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Can anyone explain hid conversion kits to me?


Beckaloo

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I have a 2012 Ford Edge SEL. Just bought it, love MOST everything about it, ...except the headlights!!! They are terrible and I feel almost dangerous! They are so dim I can barely see at night.

I heard about conversion kits and when I rye into my search engine "2012 Ford Edge hid conversion kit" I get so many varying packages that appear with drastically different price ranges. I assume the price differential has to do with complete packaging vs. incomplete... But can someone just help to clarify what components are essential to safely convert my car's lighting? What do I buy? Can someone who is not a mechanic install them safely? What should I expect to pay?

Thank you for any advice or guidance!

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Honestly I was a huge HID person until i went LED! They are way brighter than HID there is no flickering with them! i have the 6000K LED headlights and WOW!! Amazon has them, they are a direct plug and play. There is no ballast that you have to worry about going out on you. The LED headlights have a built in fan on them to help keep them cool. I would recommend these over HID any day of the week! I also put them in my Foglights

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Actually your stock halogen projectors are pretty good. If your previous car didn't come with projectors that could be the reason you think they suck. Projectors when equipped with the correct bulb they were made for, focus the light where it is supposed to be. Yes you can buy a PNP HID kit but it's going to glare into oncoming traffics eyes and generate more foreground lighting. I'm not even going to being up LED as every PNP LED is a paper weight.

Word of advice, don't listen to anybody that tells you to install a PNP LED kit....unless they are telling you to do a LED Projector retrofit using REAL LED projectors.

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I have to agree and disagree with everyone. You will notice a vast improvement with your 2012 edge by retrofitting HID into your car. As you are using projectors (the older, pre-2011 edge, used reflectors) you will not blind oncoming traffic. You will have a decent cutoff of your light pattern.

 

You can install them safely and easily (the hardest part is getting the new bulbs twisted into the sockets).

 

You want a kit that has a wire harness (optional, but recommended), ballasts and bulbs. That's all you need. There are tons of videos and plenty of instructions on here and via Google.

 

Just stick with 4300k-5000k bulbs to have the most "illuminating" spectrum of light (anything higher will be more blue in color and will diminish the actual lumens output). Blue headlights on a rainy road is dangerous....

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You will notice a vast improvement with your 2012 edge by retrofitting HID into your car. As you are using projectors (the older, pre-2011 edge, used reflectors) you will not blind oncoming traffic. You will have a decent cutoff of your light pattern.

a retrofit requires putting in an actual HID projector. just putting in a PNP HID kit is still going to glare into oncoming traffic.

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Nick, typically I agree with everything you say. (And appreciate the advice given), however, putting an HID into a halogen projector will not blind oncoming traffic.

 

I have done this 4 years ago in my edge and have never had an issue nor a single flashback from another driver. If I pull to the end of my driveway and look at my light pattern on my garage door (60' away), I have a pretty good cutoff in my halogen projectors with no stray or errant light above that line.

 

Yes, a true retrofit with high end projectors is ideal, but, it is not dangerous nor deleterious to oncoming traffic to do so in the 2011+ edge with halogen projectors.

 

Yea, retrofits into halogen reflectors are bad.

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I must agree with candurin, have the 55w HID kit in my '11 and have no glare and do not blind other drivers. Even with the extra wattage I've never had anyone flash their lights at me.

 

They definitely don't have as sharp of a cut off as it would would have with actual HID projectors but it's more than acceptable. Some adjustment to the level of the lights may be necessary to suite your preference, but I haven't even done that and still no complaints from other drivers.

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