Xenon-like headlamps

[DiscoLad]

Hey guys - I know this is totally off topic for the AVIC forums, but I figured you would be the best resource to check as many of you have put a lot of time and effort into your vehicles aside from just the Navs.

 

I have looked and looked, in person and on-line, and I cannot seem to find a definitive answer to the question - What aftermarket bulbs can I buy that give the blue/white effect that mimics bi-xenon headlamps? My last car had bi-xenons and I miss em!

 

I know they exist, because I see them in 1987 honda civics etc. all the time. Yet when I have bought two pairs that make the claim to offer blue/white light, they just look like regular (if slightly whiter) headlamps. None of that blue sparkle.

 

Can anyone speak from experience as to what brand/specs work and would give the best effect?

 

I tried to ask a kid in a Civic the other day where he got his, but I think he thought I was trying to pick him up and I got no answer

[skicrave]

www.hidplanet.com/forums

[CatchMeIfYouCan631]

Just buy HID's 8000K. By the time you find a pair of bulbs u like you wouldve spent the same amount for a kit.

[skicrave]

Please don't put retrofit HID bulbs in your stock halogen reflector housings.

 

Read at the link above.

[DiscoLad]

Please don't put retrofit HID bulbs in your stock halogen reflector housings.

 

Read at the link above.

 

Ha! I wouldn't do that. I was just looking for some halogens with a slightly blueish tint.

[CatchMeIfYouCan631]

If you dont want to go HID, try Nokya's Arctic white. I had them in my past 2 cars and they had a bluish tint to them

 

Skicrave, I tried checking that forum but i had to log in to read them....seeing as I'm not going to register just to answer a question,would you care to explain why an HID kit is a bad choice? I've seen them in a bunch of cars and look awesome.

[skicrave]

They look awesome when you're sitting in the car, or looking at the color in the parking lot, but to on-coming motorist, they are VERY dangerous. Halogen bulbs have a filament (just like a light bulb in your house), so the light source is spread across that filament. It takes a certain design of the headlight housing to focus and aim that light correctly on the road so that it doesn't blind on-coming drivers.

 

HID lights have a much more focused light source, and one that is in a different place in the bulb than that of halogen. So when you put them into the optics of a standard halogen housing you get light scattered all over the place. Most of the time the light output is actually worse than the factory halogens (hot spots and dark spots instead of a smooth even coverage across the front of the car), but the color looks cool so people don't notice that.

 

A housing that is designed for a HID light source will product smooth even lighting across the front of the car, with a sharp cut-off at the top so that no light is scattered up into the eyes of opposing drivers.

 

maybe that makes sense?

[DiscoLad]

They look awesome when you're sitting in the car, or looking at the color in the parking lot, but to on-coming motorist, they are VERY dangerous. Halogen bulbs have a filament (just like a light bulb in your house), so the light source is spread across that filament. It takes a certain design of the headlight housing to focus and aim that light correctly on the road so that it doesn't blind on-coming drivers.

 

HID lights have a much more focused light source, and one that is in a different place in the bulb than that of halogen. So when you put them into the optics of a standard halogen housing you get light scattered all over the place. Most of the time the light output is actually worse than the factory halogens (hot spots and dark spots instead of a smooth even coverage across the front of the car), but the color looks cool so people don't notice that.

 

A housing that is designed for a HID light source will product smooth even lighting across the front of the car, with a sharp cut-off at the top so that no light is scattered up into the eyes of opposing drivers.

 

maybe that makes sense?

 

Makes complete sense... hence why I am not looking to upgrade my lights to bi-xenon/HID, merely get halogen bulbs that are as white/blue as possible while maintaining proper focusing.

[CatchMeIfYouCan631]

I didn't know that, I thought the housings just projected the light accordingly, regardless of the type of bulb.

[DiscoLad]

Nope - different types of projection as light is dispersed differently. That is why by law in many countries any cars that have bi-xenon headlights also have to either have auto(self)-leveling headlamp housings or manually adjustable headlamp angles(more common in Europe).

 

My last jag used to 'blink' when I started it up, as the headlamps did a full up and down pass.

[CatchMeIfYouCan631]

Well that's my newly learned fact of the day. Is that how you can tell the difference between stock HIDs and kits?

[DiscoLad]

Well that's my newly learned fact of the day. Is that how you can tell the difference between stock HIDs and kits?

 

I think so. I know for sure in Canada that all stock HID units have to be self-leveling. Some advertise them as such, some don't mention it because it is assumed. I have not heard of any aftermarket kits that have any kind of self level functions

[Xxsrt4xX]

Well that's my newly learned fact of the day. Is that how you can tell the difference between stock HIDs and kits?

 

Sorry to dredge up an old topic, but anyway. To add to this, not 100%. There were and still are some halogen lenses that come from the factory with HID's installed. Ford was one of them on the 500 and early 2000's camry's had it too. The only thing they had different was a prism style lens instead of the crystal clear "diamondback" style you see on cars now for halogens. I hope that makes sense, lol.

[CatchMeIfYouCan631]

Well that's my newly learned fact of the day. Is that how you can tell the difference between stock HIDs and kits?

 

Sorry to dredge up an old topic, but anyway. To add to this, not 100%. There were and still are some halogen lenses that come from the factory with HID's installed. Ford was one of them on the 500 and early 2000's camry's had it too. The only thing they had different was a prism style lens instead of the crystal clear "diamondback" style you see on cars now for halogens. I hope that makes sense, lol.

 

Not at all lol. I'm just ignorant to different headlight styles, as like I mentioned before, I thought light output was the same across the board. So HID Kits in halogen housings = bad choice. Got it

 

Are there any laws against kits then? In NY the only law is anything with the slightest color is illegal. some cops tolerate 8000K however. but if it's that much of a danger to other drivers, they have to have some restrictions, no?

[Xxsrt4xX]

Well that's my newly learned fact of the day. Is that how you can tell the difference between stock HIDs and kits?

 

Sorry to dredge up an old topic, but anyway. To add to this, not 100%. There were and still are some halogen lenses that come from the factory with HID's installed. Ford was one of them on the 500 and early 2000's camry's had it too. The only thing they had different was a prism style lens instead of the crystal clear "diamondback" style you see on cars now for halogens. I hope that makes sense, lol.

 

Not at all lol. I'm just ignorant to different headlight styles, as like I mentioned before, I thought light output was the same across the board. So HID Kits in halogen housings = bad choice. Got it

 

Are there any laws against kits then? In NY the only law is anything with the slightest color is illegal. some cops tolerate 8000K however. but if it's that much of a danger to other drivers, they have to have some restrictions, no?

 

I know some spots in Jersey, the cops actually look for a sales receipt to not give you a ticket. This is because of the rash of factory HID thefts that we had. They usually don't bother you until you reach the 8000K range.