quakerroatmeal

iTrader: (9)

When you get a chance can you compare them further away from the wall, both sides 35w ballast, then swap em to 55w ballast and do another shot, and then do another shot with the 8k bulbs for both if you have time.

blackz123

iTrader: (13)

yea decided to just upgrade to 6ks 35w illlet everyone know hwo they turn out once they arive

gregom

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for posting but the comparrison pics are useless. How much brighter would you say the 55W is compared to stock?

Apexi350z

iTrader: (3)

If I have to pick a number, I would say the 55w 5000k are at least 50% more than OEM HID on my 2003 Z. Make sure to adjust your headlights so it cut down on the glares. The 03-05 lens are not the greatest..

I noticed the pictures I've posted are too close to the garage. But the outcome is definitely BETTER with the newly installed aftermarket kit.
I don't think I can post the 35w OEM HID for comparison anymore since I cut the factory plugs, but I will try to post the 55w 8000k from a distance when I receive the bulbs.

Apexi350z

iTrader: (3)

You can somewhat use this picture for comparison. Even though it's not on our Z. It'll give you some idea of 35w vs 55w. You can see the 55w (left) has a more concentrated lights.

35W is on the right side.

gregom

iTrader: (3)

Ehh still cant tell, need to turn the shutter speed up man. Let the camera adjust for the light automatically.

WildWes

iTrader: (11)

bump

350z-Jim

iTrader: (1)

Unless you want blue looking headlights (like the stupid xenon $8 bulbs sold all over ebay) don't get anything higher than 5000k. 6000-6500k look very blue. Cops will pull you over for blue headlights and you will stand out when coming down the road.

The higher the Kalvin rating the lower the light output, so if you goto a 6500k bulb you would need 55w just to have the same light output as a 35w 4200k OEM system. Then all you will have left is blue looking headlights. Basically pointless.

The 5000k is still the same color as the OEM (almost) but they have a slightly more bright white color vs. the yellow that HID are after you are no longer seeing the purple reflection from the cutoff and the lens.

I have had a lot of different HID systems in a lot of different cars. The best setup is 4200K systems in either 35 or 55w. If you have an OEM HID car then the 4200k 55w system works awesome for more light. If you are doing a swap (non OEM HID car) then stay away from 55w as you will have soooo much glare. The 35w system will work out a lot better for you.

quakerroatmeal

iTrader: (9)

Anybody got any quality pictures of comparison? I'm thinking of doing it soon. Saga your online store seems very hard to read cause its mixed with multiple languages.. If you have the OEM hid's, all you need to do is buy the conversion harness? You don't even have to replace the bulbs?

http://www.sagahid.com/tienda/index....&productId=128

This?

What's difference between above and this one.

http://www.sagahid.com/tienda/index....&productId=127

quakerroatmeal

iTrader: (9)

Nobody has any updates at all?

moog

iTrader: (14)

No way to really compare this, as I don't have side by side shots. Here's my 6000K 55w setup...not blue at all.

quakerroatmeal

iTrader: (9)

Definitely looks like a brighter beam on the ground. Moog, was yours plug and play or did you have to splice?

Jon70ProofZ

iTrader: (13)

not to bring it back from the dead but i thought i would share, just ordered 55w 8000k lows and 55w 3000k highs should have taken pictures of the install the slim ballast i got fit perfectly in the front support beam unreal bright at night just got to get them aimed right





love the color on these, looks more white than normal 8000k because its 55watt instead of 35w (what i was told by ddm) i had 8k bulbs in my stock hids and they were much bluer but i lost a lot of output from those i think 6k is the highest output or maybe 5k

Zquicksilver

iTrader: (5)

OK, I've tried the blue tinted lamp route with my 350Z (halogen setup) with absolutely no luck in my quest for 6k color temps. I'm currently running (halogen) Sylvania Ultra's (4100k) and they're decent, but now I want to run a cooler temp while maintaining current light output. I’m also trying to match some accessory lamps I recently installed.

I've done some HID kit searches over the past month while playing around with my halogen lamps and after sifting through paragraphs of outdated products/ links/ threads and some actual useful information, I have come to the conclusion I want a 55w HID aftermarket kit. If this does not work out, I’ll settle for a 35w HID kit. I like the images of Jon70ProofZ’s 350 above and would like to possibly duplicate it. I saw Apexi350Z and MOOG’s setup and like the light output, but desire a slightly cooler color. I’m assuming my 04 350Z (which came with 55w rated halogen lamps), can handle a 55w HID kit with no problem.


This is what I’ve learned so far...
-I can fit a HID aftermarket kit in the older (halogen) light housing.
-I may have to splice the power leads with the ballast leads in order to get the kit to work. Not plug-in-play, which is fine...
-I should not buy a D2S lamp, it does not have the blacked out area preventing glare in our reflector base light housings
-03-05 OEM 35w ballast plus 6k D2R lamps equals low light output. I’ve compared my OEM halogen setup along side an older OEM HID setup and was not overly impressed, but did like the cooler temp output.
-If choosing a higher color temp (6k and above), I need to push more power/watts through the lamp to achieve more lumens.
-55w kits are available and the information/companies tied to these products vary greatly in terms of quality and warranties.
-55w ballast plus 8k D2R lamps is actually closer to 6k in terms of color output
-When going with the higher output lamps, one should consider precisely focusing their beams as to not blind others.


I figured the best place to start this quest is with this older thread... hopefully someone or a few who have installed the DDM kits and (other 55w kits) will chime in and give us all a review after a year or two of use.



Zquicksilver

781

iTrader: (8)

I got the DDM 55w kit since April of this year and they're still working fine. I have 8k bulbs and they're more white than it is blue, maybe just a hint of blue. DDM kits are plug and play. The only thing that sucks is putting a hole in the rear of light cover which can cause condensation. Heres a comparison picture on a Lexus IS250 I installed it on. Left is some cheap hid kit that my friend got off eBay 35w 6k and right is the DDM kit 55w 6k on both the headlight and fog light. His car never came with hids just regular halogen bulbs but it does have projector headlamps. [IMG][/IMG]

Zquicksilver

iTrader: (5)

That 55w kit is bright!? I'm sure the camera is not correcting the glare I see...

It seems everyone's situation is different, goals/desires, etc., which is to be expected.
My Z is no longer my DD and will see little night driving, so bulb longevity is not a major concern.

I thought this was interesting. A little history on HID...
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31997


BTW, I got some feed back from one of the memebers here in a PM and he described the DDM 55w kit as bright, but not as bright as his OEM 08 bi-xenons. He mentioned the kit worked fine and there were no issues. But I have two concerns...

1. From DDM's website "Our 55w HID Kit is not recommended for smaller fog light housings because they tend to concentrate a large amount of heat in a small area."
-The 350Z lens and plastic decorative elements are fairly close to the lamp, I wouldn't want the chrome to start peeling or bubbling because of heat!? I have not seen feedback from anyone who is using these true 55w xenon lamps (55w ballast) long term, ie daily driver. But suppose, if someone did have major problems a thread would exist!?

2. The kit costs $50!? That's pretty cheap... It does state a lifetime warranty though.

http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DD...ast-35W-or-55W



Zquicksilver

Zquicksilver

iTrader: (5)

I'm still lurking around... lol!

About the heat in the 03-05 light housings (one of my concerns and the 55w kit/lamp)... I found this from one of the clearcorner guys... (post #25)
https://my350z.com/forum/exterior-an...d-bulbs-2.html


Zquicksilver

Zquicksilver

iTrader: (5)

If I were to go with a DDM HID conversion kit, would ordering something like this work!?

55w (+$10)
D2R (+20)
8000k
HID harness

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39242044@N05/4864468452/" title="DDM_55w_D2R_8k_plus harness_closeUP by Zquicksilver, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4864468452_c56023768c_b.jpg" width="674" height="642" alt="DDM_55w_D2R_8k_plus harness_closeUP" /></a>

I'm considering the HID harness for the following. (not a 100% my OEM halogen harness/wiring can handle the initial surge)
Use the relay harness to connect HIDs to cars with very small gauge wiring that cannot supply the initial surge current required to light the bulbs reliably.

Recommended for all 55W HID installations but most American and European cars work at 35W/55W without the harness. The harness is definitely recommended for Quad's and other ATVs or when running multiple HID installations. This harness is a fused relay isolation harness capable of supplying 40A at 12vdc.


Zquicksilver

781

iTrader: (8)

Heat isn't a problem. I'm pretty sure if the heat off the hid was going to effect the headlights, I would've strayed you from it. I am going to assume that you have halogen bulbs in your Z and if that's the case you want to get the H7 kit instead of a D2R. D2R are bulbs for cars that comes with hids already. I got the hid harness too just for insurance. Everything works fine. I am actually the last person out of my group to get this hid kit. I am the iffy type when it came to light bulbs since i hate changing them on the Z. It's a PITA!! lol. A year and some change running for them, so i hopefully i don't have to change any bulbs anytime soon. 8k temperature with 55w slim ballasts H7 kit with the hid harness is what I've gotten.

Zquicksilver

iTrader: (5)

Heat may not be a problem, but what about UV rays and our polycarbonate lenses. Are DDM tuning lamps UV coated like the bigger brand name lamps? I was thinking about this the other night. Another one of my concerns was overdriving a 35w lamp to 55w output, does DDM use a true 55w lamp in their 55w kits?

Yes, my 04 350 has the OEM halogen lamp setup. I thought the D2R lamp is what I wanted. It has the small metal band surrounding the lamp to prevent unwanted glare. If I specify H7 only, I may get a lamp without the band!?

The beefy HID wiring harness (which seems like a good idea for 55w kits). How did you integrate that into the mix? I know you can purchase a DDM retrofit kit: These cables are commonly used for D2S/D2R retrofits. They can also be used to convert almost any stock bulb power supply to a 9006 connector which will easily plug into our ballasts.
What's nice about this kit, for those with halogen sockets, is the ability to easily revert back to halogen, no splicing! But it does rely on our OEM wiring for the lamp startup!?
I'm assuming the beefy HID wiring harness eliminates the need for this kit. Then how do you turn the lamps on, if it's now powered seperately?

This thread helped a little...
https://my350z.com/forum/exterior-an...w-upgrade.html


Thanks, if you or someone else can answer these questions.
Zquicksilver