2011 Ford Edge Limited - Replace factory HID kit

[Matthew Joseph Paler]

I am not impressed at all with the HID's on my Edge Limited. The D3S system they use is an under performer in my opinion. The HID's in my wife's Kia, which are H3 are much brighter when side by side. I'd like to keep the factory projectors but replace everything else with a 4300 lumens kit from Xenon Supply or DDM.

 

What bulb can I get that goes right into the housing that is now occupied by the D3S?

[fishx65]

Might wanna jump over to the Hidplanet forums and ask those guys. I think it may be a good idea to keep your factory ballasts for durability and startup time reasons. Maybe there's a brighter hid bulb out there.

[TheWizard]

First you should browse and learn a little more about lighting types and their specifications. For example, if your wife's Kia has factory HIDs, they are not H3 because H3 is a halogen bulb. In fact, even if they are an aftermarket HID conversion, they're still not H3 because that is a fog light bulb not used in headlights.

 

Similarly, 4300 is not a lumen (brightness) spec for aftermarket HID kits. The number 4300K is the color temperature of the HID capsule... in this case the same color as used by all OEM HID lights. As the color temperature gets higher, the color of the light becomes more blue until you get high enough where it starts into the violet range. 5000K is a common aftermarket color that is nearly pure white. 6000K is often called cool white because it is mostly white with a tinge of blue. 8000K is more blue than white, 10000K is definitely blue and 12000K is violet. The color temperature does not directly affect the brightness of the light but it does affect how our eyes perceive that light. The eye is not good at handling blue light and interprets it as glare so anything over 6000K may be the same brightness when measured by instruments but is far worse for actual usable visibility.

 

Actual brightness for standard 35W HID capsules is about 3200-3400 lumens. That is going to be basically the same regardless of manufacturer (OEM or aftermarket). The only way to get more lumens out of HID is to increase the power by going to a 55W ballast. That will give you around 5000 lumens at the cost of bulb life, required heavier wiring and sometimes tempermental ballasts.

 

In any case, the first thing you should do is ensure your headlights are properly aimed. Edge headlights are infamous for being badly aimed from the factory and a proper aim can make all the difference in lighting effectiveness. You may be able to have the headlights you want for no additional cost just by spending a few minutes aiming them.