HID vs. LED

[sjclose99]

What is the diffrence in HID and LED headlights. Are HID lights legal in all 50 states? I really want to buy some but i heard they are for show cars only. If you know anything, please fill me in.

[shystieone]

They are different things. LED are usually used as parking lights, or turn signals, etc. Whereas HIDs are replacements of stock halogens. Yes, HIDs are illegal if not OEM, but so are ALL intakes for the Scion tC, half the exhausts out there, etc. Get my drift? It depends on where you are located, I have not been hassled for my HIDs EVER. I also havent seen anyone get pulled over for HIDs, no worries man, 99% of cops think they are OEM, thanks to the Lexus and Acura TL headlamps. I sell HIDs, so let me know if you're interested. THanks.

[taco027]

How much are the HIDs? and are they easy to install?? One of my bulbs recently burnt out and I am interested in upgrading both. Let me know

Oscar

[shystieone]

I can get them to you for 280 shipped anywhere in the US thru UPS priority w/ confirm #. The install is VERY easy, if you can put 2 clips together, pull out your stock bulbs, put the hid bulbs in, check the + and - and stick the socket into the wires. Total time: 10 min. , 20 for a newbie.

[taco027]

Wow..... I wasnt expecting that. Is there that much of a difference??? I am ingraduate school so money is really tight right now. I was looking for something lke 25-50 dollars. Any options out there that will work well??? Thanx again

Oscar

[shystieone]

yeah, there is a difference in the light output. HIDs give out 3x more light than halogen bulbs, last longer, and consume lesser wattage (35w compared to 55w halogen). HIDs go for anywhere from 200 - 400 dollars, guality explains the cost. Although McCullochs typically go for 300+ dollars, they are one of the top brands in aftermarket HIDs, with a good rep.

for 25 - 30 dollars, you can get halogen (super white) bulbs and shell out another 15-30 dollars for wire harness so your bulbs dont melt your wires. Those are your options.

[taco027]

hmm....i see...very interesting....well i would def like to go for hte higher end. Could you send me the exact information about the lights. I would like to learn more before I commit to buy. I am definitely a believer of "you pay for what you get"

Oscar

[shystieone]

check out www.hidplanet.com, many useful info there

[taco027]

which ones would you be selling me?? the 5000k the 6000k? or what? I am new to this and any bit of help is greatly appreciated.

Oscar

[shystieone]

i can get 3k (jdm yellow), 5k,6k,8k,10k, and 12k. The higher the color temp, the lesser the light. I recommend 6k, then 8k, then 5k. 5k is white white, 6k is super white w/ a lil purplish glow, 8k is bluish.

[peruano85]

well i havent been on here for a while but this is a very interesting topic..i actually have the McCulloch 5K and I love them.. on top of them being pretty bright when I installed my angel eyes i removed the cap covering the bulb

[shystieone]

removed the cap? you mean the shield on the low beams? that is the only thing that helps keep oncoming drivers from getting blinded by the light.

[peruano85]

yep thats exactly what i removed..i've had them out for 1 month and i have not had anybody flash their lights or wave at me because they are to bright..

[taco027]

Ok so after furhter research... I have found that you can do the HID upgrade by just replacing the bulbs or the actual entire casing with the HID's built into it. Are there any pros/cons for either one??? thanx!

[shystieone]

no, not for the tc, you cant just replace bulbs.. we dont have hids to begin with, what you're talking about are cars with stock hids, THOSE can upgrade to higher temp for deeper colors. for the tc, you will need to buy ballasts and bulbs in order to have hids... otherwise, you can get a retrofit (installing projectors off a tsx, s2k, 350z, bmw, benz, porsche, etc.) and THEN get ballasts and bulbs for that, usually costs 800- 1200 dollars for labor and parts.

[taco027]

Oh ok...thanx...well do you recommend any brands??? I see some on ebay ranging from 100-360?? any suggestions...

here is what i saw??? and i thought that included the combo, the light casing and the HID upconversion...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/04-06...48051757QQrdZ1

Thanx

Taco

[shystieone]

in regards to the link: it is a cheap price, but I doubt those hids will last you more than 2 months. There have been instances where cheap hids have dead ballasts or bulbs that blow out, even when taken care of. Also, the projector headlights( that particular style) have been known to give UGLY cutoffs, etc. The hids that I get are McCullochs and Autovizion, McCullochs are one of the best in aftermarket hids, if not THE best. Autovizion are almost the same as mccullochs, except the ballasts, which are made by autovizion. My friend hasnt had any problems with autovizion or the people who he has sold to. I can get McCullochs for 275, autovizion for 255, before shipping. They both come with 1 yr warranty of any defects.

[tC-sCharged]

ya the HID kits are expensive... personally i wouldnt spend that kind or money on that or the fake HID that are dot compliant; hopefully this is some helpful info:

The stock Scion tC headlight bulb is a 51 watt 9006 bulb. The 9006 bulb is very popular application in many vehicles using halogen bulbs and therefore have several aftermarket manufacturers of the headlights bulbs. Before buying a new set of bulbs there is some information you may want to consider, particularly in regards to the popular high wattage HID look-a-like bulbs. Many of these bulbs use a higher wattage than standard bulbs and using them will risk damaging parts of your vehicles.

The Scion headlight assembly is primarily composed of plastic pieces. The possibility of melting or damaging parts of the headlight assembly are increased by the extra heat put forth from these high wattage bulbs. There have been cases where headlight assemblies have started a web-like cracking due to being exposed to such high heat for extended lengths of time.

There have also been several cases of bulbs damaging the headlight wiring harness. The harnesses were designed for specific heat and power tolerances. The extra heat and power from these bulbs may melt the insulation or the wires themselves and is a very costly fix.

For those who have used those HID look-a-like bulbs, many will notice that the bulbs have a blue coating on the glass to give that white or blue hue to the outputting light. The coating also reduces the actual light output of the bulbs and successfully reduces the effectiveness and the purpose of the headlight bulbs.

Halogen lights uses current drawn through a filament to provide light. With those higher wattage bulbs the extra current burns out those filaments much quicker, hence the inquiries of several tuners in forums for long-lasting bulbs. True HID’s use a totally different type of technology which allows it to keep the temperature down while still allowing for ample amounts of light.

Another quick note to remember is that many of the aftermarket companies will state that their bulbs are DOT compliant. Headlight bulbs are not actually regulated by the Department of Transportation but by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). Many of the aftermarket headlights are illegal unless SAE approved. So when choosing halogen lights, pay close attention that you are paying for a quality product and not the marketing hype.

There is also a growing trend of several scion owners modifying 9005 high beam headlight bulbs to fit in their 9006 low beam headlights. Although this conversion has been successful for some people on other types of vehicles there are several reasons why these should not be used on our tC’s. The first reason is very similar to using the HID look-a-like bulbs and that is the increase in wattage and heat output of the bulbs. Although high beam headlights are only appx. 15 watts more, excessive usage may exceed the tolerances of our headlight assemblies. Secondly, high beam bulbs were designed to use sparingly and using them as a primary source of lighting will burn out the filaments much more quickly. Research on forums will show a majority of people who do this conversion advise that their bulbs burn out in a matter of months. The final reason for not doing this conversion is that our headlights use a reflector type assembly as opposed to a projector type. Projector assemblies need to be aimed and angled downwards toward the road, while reflector types use a series of reflective plastic to point the light as it is put forth from the bulb. Closer examination between a high and low beam bulb, you will notice that the high beam does not have a solid coating on the tip of the bulb. When using a high beam in a reflective housing the loss of the coating will provide light that is not correctly reflected and light will be reflected towards other drivers and vehicles as opposed to the road itself. So I caution those intending to do this conversion and advise consumers to choose their aftermarket parts intelligently.

Hopefully this will give consumers more insight while they are upgrading their tC’s and not believe the hype involved with some products. Make smart decisions when choosing upgrades, especially when it may affect others on the road.

[tcchillin]

Originally Posted by shystieone

I can get them to you for 280 shipped anywhere in the US thru UPS priority w/ confirm #. The install is VERY easy, if you can put 2 clips together, pull out your stock bulbs, put the hid bulbs in, check the + and - and stick the socket into the wires. Total time: 10 min. , 20 for a newbie.

you can look on craigslist and go decent hong kong based brands for 160.00 maybe a little less. amazing upgrade btw.

also with led's you wouldnt have the light shine to far it would be bright and look nice but not too funtional.

and about them being illegal, its just illegal to sell them but everyone does
check a local shop