Headlights - To HID Or Not

EfylSetaf · November 27th, 2007, 12:27 AM

I was wondering what people's thoughts were with the '08 HID headlights. I'm looking at an '07 GT that has the driving lights but no HID, obviously (... '08's are the first year HIDs are offered).

Do the driving lights help compensate alot? I live out in the far, far western burbs of Chicago and bright lights are definitely a necessity - two lane and even four lane roads with no street lights are very common.

The '07s are $1500 cheaper and I'm sure the dealer could cut me more slack on the '07 than the '08.

There aren't any aftermarket conversion kits I would trust - calibrating HIDs so you don't blind people is a PITA. But by the same token, the '07 is prolly gonna be $3,000 cheaper - and I don't know if HIDs are worth three grand. Three grand would get me a spyder shaft and some yummy, yummy suspension mods.

Thoughts?

Luis_GT · November 27th, 2007, 12:32 AM

I drive through pitch black roads all the time and the stock head + fog lights light the road well... bet then again... I have good vision

Emay · November 27th, 2007, 09:54 AM

Efyl,

I have my fogs relocated down for the aftermarket fascia, and that lessened my lighting, but those fog/driving lights are not that great and they turn off when you turn on your bright lights.

I did add some Sylvania Silverstar bulbs in the headlamps and they brightened things up considerably, they are no where close to HID material though. I'm close to you, and if Huntley road is a familiar road for you head out toward RT 47 and such, then you know I travel some dark roads as well. I see fine and cannot even come close to saying HIDS are worth the 3k. Keep in mind, the 08 hids are not projectored hids.

06RedfireGT · November 27th, 2007, 01:11 PM

You could try to get some of the Saleen HIDs off of Ebay.

Goldenpony · November 28th, 2007, 11:23 PM

Before you say there are no after market kits you would trust, look into Retro-Solutions.com. They're much more sophisticated than most of the kits.

EfylSetaf · November 29th, 2007, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Goldenpony

Before you say there are no after market kits you would trust, look into Retro-Solutions.com. They're much more sophisticated than most of the kits.

Thanks for the link, Goldenpony. Those angel eye kits look pretty gosh darn cool. I'm almost sorry I'm trading in my wanna-be-a-ricer Scion any day now on an understated muscle car.

Those would have looked nice on the little scion.

And you're right, Retro-Solutions do look like they try pretty hard with their retrofitting.

But aren't retrofitted lamps illegal?

I'm not one to shy away from something merely because there are vague rules about it and someone (me, heh) posts a stern warning from some website - but they make at least one good point - the original halogen enclosure, with all of its refracting surfaces, is focused by the engineers at the OEM R&D specifically for the halogen bulb, not a xenon arc. Apparently that changes the reflections considerably and is why the aftermarket HID kits have bits of glare that pop out beyond the angle of the intended cutoff.

I guess my mistake was in assuming all factory HID lighting is the same. Do the Ford HID systems have an auto-levelling feature that the European cars do? From what Emay said, I'm beginning to think I'd be expecting too much.

I wonder about the practicality of attempting to mod in an auto-levelling feature. Can't be that hard... I just wonder if its worth the bother. I was used to the systems from BMW and never, ever got any angry flashed lights while motoring around in my poor ole z4.

06RedfireGT · November 29th, 2007, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by EfylSetaf

I'm almost sorry I'm trading in my wanna-be-a-ricer Scion any day now on an understated muscle car.

If you are that worried about it just buy the Saleen HIDs.

EfylSetaf · November 30th, 2007, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by 06RedfireGT

If you are that worried about it just buy the Saleen HIDs.

Dude... you're right. Those do sound good. The certified compliant with DOT regulations sounds good too. I'm in the middle of a deal for an '08 Dark Candy Apple Red right now (HIDs weren't the deciding factor after all), but if the deal falls apart, I'll aim for an 07 Redfire next month and add the Saleen HIDs later.

Hehehe. Thanks for the info everyone! I certainly learned a helluva lot about headlights. Damn, and not the ladies' kind either!

06GTMustang89 · November 30th, 2007, 01:04 AM

HID Dual Beam Headlight Conversion Kit for 2005+ Mustang (H13 Bulb)

those aren't good?? i was thinking about those...

Luis_GT · November 30th, 2007, 01:07 AM

Originally Posted by 06GTMustang89

HID Dual Beam Headlight Conversion Kit for 2005+ Mustang (H13 Bulb)

those aren't good?? i was thinking about those...

it just converts the lines to support HID lights... the stock headlights aren't made for HID... you need headlights designed for the HID ark

EfylSetaf · November 30th, 2007, 01:16 AM

Originally Posted by Luis_GT

it just converts the lines to support HID lights... the stock headlights aren't made for HID... you need headlights designed for the HID ark

Exactly. From what I've read, the housings made for Halogens have reflector panels designed, engineered and tested for the point where a halogen gives off light.

The kits that put "xenon bulbs" in the stock housing are technically illegal in the US and Canada (and most of Europe and South American nations, etc,) because the xenon (HID) arc point is different from the Halogen point. The end result is the housing, with all the reflective surfaces aimed specifically for halogens, can never fully and accurately reflect the Xenons and thus have the possibilty of sending light directly at the eyes of an oncoming driver. Which is very, very, very painful. Ow.

But if Saleen actually did develope their own system that's DOT approved, that works for me.

leebunnyz · November 30th, 2007, 01:27 AM

where exactly can i find these saleen HID's????

Luis_GT · November 30th, 2007, 01:27 AM

@ the saleen intranets webbing site

leebunnyz · November 30th, 2007, 01:30 AM

LOL @ $900 for headlights!

Luis_GT · November 30th, 2007, 01:30 AM

yah...

EfylSetaf · November 30th, 2007, 02:17 AM

It looks like they're sold out too. And Ebay turns up nothing. Talk about wild snipe hunts.

Darn. Xenons don't dare cost that much even on fancy sports cars....

06RedfireGT · November 30th, 2007, 01:13 PM

Just buy a Saleen that already has them

TheUNZippee! · November 30th, 2007, 01:15 PM

I'm with Emay, go for some GE Silverstars, they work very well.

06RedfireGT · November 30th, 2007, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by TheUNZippee!

I'm with Emay, go for some Sylvania Silverstars, they work very well.

Fix T

I have these in my Expedition and they were a big improvment.

TheUNZippee! · November 30th, 2007, 01:18 PM

lol thx. It doesn't help that I delivered to both companies this past week.

November 27th, 2007, 12:27 AM	#1
EfylSetaf Hardcore Enthusiast 2008 Mustang GT Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: West [of] Chicago Posts: 2,005	Headlights - To HID Or Not I was wondering what people's thoughts were with the '08 HID headlights. I'm looking at an '07 GT that has the driving lights but no HID, obviously (... '08's are the first year HIDs are offered). Do the driving lights help compensate alot? I live out in the far, far western burbs of Chicago and bright lights are definitely a necessity - two lane and even four lane roads with no street lights are very common. The '07s are $1500 cheaper and I'm sure the dealer could cut me more slack on the '07 than the '08. There aren't any aftermarket conversion kits I would trust - calibrating HIDs so you don't blind people is a PITA. But by the same token, the '07 is prolly gonna be $3,000 cheaper - and I don't know if HIDs are worth three grand. Three grand would get me a spyder shaft and some yummy, yummy suspension mods. Thoughts?

November 27th, 2007, 09:54 AM	#3
Emay May 08 ROTM 2007 Mustang GT slow Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Look over your shoulder Posts: 4,736	Efyl, I have my fogs relocated down for the aftermarket fascia, and that lessened my lighting, but those fog/driving lights are not that great and they turn off when you turn on your bright lights. I did add some Sylvania Silverstar bulbs in the headlamps and they brightened things up considerably, they are no where close to HID material though. I'm close to you, and if Huntley road is a familiar road for you head out toward RT 47 and such, then you know I travel some dark roads as well. I see fine and cannot even come close to saying HIDS are worth the 3k. Keep in mind, the 08 hids are not projectored hids. __________________

November 27th, 2007, 01:11 PM	#4
06RedfireGT Like a Boss 2006 Mustang GT 13ish....maybe Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: I'm so badass I make medicine cry Posts: 18,383	You could try to get some of the Saleen HIDs off of Ebay. __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ Liberals are like cheese, they are full of holes, and stink. They lack the moral fiber to function as most of us do. When the world turns to chaos because of their actions, we will simply know them as food for the rest of us.

November 28th, 2007, 11:23 PM	#5
Goldenpony Regular Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 223	HID Before you say there are no after market kits you would trust, look into Retro-Solutions.com. They're much more sophisticated than most of the kits.

November 30th, 2007, 01:04 AM	#9
06GTMustang89 MM Fanatic 2006 Mustang GT 6spd 12.61@109mph Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,179	HID Dual Beam Headlight Conversion Kit for 2005+ Mustang (H13 Bulb) those aren't good?? i was thinking about those... __________________ JLT CAI: KOOKS LT's: Comp NSR II's: 4.56's: TR6060: Steeda LCA, UCA: QA1's: Roush rear springs...see garage for more.

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November 30th, 2007, 01:27 AM	#12
leebunnyz MM Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Vineland, NJ Posts: 3,569	where exactly can i find these saleen HID's???? __________________ Jesus Christ is #1 "The Founder Of Crews"

November 30th, 2007, 01:30 AM	#14
leebunnyz MM Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Vineland, NJ Posts: 3,569	LOL @ $900 for headlights! __________________ Jesus Christ is #1 "The Founder Of Crews"

November 30th, 2007, 02:17 AM	#16
EfylSetaf Hardcore Enthusiast 2008 Mustang GT Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: West [of] Chicago Posts: 2,005	It looks like they're sold out too. And Ebay turns up nothing. Talk about wild snipe hunts. Darn. Xenons don't dare cost that much even on fancy sports cars....

November 30th, 2007, 01:13 PM	#17
06RedfireGT Like a Boss 2006 Mustang GT 13ish....maybe Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: I'm so badass I make medicine cry Posts: 18,383	Just buy a Saleen that already has them __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ Liberals are like cheese, they are full of holes, and stink. They lack the moral fiber to function as most of us do. When the world turns to chaos because of their actions, we will simply know them as food for the rest of us.

November 30th, 2007, 01:15 PM	#18
TheUNZippee! Moderator 2007 Mustang GT 282 rwhp/292 rwtq Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 26,479	I'm with Emay, go for some GE Silverstars, they work very well. __________________ Team Ricer GT's Co-Founder Dan: NOT A PROBLEM. Crew Founder

November 30th, 2007, 01:18 PM	#20
TheUNZippee! Moderator 2007 Mustang GT 282 rwhp/292 rwtq Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 26,479	lol thx. It doesn't help that I delivered to both companies this past week. __________________ Team Ricer GT's Co-Founder Dan: NOT A PROBLEM. Crew Founder

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