HID/Xenon Headlights
#26
Originally Posted by TippnOver
is there an online store besides Ebay to get these from?
sometimes, i just think ebay is a shady place
sometimes, i just think ebay is a shady place
and BTW those lights havent burned my harness mine hava about ~65 watts and are pretty bright looks just like that pic of justins only a lil whiter; I'll get some pics tonight...
#27
let me help you guys out a lil...
first of all if it didn't come from the factory stock or factory aftermarket, then it's considered ILLEGAL!! hid kits, bulbs, tailights, and lift and lowering kits are all illegal.
as far as the hid lights go...putting them in conventional housings doesn't make them any worse or better...they're actutally better if they're put in projectors but then that's not really gonna help either. conventional housings actually cut the glare factor...
It is an ABSOLUTE MUST that if you get them that you re-aim your lights lower than factory because they will burn your eyes, just like regular bulbs, if you look right into them because they are sooooo bright. That doen't mean being cheap and let your friends do it or your dad do it! That means taking your truck to the dealership and letting a professional do it so that they're right the first time!
HID kits are illegal only because you hae to have a system that will auto-level the lights for you. meaning there's a preset height on the bulbs and if that height isn't right they will either rise or lower themselves for optimum height.
I've never had a problem with my lights and i've never been pulled over either and i've had mine for about 6 months now. mainly because my lights are lower then normal and they're not aimed at peoples faces. now if your in a lowered car or truck and they're in your face that's your problem not mine you should've left well enough alone.
As far as those nokyas go, i have the exact same set both Stage II's for my regular lights and fog lights and my harness hasn't melted at all...and i used the regular bulbs for a year before my hid kit and i still have the fogs in and i've had them for 2!
as far as the kit goes and installation it's plug and play...no cutting of wires or anything. the headlight unit itself will not melt as they are lower wattages and use less power--that's what the ballasts are for.
The downside is you loose your bright lights, but like i said before these light up EVERYTHING and you don't need them...i can see cop cars miles down the road with those reflective stickers they have. the road actually lights up because they're reflictive particles in it. the street signs and road markers and all that crap lights up.
for the money you can't beat it...and yes you can buy them elsewhere but they will run you about $500+. my kit retails for $1100 because of the color temp
any other concerns or questions, i'll answer them
first of all if it didn't come from the factory stock or factory aftermarket, then it's considered ILLEGAL!! hid kits, bulbs, tailights, and lift and lowering kits are all illegal.
as far as the hid lights go...putting them in conventional housings doesn't make them any worse or better...they're actutally better if they're put in projectors but then that's not really gonna help either. conventional housings actually cut the glare factor...
It is an ABSOLUTE MUST that if you get them that you re-aim your lights lower than factory because they will burn your eyes, just like regular bulbs, if you look right into them because they are sooooo bright. That doen't mean being cheap and let your friends do it or your dad do it! That means taking your truck to the dealership and letting a professional do it so that they're right the first time!
HID kits are illegal only because you hae to have a system that will auto-level the lights for you. meaning there's a preset height on the bulbs and if that height isn't right they will either rise or lower themselves for optimum height.
I've never had a problem with my lights and i've never been pulled over either and i've had mine for about 6 months now. mainly because my lights are lower then normal and they're not aimed at peoples faces. now if your in a lowered car or truck and they're in your face that's your problem not mine you should've left well enough alone.
As far as those nokyas go, i have the exact same set both Stage II's for my regular lights and fog lights and my harness hasn't melted at all...and i used the regular bulbs for a year before my hid kit and i still have the fogs in and i've had them for 2!
as far as the kit goes and installation it's plug and play...no cutting of wires or anything. the headlight unit itself will not melt as they are lower wattages and use less power--that's what the ballasts are for.
The downside is you loose your bright lights, but like i said before these light up EVERYTHING and you don't need them...i can see cop cars miles down the road with those reflective stickers they have. the road actually lights up because they're reflictive particles in it. the street signs and road markers and all that crap lights up.
for the money you can't beat it...and yes you can buy them elsewhere but they will run you about $500+. my kit retails for $1100 because of the color temp
any other concerns or questions, i'll answer them
Last edited by Rddvl23; 08-08-2005 at 11:20 AM.
#28
Originally Posted by Rddvl23
first of all if it didn't come from the factory stock or factory aftermarket, then it's considered ILLEGAL!! hid kits, bulbs, tailights, and lift and lowering kits are all illegal.
#29
#30
#31
Originally Posted by FireRanger
Nothing is DOT approved. DOT doesn't approve anything. DOT writes the standards and it is up to each manufacturer to meet them.
..Although overall I agree, you're right. That's why mandatory helmet laws (issued by a given state BTW) that mandate 'DOT approved' helmets are so easy to side-step.
DOT approved
The Department of Transportation (DOT) determines the national standard by which a helmet's street-legal use is determined. In states requiring use of a DOT approved helmet it is required that your helmet have the DOT sticker on the back. Without that sticker a rider can be subject to fines. If you live in a state with a helmet law be sure that your helmet has the DOT sticker on the back. And, of course, we carry a huge line of DOT approved helmets.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) determines the national standard by which a helmet's street-legal use is determined. In states requiring use of a DOT approved helmet it is required that your helmet have the DOT sticker on the back. Without that sticker a rider can be subject to fines. If you live in a state with a helmet law be sure that your helmet has the DOT sticker on the back. And, of course, we carry a huge line of DOT approved helmets.
What the original poster has done w/ his aftermarket HID kit strikes me as very similar to what my dad's done w/ the inkjet sticker.
Originally Posted by FireRanger
If it doesn't meet the standards, they are not allowed to sell them for street use in the United States of America. This has no bearing on what you as the consumer are allowed to purchase and what you as the end-user are allowed to install on your vehicle. Lighting on your vehicle is regulated by STATE law. State law is just that, laws applying to your state and your state only. The only way the use of these non-complient HID lights is going to be illegal is if your state specificly has that written into the state motor vehicle statutes.
#32
The phrase "DOT APPROVED" is somewhat a miss-used one. The lawyers for DOT will tell you that "we don't approve anything" and truthfully, they don't. Sometimes I think "DOT APPROVED" is jsut easier to write than "MEETS OR EXCEEDS ALL DOT STANDARDS". I would think "DOT COMPLIENT" is just as easy, but I guess that just isn't the buzz word. Approved sounds better as a sales pitch I guess.
There have been cases where federa authorities have raided retailers and manufactuers for gross and blatent violations. APC comes to mind. They rely heavily on the product not making to the shelves in the first place or people not using them.
There have been cases where federa authorities have raided retailers and manufactuers for gross and blatent violations. APC comes to mind. They rely heavily on the product not making to the shelves in the first place or people not using them.
#33
Okay, I buy that. Maybe it's thought that your average consumer wouldn't understand the difference. As it is, it seems that it works quite well, even the lawmakers and enforcement agencies don't seem to!
Besides.. 'COMPLIANT' is hard to spell!
In my example, there are plenty of DOT compliant helmets out there who's manufacturers refuse to put 'DOT Approved' stickers on them. Most seem to be snowmobile helmet makers that don't want to assume the added legal exposure by marketing their products to motorcyclists.
Besides.. 'COMPLIANT' is hard to spell!
In my example, there are plenty of DOT compliant helmets out there who's manufacturers refuse to put 'DOT Approved' stickers on them. Most seem to be snowmobile helmet makers that don't want to assume the added legal exposure by marketing their products to motorcyclists.
#34
#35
Originally Posted by Rddvl23
let me help you guys out a lil...
first of all if it didn't come from the factory stock or factory aftermarket, then it's considered ILLEGAL!! hid kits, bulbs, tailights, and lift and lowering kits are all illegal.
first of all if it didn't come from the factory stock or factory aftermarket, then it's considered ILLEGAL!! hid kits, bulbs, tailights, and lift and lowering kits are all illegal.
Tailights , clear corners, etc. Are legal as long as the rear brake and parking lights are red along with red or amber turn signals, and the front parking/ turn signals have to be amber. The tailights have to have a red reflector, and the front lights have to have an amber reflector, size don't matter.
Originally Posted by Rddvl23
HID kits are illegal only because you hae to have a system that will auto-level the lights for you. meaning there's a preset height on the bulbs and if that height isn't right they will either rise or lower themselves for optimum height.
Good example right here with the Acura RL, This is right from the Acura web site:
EXTERIOR FEATURES
Fog lights
Active Front Lighting System (AFS)
Read below for the AFS description.
Auto-on/off headlights
Heated outside mirrors with driver recognition, reverse gear tilt-down and integrated directional signals
Center High Mount Stop Light (CHMSL)
Body-colored handles
Illuminated front door handle recesses
Rear window defroster with timer
Body-colored front and rear bumpers
Protective body-colored side molding
Heat-rejecting green-tinted glass
Integrated glass antenna
17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels
Galvanized body panels
Non-protruding switches and controls
Speed-sensing, variable intermittent windshield wipers
Sun visors with side extensions
Integrated dual-exhaust outlet
SAFETY FEATURES
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA®) with traction control
3-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) with brake assist
Driver's and front passenger's dual-stage, dual-threshold airbag supplemental restraint system (SRS)
Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body-structure
Driver's and front passenger's side airbags with front passenger Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
Side curtain airbags for front and rear occupants
Front 3-point adjustable-height seat belts with load limiters and pretensioners
3-point seat belts at all seating positions
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) child-seat mounting system
Side-impact door beams
Child-proof rear door locks
Xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights
Daytime Running Lights (DRL)
LED mirror-integrated directional signals, taillights, brake lights, and side marker lights
Impact-absorbing crumple zones (front/rear)
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with location and pressure indicators
Automatic day/night rearview mirror
Collapsible steering column
Impact-absorbing interior surfaces
Front side-window defoggers
Heated outside mirrors
Tinted windshield
Safety glass
Emergency trunk opener
All-around visibility (279.8 degrees)
Tha active front light system, only swivels the low beam light either left or right to improve the drivers view around corners. Here is the link from acura that describes the system: Click Me
The moral to this story is: You should check to see what the laws are for the state that you live in or the truck is registered in.
Sorry for thr long post, but that's my .02
Vic
#36
why can't we jus chill about it? lets just say it's very risky...it's not really a big deal. If you get a ticket I guess you had a warning...
after reading all that Acura stuff... I'm wandering how much that auto glass(weired tint sometimes bluish or brown) thats in those High-end cars cost? and is it available?
after reading all that Acura stuff... I'm wandering how much that auto glass(weired tint sometimes bluish or brown) thats in those High-end cars cost? and is it available?
#37
Originally Posted by BlackRanger93
why can't we jus chill about it? lets just say it's very risky...it's not really a big deal. If you get a ticket I guess you had a warning...
after reading all that Acura stuff... I'm wandering how much that auto glass(weired tint sometimes bluish or brown) thats in those High-end cars cost? and is it available?
after reading all that Acura stuff... I'm wandering how much that auto glass(weired tint sometimes bluish or brown) thats in those High-end cars cost? and is it available?
im with you..no biggie on this topic..but since i work at acura, that lighting system you mentioned is for cornering. when the car turns, the projectors turn the lights with the wheel to light up the corners etc...the auto leveling i was talknig about has to do with the lights automatically adjusting themselves to ride height...every car with hid lights has to have that. my dad's qx4 has a level switch that you can push and the lights will move up or down a little more if they're in the cars mirror when the preset height isn't good enough
#38
#39
Originally Posted by Strider0O0
i thought that the fact that they burn at a couple thousand K's brighter than normal bulbs do was why they were melting the housing casings.. not because of their rated wattage.
The whole point of the legal thing is to look it up for your state before you run off with or without something. Then you don't have to go on the internet and be misled by thousands of people and websites saying their own versions of the law. I mean by actually looking at the statutes published by the state, not just reading a summery on a retailers site. That's how I learned most of this stuff. It benefits you because if a cop tries to ticket you for something that isn't a violation, your going to know it, you can easily fight it, and win.
#40
Originally Posted by FireRanger
That's color temperature, not physical temperature.
The whole point of the legal thing is to look it up for your state before you run off with or without something. Then you don't have to go on the internet and be misled by thousands of people and websites saying their own versions of the law. I mean by actually looking at the statutes published by the state, not just reading a summery on a retailers site. That's how I learned most of this stuff. It benefits you because if a cop tries to ticket you for something that isn't a violation, your going to know it, you can easily fight it, and win.
The whole point of the legal thing is to look it up for your state before you run off with or without something. Then you don't have to go on the internet and be misled by thousands of people and websites saying their own versions of the law. I mean by actually looking at the statutes published by the state, not just reading a summery on a retailers site. That's how I learned most of this stuff. It benefits you because if a cop tries to ticket you for something that isn't a violation, your going to know it, you can easily fight it, and win.
#41
Originally Posted by FireRanger
That's color temperature, not physical temperature.
The whole point of the legal thing is to look it up for your state before you run off with or without something. Then you don't have to go on the internet and be misled by thousands of people and websites saying their own versions of the law. I mean by actually looking at the statutes published by the state, not just reading a summery on a retailers site. That's how I learned most of this stuff. It benefits you because if a cop tries to ticket you for something that isn't a violation, your going to know it, you can easily fight it, and win.
The whole point of the legal thing is to look it up for your state before you run off with or without something. Then you don't have to go on the internet and be misled by thousands of people and websites saying their own versions of the law. I mean by actually looking at the statutes published by the state, not just reading a summery on a retailers site. That's how I learned most of this stuff. It benefits you because if a cop tries to ticket you for something that isn't a violation, your going to know it, you can easily fight it, and win.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
whitedge
OLD - Interior, Exterior, Electrical, & Misc.
21
01-13-2010 07:45 PM