RustyEdge Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 I just installed a 35w 9006 6000k HID system with the relay harness from HIDGEEKS.com in my '11 SEL and I have to say that I'm not that impressed with the light output. I'm not positive that the driver side bulb is in correctly after reading some of the other posts on here, so that is one thing that I will need to double check. I also haven't adjusted my lights yet since I was waiting till dark to see how they were, but not sure if that will really make a huge difference though? So far it looks almost just like the stock light output, just a little whiter / blueish. Particularly the light from the driver side seems scattered, might be due to the bulb not being set right. Any suggestions other that checking the driver side bulb? The reason I chose the 35w over the 55w was that I read the 55 might overload the stock wiring. Is that still true if you use the relay harness? Maybe switching to a 55w will give me the output I was anticipating? This is my first HID install and seemed to go well, but just not happy with the light results yet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, -Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgieguy Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 (edited) Russ, You also chose a 6000 bulb,if you had chosen a 4300 pure white it probably would've been a lot brighter. Maybe we can meet up sometime if things don't shape up The way you thought and I'll take a look, maybe I can help? Edited January 21, 2013 by Edgieguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted January 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 The color make that much difference with the brightness? Would 5k be better? I definitely didn't want them to be as blue as they are, which is why I was thinking of changing to 55w. Someone stated that the 6k would be whiter with the 55w kit. I wanted them to be a little different than some OEM HID's which are 4300 I believe. Where in Northern NJ are you located? I'm in Pompton Lakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candurin Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 You definitely lose some lumens (ok, quite a bit) when going with 6k. 4300k @ 35w is the most output you will get from 35w. I am running 5k @ 55w and have a LOT of white output. P.S. I grew up in Morris county but live down near ac. My father still lives in lk Hopatcong and i visit family in clifton often, so we can always try and get an edge meet at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishx65 Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Do a search for Hidgeek reviews. Sounds like a bad company with bad products and service. If ya can't get them to work properly, order a set from DDM or TRS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgieguy Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Yes the higher up the color scale you go the dimmer light output you get. 5000 would be better, but actually the aftermarket DDMs in 4300 at 35w are brighter than stock. The 55s at 4300 are blindingly bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted January 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Sounds like I should go with a different bulb than 6k. I did also get the relay harness from HIDGEEKS, is that all I would need to safely run a 55k kit? Are the bulbs different between the 35w and the 55w systems? If not maybe I'll give a set of 5k bulbs a shot since I have a 3 year warranty with the HIDGEEKS's ballasts, before ordering a whole new 55w kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgieguy Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 The bulbs are the same the ballast just push more voltage through them. But remember that the bulb that burns twice as bright burns half as long. That's very true of over powering hid bulbs. At $15 a pair it's not real expensive, just a hassle when they blow out while traveling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted January 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 So I just ordered a set of 5000k bulbs, figured since the bulbs are the same for the 35w and 55w I would start with the cheaper option. If that still doesn't work I'll order the DDM 55w kit and see how that looks. Thanks all for your help, I'll keep you posted. PS: If there is a North NJ meet or rendezvous let me know!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candurin Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Correct. The bulbs are always the same, the ballasts just push more "juice" through the bulbs (which is why 4300k @ 35W will look almost identical to 5000K @ 55W as the higher wattage ballast will wash out some of the color and make it appear to be a lower temp color bulb - google it, kinda neat). If your running a 55W setup, you DEFINITELY want a wire harness to take the stress off the factory wiring, which would be a higher guage (thinner) wire, not designed for HID use. You'll still see some bluish tint at 5K/35W, but you'll see a nice boost in output from your 6K bulbs. We could have a central Jersey meet and satisfy all exits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Hello again, so I just installed my 5k bulbs and can notice a difference from the 6k already. I made sure that both bulbs were in correctly and that the return wire was not on the bottom but when I turned on the lights I saw a little half circle shape in the light pattern. Attached is a picture, any idea of what it might be? I don't think it looks normal. Thanks, -Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candurin Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Seems like your bulb may not be pushed all the way forward. Are all 3 tabs secure in place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 I thought it was, I had a hard time getting it to turn into place but I guess I'll have to check it again tomorrow. I feel like putting the bulbs in shouldn't be this difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candurin Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 I has to dremel my TRS bulbs to thin the tabs a little bit (not side to side but front to back, if that makes sense). The socket tab receptacles are tight and there was no way for me to securely twist without shaving them a little. My original ddm's fit without dremelling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 The weird thing is that I didn't have any problems with the passenger side, just the drivers. I don't have a dremel but I assume I can just cut them with an exacto knife. Do you know which tab I should dremel or is it all of them? I understand your front to back too, haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candurin Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 I did all of them (not sure it is consistent across all bulbs and all brands). Just trial an error. If your good with an xacto, that should work. You just really want to be sure you have the bulbs seated and twisted all way. As long as your return wire orientation is correct, the light output should be artifact free with nice, sharp horizontal cut-offs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgieguy Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 I has to dremel my TRS bulbs to thin the tabs a little bit (not side to side but front to back, if that makes sense). The socket tab receptacles are tight and there was no way for me to securely twist without shaving them a little. My original ddm's fit without dremelling... Am i the only person who used 9005 bulbs? They went in perfectly the first time and needed no modifications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 You just really want to be sure you have the bulbs seated and twisted all way. As long as your return wire orientation is correct, the light output should be artifact free with nice, sharp horizontal cut-offs. And just to confirm, the return wire should be anywhere but down correct? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candurin Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) Correct. Mine are sideways and cannot be seen with lows or highs activated. Edited January 28, 2013 by candurin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted January 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 So I got the bulb to seat properly thanks to some love from the dremel, but I'm still not impressed. The 5k color is soooooo much better than the 6k, but the intensity still isn't there. Could it be cheap ballasts? I got them from HIDGEEKS.com and am starting to think that was a horrible Idea. I did buy the relay harness as well so it shouldn't be a power supply issue. The ballasts didn't have a brand name on them and I'm thinking they just aren't putting out enough power. Tonight in the rain, granted it was a dark rain, if there was any other street light or oncoming cars I could barely tell that my headlights were even on. Barely better than stock I would say. Now on a dark street by myself they were better, but still not as bright as I expected. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick up a 55w 5k set from DDM and I just bought a Morimoto relay harness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishx65 Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 RE, I was not that impressed with the 35/5000 DDM kit when I first installed it. My first test drives were in the city where it was really hard to tell how bright the new HIDs really were. After my first drive down dark deer infested roads I was blown away by how much brighter they were then the stock halogens. I would give yours a few weeks to see how they perform. Can't remember who, but someone on here that has both the 35 and 55 DDMs said there is not a huge difference in brightness between the two. I still think there is a good chance that Hidgeek kits are just junk. Smart move on the Morimoto harness!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgieguy Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 I have both 35 & 55. 35 in our Explorer, 55 in Edge. Same focused beam in both light housings, virtually no difference in output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyEdge Posted February 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 So I finally got around to adjusting the lights and when I pulled up against a building I noticed that my beam pattern from the drivers side light looks a little off. There seems to be a section where both lights are aimed and then about 3 feet to the left of the drivers side concentration point is another hot spot. You can see what I'm talking about in the attached picture. I know that the wire return on the bulb is not facing downward, but not sure what is causing this additional hot spot and / or if this is normal. I don't think this could be something caused by the crappy HID kit I bought, but let me know what you all think. Thanks again, -Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick56 Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 I did a lot of research on HID upgrades last year in another of my cars. One really good article I found was from a Ford engineer that stated that doing HID upgrades in halogen designed housings does not work correctly. True HID systems designed at the factory have housings that are designed for HID lamps only not halogens. It had something to do with the design of the reflective surfaces in the housings. I tried to locate the article again but could not. I do not know if his explanation is correct but it was enought for me to not upgrade my vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishx65 Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 I did a lot of research on HID upgrades last year in another of my cars. One really good article I found was from a Ford engineer that stated that doing HID upgrades in halogen designed housings does not work correctly. True HID systems designed at the factory have housings that are designed for HID lamps only not halogens. It had something to do with the design of the reflective surfaces in the housings. I tried to locate the article again but could not. I do not know if his explanation is correct but it was enought for me to not upgrade my vehicle. All this is true but there are a few factory halogen "PROJECTORS" that do very well with HID bulbs and the 11+ Edges are one of them. The Chrysler 200 is another vehicle that has halogen projectors that work well with HIDs. I've never seen or heard of any factory halogen "REFLECTORS" that work well with HIDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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