I want HIDs... What should i be looking for quality wise? What specs? I've seen kits before that required voltage amps and weren't direct bulb replacements...

There's a billion numbers/variations of them... I want the white/blue... something along the ones in newer porches, i like those.

I'll probably be purchasing from ebay.

Stay away from eBay if you're going to do real lights, not just like driving or fog lights. All require ballasts, I'm not sure of exactly what the requirements are for the bulbs, but I think they require more voltage and less wattage.

This is Icemark's page on HID's. http://mazdamark.com/hid_lights.htm It actually has a lot of good info, I thought. I'd recommend buying from the manufacturers he has listed. But that is just me.

I bought H4 replacement HIDs for my FC, and they work really well, I mean... just wow. Install time: http://wotnartd.tripod.com/myblog/index.blog/1559387/im-back/ Mine are 8,000K.

If you don't know, the K number is the UV rating. The smaller the number, the whiter the light. All are about the same brightness, if well built, whiter is more piercing, for sure.

Seriously, awesome. Just don't go cheap on anything.

^ Zing. 8k's are fucking blue. Get 6k if you want the "white/blue" color. They're around stock projector colors from BNWs and Audis..

explain ballasts.

Search, noob.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_ballast

essentially a voltage/wattage converter... gay, i didn't wnat to get into that =[

essentially a voltage/wattage converter... gay, i didn't wnat to get into that =[

I told you...

Well, before I edited it out. I mentioned how neon and fluorescents use them.

^ Zing. 8k's are fucking blue. Get 6k if you want the "white/blue" color. They're around stock projector colors from BNWs and Audis..

Mine are more blue than white, but barely.

Ricer!

I'm looking for these for a 97 expedition... see what you can find for me... I'm looking for a direct swap out... Depending upon price whether I do it or not... I won't drop lots of money into anything if I know I won't get a return on it.

I'm looking for these for a 97 expedition... see what you can find for me... I'm looking for a direct swap out... Depending upon price whether I do it or not... I won't drop lots of money into anything if I know I won't get a return on it.
Search, noob.

is "XENON HID" real ones or knock off cheap shit?

is "XENON HID" real ones or knock off cheap shit?

Both.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/97-01-Ford-Explorer-Expedition-Xenon-HID-Headlight-Kit_W0QQitemZ230095724091QQihZ013QQcategoryZ33710Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

This the win? Lets you choose which bulbs you want. I like the violet ones too... I think I saw those on the saturn sky or some shit.

I'm looking for these for a 97 expedition... see what you can find for me... I'm looking for a direct swap out... Depending upon price whether I do it or not... I won't drop lots of money into anything if I know I won't get a return on it.

http://www.xenonking.com/Visionpro-6000k-Hid-Kit-Car.html

Do you want true HID hi/lows?

$300 for dual beam kit... the sylvania link says use 9007 as the size, sweet.

Looks wise, how do you think that'd compare (appearance/performance) to the OEM ones of porsches, bmws, etc? Same shit I guess?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/97-01-Ford-Explorer-Expedition-Xenon-HID-Headlight-Kit_W0QQitemZ230095724091QQihZ013QQcategoryZ33710Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

This the win? Lets you choose which bulbs you want. I like the violet ones too... I think I saw those on the saturn sky or some shit.
bleah.

No.

First of all, they aren't ballasts, they are ignitors. The light doesn't need them to run, just to supply the huge voltage requirements on startup. HID's are tits because they use less power to maintain similar candlepower as higher rated halogenes.

If you are serious about HIDs don't get a two piece kit like what you are looking at, you want a single piece (built in ignitor). It isn't that they are more reliable, its that they are cleaner when installed.

There are a couple companies that offer some really kick ass light setups; such as three settings instead of one. Low beam = low like normal, high beam = high like normal, "blind oncoming traffic" = both low and high on at the same time. These kinds of lights allow you to literally have almost 1,000 watts of light coming out of a single OE looking light fixture.

Another thing to really keep in mind about HIDs is the heat they produce. They heat up like a $2 whore on a saturday night. Quick and easy. Don't place them too close to plastic lenses unless they are "HID Safe" or if they have adequate airflow over them.

erm... thats just the shit off the top of my head. If you do a google search you'll come up with shittons of crappy links (trust me), I can hit you with a phone number of a guy I was talking to about the "blind oncoming traffic" HIDs. Last time I talked to him (he's the only american importer) he said they were going to be drop in light kits. Pull two bolts, swap two wires and :bigthumb: :bowdown: :bowdown:

FYI, last time I talked to him is over a year ago now. Don't know if he's still in the business anymore since he was contemplating moving on to bigger and better things.


edit:

PM Mantiss, we talked (briefly) about HID kits that he sells.

I think some companies use 10,000K lights, those are really purple, but if that's what you want go for it.

I love my 8,000K hi/lows. They cut through the night like none other.

bleah.

No.

First of all, they aren't ballasts, they are ignitors. The light doesn't need them to run, just to supply the huge voltage requirements on startup. HID's are tits because they use less power to maintain similar candlepower as higher rated halogenes.

If you are serious about HIDs don't get a two piece kit like what you are looking at, you want a single piece (built in ignitor). It isn't that they are more reliable, its that they are cleaner when installed.

There are a couple companies that offer some really kick ass light setups; such as three settings instead of one. Low beam = low like normal, high beam = high like normal, "blind oncoming traffic" = both low and high on at the same time. These kinds of lights allow you to literally have almost 1,000 watts of light coming out of a single OE looking light fixture.

Another thing to really keep in mind about HIDs is the heat they produce. They heat up like a $2 whore on a saturday night. Quick and easy. Don't place them too close to plastic lenses unless they are "HID Safe" or if they have adequate airflow over them.

erm... thats just the shit off the top of my head. If you do a google search you'll come up with shittons of crappy links (trust me), I can hit you with a phone number of a guy I was talking to about the "blind oncoming traffic" HIDs. Last time I talked to him (he's the only american importer) he said they were going to be drop in light kits. Pull two bolts, swap two wires and :bigthumb: :bowdown: :bowdown:

FYI, last time I talked to him is over a year ago now. Don't know if he's still in the business anymore since he was contemplating moving on to bigger and better things.


edit:

PM Mantiss, we talked (briefly) about HID kits that he sells.

My two piece kit is installed really clean. Just tuck things away and call it a day.

Lol... I want to keep the OEM switch... so the 3 level thing is out of the question... I probably don't need that shit anyway

The casings are pretty tight when it comes to space... the grille is made around the lights, pretty much no air flow.

What do high-quality halogens look like? Silverstar ultra is the best money can buy there?

While I'm thinking about it...

Dont' get some insanely high low beam. Only fucktards do that. High beams were built for a reason and low's should be low enough to allow others to see while driving towards you.

What do high-quality halogens look like? Silverstar ultra is the best money can buy there?
you are money ahead to go with low cost HIDs IMO. Even the cheapest HIDs will work better then the highest cost halogens based purely on power usage.

What do you think of that kit wotnarted linked, that was like $300 for the dual beam kit?

and the heat issue... I really think that could be a problem.

If its what you are looking for and it satisfies your needs, get it. Its a good price on a decent kit. Its just not something I would buy for any of my vehicles.

Its going in an Expedition? Heat shouldn't be too much of an issue so long as the lenses are either glass or thicker polycarb. The stuff you really have to worry about are the thinner plastic lenses. If you are really paranoid about heat, you can drill a few small holes in the lens, but then you run the risk of water getting in there and exploding a bulb. So long as you don't leave them on high beam while siting at a stop light you should be golden.

okay, K is the white point. Daylight is about 6700 IIRC. Lower = redder, higher = bluer. Follows the color spectrum.

Go with whatever ballast the manufacturer recommends (they do that, right?). Don't they make plug-in replacements from halogen to HID headlights? What do all the ricers do?

okay, K is the white point. Daylight is about 6700 IIRC. Lower = redder, higher = bluer. Follows the color spectrum.

Go with whatever ballast the manufacturer recommends (they do that, right?). Don't they make plug-in replacements from halogen to HID headlights? What do all the ricers do?

Ballasts go to the hot side and ground, relay connects to ballasts and headlight harness, then hook everything else up, and you're set.

Why don't you just go to a ford forum and ask?

they all suck... there's no expedition forum that's "alive"... besides, same shit i can ask here.

Get some twitty foes while you're at it.

I'm going to weigh in with my opinion that the light put out by halogens is much more useable.

HIDs are like a Chinese buffet: they throw out a lot of light, and only require the initial investment.

A good set of Halogens is like a good steakhouse: you don't get quite as much, you pay a little more, but the quality is much better.

Keeping in mind that I would run selective yellow H4's if the DOT would let me.

Beware of a lot of shit HIDs out there - some rebase HID bulbs to fit into halogen projectors, completely leaving out that the light source is at a different focal point rendering the projector a glare-caster. Others actually glue (!) HID bulbs to H4 bulbs.

Buy real HIDs from reputable manufacturers. Don't be sucked in by "Uses Panasonic ballasts!" but doesn't come with anything but ballast & bulb... a DOT compliant HID install includes the outer lens, projector and lens, wiring, fuses, and ballasts. Easy to install - I put some in my winter beater last winter and posted a step-by-step writeup on HIDplanet.

A halogen bulb uses electricity to heat a tungsten filament and make it glow, goving off light but giving off even more as heat. Very inefficient.

HID uses two electrodes to run an arc through salts suspended in gas, causing them to glow. The gas is usually xenon, hence xenon HID. To get the arc going requires a jolt of electricity, which is why HIDs require igniters - but once they're lit they take half or less the energy of dimmer halogen bulbs.

Bi-xenons simply have a moving shield that allow them to electrically switch between high and low beam patterns. Monoxenons are usually low beam only, with halogen high beams installed separately.

Get some twitty foes while you're at it.
I'm smallin, not ballin =]

So you're getting 100 spoke ten inchers?

I'm going to weigh in with my opinion that the light put out by halogens is much more useable.

HIDs are like a Chinese buffet: they throw out a lot of light, and only require the initial investment.

A good set of Halogens is like a good steakhouse: you don't get quite as much, you pay a little more, but the quality is much better.

Keeping in mind that I would run selective yellow H4's if the DOT would let me.

You think yellow is better than white? HIDs shine farther and brighter than any halogen available.

I have the "deer meter," as I call it. HIDs let me see the deer before it's in "Oh shit fuck!" distance.

You think yellow is better than white? HIDs shine farther and brighter than any halogen available.

I have the "deer meter," as I call it. HIDs let me see the deer before it's in "Oh shit fuck!" distance.
okay... I agree a lot with the giant.

On my dirtbike I have both halogen and HID.


now... here's something for you to think about. A good portion of the proffesional bike racers in baja use halogen instead of HID and they are blasting down shit dirt roads at 100+mph. I don't think you'll be doing that in your car. The reason being, they are easier on your eyes. I know this for a fact. After a long night ride on the dirt bike, my eyes ache because of how bright the MR16 bulb is on my Tecate headlight set. I've actually ridden at night with sunglasses on a couple times because my HID light is so goddamned bright.

But, its nice when doing 90mph on oilfield roads and you don't know when the next cow/antelope/person is going to materialize on the road.


edit:

even on my sled I have both. The HIDs on the sled are just the "Oh fuck its pitch black and I have to get back to the truck through three feet of fresh powder and an untracked road" lights.

okay... I agree a lot with the giant.

On my dirtbike I have both halogen and HID.


now... here's something for you to think about. A good portion of the proffesional bike racers in baja use halogen instead of HID and they are blasting down shit dirt roads at 100+mph. I don't think you'll be doing that in your car. The reason being, they are easier on your eyes. I know this for a fact. After a long night ride on the dirt bike, my eyes ache because of how bright the MR16 bulb is on my Tecate headlight set. I've actually ridden at night with sunglasses on a couple times because my HID light is so goddamned bright.

But, its nice when doing 90mph on oilfield roads and you don't know when the next cow/antelope/person is going to materialize on the road.


edit:

even on my sled I have both. The HIDs on the sled are just the "Oh fuck its pitch black and I have to get back to the truck through three feet of fresh powder and an untracked road" lights.

I don't know, when I'm flying around back roads at 90 they work fine. I've driven with my HIDs for 4+ hours with nothing. The only thing is they make it harder to see what is in the dark, if there is any, they bleach your vision. I do have problems with night vision, though, and my halogens were raping my visual weaknesses.

Don't forget that blue lights reflect more than halogen or yellow fog lights. HIDs + snow storms, heavy rain, fog = fail.

Hmmmm... HID high beams, halogen low beams?

More like... PIAA yellow fog light bulbs... Balance, mannnn.

Don't forget that blue lights reflect more than halogen or yellow fog lights. HIDs + snow storms, heavy rain, fog = fail.

HIDs aren't really blue. They just appear blue at certain specific angles because you're seeing the refraction line of the light moving over the shield. The actual beam hitting the road is white.

As for the yellow light thing, it was a theory back in the 60s that has proved suspect in the real world. Notice French cars are no longer required by law to have yellow headlamps?