Any good HID companies out there?

[nando]

your point is ?

[efficient]

Im running ddm they are pretty good so far. Although like some of you are saying that the colors are s hit and miss I think you guys are right, because I ordered 5k 55w and they seem like they have a light hint of blue. Also one thing I did not like was that it took like 3 weeks for the lights to show up at my house.
Before ddm I had some vvme hids they worked pretty good and also around the same price as ddm.

[JasonC]

your point is ?

He posts in about every HID thread stating his dislike for them.

[nando]

yeah, I figured, but if he's going to make stupid comments he may as well just come out and say them. :p

[DaButt]

I'm not sure about HIDs, I've never run them. So I won't purport to be knowledgeable about them... I WILL say however, that when I was looking at upgrading my lights I stumbled across this little site on R3V- http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html

After you read that, I think you'd agree that this guy has forgotten more about lights than we've ever known. The man's knowledge alone is worth contacting him for. When I was shopping for lights he sent me graphs from a photospectrozapalyzer or something which PROVED that the lights he sells are top quality. In the end I bought 2 Hella BiFocal H1 low beams (slight mod, very slight) and H1 Cibie CSR lights from him. I can't emphasize strongly enough what quality products they are- the CSR hi beams literally light the road for miles. Not exaggerating, they just do.

If it's looks or technology you're after, yeah maybe HIDs are good, and that's cool. But, if you're looking to actually get the best performance from your lights and minimize the amount of tinkering you have to do, you really owe it to yourself to email D Stern. He's simply great.

Yeah, I know, maybe I'm a sucker for marketing and yeah, he's old school and kinda slow to respond. But in the end we all just do what makes us (and our cars) happy, right?

[nando]

I read that probably before you had your drivers license :p

There's good info on aiming your lights, but he aalso has a product to sell you..

[DaButt]

I read that probably before you had your drivers license :p

There's good info on aiming your lights, but he aalso has a product to sell you..

Both probably true and valid points. But a lot of people have products to sell... only some of them live up to the promises.

Still... lights are sweet.

[MPLFoster]

Before i started tinkering with HIDs and before i did my first projector retrofit, Mr.Stern was a great source of info on what is good/bad in regards to headlights, not just HIDs. It explains the science behind automotive lighting and lists pros and cons for both HID light and Halogen.

That being said, i still prefer HIDs (when used with a proper, or at least decent, projector) over Halogens. Aesthetically more pleasing and more crisp/precise. Nothing wrong with a bad ass halogen set up, just my personal preference. Like they say, "there's more than one way to skin a cat.."

If you're interested in lights, reading the info on Stern's site is definitely worth your time.



edit: also, for more info on HIDs, check out http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/forum.php

more info on HIDs there than anywhere else i've found.

[Thizzelle]

The bulbs were different colors....But besides that I had a bulb or 2 stop working and a few ballasts also.

It gets cold in the winter where I live and the ballasts just don't hold up in the weather.

you probably touched them with your oily fingers

[Cabriolet]

for those of you with DDM who think they are working fine - if you compared them side by side with something of actual quality, the difference is night and day. my 35w kit from TRS was about 2x brighter than the 55w DDM kit I had.

I had 55W DDM 4/5ks in my last car, my car is garaged and rarely driven in the cold/heat. the bulbs were great for 1.5 years, then i needed to replace bulbs. after replacement just as good as be

i have seen/driven/compared cars with retro kits. and for all the hassle and cost, didn't look all that much different. now i know the DDM 35W stuff is complete crap and dim, as i have first hand experience. but i have to be honest, those of us that run ddms w/o issue, live in the most temperate place, with no cold or hot weather to speak of.

Nando, do you have comparison shots of the DDM vs your TRS? im also up to try something better that what i have. and what is the life expectancy of the bulbs you use?

[Thizzelle]

cab I have DMM 55w in all of my cars, even my moms. No issues ever for 5 years. I have 12000k, 6000k and 5000k. 5000k are the best I think although the 12000k make the road signs look neon and cool.

[nando]

I had 55W DDM 4/5ks in my last car, my car is garaged and rarely driven in the cold/heat. the bulbs were great for 1.5 years, then i needed to replace bulbs. after replacement just as good as be

i have seen/driven/compared cars with retro kits. and for all the hassle and cost, didn't look all that much different. now i know the DDM 35W stuff is complete crap and dim, as i have first hand experience. but i have to be honest, those of us that run ddms w/o issue, live in the most temperate place, with no cold or hot weather to speak of.

Nando, do you have comparison shots of the DDM vs your TRS? im also up to try something better that what i have. and what is the life expectancy of the bulbs you use?

the DDM are currently in a landfill somewhere. also, the weather here is pretty temperate. I don't think weather was a factor. but being at a northern latitude, during winter it's dark a hell of a lot, so maybe I use my lights more than somebody in California. from November through February it's basically dark from 5am to 5pm.

I think if people with DDM had a comparison with something better, they'd realize how shitty they are. I was pretty shocked myself.

all HID bulbs age. I figure about 5-6 years and they've lost half their brightness. it's worse if you overdrive them with 55w ballasts.

[MyE30]

This is the H1 kit i got from theretrofitsource.com

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3959

TRS customer service is top-notch and they sell authentic products. I've seen a lot of fake morimoto stuff popping up recently on eBay and the like..TRS stuff is good to go.

Using them in my Depo ellipsoids and they're great. No issues so far and the output is more than adequate.

sold me. i'm doing to have to check these out.

[Thizzelle]

Don't assume, it makes you look like an ASS...

Any time Im going to be handling a HID, I always wear latex gloves and I still don't touch the bulb itself.

look up probably

[jesse_e30]

Im running 35w 6000k Hid kit from www.carxenonhidkits.com they cost about $80 made in Germany and no problems so far. Super easy plug and play