Quick Question about stock HID's

[jwallace410]

What temp is the lights on a 2011 Edge Limited with HID's? I want to get a brighter light but do I need to change out the ballasts along with the bulbs for a a brighter look or just the bulbs since my edge is already fitted with HID's?

[akirby]

You could just remove the tint. That will make the headlights a lot brighter.......and legal.

[wlepse]

The tint is killing your output but if you decide to keep it it a bulb change alone won't do you any good. Typically OEM HID's fall in the 4500-5500k range which is where you'll see the highest output. But they are typically 35W so going to a larger more powerful ballast would potentially give you more light. I say potentially since some manufacturers of aftermarket kits over estimate the power. I have seen some 35W kits that were pretty much as bright as the 50W.

[cal3thousand]

You're going to run into the issue of the bulb that Ford decided to use in the HID headlights.

 

 

They are new, low mercury, D3S bulbs with built in igniter that put out ~4500K color temp.

 

If you want brighter, you need to upgrade to a 50W ballast and bulb. Problem is, those are not readily available yet for D3S bulbs.

 

You could either wait for them to be developed (about another year I'm guessing) OR do a retrofit that replaces the projector with a bulb that has much more availability such as the D2S.

Edited September 14, 2011 by cal3thousand

[Dingo]

Or... Trade your headlights for mine.

[jwallace410]

Thanks for the info, will adding the retrofit void warranty? And thanks for the smart comment and no useful input a**

[cal3thousand]

Thanks for the info, will adding the retrofit void warranty? And thanks for the smart comment and no useful input a**

 

I'm not sure about your comment after the question, so I'll ignore it.

 

 

The retrofit will only void warranty of the headlights. If you bought a new set and modded those, they would have no clue if you reinstall the OE set should anything go wrong.

 

Magnuson Moss warranty act states that any installed item must be proven to have caused the failure to void the warranty. And that does not mean the whole car is no longer warrantied; only the part that failed due to modification. So, if your headlights fail, you have to deal with it. If your engine fails, it's not related.

[jwallace410]

thanks i appreciate it, i wanted basically the look, and the brighter bulb would be another plus but basically i enjoyed the top of the headlight line on the road, in my friends EVO, that was basically what i was trying to go for. But obviously im not going to spend 200+ just to obtain a look like i did with 20 dollar tint. I havent had a problem with vision and its plenty dark on backroads where i live. Thanks for the info and the "Magnuson Moss warranty act " info i would have not known bout that. so well see where to go from here.

[akirby]

And thanks for the smart comment and no useful input a**

 

Tinting your headlights and taillights WILL reduce your visibility at night - there is no way around that, and it's dangerous - that's why it's illegal.

 

Therefore our comments were very smart.

 

Stop the name calling and if you don't want to hear opinions on tinting headlights and taillights then don't post about it.

[jwallace410]

sorry i apologize for the name calling, but i decided to man up, and remove the tint, black out the housing and retrofit the projectors. will post pics once i find some more info. can you tell me exactly what i need because i feel dumb as im looking through the retorfit source and so on. I know i want the 50W ballast, and the 6000k bulb. the Mazda 3 lens looked the best when it came to the color in the cutoff line, but do i need to buy a new projector as well. im a total newb when it comes to this stuff. I would greatly appreciate any info you could provide. sorry once again.

[NWS Alpine]

sorry i apologize for the name calling, but i decided to man up, and remove the tint, black out the housing and retrofit the projectors. will post pics once i find some more info. can you tell me exactly what i need because i feel dumb as im looking through the retorfit source and so on. I know i want the 50W ballast, and the 6000k bulb. the Mazda 3 lens looked the best when it came to the color in the cutoff line, but do i need to buy a new projector as well. im a total newb when it comes to this stuff. I would greatly appreciate any info you could provide. sorry once again.

 

You need to get a whole new projector setup while doing a retrofit. Since you are looking at TRS I would recommend the FX-R projectors with the clear lens upgrade. Also get their morimoto 55w ballasts. I would not get a 6000K bulb though as it will not be that bright and the blue light doesn't travel as far. If you want a clean white light and the most lumens go with the OSRAM 66240 CBI 5000K bulb. Aftermarket bulbs tend to color shift too much and they often don't match the same color from bulb to bulb. Always use OEM bulbs wherever possible.

[cal3thousand]

You need to get a whole new projector setup while doing a retrofit. Since you are looking at TRS I would recommend the FX-R projectors with the clear lens upgrade. Also get their morimoto 55w ballasts. I would not get a 6000K bulb though as it will not be that bright and the blue light doesn't travel as far. If you want a clean white light and the most lumens go with the OSRAM 66240 CBI 5000K bulb. Aftermarket bulbs tend to color shift too much and they often don't match the same color from bulb to bulb. Always use OEM bulbs wherever possible.

 

I've got the same kit from them.

 

Great recommendation!!!

[jwallace410]

You need to get a whole new projector setup while doing a retrofit. Since you are looking at TRS I would recommend the FX-R projectors with the clear lens upgrade. Also get their morimoto 55w ballasts. I would not get a 6000K bulb though as it will not be that bright and the blue light doesn't travel as far. If you want a clean white light and the most lumens go with the OSRAM 66240 CBI 5000K bulb. Aftermarket bulbs tend to color shift too much and they often don't match the same color from bulb to bulb. Always use OEM bulbs wherever possible.

Thanks for the clean cut kit for the guy that dont know too much bout these things, lol. Its funny im kicking my own a** cause i realized how bright the lights were last night after i finally removed the tint and they are so much brighter. Im actually happy with them for the moment, but i think ill either get that kit or wait till they develop the D3S stuff. Thanks for the info!

[NWS Alpine]

THe OEM bi-halogen are actually very nice projectors. The Phillips HIR2 bulb in then is actually by far the best halogen bulb to date. It has a lumen output that is similar to a slightly dimmed HID bulb (1-2 years old). There is the Catz Zeta system which boosts the HIR2 bulbs and they are really bright but i would worry about heating the bowls too much and the chrome flaking off. The stock projectors are very open so it might be ok.

 

Also when I mod cars I like to keep an OEM look an always try to improve upon the stock version. Tinting the lights to me doesn't look good as it hides the awesome lights. It also kills the performance as you noticed. I really like to open the light up and black out the inside before considering touching the lens. These headlights are extremely hard to open even if you have opened many lights before. The permaseal is no joke and does not release with heat so we need to cut or physically break the seal with force. When I seal them back up I will need to use some silicone and some grey kioto butyl to seal them back up http://shop.lightwerkz.net/product_info.php?cPath=13&products_id=65. our headlights are fully sealed with gortex patches to let air pass but not moisture.

Edited October 7, 2011 by NWS Alpine

[ELation]

Our MKX's HIDs are actually really bright. I assume Edge uses the same projectors?

I did bi-xenon retrofits to my Acura and dad's Honday Odyssey, one with Audi A6 projectors, and the other with Maxima projectors (same as Mercedes E class but with different cutoff shield that gives you purple line).

Both with D2S bulbs.

 

Compare to them, MKX lights are very bright and wide.

 

[cal3thousand]

THe OEM bi-halogen are actually very nice projectors. The Phillips HIR2 bulb in then is actually by far the best halogen bulb to date. It has a lumen output that is similar to a slightly dimmed HID bulb (1-2 years old). There is the Catz Zeta system which boosts the HIR2 bulbs and they are really bright but i would worry about heating the bowls too much and the chrome flaking off. The stock projectors are very open so it might be ok.

 

Also when I mod cars I like to keep an OEM look an always try to improve upon the stock version. Tinting the lights to me doesn't look good as it hides the awesome lights. It also kills the performance as you noticed. I really like to open the light up and black out the inside before considering touching the lens. These headlights are extremely hard to open even if you have opened many lights before. The permaseal is no joke and does not release with heat so we need to cut or physically break the seal with force. When I seal them back up I will need to use some silicone and some grey kioto butyl to seal them back up http://shop.lightwer...products_id=65. our headlights are fully sealed with gortex patches to let air pass but not moisture.

 

Thanks for the sealant link!

[frybel]

You're going to run into the issue of the bulb that Ford decided to use in the HID headlights.

 

 

They are new, low mercury, D3S bulbs with built in igniter that put out ~4500K color temp.

 

If you want brighter, you need to upgrade to a 50W ballast and bulb. Problem is, those are not readily available yet for D3S bulbs.

 

You could either wait for them to be developed (about another year I'm guessing) OR do a retrofit that replaces the projector with a bulb that has much more availability such as the D2S.

 

Hey Cal,

I've been searching previous posts, I thought you had posted before about color matching your HIDs w/ your LED bars in front, but I can't find it anywhere....

 

I replaced my light bars in front with the 6000K Phillips ones and now I want to match the color of the OEM HIDs. I don't need them any brighter, just closer to the 6000K range, so would I need to upgrade the ballast to 50W or just find replacement D3S bulbs from 5000K - 6000K? They don't have to be a perfect match, it's just a pretty glaring difference between the nice blueish white of the LEDs and the yellowish output of the OEMs. All the D3S that I've found online @ 6000K seem to be some cheap Chinese ones, which makes me wary of the quality. Do Phillips, Sylvania, Osram, etc.. make replacement D3S @ 6000K?