4300K Quality HID Kit Technical Review & Install (W+Pics)

[bhvm]

Dear all,
With my continued struggle to improve the Lights on my XUV Thunderbolt, I finally took the plunge to install a full setup of HID lights. I was also lucky to find a seller on Ebay who stocks and sells only Quality 4300K Kits.
His page here-
tdautoz2014 on eBay


I have orders many HID kits before, However I was usually shipped a low quality kit or the Bulbs would look much Blue with tons of Glare. I finally found what I always wanted, A 4300k Kit!

Why 4300K?, I thought the Blue-white lights are Brightest!?

I 've done research with osram Sweden team on CCT and CRI. interestingly, 4300k light is very close to the spectrum of sunlight we get (around 4100k to 4800k depending on season ). our eyes are optimized for this sunlight spectrum.

on the other hand our eyes are not optimized for 6000k or 8000k as they generate much more blue- uv content. not only it's faitguing for the oncomer but to oneself as well. it looks brighter because it's actually irritating our eyes.

Think how a jackhammer or drill gun sounds louder than typical loud music although music might have more decibels.

Why AC Ballasts?
AC (Alternating Current) sends power through a circuit alternating between positive and negative voltages. The number of times the signal alternates between positive and negative voltage in a given second is its hertz (Hz) value. DC or Direct Current uses a constant steady positive voltage in a circuit. An HID bulb requires power to flow from one metal electrode to another creating a spark inside your bulb. The AC Ballast alternates the power sent to the electrodes because of its alternating current so the wear and tear on the bulbs' electrodes are even, because both sides are used for positive and negative voltage. DC on the other hand, maintains positive voltage on one electrode throughout and wears down one electrode more than the other. This increases the overall temperature since one side is always hotter and, due to this additional heat, erodes the electrode and the life of the bulb significantly.
XS XenonSupply Blog

But I thought a car battery was 12v DC?

Correct, a vehicle's power is supplied from the 12 volt battery which happens to be a DC power supply. So why bother using an AC ballast that has to convert DC power into AC and then send AC power to the HID bulb? Simply put, AC Ballasts, due to its alternating current flow, puts less strain on the HID bulb's inner components while producing the same/better light output. AC systems also benefit from lower operating temperatures as well as better long term color accuracy due to its decrease in bulb wear and tear. The additional cost of converting DC to AC is well worth the price as you will save from an extended bulb life as well as an increase in lighting performance.
The Truth You Must Know (About AC VS. DC HID KIT) : Mydepots Online, Tattoo Kit, Xenon HID Kit, DVR Surveillance System & Projector

Finally, The review-

I would let the Pictures do most of the talking. Kindly click on the Pictures and zoom in so you could read the Notes and Fine details.

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BEAMSHOTS-

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[Kichu]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

So my ballast is a dc ballast?



Recently brought a cheap HID kit from aliexpress(HIDs are very strange to me so brought it for learning something about it), two slim ballasts and two h11 35w 4300k bulbs just for Rs.1240/-

Light output is not either warm white or bluish its almost inbetween cool white and little closer to the blue, still its not blue. Changing the ballast helps in that?

Forgot to take enough pics, before putting them into the fogs.

 

[bhvm]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

1.cheap ballasts are almost certainly DC ballast.

2. 4300k bulbs should never be blue. they're usually white with a tinge of yellow. like sunlight. if they're somewhat blue, it's due to DC ballast or.poor. Power.

3. your prices are way too cheap. cheaper than halogens. which car is that?

 

[Kichu]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

1.cheap ballasts are almost certainly DC ballast.

2. 4300k bulbs should never be blue. they're usually white with a tinge of yellow. like sunlight. if they're somewhat blue, it's due to DC ballast or.poor. Power.

3. your prices are way too cheap. cheaper than halogens. which car is that?

1. Okay, so it must be DC Ballast.

2. Its neither blue nor a warm white, blue tint is much visible with the camera.
It gives an amazing light throw to the sides which makes the corning at night so cool. But I was actually needed the light beam to the front direction. I think I will need to align the fog assembly to a bit upward angle with some extra washers.

You can see a pinch of blue tint. Its more visible until its properly warmed up.




Here fog lamp assembly is kept over the engine bay, was just checking the light throw before fixing them into the bumber. (Only one lamp is ON, the other one is lying over the teapoy infront)



Light throw after the installation. Only the fog lights are ON. Beams are tooo low for my requirement So I'm not happy with this.



3. Yea, Its really too cheap. Since its the first time into the HID, I decided to go for a cheap hid kit, moreover it reached just within 23 days.
I brought it for my A-star.

Didn't get enough time to take good pictures from the best angles.

Regards.,

 

[bhvm]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

2> Looks 5000k to my eye. It could be 4300K Bulbs, But due to lower power or DC Ballast, it has shifted to 5000~5500K. HID bulbs shift color with Power.

3> Thats your problem Right There. Are you sure that the Lamps are properly aligned? Those White Blotches over There, They are going to land on the Oncoming drivers faces rather on the road. Thats Glare and thats bad.

Please take a close look at my thunderbolt Fogs. There are no spots above the cutoff, and beam pattern is a solid, Clean Horizontal bar.

4> Do Upgrade to a higher quality kit whenever possible. Contact that seller and see if he has something for you. Good luck.

_______________________________________________________

Dear all,
So finally had a 110 KM Trip with thunderbolt yesterday Evening/Night. And Finally a chance to test my uprated HID lamps! Here are my observations.

1) The HID casts a very White or Milky white light. i thought these would be having somewhat yellow hue (Comparing to 4100K Lights at my Home), But no!. They look like 4600k to my Eye.

2) The white illumination tends to mix into sunlight. So you may not notice a distinct beam pattern onto the road like Halogens or Warmer HIDs. Some people may not like this, But I am OK with it.

3) The improvements, aside from the Brightness is the WIDTH and oh boy what a width!. These projecctors were almost crying for a HID upgrade. The Projectors themselves are VERY good quality. The beam is almost 80 Degree wide on each side. Infact, it was casting a Beam on my Blue Boy which was parked besides!

4) There's noticeable improvement in brightness on the Left hand side. Here is where you have to worry about Parked Trucks, Animals, Unknown objects etc. Now even with Low beams, the clarity is as good as High beams!

5) NO Glare whatsoever!

6) The Headlight Lens feels very cool to touch. Almost zero heat. Compared to the side with halogen High beam, HIDs generate negligible heat.

7) I drove all the way in Rain. Visiblity is acceptable, not like the Blue Lamps which simply Vanish in Rain/Fog. However, if you drive in a place with tons of rainfall, I would suggest going for a 3000K (Yellow) Hid Kit.

8) The auto Fuctions like "Welcome lamp", "Follow me Home" still work. I would love to know if there's a way to turn these off (My headlight stalk is already In OFF position, not AUTO. These functions cause unnecessary hot-striking of the lamp and could affect lamp life.

9) I don't need to use my High beams as often now. HIDs are sufficient as long as there's no High beaming Idiot coming. However if there is one, I will flash him with my High beams and CREE LED high beam assists- Bow to the King!

10) During the install, I notice my High beam bulbs have become somewhat dark around the filament. I am thinking to replace them before they completely die. Suggestions?
More research to follow after my longer trips.
Thanks.

 

[Kichu]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

Yea, will go for better kit. Will be there any small projectors which can be used in the place of fog?

Before installing the fog lamp, I made the alignment lowest as possible in the right hand side so as not to disturb the oncoming traffic. I hate blinding the people.

Dont know why it cause the glare on the left hand side, is it because it aligned too high? Or is there any problem with the reflector? Both are the stock mga fog assembly. Anyways I dont use them too much.

 

[bhvm]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

Yea, will go for better kit. Will be there any small projectors which can be used in the place of fog?

Before installing the fog lamp, I made the alignment lowest as possible in the right hand side so as not to disturb the oncoming traffic. I hate blinding the people.

Dont know why it cause the glare on the left hand side, is it because it aligned too high? Or is there any problem with the reflector? Both are the stock mga fog assembly. Anyways I dont use them too much.

1. you can search for'hella mirco de' these are dedicated fog projectors. else, you can also. go for eBay bi xenons, and set them in low beams. prices are very less and low beam pattern is very similar to a fog pattern, both have
cutoffs.

2. I guess yes. it's because both of them Are set to different height. fog beam pattern is not usually as long range as your main headlight. no amount of alignment will give you 100+ feet range. fogs are realistically working in 0-50 ft working range.

3. HID install in reflector housings is always a hit or miss affair. my xuv and i10 both tale very kindly to HID FOG. fortuner does not. I guess projectors it is then!

 

[bhvm]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

dear kichu,
Ultimate {Hella MICRO DE} FOG Upgrade: Halogen to HID (56k big no no))

 

[Kichu]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

Had gone through this link a couple of years back.

THe problem is they are not feasible into a-star's fog.
gear heads.in /showthread.php?4825-Auxiliary-lamps-for-A-Star&p=119131&viewfull=1#post119131

Have a plan to go for a projector hid headlights but worried about getting caught by the cops.

 

[bhvm]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

Had gone through this link a couple of years back.

THe problem is they are not feasible into a-star's fog.
gear heads.in /showthread.php?4825-Auxiliary-lamps-for-A-Star&p=119131&viewfull=1#post119131

Have a plan to go for a projector hid headlights but worried about getting caught by the cops.

yeah that's a sad story,
cops are allergic to properly modified lamps but are not affected by high wattage, high beaming morons.

I guess you can try out eBay bi xenon projectors. they're very cheap. about 2k a piece. I'm looking forward to having them in my i10 blue boy as a second set of low beams. but not anytime soon.

 

[Kichu]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Techincal review and Install (W+Pics)

yeah that's a sad story,
cops are allergic to properly modified lamps but are not affected by high wattage, high beaming morons.

I guess you can try out eBay bi xenon projectors. they're very cheap. about 2k a piece. I'm looking forward to having them in my i10 blue boy as a second set of low beams. but not anytime soon.

Ya thats very true. Cops should atleast show some interest to check the level of the light beam before charging them hefty fine.

Have a look into this

Regards.,

 

[tdautoz]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Technical Review and Install (W+Pics)

Dear Bhvm,

Thanks for your valuable feedback. Really appreciated.

This detailed review would help buyers to buy the right products.

Regards
TDAutoz

 

[bhvm]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Technical Review and Install (W+Pics)

Hi BHVM,
Thanks for your suggestion, wonderful thread. You explained each bit of it.
Is there possibility of not fitting the HID bulb properly in the Projector, as when I get the demo from my local accessories shop, I can see the beam from my driver side projector but from the passenger side the beam was not coming in the same way. So I raised this question to the mechanic and he did some adjustments and said the bulb was not put correctly. So is it possible if HID bulb is not inserted correctly it can lead to wrong beam throw and glare too ?


Secondly, when I took the test drive , I don't know whether you have noticed this, I saw two black shades parallel in middle while light is on. I checked the projector lamp very closely and noticed that there are two small marks or groves (parallel) on top side in both projectors and probably that is why the black image is visible.


Thirdly, I was told that for XUV we need different set of HID, the one which comes with Relay attached to the ballast, the one only with ballast will not work and it might lead to wheezing sound and flickering, is that true also ?

1) Yes, If the Bulb was not Centered properly or is placed Upside-Down, It can lead to a funny beam pattern. Some people simply force the bulb in without respect to marking or Tabs.

2) Some people confuse the Cutoffs with Shadows. The purpose of Cutoff (Glare shield) is to limit the output of Light so as to prevent Blinding of Oncoming vehicles. However I do agree that Cutoffs in XUV are a bit too aggressive. Its good for Oncomers but gives shadowy effect to self.
In first few page of my XUV Thunderbolt thread, I have posted the pics of the same. I have already gone through 4~5 Stages of Lighting Upgrades, Including LED, DRL and HIDs. Perhaps you may want to take a look.

OTHERWISE, it could be wrong Bulb install giving you funny shadows.
Park your car against a flat wall and compare the beams with My Pics.

3) XUV has Relays inbuilt. Don't bother with extra wirings. The wiring in XUV is already very complicated,Do not disturb.

4) if your Ears are extra sensitive like mine, you may hear a small Buzzing sound from the ballasts. Its just that the ballasts boosting Voltages (PWM) for Warm-up of the bulbs. Its normal behavior.

 

[adeshsingh]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Technical Review and Install (W+Pics)

Thanks! I think the best way to get HID installed is to take the headlight out otherwise fitting it with current setup it would be very difficult to get the bulb aligned.

 

[antanshank]

Re: 4300K Quality HID Kit Technical Review and Install (W+Pics)

Hi,

Just bought Ciaz Zxi which has projectors but use normal H7 halogen bulbs.
Need your suggestion among which should I opt for:
a. Better Halogen Bulb like Osram Night Breaker Ultimate H7 type. This has better light plus direct fit and also no void in warranty.
b. Or go for HID? If yes please provide the details of HID I must look for (I have no idea of HIDs), will this void warranty? where to buy I stay in small city in West Bengal.

Thanks in advance.