Hid Kits? Is200

[ne0beatsm0rp]

Hi,

Just wondering what exact bulbs do i need to get a HID kit installed for high, low and fog lights?

Looking online and there is so many types.

Also can you install the blue tint kits, where there so white they have a blue hint to the light? Or do i need crystal white?

Its for a 2000 is200.

Thanks in advance

[matt-c]

Headlight fitment for dipped beams is 9006/HB4. Don't install blue tinted, they look cheap and tacky and you won't actually see as much as if they were white or slightly yellow tinted. I wouldn't go above 6000k, personally I use 5000k, but might switch down to 4300k when I next need new bulbs

[ne0beatsm0rp]

Headlight fitment for dipped beams is 9006/HB4. Don't install blue tinted, they look cheap and tacky and you won't actually see as much as if they were white or slightly yellow tinted. I wouldn't go above 6000k, personally I use 5000k, but might switch down to 4300k when I next need new bulbs

Thanks,

Is there a reason why you wouldnt recommend 6000k? I always thought the higher the better, more crisper brighter.

[matt-c]

That's not how Lumens work. They are at their brightest, as far as human eye visibility over distance is concerned at around 4300-5000k, anything over that it actually gets darker as the tint becomes more blue. Yellow is the best colour for punching through fog - white just reflects on the fog - but going less than 4300 will see the distance the light is visible become less as the tint fades to yellow (you don't need distance in fog, you need the ability to cut through)

That and the fact that blue tinted lights look chavvy and tacky

[jomo]

9006/HB4'S for headlights and front fogs, 9005 for high beam, i have 5000k fitted in all my lights and boy are they great.

Main beam only.

Every thing on.

[ne0beatsm0rp]

So, am best getting 5000k bulbs for main and dipped? And yellow bulbs for fog?

I just think yellow looks old

[jomo]

TBH cant remember when i last used my fogs lights?

Only at night cruise's!

[matt-c]

Personally, I wouldn't bother putting HID in the main beams. It looks good because they bulb colours will match, but who's ever going to see it? You have to flick them off when anything's approaching, and the people behind you can't see them. That and the fact that most times you're using the main beam, you're flicking them on and off, and HID's take time to "warm up", so you're not going to get the best out of them anyway.

Same goes for fogs, why bother going to the expense and hassle of changing them to HID when a) you'll barely use them and B) no one will ever see them? Not to mention the fact that they are too strong for fog - you're just going to blind yourself with the reflection and you won't be penetrating the fog for better visibility (in fact the opposite).

HID in dipped beam, yes - because the standard headlights are pathetic and are like having two candles.

In the main beam and fogs, just use regular halogens.

You don't need "yellow" bulbs for the fogs, regular ones will be fine. Comparing a regular halogen to a Xenon (say 5000k) bulb, the halogen will give that yellowish (some call it cream) light, while the 5000k Xenon gives off a white (snow) light.

Some people tint the fog lens covers yellow, which you often see on cars on the continent, as it does give better throw in fog, but looks a bit tacky to me.

[R2UBL]

I got 6k from a local car shop kits cost £35 and it's simple plug and play

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

[jomo]

As Matt says, they do take time (3-5 secs) to warm up, but theres no way i'd go back to stnd lights in the highbeam, as just hid's in the mainbeam are brighter than stnd bulbs in the highbeam!

Plus at less than £17 on eBay if you put them in the front fogs you always have mainbeam spares with you as their the same bulb and ballast!

[ne0beatsm0rp]

So to clarify before i order, im best getting the 5000k hid bulbs for the dipped and fog lights?

And what about the high beams? Get 5000k for them too or just get standard bulbs?

[jomo]

If your gonna do hid's in the main beam they will be better than the fullbeam with stnd bulbs in, your call but just dont expect the fullbeams to over power the mainbeams hid setup!

But yes to 5000k white and bright.

(but at less that £17 why the hell not get fullbeams too!)

[jomo]

Just did a quick eBay search and found these less than £13!!!! and their 55w

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/55W-Xenon-HID-conversion-Kit-H1-H3-H7-H9-H11-HB3-HB4-4300k-6000k-8000k-Headlight-/201152934769?pt=UK_Light_Bulbs&var=&hash=item2ed5a63371

Not slim ballasts but a great price tho!

[ne0beatsm0rp]

Thanks everyone, the standard ones that came with car are a joke, don't even light the road up.

[ne0beatsm0rp]

Those Xeon kits, why fit them? Cant I just fit hid bulbs? Seems a bit of work just to swap out a bulb.

[matt-c]

The HID (xenon) bulbs won't work on their own - you need the kit (which includes the ballast and the wiring harnesses). Your standard, factory, set up is for halogen bulbs - you can' just swap those with Xenon bulbs and expect them to work.

Some confusing terminology on this thread, so I'll try to clear up

Main beam - these are what you put on when it's really dark (like out in the country) and no streetlights or oncoming cars

Dipped beam - these are your normal driving headlights, around town and with oncoming traffic

Fog lights - these are in the bumper, and are used when it's foggy, even with oncoming traffic

I have HID in my dipped beam. I have halogen in my main beam and fog. The halogens in the main beam are still brighter than the HID in the dipped beam. This is because of how the bulbs are displayed, not because they are more powerful or a different colour. So under when I have the normal dipped beam lights on (HID) and I flick the main beam (halogen) lights on, the end result is more light than I had with just the dipped beams on, throws further and higher.

The reason I put HID in the dipped beam is because halogen bulbs there as standard are rubbish and give very little light output. The HIDs are stronger, more powerful and thus give more light output.

So, HID in both beams will give more light output, but you really don't need it, as halogen main beams are very good.

However, your money, and your time fitting.

PS, don't buy the cheap crap from china. I did, and very soon after bought replacement bulbs from a UK supplier. I spent more on the two replacement bulbs than I did on the entire kit from china. Those bulbs were sh*t and the ballasts aren't the best either (I'll be replacing those shortly with a better set)

[jomo]

Those Xeon kits, why fit them? Cant I just fit hid bulbs? Seems a bit of work just to swap out a bulb.

Takes 10mins to swap both bulbs mate, a little bit longer to do the fogs.

yes if you can afford the uk ones then get those, i'v had the cheap china ones in for 3 years and only changed 1 bulb (did both to keep the colour the same).

I call mainbeam fullbeam, and dipped beam mainbeam, just me thats all, sorry to confuse anyone.

[ne0beatsm0rp]

Ok thanks a lot, clears it up.

So the kits, the Xeon kits are they easy to fit? Because I also have a focus and I had the option of Xeon kit or just replace the bulbs, so went with replace bulbs which takes less than 5 minutes. The Xeon kits look like they need wiring etc.

So really what I'm wondering is, whether it would be just as effective to replace just the bulbs to say 5000k or fit a Xeon kit?

Sorry for all the questions

[matt-c]

The xenon/HID kits just plug into existing wiring. Fit the bulbs in the headlights > plug wiring in to ballast > plug ballast into car wiring. Done.

You're not getting the whole bulb thing. The numbers with k on the end are referring to the Kelvin scale, which (for this intents and purposes) a measurement of the colour of Xenon gas bulbs (HID bulbs). You don't get to choose "5000k" halogen bulbs - halogen bulbs are just halogen bulbs. Some claim to be certain colours, but that's down to tinting the glass the bulb is made from. Xenon gas bulbs (HID's) can be different colours due to different temperatures (which is what the kelvin scale refers to) inside the bulbs.

So your choices are (again) either you replace the bulbs with standard halogen bulbs (that you already have), or you fit a HID kit, which has Xenon bulbs.

[jomo]

You cant buy 5000k halogen bulbs, you could buy nightbreakers they are much brighter than stnd halogen but still halogen!

Xenon or hid's come in K colours (5000k, 4300k, 6000k and so on)

[jomo]

Ill shoot you a quick vid tomorrow and post it here on how easy they are to fit.

[ne0beatsm0rp]

Ok that clears it up more for me, sorry for all the questions, always confused me the xeon kits and then just the bulbs.

I think ill go for the kit then, and fit it next week (when it arrives). Going for 5000k kit on dipped, leave the full beam as it is (as its already bright enough, but not white more yellow tint, so might replace them at some point, no rush) and fog lights ill leave too as they never get used anyway (very rare to get fog where we are in Liverpool, uk)

Would these be ok? There 35w so use less than the 55w someone else added on a earlier post. Is the lower the wattage the better as im assuming uses less power but the same outcome?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-IS200-99-01-XENON-UK-HID-Conversion-kit-9006-35W-UK-/161052299949?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item257f7712ad

[matt-c]

Yes, those will be fine. I use 35w in mine, as even though the wattage is less, the light output is still more than the halogens you already have

[ne0beatsm0rp]

Ok thanks a lot