looking at hid kits

[derekm]

I am looking for an hid lighting kit for my 09 flex. Any recommendations on where to shop/order for a good kit that will last?

[laspariahs]

I am looking for an hid lighting kit for my 09 flex. Any recommendations on where to shop/order for a good kit that will last?

I wouldn't get a aftermarket hid kit. For one, they are all illegal, also a good one, that's auto leveling will cost a lot, while still being illegal. Also screwing with the electronics in modern cars is imho asking for trouble.

It's just not worth it to me.

[derekm]

illegal?

[laspariahs]

illegal?

Yup, they aren't DOT legal, every lighting system has to be certified on every car, so I have been told. So unless it's the same system ford uses (if they have a system for the 09 flex), it's illegal.

It's possible for a manufacturer to go through the process, but from what I've been told, none have. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not.

[fasterlaster]

I talked with my neighbor a CSP Trooper and here was his take. Anything not DOT certified is illegal to run, but that aside unless you go with a really odd color the chances of anyone noticing is low, especially with so many new cars running HID. I have not put any sets on my autos, but the HID set I put on my old F3 was night and day difference.

[longrider]

Yes it is illegal but I have been running it in my bikes for years with no issues, including getting pulled over once at night. (for something else) Your best source is DDM Tuning, their tuning business is for BMW but they have HID for everything. I would recommend the relay kit so you power it directly off the battery, and if needed they have the necessary circuit to trick bulb out detectors into not going off. http://www.ddmtuning.com/

[drago52]

I used the DDM tuning kit on my truck and my ulysses. Everything has worked great. I highly recommend them.

[DevilsTonic]

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/. I will be ordering projector HIDs for my truck from them in the near future.

[Ricky]

lol @ HID's being illegal. HID's themselves are not illegal. Modification of a DOT approved headlamp makes the headlamp not DOT approved. Then yes, in most states, use of a non DOT approved headlight is illegal.

That said, thousands of people do retrofits alllllllll the time. If done properly, they are far better than some of the DOT approved headlights. But it doesn't matter, because there's no cop in the world that is smart enough to look at headlights and say "Those aren't supposed to be HID's", then write you a ticket for it. Especially if they are done right.

I just got done doing a retrofit in my 95 Tacoma, and they are gorgeous. No cop would know they are modified, and the light spread and cutoff is way better than the reflection of the cheap housings I bought to replace the OEM ones. I used to get flashed because they were just horrible in how they spread the light. Now with HID projectors, people don't have an issue.

Aside from that, I laugh at the comment that "screwing with the electronics in modern cars is imho asking for trouble". Seriously? You're afraid of disconnecting 2 wires, and reconnecting them to something else? Well then, don't do any modifications to your own bike because many of them operate with a single positive a negative wire just like any other electronic device. The only time you would have any issues is on a car with a CAN BUS system that already has HID's. They generally use a special system to communicate with the bulbs for checking if they are lighting up. But even then, the retrofit source has adapters for CAN BUS cars.

I ordered everything from www.theretrofitsource.com. Just about to order another kit for my bike, then I plan on doing Leah's Tacoma soon.

This is a picture of my HID retrofit I just did on my truck, and the OEM HID's on my car. Can you tell which is the retrofit?

[Sparker]

I have an sequoia with the sylvania superstars and they rock. In regular beams i always get flashed at cause people think they are the brights. Ive been next to HIDs and the sylvanias are almost as bright, just in a different "color" i guess. Ive been happy with them.

[bulldog]

I bought my kit off of Ebay and they have been working for over two years. I have never got pulled over for them. I would say after you go HID you will never want to go back to regular bulbs; so much clearer and brighter! I never had to splice any wires either as the kit plugged right into my current housing and was a simple install IMO and I have little car electronic experience except for audio.

If you are getting a HID kit I would recommend that you have a projection headlight with it as well; really only way to properly use them!

[OUTLAWD]

I have an sequoia with the sylvania superstars and they rock. In regular beams i always get flashed at cause people think they are the brights. Ive been next to HIDs and the sylvanias are almost as bright, just in a different "color" i guess. Ive been happy with them.

I was happy with mine, but they only last about a year on the bike...after replacing them a few times, its the same cost as an HID conversion

[bulldog]

I was happy with mine, but they only last about a year on the bike...after replacing them a few times, its the same cost as an HID conversion

Except HID bulbs last a lot longer....and are way better

People use to flash me about my HID lights, so I bought a relay that still lets my brights come on with my HID's. Love to flash them back with even more light!

[laspariahs]

Factory hid's are not illegal, obviously. This thread is about aftermarket hid kits, which are illegal. Will you get caught, I have no idea, and honestly doubt it, but that doesn't make them legal.

[asp_125]

If you aim them so they don't cause glare then chances are low that you will get caught. ... that and don't use the cheap blueish ones that look obviously ricer.

[OUTLAWD]

Except HID bulbs last a lot longer....and are way better

my point exactly...

I'm not sure if anything is legal on my bike...loud non-oem exhaust, "off road" map, "not for highway use" tires, might as well add HIDs...I think the trackbike is probably more legal that the streetbike

[Ricky]

Factory hid's are not illegal, obviously. This thread is about aftermarket hid kits, which are illegal. Will you get caught, I have no idea, and honestly doubt it, but that doesn't make them legal.

Turning right without using your blinker is also illegal, but nobody is making a big deal about it.

Aftermarket HID kits ARE NOT ILLEGAL. Modified headlight housings are no longer DOT approved, making them illegal. What you are saying is that ALL aftermarket HID kits are illegal, which is absolutely incorrect.

[bulldog]

my point exactly...

I'm not sure if anything is legal on my bike...loud non-oem exhaust, "off road" map, "not for highway use" tires, might as well add HIDs...I think the trackbike is probably more legal that the streetbike

Yup, you would be surprised how many things on a bike are considered illegal! Hell even my car has illegal tint, but I have never been bothered with that and been pulled over for speeding many times. Saying aftermarket HID's are illegal is crazy considered most high end cars now come with them, so there are a lot of them on the road. Like others said as long as they are aimed right and not some odd color, you will be fine. If anything you will love them!

[sag]

hids in halogen housings are ghetto and ugly and make you look like a toolbag, especially if its anything warmer than 6000k. i hate them in cars, if youre not going to retrofit properly then just get some REAL halogens bulbs from like osram or piaa. id put my halogen setup against any car with hids scattering all over the place in a test of output. i especially want to become a cop to pull over the D-tards with lifted trucks and hids. even when theyre aimed at the ground there are still hot spots and theyre still bright even in the non focused areas. oh and i hate people with hid fogs unless theyre yellow, those are absolute garbage in any real fog/snow/rain

double standard time: bikers are excused. everyone could help being seen and i think youre safer blinding people who know there is something there then letting them turn left in fron of you and taking you out. oh and remember, whiter is brighter.

[ChrisCBX]

I was happy with mine, but they only last about a year on the bike...after replacing them a few times, its the same cost as an HID conversion

I've used the super Sylvanias on my bikes and truck. They are noticeably better than OEM but I've also noticed that they have a relatively short life span.

I'll eventually try a switch to HID's on my Kawi sport tourer.

[OUTLAWD]

if youre not going to retrofit properly then just get some REAL halogens bulbs from like osram or piaa. id put my halogen setup against any car with hids scattering all over the place in a test of output.

If you don't mind me asking, what bulbs you running? I've got silverstars in my triumph, and they are OK, but not great...and they burn out quite often.

[Ricky]

hids in halogen housings are ghetto and ugly and make you look like a toolbag, especially if its anything warmer than 6000k. i hate them in cars, if youre not going to retrofit properly then just get some REAL halogens bulbs from like osram or piaa. id put my halogen setup against any car with hids scattering all over the place in a test of output. i especially want to become a cop to pull over the D-tards with lifted trucks and hids. even when theyre aimed at the ground there are still hot spots and theyre still bright even in the non focused areas. oh and i hate people with hid fogs unless theyre yellow, those are absolute garbage in any real fog/snow/rain

double standard time: bikers are excused. everyone could help being seen and i think youre safer blinding people who know there is something there then letting them turn left in fron of you and taking you out. oh and remember, whiter is brighter.

Absolutely! And what's funny about that, is because the housings on some headlights have not been modified, these HID kits are perfectly legal if the bulb color temp is white or yellow.

When I first did my HID kit in my truck, I knew it was awful. I hated the 6000k color, and didn't like how the light shined on the road. While I was doing my retrofit, I actually put my silverstar sealed beams back in, and while I didn't like the color of the light, the light spread was WAY better. With the projectors, I now have a solid cutoff that doesn't put my headlights into rear/side view mirrors of cars in front of me. I went with the 4300k bulbs in my new setup, and while you can't tell in the picture above, the color is slightly more yellow than the OEM bulbs in my car. I think for the bike I'll go with 5000k.

I see your point on the bikes having light and being seen, but blinding oncoming traffic at night isn't the right thing to do either... Just because you blind them with light, doesn't guarantee they won't hit you.

[bulldog]

Really HID's should not be installed on anything but a projection headlight, because these are what they are designed for. In a regular housing you are going to get light scattered in all directions.

[Ricky]

Really HID's should not be installed on anything but a projection headlight, because these are what they are designed for. In a regular housing you are going to get light scattered in all directions.

I agree, but there are quite a few OEM HID setups that aren't projection based, and look as great as a halogen setup. One example are the earlier Prius cars. They are HID, but non-projection. My boss has an 07, and the headlights are awesome, but you can tell that the reflector is specifically designed for HID light.