even though i agree with this guy's opinion, making an inflammatory and argumentative statement and then unsubscribing after complaining about being involved "in too many of these arguements..." is just plain hypocrisy.

 

I can tell you all for damn sure HIDs more than improved my lights beyond words. They lit up barely 3 lanes wide before, and the forward projection was awful. With HIDs the beam became 5 lanes wide of usable light, and covered the road in a fashion that I could not outrun the lights like I could stock.

Of course that's now all out the window since I cut the stock lenses out of my heads and used lexan for the new lens. Legal? No. Do I care? No. Is the beam pattern great? No. But it is still an improvement over stock.

And for you guys who get on your high horse with the projector retro's, I agree it's the proper way to do it, but it is not legal either, so don't hound us HID in Reflector housing guys for being illegal, because you retro guys are no better in that aspect

 

you're claiming that retrofit HIDs in a proper projector are illegal? according to which law? maybe your state is different but in the majority of areas retrofitted projectors are completely legal, due in part to the fact that it would be difficult to enforce the law in vehicles which list HID as a factory option on some models, but have been retrofitted into other trims. the officer would have to prove that the vehicle did not come with OEM HID, which would require prior knowledge of the vehicle options before writing the ticket. most cops are too busy to be wasting their time on such low-end detective work.

and btw, there's nothing high horse about it. it's simply a matter of proper vs. improper, ugly and impractical vs. aesthetic and functional, annoying vs. impressive, etc...

you are correct when you mention that your lights illuminate a wider area of the road, but you are incorrect when you claim that they light farther ahead on the road. they do not, unless there was something wrong with your previous headlights before you switched out. most likely, your eyes are interpreting the added peripheral brightness as adding to the depth of the light. it's just an optical illusion.

 

Your projector retro's are not DOT regulated. The only projectors legal for use in an F150 are the brand new 2013 projectors, as they have been DOT approved and are in use on F150s from the factory. I have yet to see DOT approved aftermarket projectors.

And no... my perception is not off, my headlights in stock housings with HIDs were good for over an 1/8th mile, while stock was being outran at 55mph.

Please remember, the brick nose F150s had some of the most dismal lights ever made. HIDs brought them up to a modern level. The cheapest off road lights you can buy at walmart, as in the 3"x4" tiny ones, 55w, put out about as much light as my truck did stock. It was awful!


And I'm not hating on your lights either, if I had the cash to drop into my truck, I would have retrofit it long ago

 

IMHO Projector retros look kinda ugly

 

04-08 F150, stock vs. noob ricer glare vs. proper retrofit:






stock w/ silverstars:



noob ricer glare:



rertrofit:

 

I've been modifying cars for more years than I care to count. My first headlight mod was installing aircraft landing lights into a 69 GTO before halogens were even available for less than a month's salary.

The PIAA Ultrawhite bulbs are an awesome option that I feel should be considered if you can't afford true HIDs and proper projector housings. I put HIDs into my wife's 2004 Regal GS. They threw light everywhere, but had no real focus and everyone would flash her. Projector housings are not available for her car. I "downgraded" to PIAA Ultrawhites, and got more effective usable lighting than from the HID bulbs in the same stock housings. Not as good as projector HIDs, but you can't outrun the lights, and that car is supercharged and kills Audi's, BMWs and Lexuses(Lexi?) in races.

I've had projector HIDs in an Explorer, an Expedition, and am installing them next week into my F150. They have way more reach than the PIAAs, and a nicer light pattern than any non-HID stock headlight I've ever seen.

Whoever said they aren't legal needs to do better research. All the projector housings I've owned have been DOT Certified and manufactured by ISO certified manufacturers. There are so many different DOT projector housings available, I find it hard to believe that you can consider them ALL ugly.

IMHO, anyone with the attitude that they don't care about blinding oncoming traffic is just plain ignorant. Hate to be blunt, and don't want to start a flame war, but that's reality. They'll be the first one to call the cop an ***hole when they get a ticket for blinding the oncoming cop car.

Putting HID bulbs into standard housings is basically just throwing away good money so you can say "Yeah, I've got HIDs". The object is to acheive maximum lighting for you vehicle based on your needs and budget. Blinding oncoming traffic to satisfy your ego is childish and ridiculous.

I personally like the 5000K bulbs. They put the most light on the road, and have the least color impact on what they light. I've never used the 55w bulbs, since the 35w bulbs work fine for my needs, but I'm considering trying the 55w bulbs to see what they add to the equation.

 

I've tried four different types of HID headlights. Most come out of my car the same day I put them in. The best ones I have found are Kensun HIDs. The main thing I like about the Kensun kits is the option to get the Bi-Xenon, which comes with a relay. The relay connects directly to your car's battery, which has resulted in NO FLICKERING at all for my lights. I've had my current set in for about 2 years, and absolutely love them.

They're pretty easy to install. Just the basic plub and play and then strap the ballast to the car frame. This guy does a pretty good tutorial and review on the kit, as well as others.

http://www.headlightreviews.com/kens...-installation/

Have you guys tried any other kits you've liked?

 

On a side note, you guys sure do know how to welcome new members!

 

hi, i'm not sure if it was me that you were referring to, but i was saying that just putting HID bulbs in non-projector fitted housing (just the regular housing) is illegal, maybe not in your state, but where i live. the problem is that it's just not ever enforced. to be clear, installing HID in properly fitted projectors is not illegal, it's the "ghetto HID" that is illegal (where i live).

judging by the rest of your post, we are in complete agreement: ghetto HID looks ugly, annoys other drivers, scatters light, and is inferior (in forward projection) to even regular high quality halogen.