School me on HIDs

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Bullitt5339

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I know absolutely nothing.......

The reason I ask is that I recently put tinted headlights on my truck and I drove it for the first time at night tonight and to be honest......... I couldn't see ****. I was driving with my high beams on and still couldn't see anything. I like the way the headlights look, but need some more output. I am going to wire up the foglights next week to help out a little, but they're tinted as well and I'd like to get them as bright as possible.

So what do I need to know about HIDs before purchasing? Are there preferred brands or brands to stay away from?
 

MADDOG

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I'd say you need to know the following:

1. Don't get just any HID kit. You need one that is CanBus compatible otherwise things just won't work right. Your headlights will flicker and eventually shut down.

2. Do NOT put HID's in a stock reflector capsule. It may look like a good light from the driver's perspective but it blinds oncoming drivers and may be illegal in your area. It is suggested you get some projector based headlight capsules (aftermarket or modify an OEM set to add the projectors) for a safer light output that gives you a nice cutoff.

I bought an aftermarket set of OEM headlights and sent them to RetroShop for a modification to black out the capsules and add some Morimoto projectors. If you get an set of aftermarket projectors no real modification needs to be made to those. You just get a good HID kit that is CanBus compatible and you are good to co.

3. Look for an HID kit with resistance on the passenger side headlight harness connector. You'll need that resistance to avoid bulb out issues.

4. Contact Jeremy at RetroShop, a preferred vendor here, and he can hook you up regardless of what way you decide to go.

HID bulbs come in color. Here's a sample chart:

HIDColorChart.png

I added a 6500K HID kit to my 2014 2500 that I got from Jeremy and am very happy with it. He also helped me get HID's running on my 2007 Ram MegaCab, the "Demon Truck From Hell That Hates HIDs" - his words, not mine - which was a real struggle. Things have improved considerably since then.

Good luck!
 

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Personally I would go with leds over hids now. The led bulbs have come down in cost to where they are affordable and the good quality kits (not the cheap eBay junk) are really nice. Leds are instant on and being turned on and off quickly won't damage them like hids. I installed 2 sets of the Opt7 fluxbeam led kits in friend's cars and they impressed me. The bulbs are installed in machined aluminum housings that have been anodized and have built in heat sinks and cooling fans. And I believe they are can bus compatible out of the box. And the leds seem to be much less finicky about electrical fluctuations and don't seem to cause the RF interference with some of the vehicle's electronics like hids have been known to do.

Not hating on hids, but having used them for many years in my own vehicles and now seeing the new led kits, the leds are definitely the way to go imo.
 

usaf2006

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Good stuff here. I've wanted to tint my headlights and was concerned about brightness.
 

00R/T

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Personally I would go with leds over hids now. The led bulbs have come down in cost to where they are affordable and the good quality kits (not the cheap eBay junk) are really nice. Leds are instant on and being turned on and off quickly won't damage them like hids. I installed 2 sets of the Opt7 fluxbeam led kits in friend's cars and they impressed me. The bulbs are installed in machined aluminum housings that have been anodized and have built in heat sinks and cooling fans. And I believe they are can bus compatible out of the box. And the leds seem to be much less finicky about electrical fluctuations and don't seem to cause the RF interference with some of the vehicle's electronics like hids have been known to do.

Not hating on hids, but having used them for many years in my own vehicles and now seeing the new led kits, the leds are definitely the way to go imo.



There's is absolutely zero comparison from a performance standpoint. HIDs outperform any LED "bulb" in existence. The technology just isn't there yet. The only LEDs that are acceptable for primary lighting are integrated projectors specifically built for that purpose. And, even then, they can't compete with good HID projectors with good bulbs and ballasts.
 

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I know absolutely nothing.......

The reason I ask is that I recently put tinted headlights on my truck and I drove it for the first time at night tonight and to be honest......... I couldn't see ****. I was driving with my high beams on and still couldn't see anything. I like the way the headlights look, but need some more output. I am going to wire up the foglights next week to help out a little, but they're tinted as well and I'd like to get them as bright as possible.

So what do I need to know about HIDs before purchasing? Are there preferred brands or brands to stay away from?

Personally I would go with leds over hids now. The led bulbs have come down in cost to where they are affordable and the good quality kits (not the cheap eBay junk) are really nice. Leds are instant on and being turned on and off quickly won't damage them like hids. I installed 2 sets of the Opt7 fluxbeam led kits in friend's cars and they impressed me. The bulbs are installed in machined aluminum housings that have been anodized and have built in heat sinks and cooling fans. And I believe they are can bus compatible out of the box. And the leds seem to be much less finicky about electrical fluctuations and don't seem to cause the RF interference with some of the vehicle's electronics like hids have been known to do.

Not hating on hids, but having used them for many years in my own vehicles and now seeing the new led kits, the leds are definitely the way to go imo.
I agree with justin. Leds are awesome and don't require a projector.

Check out my install and review thread on one of the more popular LED Bulbs for our trucks.

http://www.ramforum.com/showthread.php?t=95801

They are insanely bright and will give you all the light you need. And you won't need to fork over hundreds or thousands for proper projectors.

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I know absolutely nothing.......

The reason I ask is that I recently put tinted headlights on my truck and I drove it for the first time at night tonight and to be honest......... I couldn't see ****. I was driving with my high beams on and still couldn't see anything. I like the way the headlights look, but need some more output. I am going to wire up the foglights next week to help out a little, but they're tinted as well and I'd like to get them as bright as possible.

So what do I need to know about HIDs before purchasing? Are there preferred brands or brands to stay away from?

Good stuff here. I've wanted to tint my headlights and was concerned about brightness.
Also, just to let you know, I installed a 35w 6000k HID Kit in my 2006 Ram smoked (tinted) headlights and the HID'S got so hot that they started to melt the headlights because they were tinted.

I highly suggest NOT putting HID's into any kind of Smoked Housing as hid's run super hot and will melt the plastic and tint.

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00R/T

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They are insanely bright

True.

and will give you all the light you need


False.

People get the impression that LEDs perform well because they are bright and generate a lot of light. The problem is that the light doesn't travel. People just look at the foreground and think their lights are great. That's not where the light is important though. If you go out to a distance of 200ft or so and measure with a luxmeter the difference is dramatic. The LEDs will have basically nothing left at that point. When your headlights can't adequately light up a point further than your braking distance, you have a very dangerous situation on your hands.

See the lack of a hotspot here? That's not a good thing.

718e1680864905b2011ea6499df40490.jpg


e225b06138a2cc7ec0b88940afc0073d.jpg
 

OnSale

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True.




False.

People get the impression that LEDs perform well because they are bright and generate a lot of light. The problem is that the light doesn't travel. People just look at the foreground and think their lights are great. That's not where the light is important though. If you go out to a distance of 200ft or so and measure with a luxmeter the difference is dramatic. The LEDs will have basically nothing left at that point. When your headlights can't adequately light up a point further than your braking distance, you have a very dangerous situation on your hands.

See the lack of a hotspot here? That's not a good thing.

718e1680864905b2011ea6499df40490.jpg


e225b06138a2cc7ec0b88940afc0073d.jpg
I dunno these Opt-7 bulbs put out some light far away.

f7044a7aac15d6055f928212db2e72cf.jpg
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All of the other photos I tried to take while driving came out blurry or looking like **** cause I was focused on driving lol.

But these LED's definitely went furthur down the road then my halogens and they also lit up signs hundreds and hundreds of feet away. I was blown away by how these LED's would help me see street signs 100x easier.

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12sportmc

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Also, just to let you know, I installed a 35w 6000k HID Kit in my 2006 Ram smoked (tinted) headlights and the HID'S got so hot that they started to melt the headlights because they were tinted.

I highly suggest NOT putting HID's into any kind of Smoked Housing as hid's run super hot and will melt the plastic and tint.

Sent from hell via TapATalk


HIDs need to be in a projector housing! Period and fact. The way they transmit the light is focused through the projector. They are not designed to go into a standard halogen housing nor a tinted one. I hate say say this brother but it really sounds like you botched the install on your 06 and have no real experience with running a proper HID set up. 00R/T is correct on the lighting outputs and did acknowledge that LEDs are in fact very bright.

To the OP if you're looking for just a quick bulb swap go with some LEDs. I'd steer clear of the new OPT7 flux beam X simply based on the fact that they are so new and nobody has done a real long term test on how long they will actually last and if they develop issues over time. Diode Dynamics is a good brand to look into. Well established and have a phone number you can call and talk to real people with your questions.

Now if you want to go with some tried and true lighting, getting a good projector set up and some HIDs is hands down the way to go. It's really not that expensive, especially if your handy and can do the retrofit your self. As suggested by MADDOG give Jeremy a shout and he can talk to you about some good HID avenues for your year and headlights. Good luck. [emoji106]




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HIDs need to be in a projector housing! Period and fact. The way they transmit the light is focused through the projector. They are not designed to go into a standard halogen housing nor a tinted one. I hate say say this brother but it really sounds like you botched the install on your 06 and have no real experience with running a proper HID set up. 00R/T is correct on the lighting outputs and did acknowledge that LEDs are in fact very bright.

To the OP if you're looking for just a quick bulb swap go with some LEDs. I'd steer clear of the new OPT7 flux beam X simply based on the fact that they are so new and nobody has done a real long term test on how long they will actually last and if they develop issues over time. Diode Dynamics is a good brand to look into. Well established and have a phone number you can call and talk to real people with your questions.

Now if you want to go with some tried and true lighting, getting a good projector set up and some HIDs is hands down the way to go. It's really not that expensive, especially if your handy and can do the retrofit your self. As suggested by MADDOG give Jeremy a shout and he can talk to you about some good HID avenues for your year and headlights. Good luck. [emoji106]




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Yea I know they need to be in a projector housing I'm aware of that. At the time I did not care. I only had them on my truck for maybe 3 days and sold them locally.

Point being, it would be cheaper for the OP to throw in some LED Bulbs then it would be to buy oem/tyc projectors + an hid kit or to retrofit his current lights.

LED Bulbs in a halogen lense (if aimed properly) can provide a major upgrade to your lights.

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justin13703

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True.




False.

People get the impression that LEDs perform well because they are bright and generate a lot of light. The problem is that the light doesn't travel. People just look at the foreground and think their lights are great. That's not where the light is important though. If you go out to a distance of 200ft or so and measure with a luxmeter the difference is dramatic. The LEDs will have basically nothing left at that point. When your headlights can't adequately light up a point further than your braking distance, you have a very dangerous situation on your hands.

See the lack of a hotspot here? That's not a good thing.

718e1680864905b2011ea6499df40490.jpg


e225b06138a2cc7ec0b88940afc0073d.jpg

Man I'm going from 10+ years of having used hids and now hands on experience with using multiple led kits. With all due respect, I don't care what those side by side pics show. Pictures can be altered and there is no information as far as wattage or brand of any of the bulbs. They could be comparing a 55w hid kit to an led kit (which they probably are) and in that case of course the hids are going to be brighter in pictures. Doesn't mean they are a better choice.

In the pictures they are also, I'm sure, putting led bulbs into a factory hid projector. These housings are made for hids and putting an led bulb in them will result in a less than prefect beam pattern. Just like putting hids into a halogen housing will result in a less than perfect beam pattern. So following this trend, the point could be made that halogen bulbs are better than hids and leds if the right set of pictures are used.

As far as your statement about led light not traveling as far as hid light, id like to know where you heard that. Light is light. Lumens are lumens. A 3500 lumen led bulb is going to put out the same amount of light as a 3500 lumen hid bulb. Led light doesn't just vanish into nothingness on its own lol.

Like I said, you can put a 55 watt hid kit in anything and it'll be brighter than an led headlight kit. Hell, you can cover the whole front of your truck in lightbars and have a brighter setup than 55w hids. But that doesn't make it a better, more reliable choice to use for headlights.

Not trying to sound like a jerk here but to say these things don't even light up your full braking distance is 100% false. Stats on paper and then real world performance are two different things. I've had both, hids and leds, and leds are the way to go.
 
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00R/T

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Man I'm going from 10+ years of having used hids and now hands on experience with using multiple led kits. With all due respect, I don't care what those side by side pics show. Pictures can be altered and there is no information as far as wattage or brand of any of the bulbs. They could be comparing a 55w hid kit to an led kit (which they probably are) and in that case of course the hids are going to be brighter in pictures. Doesn't mean they are a better choice.

In the pictures they are also, I'm sure, putting led bulbs into a factory hid projector. These housings are made for hids and putting an led bulb in them will result in a less than prefect beam pattern. Just like putting hids into a halogen housing will result in a less than perfect beam pattern. So following this trend, the point could be made that halogen bulbs are better than hids and leds if the right set of pictures are used.

As far as your statement about led light not traveling as far as hid light, id like to know where you heard that. Light is light. Lumens are lumens. A 3500 lumen led bulb is going to put out the same amount of light as a 3500 lumen hid bulb. Led light doesn't just vanish into nothingness on its own lol.

Like I said, you can put a 55 watt hid kit in anything and it'll be brighter than an led headlight kit. Hell, you can cover the whole front of your truck in lightbars and have a brighter setup than 55w hids. But that doesn't make it a better, more reliable choice to use for headlights.

Not trying to sound like a jerk here but to say these things don't even light up your full braking distance is 100% false. Stats on paper and then real world performance are two different things. I've had both, hids and leds, and leds are the way to go.


To say that two "bulbs" (by the way, there's no such thing as an LED "bulb") generating the same amount of light will perform equally shows a complete lack of understanding of optics and how light is focused. LEDs generate light in a completely different way than HIDs, which do it differently than incandescent bulbs. Headlights are designed around a particular type of light source to take that light and put it where it is needed. That is why you will never get better performance from any headlight using a light source different than the one it was designed for. LEDs can work as primary lighting and there are some vehicles that come with LED headlights, but they utilize specially designed optics that are completely unique to LED technology.

There is a reason why reputable companies who manufacture LED lighting products (Diode Dynamics, for example) do not sell bulbs intended for use as headlights. If you could suddenly get improved and safe performance from popping LEDs into existing housings OEMs wouldn't be investing millions of dollars developing LED headlight assemblies.

To be honest, I'm not even sure what point you were trying to make. You acknowledged that putting LEDs into HID projectors will result in poorer performance than with the HID bulbs. And that putting HIDs into halogen housings has the same result. But, you pop LEDs into a halogen housing and all is well? That logic is absurd.
 

00R/T

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LED Bulbs in a halogen lense (if aimed properly) can provide a major upgrade to your lights.


That's also not true. Due to the way these LED "bulbs" produce light, it scatters tremendously. The fact that you have to adjust the aiming of your headlights proves that. By the time you aim them down enough that the scatter is below the line of vision of other drivers, they're basically aimed at the ground and you've lost a ton of distance.

This stuff isn't a matter of opinion; it's science. Pick up a luxmeter and take some measurements to see for yourself.
 

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To say that two "bulbs" (by the way, there's no such thing as an LED "bulb") generating the same amount of light will perform equally shows a complete lack of understanding of optics and how light is focused. LEDs generate light in a completely different way than HIDs, which do it differently than incandescent bulbs. Headlights are designed around a particular type of light source to take that light and put it where it is needed. That is why you will never get better performance from any headlight using a light source different than the one it was designed for. LEDs can work as primary lighting and there are some vehicles that come with LED headlights, but they utilize specially designed optics that are completely unique to LED technology.

There is a reason why reputable companies who manufacture LED lighting products (Diode Dynamics, for example) do not sell bulbs intended for use as headlights. If you could suddenly get improved and safe performance from popping LEDs into existing housings OEMs wouldn't be investing millions of dollars developing LED headlight assemblies.

To be honest, I'm not even sure what point you were trying to make. You acknowledged that putting LEDs into HID projectors will result in poorer performance than with the HID bulbs. And that putting HIDs into halogen housings has the same result. But, you pop LEDs into a halogen housing and all is well? That logic is absurd.
I know exactly what leds are but I dont intend to get into an argument about the correct terminology about the fact that leds are "diodes" instead of "bulbs" because it doesn't make me feel like any more of a man and frankly no one reading this thread gives a **** about the fact that an led is a diode that lets current pass through it in one direction and that causes electrons to jump a gap and land on the other side which causes light and all kinds of other bad-assery to happen.

The point I was getting across is simple: I've seen and used both hids and leds. And as far as a reliability and ease of install factor, combined with the clean and bright light they produce, and being less sensitive to electrical fluctuations and being instant-on with no warm up time, I would recommend to the OP to get led headlights. Also it is nice that most of the new led kits require no harnesses, even on the can bus vehicles like our trucks. If you don't like them 00r/t, sweet. Don't buy them.

I can write it out in less words next time if you'd like.
 
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00R/T

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I know exactly what leds are but I dont intend to get into an argument about the correct terminology about the fact that leds are "diodes" instead of "bulbs" because it doesn't make me feel like any more of a man and frankly no one reading this thread gives a **** about the fact that an led is a diode that lets current pass through it in one direction and that causes electrons to jump a gap and land on the other side which causes light and all kinds of other bad-assery to happen.



The point I was getting across is simple: I've seen and used both hids and leds. And as far as a reliability and ease of install factor, combined with the clean and bright light they produce, and being less sensitive to electrical fluctuations and being instant-on with no warm up time, I would recommend to the OP to get led headlights. If you don't like them 00r/t, sweet. Don't buy them.



I can write it out in less words next time if you'd like.


It's not a matter of semantics. The difference between how light is emitted by a bulb and an LED is critical to understanding why one can not be used a a replacement for another (something you've missed several times).

I have no problem with anyone doing whatever they want to their own truck until it becomes a safety issues for the rest of us who share the road with them. As long as people advocate for lighting that reduces their ability to safely navigate public roads and/or blind other drivers, I'm going to call them out on it.
 

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Let's get this back on topic for the OP lol.


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justin13703

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It's not a matter of semantics. The difference between how light is emitted by a bulb and an LED is critical to understanding why one can not be used a a replacement for another (something you've missed several times).

I have no problem with anyone doing whatever they want to their own truck until it becomes a safety issues for the rest of us who share the road with them. As long as people advocate for lighting that reduces their ability to safely navigate public roads and/or blind other drivers, I'm going to call them out on it.

You sound like you've done a lot of reading on the subject but have 0 first hand experience with these new led bulbs.

For the record, one of the vehicles I installed one of the Opt7 led kits on was an 06 GTO with (GASP) oem halogen projectors. The light output is absolutely perfect and it looks like a Lexus that came with them from the factory. I dare you to tell me that I'm blinding people or causing an unsafe condition with them. Because that's complete ********. Honestly as long as hids or leds are going into a good quality projector, and they're aimed right, you're not causing some safety hazard. Reflectors are another story.
 

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Let's get this back on topic for the OP lol.


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It's on topic. We're talking about led bulbs. And I'm giving real world info from first hand experience.
 

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Ok guys lets not turn this into a ******* match. It doesn't help the o.p. Or anybody to be honest. Let's agree to disagree at this point

If this is just civil discussion that is fine because things can be learned and I take my comment back lol, but it would have to continue to be civil
 
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