chipworkz Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 So one thing that I am not crazy about with my new HID lights is the slow start up time. I swear it seems like a couple of minutes before they get to 100%. I can jump in my car and drive a mile and a half down to my local market and they still aren't at 100% by the time I get there. So is it my Ballasts or the bulb itself that would be causing this? From what I have read, it seems more likely to be the Ballasts. I am buying new bulbs no matter what since the 6000K light sucks but I am wondering if I should just get another complete system or not. Looking at the 9012 Morimoto system if I do. Thanks for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjsockett Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 I have the 9012 morimoto system and my light s seem plenty bright by the time I get from the garage to the road. Doesn't take more than 30 seconds to be at 100%. I would think ballasts but I have the 55w kit with a TRS harness as well, so I'm not sure if the extra wattage plays into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Bulb & ballast quality DOES make a difference. You can work around the problem by overdriving the bulb with a higher-rated ballast, but obviously at the cost of bulb life. Usually kits made in Japan or Germany are 90% within 2-3 seconds. Morimoto/Denso ballasts are among the fastest, from what I have read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipworkz Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) I have the DriveBright kit and the lights fire up and work every single time so that part is good. The bulbs that come with the kit appear to be cheap ones and you can buy them for under $15 online. Since I am buying bulbs to get rid of the awful 6000K anyway, I am tempted to just get the new Morimoto kit instead of just the bulbs. I would hate to spend the extra money though to have the same start up time but with a better light output color. One note is that I am not using the relay harness that came with the kit as they recommend to try it without it first and only use it if you have issues. The lights fire up every time so I never thought about using the harness. I guess I could try installing the relay harness just to see if it makes a difference in the start up time. Oh and pjsockett, have you had any issues with bulbs not firing up? Did you get the Capacitor Links with your kit? Edited February 5, 2015 by chipworkz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjsockett Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Mine occasionally don't fire on auto when it's cold outside, but if you toggle the switch manually they work right away. I would say it's only an issue in cold weather 1 in 20 times. Not really a big deal for me since it's only ever an issue when starting the car. If the car is already running when the auto kicks in the work every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipworkz Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Thank you pjsckett but do you have the Capacitor Links installed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Depiry Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 The HID bulbs are basically Metal-halide lamps all Hid or,gas discharge lamps take some time to come to full brightness after the arc strikes. Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipworkz Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 So as I said I really hated the 6000K bulbs that came with my DriveBright kit. I ordered the 9012: MORIMOTO XB 4500K bulbs and man what a difference! The bulbs that come with the kit can be bought for $15 or less online and these Morimoto bulbs cost $40. Regarding the Start Up time that I originally opened this thread for, well these new bulbs greatly improved this issue. Right from the start you can see these new XB bulbs get brighter faster. Not only do they get brighter faster, the are also much brighter as well. I did a quick drive around the block at dusk and with the 6000K bulb in the drivers side and the 4500K bulb in the passenger side, it looked like my drivers side light was out in comparison. I did another quick test drive after it was totally dark and the passenger side is definitely brighter and much more visible on the ground. Being 9012 bulbs instead of the 9006 that come with the kit they also install super easy just like the stock bulbs. I actually feel happy about the upgrade to HID lights now. With the 6000K bulbs I felt like it was a bit of a waste of money. This also showed me that bulb quality also plays a roll in the start up time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cellbine Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) With the 2 capacitors in my relay harness, my lights fire up in about 5 secs (give or take) and brights are instant. Here is the link to the Harness I am using, courtesy of WWWPerf!: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/components/harnesses/morimoto-9006-low-beam-relay-wire-harness.html#.VPaf5EJMM7k Edited March 4, 2015 by Cellbine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Here is the link to the Harness I am using, courtesy of WWWPerf!: Hey, don't blame me!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normcloutier Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I have the AbsoluteHID 35 watt kit with 4300k bulbs. Haven't had 1 misfire in 2 years and start up to full brightness is less than 15 seconds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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