Hello all..HIDS. ..are they worth it..?

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kingfisher73
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Hello all..HIDS. ..are they worth it..?

Postby kingfisher73 » Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:02 pm

So every other wknd I drive approx 250 km each way on a very dark hwy and not impressed with my original headlights on my 2005 SE.
I am considering getting an HID kit..but wonder if it's really a difference worth the money.
My lenses are crystal clear as well.
any opinions would be helpful..


azaizai
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Postby azaizai » Mon Nov 16, 2015 5:35 am

I think the general consensus is that the kits dont do enough focusing and you just waste you money.

I've done a little research on teh topic, and people on teh forum have done some work, but most people go aftermarket for the whole housing. A decent set is a couple hundred dollars and have a much more focused lense and pattern. Not quite HID but infinitely better than the stock light.

The website I've been keeping an eye on is CARiD.com.

Subnote: There's a design break between either 2007 and 2008 or 2009. So make sure the headlight you buy is for your vehicle. They wont fit back and forth so be careful.

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NVSteve
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Re: Hello all..HIDS. ..are they worth it..?

Postby NVSteve » Mon Nov 16, 2015 10:16 am

kingfisher73 wrote:So every other wknd I drive approx 250 km each way on a very dark hwy and not impressed with my original headlights on my 2005 SE.
I am considering getting an HID kit..but wonder if it's really a difference worth the money.
My lenses are crystal clear as well.
any opinions would be helpful..
You have 3 options:
1. Put HIDs in your current headlight assemblies (OEM). This is a bad idea as the beam pattern is scattered all over the place and you will end up blinding people.

2. Order up some new headlight assemblies from carid.com. These have projectors for the low beams and work pretty well with HIDs, with a good, non-blinding cutoff (I have these in mine).

3. Custom job. Remove & send in your headlight assemblies to a retrofitter. By far the most expensive option, but also the best as they all use quality components specifically suited for HID.

DanJetta
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Postby DanJetta » Mon Nov 16, 2015 3:49 pm

You can also throw some driving lights on the front. When aimed correctly, they make a world of difference.

Not sure about Canada but in the US, Tungsten/HID spot lights and fog lamps are a legal addition to low beams; LEDs and flood/long throw lamps are okay when wired to your high beams.

kingfisher73
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Location: North Bay Ontario Canada

Postby kingfisher73 » Mon Nov 16, 2015 6:30 pm

thank you all.
I do have a very bright led light bar. .that lights up everything I want..just hate I have to keep turning it on n off for other motorists. .

TooTallMike
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Re: Hello all..HIDS. ..are they worth it..?

Postby TooTallMike » Sun Nov 22, 2015 12:37 am

kingfisher73 wrote:So every other wknd I drive approx 250 km each way on a very dark hwy and not impressed with my original headlights on my 2005 SE.
I am considering getting an HID kit..but wonder if it's really a difference worth the money.
My lenses are crystal clear as well.
any opinions would be helpful..
Hi there I've just installed these and aimed my lights down a bit and they are money compared to the oem bulbs I had. They are real simple plug and play and also comes with the harness. This is my second set and I've never had an issue with them. Hope this helps. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004ZF3FJ ... th=1&psc=1

Kestral
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Postby Kestral » Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:34 am

I have a bull bar that I am going to add some Hella driving lights to. Years ago I had Hella 550 drivers on a car and it was fantastic made a huge difference. I am sure Hella has some better options now. And yes the stock R51 headlights are less then "ok"

skinny2
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Postby skinny2 » Sun Nov 22, 2015 8:16 am

It's pretty easy to wire up the light bars or Hellas to fire with your high beams. Then you don't have to worry about turning them on/off individually.

Skalnbrg
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Aftermarket Headlamp assembly

Postby Skalnbrg » Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:25 pm

I had 9007 HID's in my stock assembly for a couple of years. They worked great until the level adjustment broke on the assembly's. So now I'm looking at the aftermarket housings. Anyone have these? Any suggestions? HID is a requirement for me.

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labsy
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Postby labsy » Wed Apr 27, 2016 3:41 am

I'd (and I will) definitely go with replacement housing with lenses, because OEM focuses are quite bad, regardless of using normal, HID or even LED bulbs. Actually the WORST experience ever was with LED bulbs for driving lights, as LEDs light source has much bigger area than normal/HID bulb's filament, so the result is lost focus and spreaded output beam.

What to look for are replacement housings with LENSES, but not all are good for HIDs! Watch for HID/Xenon bulb option when buying new light assembly.

Skalnbrg
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Postby Skalnbrg » Wed Apr 27, 2016 4:20 pm

So are you saying stay away from HID/xenon style? I was looking at these and then just replacing the H1 with HID H1's. Thoughts?
Image

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labsy
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Postby labsy » Wed May 04, 2016 3:22 pm

AFAIK those are the only one (or one of two) models available for Pathfinder. My concerns:
- how those handle the motorized beam adjuster? Is motor separate or part of light assembly?
- I've read great reviews of those for HIGH beam, but nobody said nothing about LOW beam....which is crucial to me
- not sure if HIDs will go with those light assembly. Maybe HIDs are too hot?

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Fri May 06, 2016 10:16 am

Skalnbrg wrote:So are you saying stay away from HID/xenon style? I was looking at these and then just replacing the H1 with HID H1's. Thoughts?
Image
Those are pretty much the same ones I bought and installed a number of years ago. They work just fine with HIDs, although I only have the low beams running HID (I have a pair of HID driving lights I use when I need more light). Lenses could definitely be better, but the cutoff is pretty good & won't blind anyone. No issues with heat either.

nismopath
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Postby nismopath » Thu Jun 16, 2016 8:08 am

skinny2 wrote:It's pretty easy to wire up the light bars or Hellas to fire with your high beams. Then you don't have to worry about turning them on/off individually.
do you have a write up on how to do this ? I'd be very interested

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underworld1001
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Postby underworld1001 » Sat Dec 03, 2016 10:47 am

NVSteve wrote:
Skalnbrg wrote:So are you saying stay away from HID/xenon style? I was looking at these and then just replacing the H1 with HID H1's. Thoughts?
Image
Those are pretty much the same ones I bought and installed a number of years ago. They work just fine with HIDs, although I only have the low beams running HID (I have a pair of HID driving lights I use when I need more light). Lenses could definitely be better, but the cutoff is pretty good & won't blind anyone. No issues with heat either.
Bumping this thread with a question. Were there any moisture or leakage issues with these headlights? I've purchased a few headlight assemblies for other vehicles in the past and they almost all seem to be low quality Chinese junk that trap moisture. I would have to remove them, let them dry out, and use a silicone sealant around the assembly.


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