besides , if you did go this route, it would definitely stand out and would not look very stock.
Please correct me if I am wrong & my line of thinking is off base.
Just my 2cents (& very limited knowledge on automotive lighting).
dave
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There are the the hi/lo hid's that pull the bulb in and out, but, my feelings are mixed after a lot of research.
Then there is the option of simply running the standard hid's in the high beam as well...couple of variations come to mind...aim them differently and/or use the 55w hid bulb. I guess one could simply aim them the same and let them be on all the time, but, sure as heck, you will get stopped for running when all four are illuminated and accused of being a menace to society. I don't recall what I read about the fully digital ballast and turn on time, tho.
I suspect you are right in that the simplest, cheapest is to just run regular bulbs and use them primarily for a flash
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I assume the h1/4 housings just copy the sealed beam reflector profile.
May have a point about the repeated starts- bears some research.
May be less of an issue on digitals. I'd assume the inductors and power semiconductors are
not selected to supply startup currents continuously- not at twelve bucks a ballast.
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There are a couple ways you could go about the high beams, I see alot of "bi zenon" kits that have hid "low beam" and a "halogen" bulb for "high beam" I think I would prefer this choice as the hid takes a few seconds to ignite to "full brightness" Good point brought up about the quick flashing of the high beams also.
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There are a couple ways you could go about the high beams, I see alot of "bi zenon" kits that have hid "low beam" and a "halogen" bulb for "high beam" I think I would prefer this choice as the hid takes a few seconds to ignite to "full brightness" Good point brought up about the quick flashing of the high beams also.
My point exactly!
So that's why I'm going with H4's with HID's for low beam...(these will br wired to stay on when I demand High beam).
Hi beam will be the outside H4's with HID's on and at the same time the inside pair of H1's with 100watt Halogen bulbs.
All 4 will illuminate when High Beam is called for.....if you need a quick flash of high beam, no problems....as the inner H1's with halogen bulbs will flash with no issues.
Sounds so simple....just have to wire a relay for the high beam so the buicks' hi beam switch doesn't take the load.
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Have you considered simply doing an H4 conversion (http://www.montecarloss.com/community/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=823998) ? Very easy, very noticeable difference. The H4 housing is glass with a much better reflector, giving a nice, sharp cutoff pattern, and the bulbs have much higher wattage.
seller rimiinc has the kit you want on ebay at a really good price. It includes new H4 and H1 bulbs (60/55W and 100W respectively). You'll also want an upgraded harness with relays in order to avoid burning the stock headlight switch. You could make your own but the at $30 it just isn't worth your time. the 2x H4s and 2xH1 on high-beam will draw more currant than the stock switch can provide. Optionally, you can order the pigtail connector to make life a bit easier on yourself, or you could swap the 2 pins on the low-beam plug on the car. Keep in mind you'll still need to do this even if you get the harness.
2x Autopal H4/H1 conversion (http://www.ebay.com/itm/330678825326?ssPageName=STRK:MEBOFFX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1427.l2649) = $60
Matrix 01-133 Harness (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GRM-01-133/) = 30
Sub-Total: $90
optional:
1x pair [ul=http://www.ebay.com/itm/270321339119?_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649&item=270321339119&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MESELX:IT&vxp=mtr]heavy duty H4 pigtail: $6
H4 bulb upgrade: 100/55W or 100/90W (pushing it...expect to get flashed on the road, though the sharp cutoff helps): $4. Mention it with your order
total: $100
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I did the conversion years ago. A friend of mine was a dealer for Hella so I had unlimited supply to tryout. Long story to short, Hella H4 was the overall best. The 100 watt and 160 watt H1 and H4 bulbs melted the leaded bulb mounts and or distorted the clip screw then lost ground. After a long run the High watt bulb bases turned black and blue. They were real blinding bright but only lasted a few months. I made my own hotwire kit to run low/high beams since they will burn out the headlight switch. Also the Hella offroad headlights had the best reflective lens.
EDIT: I did not compare to HID's at the time. They were over $500 then
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I have seen nothing that shows that H4 conversion with a conventional bulb of any wattage compares to the HID conversion when properly shielded when it comes to cut off or evenness of light distribution.
The Autopal housings are quite good for the cost. They are not certified as true European E Code lights altho they are E marked which is not the same thing from what I read. On the other hand, they do seem to be a pretty good copy and do provide a similar cut off.
The Hellas are better performing, but, probably not twice as good so the price/performance ratio is not as good.
The Cibies would appear to be the cream of the crop, but, you have to be prepared to suffer for that label as they are normally way on up the pricing scale.
Marchal used to have a very good reflector but I have not seen them in a long time.
In the end, almost anything is better than US code lighting if you make the effort to assemble a "kit" that does not blind the oncoming drivers and stay away from the blue lights.
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Someone needs to start selling these "kits" for plug and play idiots like myself.
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The Autopal H4 housings are a "good quality" H4 housing as far as cutoff and light distribution. I have yet to be flashed one time with the D2s hid conversion. I pass the "law" all the time. And if it matters, I am using the 6000K bulbs.
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I have a set of Bosch SBQ46 H4 housings and in all honesty the Autopal lights seem to be an exact replica.
Someone needs to start selling these "kits" for plug and play idiots like myself.
The std (non-HID) H4 kit is plug if you buy the Matrix upgraded wiring harness and pigtail. It will prevent the switch issue Ed referred to. The pigtail just swaps the poles on the low beam light so you're powering the correct circuit. if you don't want to "push in the pins" yourself, you can order this pigtail (http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=120), and it will truly be plug and play.
Stock sealed beam
(http://www.rallylights.com/images/4656%20Bulb_Connector_Pin_Out.jpg)
H4
(http://www.rallylights.com/images/H4%20Bulb_Connector_Pin_Out.jpg)
Pigtail
(http://www.rallylights.com/images/HL66490_lg.jpg)
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I would be inclined to get ceramic sockets if using the high wattage halogens.
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The 100 or 160 watt bulbs are designed for off road rally use. Sitting in traffic will self destruct even with ceramic sockets. I'm talking about low beams.
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Dunno about the 160 watt bulbs, never heard of them before?
However back in the late 70's / early 80's I had installed 55 / 100 watt bulbs in my 5 3/4" H4 Cibie headlights and 100 watt bulbs in my 5 3/4" H1' Cibie's....these were marked for off road use only at that time too.....I used them for years on both my Ford Capri and on my BMW 320i as well......you can only imagine what 400watts of hi beam light looks like.....frick in wild! :icon_eyes:
Never had any problems with melt downs......of course all 4 - 100watt bulbs weren't on for prolonged periods of time.....was great for the country back roads we used to race up to the cottage late Friday nights......on ly had to run relays for both the low beam and high beam to make sure the headlight / hi beam switches were safe.