Anybody have an HID kit????

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xionger1

Member
So here we go...

I have a 95 civic coupe with projectors. Anyone who has projectors know that they suck ass, especially in the snow and rain. I'm looking into upgrading with either the Catz or Phillips aftermarket HID kit (bulbs, ballast, wiring, relays....) at either 4300k (galaxy white shade) or 6000k (blue shade).

Now I was wondering if anyone here has this upgrade for their car and if so how well it works. I've heard that on projectors, HID's do NOT work well, but I'm not quite sure.

Any info appreciated. TIA....

:lol: :lol: :lol:
 
The design of the projector is what sucks- putting in a brighter source of light isn't going to do you any good- it's just going to make your hot spots worse. By the way, the sale of HID kits in the US is illegal now, so good luck finding a kit from a reputable vendor. eBay might be your best bet.
 
Hey, i also have the projector headlights, and am wanting to upgrade as well. I have searched a lot of forums, and i still can't find an answer. I have sent a couple of e-mails to Catz, but i have not gotten a reply yet. If i find out, i will post it here to hopefully answer your question. Sorry i couldn't help.
 
Originally posted by Calesta@Jan 16 2004, 07:03 PM
The design of the projector is what sucks- putting in a brighter source of light isn't going to do you any good- it's just going to make your hot spots worse. By the way, the sale of HID kits in the US is illegal now, so good luck finding a kit from a reputable vendor. eBay might be your best bet.
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that was actually passed? WTF about Saabs, Nissans, BMW's, etc that have them from the factory?
 
Originally posted by Prowler+Jan 28 2004, 11:17 AM-->
Prowler @ Jan 28 2004 said:
Calesta
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Prowler @ Jan 28 2004 said:
@Jan 16 2004, 07:03 PM
The design of the projector is what sucks- putting in a brighter source of light isn't going to do you any good- it's just going to make your hot spots worse. By the way, the sale of HID kits in the US is illegal now, so good luck finding a kit from a reputable vendor. eBay might be your best bet.
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that was actually passed? WTF about Saabs, Nissans, BMW's, etc that have them from the factory?
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their headlight housings are specificly designed for HIDs and are DOT tested and approved
they have to meet certain requirements for glaare and shit

your stock non-HID housings do not work the same way and cause a shit load of glare

thats the basic reason behind it
 
Exactly. That law was passed in the middle of last year, and went into effect on 9/1/2003 along with a bunch of other laws... like all the new Texas laws about racing, passing emergency vehicles etc.

Basically, anything that's sold with HID headlights from the factory is perfectly legal, and it's still legal (but still grey area) to retrofit an HID system from one car onto another identical car. Like- you could take a 3 series BMW without HIDs and put an HID setup from another identical 3 series BMW onto it, and you would still technically be legal. The HID system was designed and approved for that car, so it's still legit.

Any kind of aftermarket kit is NOT legal. It never was- they just now have more specific laws and much more rigid enforcement about it. Tons of people in Texas have been getting tickets for it, and I've heard stories from other states as well.

I'm still going to put HIDs into my car when I get a chance, but I'm going to take the time to do it in a way that won't attract much attention, and in a way that won't piss other drivers off. I'm going to do it the right way, with a housing built for HIDs hidden inside a set of stock appearing headlight housings. I'll get a proper beam pattern and no glare.

THAT'S the only way I would consider putting HIDs on my car- proper housing and proper system. I suggest you do the same xionger1 if you're considering an HID kit. It doesn't really cost any more- and you get a useful HID system instead of just one that's super bright and annoying with bad visibility.
 
If i have a set of 9006 retrofit hid lights, can i still use them if i retrofit the actual housing with an hid reflecter?
 
Originally posted by Calesta@Jan 16 2004, 08:03 PM
The design of the projector is what sucks- putting in a brighter source of light isn't going to do you any good- it's just going to make your hot spots worse. By the way, the sale of HID kits in the US is illegal now, so good luck finding a kit from a reputable vendor. eBay might be your best bet.
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what about aftermarket HID fog lamps?
 
aftermarket HID = illegal now. period

if you want um you got to get them off ebay, or from a shady shop.
 
Originally posted by JOHNNYLIGHTFOOT+ Jan 28 2004, 04:52 PM-->
JOHNNYLIGHTFOOT @ Jan 28 2004 said:
If i have a set of 9006 retrofit hid lights, can i still use them if i retrofit the actual housing with an hid reflecter?
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Reflector, not reflecter.

Legally, no. They weren't designed for your car and DOT approved for your car, so no. It's illegal. If you're going to do it anyway, just make sure you do a good job so you aren't too noticeable.

Originally posted by saturn_boy96@ Jan 28 2004, 05:01 PM
what about aftermarket HID fog lamps?
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I'm not sure about that. I still see all the big manufacturers offering HID fogs for sale, but obviously... they're not designed or approved for any specific car. I guess since it's technically not legal to use auxiliary lights as part of your main lighting in any state anyway, they can sell HID fogs... because you're only supposed to have them on in bad weather. Cops can pull you over and ticket you for having ANY kind of fog or driving light on when the weather isn't bad, HID or not. Trust me.

Smonkeyboy@ Jan 28 2004, 05:19 PM
aftermarket HID = illegal now. period
if you want um you got to get them off ebay, or from a shady shop.
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I don't think that's necessarily true. I'm pretty sure that the Sylvania Xenarc kits are still legal, but then again, those are designed for specific applications and have been DOT approved. The Xenarc kits include new housings and reflectors along with all the HID hardware. You can probably buy one of those and legally install them into the trucks (no cars) that they were designed for, but for anything else, you won't be legal.

So... not ALL aftermarket HID kits are illegal, but almost all of them are. Definitely anything that puts an HID capsule into your stock headlight housings is illegal. Maybe we can petition Sylvania to start making Xenarc kits for the Civic. It would definitely be higher of quality and work better than using some cheapo aftermarket housing and shoving HIDs in them.
 
Very very true... but HIDs are easy for the local law enforcement to pick out on your car, and there is huge public resistance against them too. Not too many people care about what's under your hood unless you're being an ass on the road, or if you're puffing tons of smoke...

Improper HID installations can throw out a ton of glare- and that's a bad thing. Get the light where it needs to be and don't piss other people on the road off- that way, the public won't complain as much about HIDs, and maybe retrofits will become more accepted...
 
how bout I get the body work guy and have him install BMW 3 series headlights in my car. lol...I dont even remember what they look like come to think of it. would that be illegal?
 
for you first guys wondering about projector also not would it help, but it would melt the projector due to the heat...
 
Originally posted by cycloneb18c3@Feb 23 2004, 11:25 PM
how bout I get the body work guy and have him install BMW 3 series headlights in my car. lol...I dont even remember what they look like come to think of it. would that be illegal?
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No... read all the earlier posts. You're not installing it into a BMW with an HID application available from the manufacturer, so it's still not legal.
 
Originally posted by Bl6CRX@Feb 24 2004, 12:58 AM
for you first guys wondering about projector also not would it help, but it would melt the projector due to the heat...
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Again, wrong... I'm just going to lock this thread. HIDs put out less heat than standard incandescant bulbs.
 
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