[EddNog]

The stock headlamps do have an ability to be aimed downward, so you guys with plug-n-play kits or plan to get one can always try that to see if it helps. There are photos of my car with its projectors parked right next to another one with plug-n-play kit and the difference in lighting pattern is un-$%^7in'-believable, and I thought I had mine aimed fairly high!

-Ed

 

[EddNog]

Originally posted by basilisk4@Dec 4 2005, 01:26 PM
Since all HID kits are blinding to oncoming traffic if there's any kind of a slope involved, I personally wouldn't worry too much about the HID drop-in kits.

You personally wouldn't worry too much if you were there and noticed the disparity between your plug-n-plays and somebody else's projectors as shown in the pics below (click to zoom in)?























-Ed

EDIT: The third to last pic is the one best showing the difference in pattern. If I were him, I'd aim my lights down on that bad boy.

 

[EddNog]

Originally posted by basilisk4@Dec 4 2005, 01:56 PM
I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be seeing here, other than that the light from the cheaper one goes all over the place.  Either one would blind me if I were an oncoming driver, though, so I'm not sure why I would care.

Because you're trying to minimize the amount of time you're blinding people (i.e. are you going to blind people either way? Sure, of course, unless you live in Long Island or some place that's flatter than Celine Dion, but I'd still want to minimize the amount of time people are blinded by me!!!). If more people felt the way you do, they'd drive around with their highbeams on all the time. Look at the pattern from that plug-n-play kit--it's dramatically higher than my projectors. We also compared his car to a stock car, and the bright portion of the pattern is way higher than the bright portion of the stock beam as well--if I did a plug-n-play kit, I'd do everyone else on the road a favor and use the headlamps' adjustability to lower the bright zone downward much closer to stock.

I don't know if it has to do with where you drive vs. where I drive, but if I drive around with lights like that I know I'd piss of more than a few fellow New Yorkers for being blatant about my headlight aim, and it is simply not a good idea to piss off other New York City drivers--you never know what sort of reaction you might provoke. It only takes one serious nutcase to do some serious damage.

I don't mean this in any way offenseive to you, I'm just stating that personally, I have no problem with people using plug-n-play kits so long as they do so responsibly. It is always a good idea to note your beam pattern before and after any headlight modifications and try to minimize negative impact. If at the least, particularly with after market, non-HID bulbs, you want to be sure you're actually getting brighter!

-Ed

 

[EddNog]

Originally posted by krdshrk@Dec 4 2005, 02:59 PM
Greg has his aimed UPWARDS from stock, Ed. That's why his are higher and reflect all over. Mine are aimed stock or maybe even down. Doesn't look that bad. Plus mine are 8,000K compared to his 10,000k.

Ah, thank you--he never told me that (or if he did, I, for some reason, forgot).

That's sort of obnoxious, huh?

-Ed

 

[EddNog]

Originally posted by JP'sTc@Dec 4 2005, 07:50 PM
So, not having the 1 grand or so to get retrofits, Eddnog, would you suggest and HID plug and play kit?  lol, i always ask you questions becuase you always seem to have a right and or reasonable answer. Oh and everyone else, please feel free the throw in your .2 lol

Personally, I would go with a low color temp kit like this one, which would give me the most oem-looking setup for a plug-n-play kit (EDIT: Remember that color temperature has nothing to do with brightness, just the hue of the light produced, and it's quite often that the very high color temp. lights are actually dimmer). Before installing, I'd line my car's stock beam up to a wall and take a picture of the pattern or mark it off on the wall somehow, then after doing the install, line up again on the same wall and adjust the height of the lights to match stock height. I think this would be the best way to go if you want to minimize possibility of being pulled over for the lights, and also reduce impact on other drivers.

Actually, this is the suggestion I make quite often to friends of mine who are interested in doing HIDs on their car without blowing a fat wad.

-Ed

 

[EddNog]

Originally posted by basilisk4@Dec 4 2005, 08:11 PM
If any HIDs are not brighter than stock, there is something seriously wrong.

No, I think Nick means that his HIDs are as bright, if not brighter than oem HIDs that come on cars that have HIDs from the factory, just referencing my point that very high (color) temp HID kits are often dimmer than lower temp kits.

Anyway, Nick's kit is a reasonable temp, so of course it's at least as bright, if not brighter. I'm talking about crazy things like the purple 12000K kits--more often than not, those're dimmer than going with 6000K kits or even factory color.

-Ed

 

[EddNog]

Originally posted by Plissken@Dec 4 2005, 08:44 PM
Marty when I get settled in Atlanta we need to do some serious HID investigating, it is my next wanted mod. That is after I find the time to install my new Infinity BassLink.

See, it kind of sucks that I'm here in NY, not near the Left Coast guys, and not near you Southeast guys, either.

-Ed