HID headlight ?'s

[gikken20]

I just got my wife a fully loaded 2007 Yukon 4x4, we love it. The only problem is she has difficulty driving at night. I have HID's on my Jeep but they were done before I bought it. Were getting ready to move from Atlanta to Washington and she wants them for the drive. I've been doing reasearch but there are tons of companies that make them and they range from $60 to however much your willing to spend. From what I've been reading the ballast is the most important part. Also what brightness is the best? I was thinking 8000k Im not sure what is legal and I havent been able to find anything on it. Also I'm gonna call, but does anyone know if it can void my warranty or should i just change them back out if I have to take the truck in? I tried finding some threads but they were for the wrong year trucks, Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks Jake

[piecesparts]

Look at DDM Tuning for a shoice or look at the vendor support listed on this website.

[1badgmc]

I know this is a somewhat old thread, but I figured I'd throw in some info to help if you haven't already figured it all out and to maybe help someone in the future who may be looking at this thread.

Originally Posted by gikken20

I just got my wife a fully loaded 2007 Yukon 4x4, we love it. The only problem is she has difficulty driving at night. I have HID's on my Jeep but they were done before I bought it. Were getting ready to move from Atlanta to Washington and she wants them for the drive. I've been doing reasearch but there are tons of companies that make them and they range from $60 to however much your willing to spend. From what I've been reading the ballast is the most important part.

When it comes to these inexpensive HID conversions, they're really all about the same quality. It's really all about price and warranty. I've used several HID sellers. DDM Tuning has a lifetime warranty and they're one of the lowest priced out there.

Also what brightness is the best? I was thinking 8000k...

HIDs can be had in a variety of different colors. The color is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Most HID sellers offer color temperatures ranging from 3000K to 12000K. There are higher Kelvin temperatures out there, but this is the most common range. 3000K HIDs are going to be very yellow/amber in color and are best left for auxiliary/fog lighting. Stock halogen bulbs are around 3200K. Cars that came factory equipped with HIDs, no matter what the make or model, are all in the 4100 – 4300K range. The low 4000K range will give you the whitest possible light with the most useable lumens and most visibility. Higher temperatures will produce a bluer color with less visible light. An 8000K HID bulb will produce about 20% less visible light than a 4300K HID bulb. There is a reason that the OEM HIDs are in the low-4000K range.

Some people really want some Blue in their HIDs. All HIDs in the 4300 – 12000K range are going to produce a shade of blue. Even 4300K will have a slight tint of blue. I recommend staying below 5000K, but that’s not enough blue color for some. 6000K is the happy medium for those who want some visible blue color, yet still have a white light. Higher than that and the lights start to become very blue and are more likely to attract unwanted attention from law enforcement.

Im not sure what is legal and I havent been able to find anything on it.

This is a very gray area. The more you research this the more confusing it can be. Some places say that any and all HID retrofits into a vehicle that didn't roll off the assembly line with them are illegal. Other places say that as long as they're in a housing designed for HIDs they're legal. I have done a lot of looking around and have yet to be able to find any legal verbage specifically prohibiting HID conversions either on the Federal or state (Texas) level. I have seen a Texas DPS webpage discussing them, but there was no legal statute attached to the information presented on the page. The best thing you can do is to choose a color temperature that isn't overly blue (4300K-6000K would be best) and make sure that your HIDs aren't causing glare for other drivers.

Also I'm gonna call, but does anyone know if it can void my warranty or should i just change them back out if I have to take the truck in?

This is a good question. It would take about 5 minutes to disconnect your HIDs and pop your stock bulbs back in if you were taking it in for service. You might do that to be on the safe side.

I would also recommend disabling the daytime running lamps on the Yukon. Your DRLs run the headlights on reduced power. This reduced power can harm the HID ballasts. I'm not certain, but I believe that it's just a matter of pulling a fuse on your truck.

Your truck uses the H13 (aka 9008) bulbs which handle both high and low beam functions. I know that with DDM Tuning at least, you have 2 HID options. The first is to buy a single beam HID kit that would only work with your low beams. For $20 more, you can have a kit that also has high beam functionality. The HID bulb is on a sort of plunger base. When you turn your highs on, it pops the bulb out a bit (or maybe it's in, I can't remember). I don't think it makes a huge amount of difference, but it's good to have the functionality. I would recommend the latter, of course.

[72BlckButy]

Great info 1badgmc!

[theastronaut]

The problem I have with HID's in a housing made for regular bulbs is the size of the light source. The HID capsule is large, and the whole thing glows like a florescent when lit. An incandescent bulb has the small filiment as the light source. The reflector is designed to capture light from the light source and redistribute it where it needs to go for a proper beam pattern. The large HID light source in a reflector made for a small filiment sized light source can't properly distribute the light for a useable beam pattern. There will be too much glare, and oncoming traffic will be blinded.

If you don't have a cut off pattern like this on low beam, you're blinding oncoming traffic.

[1badgmc]

It is possible to have HIDs in a non-HID housing without causing dangerous glare for other drivers if you take care with them. My eyes are extremely sensitive to light, so if your lights aren't bothering me, they're not going to bother most other people. I do take care with mine and I've made sure they don't bother me. I have seen a lot of drop-in HID conversions driving around that didn't bother my eyes at all. Unfortunately, I've seen more that DO bother me and those are the ones that give the rest a bad rap. I have 2 trucks that I've put HIDs in without causing pain to other drivers. I also have OEM HIDs in my CTS with a beautiful cutoff, so I know what a good pattern looks like.

Will drop-in HIDs ever be optimal in non-HID housings? No. Never. But it is possible to install HIDs WITHOUT dangerous glare to other drivers and have brighter, whiter lighting at night.

[gikken20]

I ended up getting 6000k HID's I don't remember the brand but we love them and they work awesome, I did have to adjust my lights so I wasn't blinding oncoming drivers. The only complaint is the shop that sold them to me told me they were hi/low beam HID's and they are only HID in low, I bought them in Arizona on my way to Washington so I didn't get a chance to talk to the shop after I installed them. It was a pain getting them in without removing the bumper and I had to trim the plastic just a bit to get them to fit correctly. I think I paid $94 for them and I'm planning on getting a set for my Subaru
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[kikkegek]

any pics of your output? beam pattern? normally HIDs in normal headlight glare like crazy

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by kikkegek

any pics of your output? beam pattern? normally HIDs in normal headlight glare like crazy

Exactly. Even OEM reflector HID's give off more glare than projector HID's, and those reflectors are designed for the HID bulb's larger light source.
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