Let there be light.....
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Let there be light.....
I recently posted a question regarding the replacement HID bulbs from Corvette Mods: http://www.corvettemods.com/Corvette...it_p_5530.html and received a broad range of responses from "no bueno" to "great".
Most indicated that the upgrade was minimal and the only proper way to go was a new complete projector set-up.
Against that advice I ordered the complete HID set with 55w highs, 55w lows and the HID fogs. Deliverly was very quick.
Dropped off the 'vette at the shop (I don't work on my own cars) and later that afternoon I picked it up. There were a couple of glitches in the set-up as delivered but the shop sorted them out quickly. I also added the Radio Flyer harness that keeps the lows on when the highs are on.
Difference is remarkable. I am more than satisfied.
First video is the stock OEM lights:
Second is with the 55w HID bulbs with both highs and lows on:
Note the lows are aimed what look like 20 feet in front of the car. I was warned that this set-up would be dangerous for oncoming traffic but that is simply not an issue. It looks like I can raise lights a bit to get even more light and range without flashing oncoming traffic.
In retrospect, I must add that the HID fogs add very little additional light...can't tell if they are on when the lows are on however now all the lights are the same color...
Works for me.
Most indicated that the upgrade was minimal and the only proper way to go was a new complete projector set-up.
Against that advice I ordered the complete HID set with 55w highs, 55w lows and the HID fogs. Deliverly was very quick.
Dropped off the 'vette at the shop (I don't work on my own cars) and later that afternoon I picked it up. There were a couple of glitches in the set-up as delivered but the shop sorted them out quickly. I also added the Radio Flyer harness that keeps the lows on when the highs are on.
Difference is remarkable. I am more than satisfied.
First video is the stock OEM lights:
Second is with the 55w HID bulbs with both highs and lows on:
Note the lows are aimed what look like 20 feet in front of the car. I was warned that this set-up would be dangerous for oncoming traffic but that is simply not an issue. It looks like I can raise lights a bit to get even more light and range without flashing oncoming traffic.
In retrospect, I must add that the HID fogs add very little additional light...can't tell if they are on when the lows are on however now all the lights are the same color...
Works for me.
Last edited by yrusik; Sep 19, 2013 at 12:23 PM. Reason: adding info
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,060
Likes: 291
From: Pasco WA
I've got a similar setup, minus the HID high beams, and have been happy for 7 yrs. I don't know why you need to buy the big bucks projectors, either. I get more flashes from oncoming traffic in my completely stock Titan, than the Corvette.
Race Director
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 15,768
Likes: 3,283
From: Phoenix area, AZ
The difference between stock and HID is nothing when comparing HID to Bi-xenon. The difference in light output from the Bi-xenon setup is enormous.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,833
Likes: 4
From: Calgary, Alberta
I went this same route for 1 season. When driving behind my Friends and Wife they hated my guts and wanted to smash my lights out, as it blinded them. As for on coming traffic it was the same result. Passing them was even worse as the lights lite up the inside of the Vehicle as you passed them.
I now have the Radio Flyer Bi-xenon 55w HID projectors and it is many times better and safer with a way better light pattern.
I now have the Radio Flyer Bi-xenon 55w HID projectors and it is many times better and safer with a way better light pattern.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
Glad you like them, But put your self in the on coming cars seat, I tried the HID in the stock housings for a while and found that the light looked to be better, But it was so scattered that it wasn't funny, I am now running projectors.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,060
Likes: 291
From: Pasco WA
Mine came with cutoff shields, and the pattern looks quite normal, with a straight cut horizontal line. Low beams only, remember, and 4000k so they look fairly stock. If people see blueish light, they'll flash you even if you're in a factory stock car. My wife's Acura got flashed all the time, and it was stock. The douchebags in their lifted trucks are a much bigger problem.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,475
Likes: 10
From: Wake Forest NC
I have HID highs, lows, and fogs from Corvettemods in the stock housing plus the HI+4 Radioflyer harness and am very happy with the setup. Haven't been flashed once. Well, a little old lady's robe opened halfway one evening, but I'm not counting that.
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Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
I will have nothing but true HID/Xenon/Bi-Xenon on my cars. I have retrofitted both of my C5s with HID setups and have Bi-Xenons from the factory on both my Mini-Cooper S dd and our Audi Q5. It makes a huge difference to the point where my wife can continue to drive our cars with her vision issues. She had to stop for a while before I discovered the beauty of HID systems.
Personally, I can't stand the HID upgrades done to halogen housings - they blind me every day on my commute on the 30 miles of 2-lane canyon road every day. Worst of the bunch are the lifted trucks with HID-converted halogens and then another rack of HID-converted off-road lights blaring at me from 10 feet away on a hairpin at 5 AM on the way to work. For those who say these converted setups don't blind oncoming traffic - I believe people have gotten so used to this they've quit flashing their brights because it does no good. I know I never flash those people any more, no matter how much it pisses me off.
IMO, if you're going to upgrade a system, do it properly - HID bulbs were designed to work in a projector housing which is why they are so amazingly efficient when properly housed. Paired with a halogen reflector, they scatter the light in an inefficient pattern. Also, it should be noted that the higher the color temperature, going from the yellow 3000K to the very blue 15,000K+, the less light output with 4300K offering the highest lumen output. I hear people complain about the price of admission to a true HID setup but this is a safety system we're talking about here, not a leather seat upgrade. If you're going to go cheap, do it elsewhere.
JMHO but I'm stickin' to it . . .
Personally, I can't stand the HID upgrades done to halogen housings - they blind me every day on my commute on the 30 miles of 2-lane canyon road every day. Worst of the bunch are the lifted trucks with HID-converted halogens and then another rack of HID-converted off-road lights blaring at me from 10 feet away on a hairpin at 5 AM on the way to work. For those who say these converted setups don't blind oncoming traffic - I believe people have gotten so used to this they've quit flashing their brights because it does no good. I know I never flash those people any more, no matter how much it pisses me off.
IMO, if you're going to upgrade a system, do it properly - HID bulbs were designed to work in a projector housing which is why they are so amazingly efficient when properly housed. Paired with a halogen reflector, they scatter the light in an inefficient pattern. Also, it should be noted that the higher the color temperature, going from the yellow 3000K to the very blue 15,000K+, the less light output with 4300K offering the highest lumen output. I hear people complain about the price of admission to a true HID setup but this is a safety system we're talking about here, not a leather seat upgrade. If you're going to go cheap, do it elsewhere.
JMHO but I'm stickin' to it . . .
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,718
Likes: 2
From: Flower Mound TX
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Contributor
I will have nothing but true HID/Xenon/Bi-Xenon on my cars. I have retrofitted both of my C5s with HID setups and have Bi-Xenons from the factory on both my Mini-Cooper S dd and our Audi Q5. It makes a huge difference to the point where my wife can continue to drive our cars with her vision issues. She had to stop for a while before I discovered the beauty of HID systems.
Personally, I can't stand the HID upgrades done to halogen housings - they blind me every day on my commute on the 30 miles of 2-lane canyon road every day. Worst of the bunch are the lifted trucks with HID-converted halogens and then another rack of HID-converted off-road lights blaring at me from 10 feet away on a hairpin at 5 AM on the way to work. For those who say these converted setups don't blind oncoming traffic - I believe people have gotten so used to this they've quit flashing their brights because it does no good. I know I never flash those people any more, no matter how much it pisses me off.
IMO, if you're going to upgrade a system, do it properly - HID bulbs were designed to work in a projector housing which is why they are so amazingly efficient when properly housed. Paired with a halogen reflector, they scatter the light in an inefficient pattern. Also, it should be noted that the higher the color temperature, going from the yellow 3000K to the very blue 15,000K+, the less light output with 4300K offering the highest lumen output. I hear people complain about the price of admission to a true HID setup but this is a safety system we're talking about here, not a leather seat upgrade. If you're going to go cheap, do it elsewhere.
JMHO but I'm stickin' to it . . .
Personally, I can't stand the HID upgrades done to halogen housings - they blind me every day on my commute on the 30 miles of 2-lane canyon road every day. Worst of the bunch are the lifted trucks with HID-converted halogens and then another rack of HID-converted off-road lights blaring at me from 10 feet away on a hairpin at 5 AM on the way to work. For those who say these converted setups don't blind oncoming traffic - I believe people have gotten so used to this they've quit flashing their brights because it does no good. I know I never flash those people any more, no matter how much it pisses me off.
IMO, if you're going to upgrade a system, do it properly - HID bulbs were designed to work in a projector housing which is why they are so amazingly efficient when properly housed. Paired with a halogen reflector, they scatter the light in an inefficient pattern. Also, it should be noted that the higher the color temperature, going from the yellow 3000K to the very blue 15,000K+, the less light output with 4300K offering the highest lumen output. I hear people complain about the price of admission to a true HID setup but this is a safety system we're talking about here, not a leather seat upgrade. If you're going to go cheap, do it elsewhere.
JMHO but I'm stickin' to it . . .
I agree completely with you. Do it right or go home. This is one area that should be considered a safety investment and treated as such. I'm about to get rid of my HID in Halogen set up and go with projectors. Thankfully I don't drive at night a lot!
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,833
Likes: 4
From: Calgary, Alberta
I will have nothing but true HID/Xenon/Bi-Xenon on my cars. I have retrofitted both of my C5s with HID setups and have Bi-Xenons from the factory on both my Mini-Cooper S dd and our Audi Q5. It makes a huge difference to the point where my wife can continue to drive our cars with her vision issues. She had to stop for a while before I discovered the beauty of HID systems.
Personally, I can't stand the HID upgrades done to halogen housings - they blind me every day on my commute on the 30 miles of 2-lane canyon road every day. Worst of the bunch are the lifted trucks with HID-converted halogens and then another rack of HID-converted off-road lights blaring at me from 10 feet away on a hairpin at 5 AM on the way to work. For those who say these converted setups don't blind oncoming traffic - I believe people have gotten so used to this they've quit flashing their brights because it does no good. I know I never flash those people any more, no matter how much it pisses me off.
IMO, if you're going to upgrade a system, do it properly - HID bulbs were designed to work in a projector housing which is why they are so amazingly efficient when properly housed. Paired with a halogen reflector, they scatter the light in an inefficient pattern. Also, it should be noted that the higher the color temperature, going from the yellow 3000K to the very blue 15,000K+, the less light output with 4300K offering the highest lumen output. I hear people complain about the price of admission to a true HID setup but this is a safety system we're talking about here, not a leather seat upgrade. If you're going to go cheap, do it elsewhere.
JMHO but I'm stickin' to it . . .
Personally, I can't stand the HID upgrades done to halogen housings - they blind me every day on my commute on the 30 miles of 2-lane canyon road every day. Worst of the bunch are the lifted trucks with HID-converted halogens and then another rack of HID-converted off-road lights blaring at me from 10 feet away on a hairpin at 5 AM on the way to work. For those who say these converted setups don't blind oncoming traffic - I believe people have gotten so used to this they've quit flashing their brights because it does no good. I know I never flash those people any more, no matter how much it pisses me off.
IMO, if you're going to upgrade a system, do it properly - HID bulbs were designed to work in a projector housing which is why they are so amazingly efficient when properly housed. Paired with a halogen reflector, they scatter the light in an inefficient pattern. Also, it should be noted that the higher the color temperature, going from the yellow 3000K to the very blue 15,000K+, the less light output with 4300K offering the highest lumen output. I hear people complain about the price of admission to a true HID setup but this is a safety system we're talking about here, not a leather seat upgrade. If you're going to go cheap, do it elsewhere.
JMHO but I'm stickin' to it . . .
