HID XENON LIGHT UPGRADE

[blackhawk29]

Hello all, new 08' H2 owner here. Anyone know what the best upgrade kit is for Xenon light upgrade? Has anyone installed one. I see there is a vendor here on the site that sells them. Are they hard to install? This is my second (actually 3rd) we won't go there, H2 and we all know the headlights are a joke. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[H2 007]

I've been looking at doing this as well. As I'm sure you already know, there are several companies out there selling them.

I found one that at least seemed to have a good reputation from the people buying them. I have an '07 Chevy Cobalt LT that I use as an occasional daily driver when I don't want to get the H2 dirty and I actually found this company on the Cobalt forum. :shhh:

I haven't ordered from them yet, but a complete set was like about $170. I think they were from www.visionbulbs.com (http://www.visionbulbs.com)

The way I looked at it, was that for the price of SilverStar Ultra's, it wouldn't be too much more to just go with these and they are true HID's.

[Hucky]

In order to go HID dont you need the full Transformer/Ballasts kit and not just the Bulb?

Thanks

[KingVinnie]

In order to go HID dont you need the full Transformer/Ballasts kit and not just the Bulb?

Thanks

Yes

[Hucky]

Does Hummer H2 Install factory a True HID? and what year did it start if any?

Has anybody have the True HID installed on theyre Rigs?
Was the install worth it, dependable?

Thanks

[KingVinnie]

As far as I know Hummer has never put, or offered HID lights as an option. You have to get the conversion kit and do it yourself.

[Hucky]

Do you know if the Replacement Bulb that they call Silver Extreme HID is any better than stock? They are 39.00 dollars but do they offer any noticeable difference, or is it better to bit the bullet and go True HID Kit.

Thanks

[tower]

Do you know if the Replacement Bulb that they call Silver Extreme HID is any better than stock? They are 39.00 dollars but do they offer any noticeable difference, or is it better to bit the bullet and go True HID Kit.

Thanks
You will see some improvemnt with the Silvers, but nothing like a true HID.

[blackhawk29]

Thanks, actually I went down to the local auto parts store and purchased a set of the Silvania Silverstar Ultra's they were about $50 and they did make quite a difference at night. The light is whiter with a hint of blue tint to it. I guess i will try these for a while and then make the switch to true HID's The Ultra's did make a noticable improvement over the stock bulbs.

[pteam]

I installed Bi xenon true hid lights just a week ago in my 08 h2. Bi xenon is HID for the low and hi beams. I got them off ebay from the same guy I bought from my porsche they were like $150, theyre great. They come with ballasts, theyre plug and play and are 15x brighter than the stock lights. I'll post pics here in a week or so when I get around to it. I'm having alot of stuff installed in the 08 recently.

[Hucky]

I installed Bi xenon true hid lights just a week ago in my 08 h2. Bi xenon is HID for the low and hi beams. I got them off ebay from the same guy I bought from my porsche they were like $150, theyre great. They come with ballasts, theyre plug and play and are 15x brighter than the stock lights. I'll post pics here in a week or so when I get around to it. I'm having alot of stuff installed in the 08 recently.

Post the Ebay Seller Link and the Model # you purchased please
Thanks

[KingVinnie]

Post the Ebay Seller Link and the Model # you purchased please
Thanks

What he said

[Takecover]

What he said

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HID-CONVERSION-KIT-Bi-Xenon-9003-H4-9004-9007-H13-Hi-Lo_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ36476QQihZ011QQitemZ 320161097883QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW


This guy is who myself and alot of members on Corvetteforum have bought the kits from. Hard to beat that many perfect transactions on Ebay! I have had my kit for a year now, and no problems. Just drove to Florida on a 7 hour night drive and they worked perfectly! I will never drive another car without HID's. I love how bright they are, and how they "explode" when first turned on then get brighter....too cool!!!!

Jimmy

[Hucky]

Whats the best color to go with?
Thanks

[Takecover]

Whats the best color to go with?
Thanks

The 6000k looks really good (that is what I have in my cars). They are a bit blue and really bright. The higher the Kelvin # the more blue or purple the color is and the less amount of actual lumens emitted. If I am not mistaken most BMW, Mercs, and Lexus are around 4500. The only drawback to these HID kits is they are not DOT certified and you can get tickets for using them. The only way to get these DOT legal would be to get the projector style (Expensive!!). The most amazing thing with these lights is how bright any reflectors and painted street lines are. The amount of light you get to the side of these trucks is really amazing as well.

[pteam]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=003&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=130068456384&rd=1 is what I bought. I bought a similar kit for my porsche from the same guy and theyre both great.

[DRTYFN]

Sorry, but with those cheap kits you don't get high & low beams.

These are Real HIDs (http://www.somo.com/H2-HID-Bi-Xenon-7-Set-p/hid-71001.htm)

[tower]

These are Real HIDs (http://www.somo.com/H2-HID-Bi-Xenon-7-Set-p/hid-71001.htm)So are these. And I think they look better on a big truck than the little projectors. JMHO. Theyre not DOT approved yet, but I've never been pulled over. Even while driving behind Law Enforcement!
http://www.somo.com/Hummer-H2-HID-Headlight-System-p/01-1149-hid2.htm

http://www.deltalights.com/products.asp?pid=23801&make=37&model=9999#9999

[NJ H2]

So are these. And I think they look better on a big truck than the little projectors. JMHO. Theyre not DOT approved yet, but I've never been pulled over. Even while driving behind Law Enforcement!
http://www.somo.com/Hummer-H2-HID-Headlight-System-p/01-1149-hid2.htm

http://www.deltalights.com/products.asp?pid=23801&make=37&model=9999#9999

Projectors > All
All Mercedes, BMW, Jag's etc. use projectors. Not to mention the non projectors don't give you a light cut off like this:
http://photos.imageevent.com/benza/h2hellabixenon/websize/DSC01565.JPG

[Hucky]

Projectors > All
All Mercedes, BMW, Jag's etc. use projectors. Not to mention the non projectors don't give you a light cut off like this:
http://photos.imageevent.com/benza/h2hellabixenon/websize/DSC01565.JPG

Can these Projectors that DRTY posted and that you speak of be Adjusted?
example if your Rig is lifted can the projectors be adjusted downward at all?

Any known life span on these projectors? Do the bulbs get changed when they go or do you have to spend another 1000 dollars plus? After buying the 1000 dollar kit, if you blow a head light, can you buy just 1 or are you in for a whole new kit again?

Thanks

[NJ H2]

Can these Projectors that DRTY posted and that you speak of be Adjusted?
example if your Rig is lifted can the projectors be adjusted downward at all?

Any known life span on these projectors? Do the bulbs get changed when they go or do you have to spend another 1000 dollars plus? After buying the 1000 dollar kit, if you blow a head light, can you buy just 1 or are you in for a whole new kit again?

Thanks

Projector bulbs prety much last forever so I wouldn't worry about 1 going bad.
Here is a little info on the differences of HID

Non projectors = fake

Everyone should know what standard halogen bulbs are. These are the common bulbs that Edison made famous. There are multiple issues with these bulbs. First, they are only allowed to be so bright as to prevent blinding other drivers. Second is their beam pattern. Light is scattered and not really focused on the road in front. Finally is lifespan. Bulbs burn out frequently because they are still filament based.
Then there?s HID (High Intensity Discharge) technology. People has called them Xenon as well but that just refers to the gas they are using. We normally see HID lamps in the form of mercury vapor and sodium vapor lights used as street lamps and as outdoor lighting for stadiums. These lamps are popular because they are efficient. In the case of sodium vapor, they are twice as efficient as normal fluorescent bulbs. The problem with that technology is that there is a long startup time for mercury vapors. Xenon helps solve the start-up problem, as does a special controller (ballast). HID solves the problem of bulb lifespan but what about beam pattern and making the light brighter? I?ll get to that after some more history lesson.
HID technology was introduced to Northern America cars starting with the 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII. Then other automotive dealers such as Audi, Mercedes, and BMW started putting them in their cars as well. Being rare and cool looking, 3rd party companies jumped on the bandwagon and started developing ?HID like? bulbs which they market as HID bulbs, Euro Spec bulbs, or Plasma Blue bulbs. Those are nothing more than painted halogen bulbs that you now can find on eBay for $10. These bulbs do nothing more than change the color coming out of the headlight to blue. This blue light is dimmer, tiring on the eyes, and having a shorter life span than the stock halogen bulbs that came with the car. Though mostly not illegal (DOT certified), it?s a highly dangerous thing to do.
So the next step is to put the HID technology into the existing headlight. This is what is commonly referred to as an HID kit ($500). The HID bulb and ballast (the HID bulb control box) replaces the halogen bulb and thus in effect putting a very bright HID bulb into a halogen housing (stock headlight housing). This achieves the brightness of using HID but the beam pattern is scattered like a halogen bulb because the housing is not meant for such a light source. In California the use of these HID kits are illegal because they are not focused and glare other drivers (Hence not DOT approved). DOT = Department of Transportation.
HID kits come in different color and are based on the light temperature. The higher Kelvin the light color, the bluer the output becomes. Kits advertising 8,000k and above are so blue that people have a hard time distinguishing between your car and an ambulance or police car. In contrast, all cars equipped with HID as standard equipment comes with 4100K bulbs. Also HID Kits using OEM ballasts such as those made by Hella or Philips are the best. They are more likely to last longer and has additional safety features built in that may not be available on ?Home made? kits. Also the glass part of the halogen bulb is replaced with the glass part of the HID bulb. That?s how the bulb fits into the stock headlight housing. This glass swap is commonly known as a rebased bulb.
So finally what separates the real HID technology and the fake, is the addition of the HID projector (some actually reflector style HID but those aren?t very good and you can?t install these in your car). It is the lense and shield of the projector that concentrates the beam to the floor and creates a cutoff above a certain height as to not blind other drivers. At the cutoff there is a blue color due to the light spectrum. In most cases the color is either blue or purple. The popular trend now is to take the entire HID technology (HID bulb, ballast, lense and shield) and put them into the halogen housing. This is referred to as a HID retrofit ($1,000+).

http://reviews.ebay.com/Quick-information-on-HID-for-cars_W0QQugidZ10000000000007982

[tower]

Non projectors = fake

So finally what separates the real HID technology and the fake, is the addition of the HID projector

http://reviews.ebay.com/Quick-information-on-HID-for-cars_W0QQugidZ10000000000007982This is absolutely wrong and untrue!!! There are plenty of non-projector HID lamps. What makes it true HID is the high intensity discharge arc in the filament free bulb.

This achieves the brightness of using HID but the beam pattern is scattered like a halogen bulb because the housing is not meant for such a light source. In California the use of these HID kits are illegal because they are not focused and glare other drivers (Hence not DOT approved). DOT = Department of Transportation.This is misleading! DOT is about to approve them. Admittedly, their cut-off is not as hard edged as the projectors, but it is very visible, especially when compared to halogen lamps.

[NJ H2]

This is absolutely wrong and untrue!!! There are plenty of non-projector HID lamps. What makes it true HID is the high intensity discharge arc in the filament free bulb.

This is misleading! DOT is about to approve them. Admittedly, their cut-off is not as hard edged as the projectors, but it is very visible, especially when compared to halogen lamps.

Relax ... I said the non projectors were fake and by fake I meant not the real deal. That is my opinion as well as others and don't forget you are also entitled to my opinion :D

[tower]

Relax ... I said the non projectors were fake and by fake I meant not the real deal. That is my opinion as well as others and don't forget you are also entitled to my opinion :D Yes and I am saying that there are plenty of NON projectors that ARE true HID, just as there are halogen projectors. Projector or not has NOTHING to do with whether or not lamp is true HID. Period! This is fact and has nothing to do with opinion. It has to do with understanding the concept of HID. It has a specific meaning.

[Grizzy]

AND I SAY YOU'RE BOTH WRONG AND I'M RIGHT!!!

What are we talking about again?

:dancingbanana: :dancingbanana: :dancingbanana: :dancingbanana:

[tower]

Gerbils! :giggling::giggling::giggling:

[Grizzy]

"""""""""Projector bulbs prety much last forever so I wouldn't worry about 1 going bad.
Here is a little info on the differences of HID

Non projectors = fake

Everyone should know what standard halogen bulbs are. These are the common bulbs that Edison made famous. There are multiple issues with these bulbs. YADA YADA YADA """""""" This is referred to as a HID retrofit ($1,000+).


Thank you thank you thank you! I loved the history lesson. Read every word. I've been thinking about adding a brighter bulb, such as an HID bulb with/without ballast, whatever, don't care, and you've cleared up some confusion I've been having about the matter. $1k sounds like quite a bit for a headlight upgrade, but in the end, if it will project its bright focused light onto the road anything like my wifes nissan 350z, then count me in! I absolutely hate the headlights the H2 came with. Always have.


Thanks again for the lesson!

:perfect10s: :perfect10s: :perfect10s:

[DRTYFN]

Can these Projectors that DRTY posted and that you speak of be Adjusted?
example if your Rig is lifted can the projectors be adjusted downward at all?

Any known life span on these projectors? Do the bulbs get changed when they go or do you have to spend another 1000 dollars plus? After buying the 1000 dollar kit, if you blow a head light, can you buy just 1 or are you in for a whole new kit again?

Thanks
Yes, they can. The HIDs I installed utilized the factory light bucket(with some modifications) and still have vertical adjustment capability. IIRC, the life span of the lights is 10,000+ hours. Now considering that I've got 91,000 miles and 3000 hours on my H2, with most of those being daylight hours, I'd say that the lights will easily outlive the lifetime of the rig.

[NJ H2]

Yes and I am saying that there are plenty of NON projectors that ARE true HID, just as there are halogen projectors. Projector or not has NOTHING to do with whether or not lamp is true HID. Period! This is fact and has nothing to do with opinion. It has to do with understanding the concept of HID. It has a specific meaning.



Tower,
If you like the non projectors then God bless you. I have had the Hella bixenon projectors installed in my H2 for 4 years now with no problems and I Loave them! :dancingbanana: I think of the non projectors as fake just as fake breasts are still breasts just fake. I still like the large fake breasts :clapping: but I loave the large real breasts much much better :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:
There is a reason the projectors cost more and the reason is they are much much better ... in my opinion :clapping:
Now Thank you and good night sir! :beerchug:

[tower]

Everyone should know what standard halogen bulbs are. These are the common bulbs that Edison made famous. :lame:
Again, sorry, but totally wrong! :violin:

Just to beat this to death, your history is off as well. Sorry to ruin a perfectly good fiction with these pesky little facts, but Edison never saw a halogen bulb. He made vacuum (actually "oxygenless") bulbs with carbon filaments. Halogen bulbs came much later and after the tungsten filament was perfected. Where do you get your disinformation??? :confused:

[Grizzy]

I thought the history lesson was very informative! Although I didn't remember edison having crap to do with halogen, though everything else was great! just my 2 cents! I'm not gonna penalize you for one little mistake. I'm still gonna buy the projector hids. I love real boobs!!

:perfect10s:

[Hucky]

Yes, they can. The HIDs I installed utilized the factory light bucket(with some modifications) and still have vertical adjustment capability. IIRC, the life span of the lights is 10,000+ hours. Now considering that I've got 91,000 miles and 3000 hours on my H2, with most of those being daylight hours, I'd say that the lights will easily outlive the lifetime of the rig.


Thanks Dirty, I spoke with Jason Rosoff yesterday at Somo about these lights you posted he answered most my questions but the question never came up or was presented to me about any fabrication on the oem buckets,

What kind of mod had to be done, generally speaking?

Thanks

[410225]

I used to own 2001 Mercedes E430 that had OEM NON Projector HID system Lighting was as good as projector units. Yes, the focus or pencil beam pattern is much sharper on the projector unit but brightness is far superior then halogen and very comparable to projector.

Fake HID = silver/blue coated lightbulb.
Real HID = Xenon charged bulb with ignitor and ballast. Less Kelvin more LUM.

[MVR 155]

I used to own 2001 Mercedes E430 that had OEM NON Projector HID system Lighting was as good as projector units. Yes, the focus or pencil beam pattern is much sharper on the projector unit but brightness is far superior then halogen and very comparable to projector.

Fake HID = silver/blue coated lightbulb.
Real HID = Xenon charged bulb with ignitor and ballast. Less Kelvin more LUM.

I also owned a car with real HID although projectorless.... it was a 03 Acura CL type S, just because its not a projector set up does not mean its not a true HID.... all of the early HID cars did not run projectors.

I have a HID kit in my Corvette.... the difference from the stock lights (which royally sucked by the way) is insane.... I have a 8000K set up, very bright with a bit of blue color to the light. Will most likely be looking into a similar kit for the H2 shortly

[NJ H2]

because its not a projector set up does not mean its not a true HID.... all of the early HID cars did not run projectors.


Once again for the people in the back ... Fake breasts are real breasts just fake. They are made to look like the real thing just not as good :twak:
Peace out Hombre! :clapping:

[tower]

Many "fake" breasts are better! :beerchug: :jump::jump:

[pteam]

OK guys the kit I bought off ebay for $150 are true HID , both sides have ballasts, and they are for both HI and LOW beams. Here are pictures:

http://www.firstclasslimos.net/hid.jpg
http://www.firstclasslimos.net/hid2.jpg

Also I would like to add that because it doesnt have a projector doesnt mean its not HID, all the projector does is concentrate light in a certain area. Without the projectors you actually see more parts of the road and on the sides, for offroading this is way better. The lights are so bright that concentrating them straight ahead makes that area brighter than it needs to be, without the projector the small amount thats not dead on like a projector would be just lights up other parts of the road such as fog lights would or areas to the right and left. Also to adjust the headlights is simple, just use the factory headlight adjustment to move em up or down, can't really do that with projectors. For $1,000 less its surely the better pick. But I would like to add my 2004 Escalade limo with Factory HID from GM does not have projectors! See picture:

http://www.firstclasslimos.net/hid3.jpg

So this is the same setup that I have added to my h2.

Also here is a picture of my lambo and my porsche. The porsche I added aftermarket HID lights to also, different bulb types , but the same brand and bought from the same ebay seller.

http://pteam.net/lights3.jpg

You don't really notice a difference with projector like my lambo has and without like my h2 and porsche have.

Also here is a video that shows the lights, the color is amazing, it shows the high and low beams. Why would you buy a system for $1000 more, its a waste of money IMO.

Video: http://www.firstclasslimos.net/hid.wmv 2.5 mbs takes a few secs to load

[Hucky]

Looks good

Thanks for the Efforts on the Video, very cool of you.

Hucky

[MVR 155]

OK guys the kit I bought off ebay for $150 are true HID , both sides have ballasts, and they are for both HI and LOW beams. Here are pictures:

http://www.firstclasslimos.net/hid.jpg
http://www.firstclasslimos.net/hid2.jpg

Also I would like to add that because it doesnt have a projector doesnt mean its not HID, all the projector does is concentrate light in a certain area. Without the projectors you actually see more parts of the road and on the sides, for offroading this is way better. The lights are so bright that concentrating them straight ahead makes that area brighter than it needs to be, without the projector the small amount thats not dead on like a projector would be just lights up other parts of the road such as fog lights would or areas to the right and left. Also to adjust the headlights is simple, just use the factory headlight adjustment to move em up or down, can't really do that with projectors. For $1,000 less its surely the better pick. But I would like to add my 2004 Escalade limo with Factory HID from GM does not have projectors! See picture:

http://www.firstclasslimos.net/hid3.jpg

So this is the same setup that I have added to my h2.

Also here is a picture of my lambo and my porsche. The porsche I added aftermarket HID lights to also, different bulb types , but the same brand and bought from the same ebay seller.

http://pteam.net/lights3.jpg

You don't really notice a difference with projector like my lambo has and without like my h2 and porsche have.

Also here is a video that shows the lights, the color is amazing, it shows the high and low beams. Why would you buy a system for $1000 more, its a waste of money IMO.

Video: http://www.firstclasslimos.net/hid.wmv 2.5 mbs takes a few secs to load

Couldnt agree with you more. HID refers to the type of lighting not the way its projected. HID can be in either type of enclosure but in the end its still HID.

[blackhawk29]

Which kit did you order on e bay? Make, Model, Part number? Vendor or item number?
Thanks

[Hucky]

Which kit did you order on e bay? Make, Model, Part number? Vendor or item number?
Thanks


Read on page 1 Post #16 for your answer.

[pteam]

Read on page 1 Post #16 for your answer.

Good eye!

[MotorsportsAuthority aka Dragon]

Interesting. Well, I sell a kit here that is a plug and play. It's $300 per set, but there's a 16 month warranty on the ballasts and a lifetime warranty on the bulbs.

HID kits have come to be VERY affordable now, but I've played with several kits now. Some easier to install than others, most only stand behind their products for a year.

[NJ H2]

Fixed :D

If anyone is looking for a Real set of HID's this place sells the pair of Projector for $699.00 :fdance::jump:
http://www.jpcustoms.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=16644&cat=729&page=1

[tower]

What, those fake projector ID's?:jump::jump::jump:

[IRA51]

that $157.00 price is hot ,but I don't do Ebay or pay pal . any way to call the vender and pay a little more and use AE,MC,Visa ?

[pteam]

that $157.00 price is hot ,but I don't do Ebay or pay pal . any way to call the vender and pay a little more and use AE,MC,Visa ?

Get this you think thats hot? We just bought a set for my mechanic for $50!!!!!!! plus $35 shipping, from the same seller too, it was only for low beams not hi beams also but man at that price you can put them on every car you own lol :)

[porschett]

I've installed the system, but have a problem. Seems I only have high beams. If I turn on the headlights, they work, but when I hit the high beams, they go off. Also, the daylight running lights stopped working. On the OEM plug, there's three wires. Looking at it from the backside, I believe the left wire is lowbeam, the right, highbeam, and the center ground. Does anyone know if this is correct?

The plug and play plug only has two wires, one hot and one ground. As it comes out of the box, the hot wire is on the highbeam side, if I'm correct on the wiring.

Please help, it getting dark outside :)

[tower]

I've installed the system, but have a problem. Seems I only have high beams. If I turn on the headlights, they work, but when I hit the high beams, they go off. Also, the daylight running lights stopped working. On the OEM plug, there's three wires. Looking at it from the backside, I believe the left wire is lowbeam, the right, highbeam, and the center ground. Does anyone know if this is correct?

The plug and play plug only has two wires, one hot and one ground. As it comes out of the box, the hot wire is on the highbeam side, if I'm correct on the wiring.

Please help, it getting dark outside :)Did you get the replacements working?