Has Anyone used xenon HID headlights in your C-10?

[danman987123]

there are many cars with FACTORY HIDS FOR HIGH BEAMS....for example when u get in a 2005 and up acura tl they have factory hid's when u hit the brights on their is a small shield mechanism built into the hid bulb which rotates to let the beam of light open to higher area. many cars that have factory hids use this method because the hid's are so bright they design a shield to reflect the light in a different angle when u turn the brights on. alot of h4 bulbs are like that also when u buy in hid.....ALSO BROTHERS TRUCKS SELLS THE HOUSING THAT GO RIGHT INTO OUR TRUCKS WITH NO PROBLEM AND USE A H4 REPLACEMENT BULB....so u can buy hid's whereer u want just buy an h4 kit with hi/lo beam kit and pop it right into the housing from brothers....takes no time at all....done it in so many old cars before.....willys...chevelles c10 trucks.....66 fastback u name it....IF THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY...

[tk-mpl]

do you hhave to worry about the amount of heat in such a small housing?

anybody have any pics they could share??

[69c10209]

If u get the thick glass housings there should be no problem my neighbor has a 67 mustang with hids I'll c if I can get some pics of it tmw
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[skorpioskorpio]

Really not trying to be difficult, but I really do not get the facination with HID lighting;

It's not new, we've been using it in streetlights for 50 years.
It's a more difficult to focus wavelength and more difficult to focus on objects illuminated with this wavelength (assuming the more blue spectrum HID)
Bluish light... absolutly horrible in fog, haze, snow or rain.
Increases perceived glare off of any kind of dirt on windshield.

The point to HID lighting was to get more light from less power and less heat for the same lumens, I just don't see how this is relevent when alternators are available now that are quadruple the output of what they were a couple of decades ago, and if you are using large 5 3/4" or 7" standard size sealed beam size pods heat isn't an issue.

HID wa not origionally introduced on European luxury and super cars because it was a better quality light, it was introduced because it allowed for more freedom in optics design. Less power, less heat makes for smaller pods, now you can, with less added weight, do things like having headlight shift around turns, counteract the bounce of the suspension etc, all in a lamp with decreased frontal area, you can use plastics in closer proximity. It all has to do with design restrictions, of coarse then throwing a marketing spin why this bluish light is better is just the follow up.

When the high brightness LEDs become economically practical the bluish HID color will be gone and eventually we will probably shift colors to compensate for road conditions, from a halogen white for clear night driving to a more yellowish for overcast and rainy conditions, the HID blue won't even figure into it once you can color shift with LEDs.

So given that we are talking about vehicles with big slab fronts and, by todays standards, gigantic 7" reflectors with alternators available at least double the output of "the big alternator" at the time these vehicles were manufactured means that you can easily provide blinding light levels with halogen, I mean you can use 90 or 130 watt capsules, what then is the attraction to HID? Sealed beams suck, that's a given, but trading a crappy flood light for a worse color but brighter crappy flood light makes you see a little better and other drivers see a lot worse.

...or do you just like the bling of blue lights?

[raycow]

How about fuel mileage? Alternator power isn't "free". When you draw more current the alternator puts more load on the engine, and the conversion efficiency is poor when compared to the generators at your electric utility.

I would say the carmakers could make the case that HID lighting is as much for mileage as for visibility.

Ray

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by raycow

How about fuel mileage? Alternator power isn't "free". When you draw more current the alternator puts more load on the engine, and the conversion efficiency is poor when compared to the generators at your electric utility.

I would say the carmakers could make the case that HID lighting is as much for mileage as for visibility.

Ray

Maybe that could have developed into an argument, but that game is already over, the latest Prius is LED. There really are no vehicles low enough on the food chain that had HID as an option to make that a rational claim. It's hard to make a case for 1 HP less drag from the alternator when you are pitching 200 HP plus cars typically that have HID as an option.

HID is a stopgap solution that allows product designers to produce product visions that technology is not ready for. Lump plasma TVs into that category, they allowed the vision of large flat panel TVs earlier than technology would have otherwise allowed, but the results were really inferior to what they replaced. I mean really, multi thousand dollar TVs with a service life of less than a decade? LCDs and eventually OLED will reduce plasma to a historical curiosity at best. CFL lighting will probably succumb to the same fate.

HID is not a better light source than halogen it simply addresses a design option comprimise. Why anyone would want to use them when not facing these design restrictions is beyond me.

[72shortstep]

Well put skorpioskorpio , I also agree that will soon be outdated once LEDs are cheap enough... plus I hate getting blinded by the people that install HIDs incorrectly and have them just to look "cool"

[legendary]

I am quite experienced in this department. The clean and easy way to do a xenon upgrade for the Chevy is with the bi-xenon HID kit, and then the 7" headlights that accept them (H4). Basically, Bi-xenon works as a low/high beam on single bucket light assemblies. For the GMC, you would just utilize the regular xenon for low beam, and the high beam stays normal.

I can tell you that I have absolutely zero complaints, and they have a great beam pattern, as well as no glare - which is the complaint because people misuse and fail to properly aim xenon lights. I have done this on my 1984 BMW 533i, as well as my 1973 BMW 2002. I usually go for 5000k for a clean look (no rice), and pure, clean, white light. Let me know if you need any assistance or have questions.

[legendary]

http://502motorsports.shutterfly.com/4033
Pics of my e28 (84 BMW) are in there.I did the European upgrade here (bumpers, lights, body styling, etc.)

5000k; No glare, they are bright, but are aimed properly and have a sharp cutoff/clear pattern on the road. Night/day difference from regular halogen. The pictures that you see with the high beams on show what the car looks like with just the parking lights and the "city" lights. They actually look very nice at night.

[69c10209]

Ya I agree the higher the temp u go the brighter and blinds people more personally I stick with 6000k they look the most like the factory hids
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[fasttech]

On a similar topic has any one used the halo (BMW) style 7" lights? I have seen these on eBay in H4 & HID but wondering how this looks on our trucks, as well as the quality of these kits.
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[Bad70sbchevy]

Same here.

[legendary]

I probably wouldn't use the halos because I don't like doing "trendy" mods. 2 of my BMWs have them, and that's from the factory, and good enough for me. I just think of halos as "trying too hard". Only way I'd do it is if the truck was just so nicely modded, that this was the icing on the cake...ala the 2010 Camaro headlights. That might work.
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[piecesparts]

Look at DDM Tuning for moreinfo and background.

Originally Posted by tk-mpl

I put a HID kit in my 2008 Malibu that was equipped with H11 halogens. The difference in light was wicked... I had alot of trouble seeing at night with just my low beams on. It seemed like all I had was a couple of candles in the front of my car.. Now the front just glows.... I also put them in cause I got the HID kit for less the I could get replacement H11 bulbs for. Their cheap, but they work good..

Check out www.ddmtuning.com I just put the raptor kit in...

Now I would like to put them in my 68..

[Top Banana]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

I'm not sure how you would use a true HID headlight system on a vehicle with dual headlights. No vehicle with HID headlights from the factory has HID highbeams so only GMCs are candidates for HID not Chevys, unless you are somehow splitting the pod in 2. HID requires vaporization of a metal, either mercury or sodium and is not instant on and requires a restarter circuit to turn them back on if they get turned off and you want to restart them before they have completely cooled off. Not very practical for high beams, high beams on HID equipped vehicles are generally still halogen.

Anyway, HID lighting in the US is IMHO worse than halogen given that unlike europe we do not have regulations for beam cutoff profiles (well we do but they're retarded) and automatic leveling.

I am not aware of any true aftermarket HID systems for 5 3/4" quad systems and certainly no 7" dual systems. Are you looking for something actually useable or just something for the bling factor?

If you are looking for improved usable light look at Hella or Cibia E-Code conversions, they are amazing, sharp horizonal cut-off with a rise on the right side for street signs, it's like a whole new world at night. Speed limit and warning signs almost seem to explode with light at night, especially in dark rural areas. The down side, American headlights blast light all over the place and because of this we often hang our street name signs over the intersection, E-Code lights (Euro-Code) only project light below oncoming drivers eyes and so overhead street name signs are illegible at night so if you go that route, also get a good GPS so you know where to turn.

E-Code lights put the light on the road and not on the dust and particles in front of your line of sight, your eyes are not adjusted the light bouncing back at you and because of that the beam seems to go on forever. You can use the bluish tinted capsules in these lights but if your truck is bouncy the sharp horizonal cutoff might make you sea sick.

The light color that the human eye has the hardest time adjusting to and from is towards the blue end of the spectrum. Object definition when your eyes are trying to refocus in the presence of the bluer light of HID, this in combination with the DOT scatter pattern makes them a worse choice for usable nighttime lighting. Try and read a blue neon sign with a quick glance at night sometime, it's just a blue blur.

I have an H4, 8000K, HID, dual filament (high/low beam in a single unit) kit so they are out there.

[Classic69]

I managed to find a true projector headlight with an HID kit after a lotta searching online. They're a lil pricey, but they arent some cheap "knock-off" projectors, its the real deal, and they have (2) style's to choose from, "Classic" and "Modern" with a variety of HID color temperature bulbs. Im looking at possibly purchasing a set for my '69 C/10.

Here's the link to the website:

http://www.dapperlighting.com/index.html

[kSStamp0182]

my '01 K1500 had them when i bought it. id keep in mind that you cant just walk down to oreily an get another bulb. one went out on me one night. the difference wasnt THAT amazing to offset the inconvenience. so i went back stock. plus its a bit of a cop magnet i think.

[colin_havens]

Originally Posted by Classic69

I managed to find a true projector headlight with an HID kit after a lotta searching online. They're a lil pricey, but they arent some cheap "knock-off" projectors, its the real deal, and they have (2) style's to choose from, "Classic" and "Modern" with a variety of HID color temperature bulbs. Im looking at possibly purchasing a set for my '69 C/10.

Here's the link to the website:

http://www.trueprojectorheadlights.com/

Those look pretty good, and would be a "proper" install of HID headlights. I would want to see them in person before I made my final decision though.

[tubbedII]

If they are "real" HID headlights, it's not too bad of a price...don't know if I personally like the look though of the classics:


I think their modern style looks pretty cool and it's the same price:

[Classic69]

Originally Posted by colin_havens

Those look pretty good, and would be a "proper" installation for HID headlights. I would want to see them in person before I made my final decision though.

Here's some more more pics of the "classic" style (im probably gonna order a pair of these) that were emailed to me installed on a hummer.





And a closeup pic....

[Classic69]

Originally Posted by tubbedII

If they are "real" HID headlights, it's not too bad of a price...don't know if I personally like the look though of the classics...I think their modern style looks pretty cool and it's the same price.

I've been emailing the guy and getting lots of pics/details on em. They are "real" HID headlights with a variety of HID bulb colors and HID ballasts and the projector is the same used on Suzuki motorcycles. It really is not too bad of a price for the whole kit. Ive found "knock-offs" online for under $100.

I actually ordered a pair of the "classic" projector headlights for my truck this morning. They have em in stock and should be shipped today with a 6000K HID kit. So in about 2 weeks time, cuz they are being shipped from USA to Canada, I should have em and be able to install em! ...without question...the "classics" would look better on my '69...the "modern" one's do look good as well, but they wouldnt "go" with my truck.

[basemodel67]

I like 'em a lot! This thread inspired me to look for headlight options besides typical replacement headlights. I found some I really like that are meant for a Harley, but they have two seperate bulbs, I ASSume for hi/low beams. I really liked the black style more than the chrome, but at $600(!) each, they are not for the typical around town cruiser. Yes, I know... without a picture to show, my post is about as useful as Stevie Wonder's wrist watch.

[Rooster's 67]

OK so no one has commented on the use of European design lens with replaceable H4 style bulbs, So check out the link below. In European countries especially Germany, they like high quality light for the high driving speeds of the autobaun. True Euro lenses (not the fad crap you find on the fart can, rice rocket, kid junk) are a quality designed beam pattern that has a sharp horizontal cut left of center on low beam to keep light out of other drivers eyes, and has a beam cut off that is at 15degrees upward angle from center to the right to illuminate the shoulder,street and warning signs. Hella makes such a light, 7", glass precision lens, and metal reflector. these will be going into my truck with true HID bulbs that use ballast and have the servo operated bulb positioner for High/low operation. I will try to find an illumination picture/pattern.

http://www.autobahnpower.com/products.asp?recnumber=422

OH BUT THEY ARE NOT D.O.T. certified, apparently they want you using an inferior beam here in the U.S.

[Rooster's 67]

Ha! found a European style pattern, you can tell the distinct pattern cut-offs.

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by Rooster's 67

Ha! found a European style pattern, you can tell the distinct pattern cut-offs.

If adjusted correctly the roadside right rise from the left and the right should line up. For best distance they should also be adjusted so the horizon doesn't change with distance, so if you have a level surface beside a wall, the height of the horizon should be the same at 20 feet as 30.

E-codes are awesome.