Anyone ever get pulled over for HID lights?

[willpoon]

Just wanted to see if anyone with HID lights ever get pulled over by the police.

I just installed HID kit in my 08 Civic stock housing and the cut offs are actually really good.

It's an 8000k set and it's white with a hint of blue. I placed a piece of white paper in front of the headlights and the colour is white.

So for all of you who have HIDs in your cars, please let me know if you've ever had any trouble with the law and/or other drivers.

Thanks!

[gordholio]

I can see fine with my headlights. I don't see a need for spending money on it.

[GunnerX]

All my HIDs have been white at 4500k. I don't know why anyone likes the 6K and up HIDs because visibility is majorly decreased and the colour actually looks stupid.

I have HIDs on my 1990 Accord but I did a retrofit on that with A4 projectors. I installed HIDs on my 2008 Impreza and no problems either.

However, having some sort of tint on your headlights could be asking for trouble. One thing's for sure, stay out of Peel region. As for cutoff, there's no such thing on stock headlights that are non projector.

[i3_dawg]

6000k is the highest you should get otherwise you'll just be blinding people. 8000k is blue btw, and has less lumens than 6000k which meen it doesnt light up the road as well. The best so far is 5000K for the best lumen output, bright white

[willpoon]

6000k is the highest you should get otherwise you'll just be blinding people. 8000k is blue btw, and has less lumens than 6000k which meen it doesnt light up the road as well. The best so far is 5000K for the best lumen output, bright white

I think I actually received 6000k in my package even though it reads 8000k because it's more white and only a hint of blue.

[skidz88]

Reason why you'd be pulled over is because they're aimed too high and just blind people. IMO, 8000K looks ********, and very ricey. The whole point of HIDs are to increase the light output of headlights and by getting 6000K or higher you are just defeating the purpose. Stock HIDs are 4300k and that Kelvin rating offers the most light.

[skidz88]

As for cutoff, there's no such thing on stock headlights that are non projector.


That's actually false.

[GunnerX]

That's actually false.

Do you have a picture to prove so? HIDs on halogen headlights (non projector) showing proper cutoff on a wall. Thx.

[Dragons4Life]

Skidz88- Do u know the meaning of ********? it means slow. How is 8000k slow lol?

[skidz88]

Do you have a picture to prove so? HIDs on halogen headlights (non projector) showing proper cutoff on a wall. Thx.

What's "proper" cutoff? My headlights have cutoff, with stock HIDs and no they're not projectors.

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

I can see fine with my headlights. I don't see a need for spending money on it.

You won't have to worry about that, since all those bull$hit aftermarket HID kits do is *reduce* your ability to see at night.

[i3_dawg]

this is a cutoff, non-projectors will just blur

http://users.adelphia.net/~eyevan/images/XR/cutoff2.jpg

[GunnerX]

You won't have to worry about that, since all those bull$hit aftermarket HID kits do is *reduce* your ability to see at night.

I don't see how this reduced my visibility.

http://www.gunnerx.com/pics/e300/impreza/impreza3.jpg

[gei]

8000k is pretty ricey and you are actually REDUCING your light output.

In fact the light output with 8000k HID's might be so bad that you are actually worse off than you were with your regular halogen bulbs.

Most stock HID systems come with 4300K bulbs, and I highly doubt anyone has been pulled over for those.

[gei]

6000k is the highest you should get otherwise you'll just be blinding people.

the colour temperature has nothing to do with "blinding people", it only affects the COLOUR of the light.

Blinding people is caused by improperly aimed headlights (ie too high) or headlights drawing more power than normal (ie > 55W)

Also HID's without projectors can blind people too because the light is scattered everywhere instead of focused properly with a cutoff. HID's without projector lenses are pretty stupid IMO.

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

I don't see how this reduced my visibility.


You don't see much, that's for sure. :lol:

Or are you seriously putting up a photo of your riced out car to "prove" how good your headlights are?

[GunnerX]

You don't see much, that's for sure. :lol:

Or are you seriously putting up a photo of your riced out car to "prove" how good your headlights are?

You sure like to stir up crap and spread nonsense do you? The "riced out" car is stock with roof racks. Nice try.

[i3_dawg]

When the light is blue it attracts more attention to your eye and it actually damages the eye if your always lookin at it. The eye is more comfortable to the yellow, amber, and red than to blue.

I searched up a some info on this on msn.com


http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-01/SAE/SAE2003/Perel.pdf
HID Blue color: Novelty attracts attention
HID Blue color: Eyes more sensitive

the colour temperature has nothing to do with "blinding people", it only affects the COLOUR of the light.

Blinding people is caused by improperly aimed headlights (ie too high) or headlights drawing more power than normal (ie > 55W)

Also HID's without projectors can blind people too because the light is scattered everywhere instead of focused properly with a cutoff. HID's without projector lenses are pretty stupid IMO.

[VorteC]

8000K is for show... not for visibility.. and I'm sorry but the stock housings on your civic is not going to have a "very good cutoff"...

[i3_dawg]

i hate those people that says calls everything riced. why don't you tell us what is riced up about that car in the photo. buddy u got too much hate towards ricers.

You don't see much, that's for sure. :lol:

Or are you seriously putting up a photo of your riced out car to "prove" how good your headlights are?

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

You sure like to stir up crap and spread nonsense do you? The "riced out" car is stock with roof racks. Nice try.

I could say the same about you, but what's the point? I only wish they enforced the law more. Then there won't be any more arguements about it on the internet.

[ShadowVlican]

i hate ricers too

in fact i hate people who are selfish and install HIDs without retrofitting them with HID projectors... all while claiming "they don't blind anyone!!"

you don't have to drive for long at night until you see some idiot with HIDs on their civic or their mom's caravan

the police should be targeting these people... but i'm afraid to say they're trigger happy fingers are in love with the radar gun ;)

educate yourselves here: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/

[l69norm]

this is a cutoff, non-projectors will just blur....

Isn't the cut-off backwards in your photo?

[ShadowVlican]

Isn't the cut-off backwards in your photo?
yea.... maybe he posted something from japan.... or bought JDM projectors and didn't get them leveled...

[i3_dawg]

no, i found the pic on internet. I just wanted to show ppl what a cutoff is.

hence the word cutoff, cut-off. a line the seperates the light

yea.... maybe he posted something from japan.... or bought JDM projectors and didn't get them leveled...

[Jeff-TheBiz]

I have 6000k for low beams and fogs.

Never had a cop pull me over... for that..

[GunnerX]

I've been blinded more by OEM Halogens that are not aimed properly. There are tons of cars out there that have one headlight pointing directly at oncoming traffic. Also, I notice there's a lot more people driving around with High Beams on in the city. There's laws against those too yet I don't see police enforcing them.

[l69norm]

All my HIDs have been white at 4500k. I don't know why anyone likes the 6K and up HIDs because visibility is majorly decreased and the colour actually looks stupid. ...

I'm told that Infiniti FX35/45 owners sometimes go to 8000K bulbs because thier projectors have a "yellow" cast. I saw one the other day and it actually looked OK color wise, although the light output probably was bad.

.... Also, I notice there's a lot more people driving around with High Beams on in the city. ...

Some people modify 9005 hi-beam bulbs to fit into 9006 low beam housings. It's about 70% more light

[skidz88]

There are plenty of cars that come stock with HIDs without projectors, they have special reflector housings that produce a cutoff, it is not as sharp as with projectors but it is there. My stock reflector HIDs don't blind people unless you stare into them as I drive past. Sometimes it's hard for people to not look at the pretty flickering light from HIDs but if you just stare straight ahead then it won't bother you.

Civics and other cars that were never designed to be used with HID systems will blind oncoming traffic, simply because light hits the bottom of the headlight and scatters upwards into the eyes of oncoming drivers. And as for 8000K, it's just plain rice. IMO, it looks cheap and I can spot an aftermarket kit on a car a mile away.

[M-e-X-x]

Also HID's without projectors can blind people too because the light is scattered everywhere instead of focused properly with a cutoff. HID's without projector lenses are pretty stupid IMO.

agreed, although even with stock projectors, if u do plug-in-play with stock housing that's not designed for HID, same effect with possible blinding oncoming traffic... i'm not gonna be a douche and blind ppl just to save some bucks... as they say.. go big or go home...

[CodecX81]

Ohh.. so you are the jerk who i get stuck in front of when driving on the highway at night...

Thanks for the blinding of a lifetime...


Don't get me wrong, I'm all about the lumens... but theres a time and a place for everything.. .and unless you are driving on a deserted country road.. that type of headlight is not necessary.

[l69norm]

Actually, cars with H4, H7 and 9006 halogen reflector housings can be modified to use HID bulbs using "casper shields". The shield actually provides a pretty good cut-off, although it throws away 50% of the HID light and there still will be hot spots (plus loss of high beams for hi-lo cars).

9004 and 9007 halogen reflector housings can't be modified for HID using shields.

Halogen projectors usually need a slight mod to use HID bulbs. The "squirel finder" holes in the cut-off shield need to be covered up with aluminum tape. The pattern still isn't the greatest compared to a real HID projector.

As usual, talk to someone who has already done whatever it is you want to do and see the results. These things are really hit and miss

[i3_dawg]

i don't think size of the bulb affects the output of HIDs

Actually, cars with H4, H7 and 9006 halogen reflector housings can be modified to use HID bulbs using "casper shields". The shield actually provides a pretty good cut-off, although it throws away 50% of the HID light and there there still will be hot spots.

9004 and 9007 halogen reflector housings can't be modified for HID using shields.

[l69norm]

i don't think size of the bulb affects the output of HIDs

The casper shield creates the cut-off line by blocking light from reaching the bottom half of the H4 reflector housing. The blocked light doesn't really get reflected back to the top half of the reflector so it just gets scattered - hence is wasted. I think H7 works the same way. 9006 is low beam only (see the link below, all the black paint just scatters the light being blocked).

9004 and 9007 halogen reflectors work differently and use the entire surface area, so the light will still be reflected above the casper shield cut-off.

I'll see if I can find some photos of the cut-off created using casper shields.

Google will find instructions for building your own shields. The down side is the amount of work required is probably the same as just retrofitting a proper HID projector in the first place.

Here's one for a HID bulb in a 9006 halogen reflector housing: http://www.ojbox.com/HIDimages/9006shield.htm

..

[seftonm]

Do you have a picture to prove so? HIDs on halogen headlights (non projector) showing proper cutoff on a wall. Thx.

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~ridgely/images/smaller%20for%20web/Cibie-lo800.JPG

[VorteC]

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~ridgely/images/smaller%20for%20web/Cibie-lo800.JPG

Here is what my cutoff looks like for reference, very different.

HID lowbeams + fogs
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/5805/img4774tn7.jpg

HID lowbeams + halogen highbeams
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/2986/dscf0014sw1.jpg

[seftonm]

Yes, the one I showed is an E-code cutoff which allows the upwards flare on the right to help illuminate signs and pedestrians. Most North American beams do not seem to have that. But regardless, it is still a cutoff without the use of projectors.

edit: I should add that those are probably not HID's. It was posted to show that a cutoff can be done without projectors.

[GunnerX]

Yes, the one I showed is an E-code cutoff which allows the upwards flare on the right to help illuminate signs and pedestrians. Most North American beams do not seem to have that. But regardless, it is still a cutoff without the use of projectors.

The only issue with those headlights is there's a lot of stray light above the cutoff due to the reflectors once HID bulbs are being used. That's what my comment was about. Once HIDs are used in non projectors, the cutoff becomes pointless.

[seftonm]

The only issue with those headlights is there's a lot of stray light above the cutoff due to the reflectors once HID bulbs are being used. That's what my comment was about. Once HIDs are used in non projectors, the cutoff becomes pointless.
The same could be said for halogen projectors. Optics that aren't designed for HID's won't always do a good job at controlling the light, regardless of whether they are reflectors or projectors.

HID's in halogen projectors with glare above the cutoff:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v640/Dannomite03/HID/DSCN0801.jpg

[ShadowVlican]

The same could be said for halogen projectors. Optics that aren't designed for HID's won't always do a good job at controlling the light, regardless of whether they are reflectors or projectors.
yeap

it isn't about projectors or reflectors... it's about the overall engineered design for a certain type of bulb/filament

ie: 9007 HID bulbs and 9007 halogen bulbs have the same external shape.... but the filament and the way it glows is TOTALLY different...

[l69norm]

...HID's in halogen projectors with glare above the cutoff:...

That glare is from the "squirrel finders". Taping over the small holes in the cut off shield will fix that.

What you can't fix is those 2 big hot spots. A real HID projector will have more even brightness across the field with almost no hot spots.

..edited.... added some casper shield photos......

This isn't the photo I was looking for but it's close. This is a picture of a HID bulb in a H4 halogen reflector housing using a casper shield (courtesy of hakenslash@hidplanet). There's a distinct cut off line with little glare.
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27682&highlight=casper+shields
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/haknslash2003/hid%20pics/cimg0171hv2.jpg

Here's some more with HID/Casper vs. stock H4 in a fluted H4 halogen reflector housing. See how the stock H4 cut-off is mimicked by the HID/Casper Shield
(courtesy of Jazz@hidpanet)
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17001&highlight=casper
(D2S/Casper=left ) - (H4 Halogen = right)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b34/jazzjl/Casper%20Comparison/th_IMG_9639D2SCasper.jpg (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b34/jazzjl/Casper%20Comparison/IMG_9639D2SCasper.jpg) http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b34/jazzjl/Casper%20Comparison/th_IMG_9638H4.jpg (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b34/jazzjl/Casper%20Comparison/IMG_9638H4.jpg)

[Paolo]

Here is what my cutoff looks like for reference, very different.

HID lowbeams + halogen highbeams
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/2986/dscf0014sw1.jpg

This is not very impressive. My HID set up looks way better. I've had hids on my car for 7 years, before all the big craze about it, and I've done it RIGHT, Right from the start. I've replaced the Entire headlight assemblies, not just the bulbs. mine now have bi-xenon projectors, high and low hid beam, high beam H9 flash to pass, incase your hids are off. had tis setup for 7 years, its all OEM ford parts.

[l69norm]

This is not very impressive. My HID set up looks way better....

He's parked too close to the garage door. Back up 25 ft and it will look a lot better.

Getting back to the original purpose of this thread though, has anybody in Ontario actually got a ticket due to HIDs? I would be interested in knowing what the actual charge on the ticket was.

[VorteC]

This is not very impressive. My HID set up looks way better. I've had hids on my car for 7 years, before all the big craze about it, and I've done it RIGHT, Right from the start. I've replaced the Entire headlight assemblies, not just the bulbs. mine now have bi-xenon projectors, high and low hid beam, high beam H9 flash to pass, incase your hids are off. had tis setup for 7 years, its all OEM ford parts.

Parked closely to the door, and I have my H1 HIGH BEAMS on.. so that's why it looks really messed up. But good for you though, nothing beats the quality on them Ford parts!

[GangStarr]

projectors or non projectors, when you go over speed humps, it blinds on coming traffic.

Love my HID's :) If you cant beat em, join em.

[TrEvOrLiCioUs]

http://img53.exs.cx/img53/1584/Picture012Medium.jpg

hids in my non-hid projectors.

Cut-off is great, light dispersion could be better/wider.

[DaVibe]

Looking at all these pictures, I wanted to take some pictures of my regular lights :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/DaVibe/Picture017.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/DaVibe/Picture020.jpg

However, I'd like to see this thread turn into a suggestion thread as to what type of lights to get ...
I've seen SOME descriptions but ...

[GunnerX]

Looking at all these pictures, I wanted to take some pictures of my regular lights :)

However, I'd like to see this thread turn into a suggestion thread as to what type of lights to get ...
I've seen SOME descriptions but ...

Just go to www.hidplanet.com for better information regarding HIDs.

[bensa138]

Never been pulled over for aftermarket HID on Integra /w stock projector housing.

I've heard some people with the diamond reflector ones getting pulled over quite a bit because of those were designed for regular halogen and refract the light too much.

I've also heard that people with yellow headlights are also getting pulled over these days.

I have yellow bulbs in my highbeam/day time running and never been bothered once about them. I guess because at DRL mode they are just a little more yellow than the stock bulbs running at half voltage.

[kleptodathief]

so so only 3 out like 70 peeps have been pulled over? of those 3 did u get a ticket??? seems very rare to get a ticket for illegal headlites,etc.... ive had no trouble for the last year and i got the ricer 8k set :cheesygri

course its only for the look but once u go HID u won't wanna go back to halogens again! :idea:

[untaka]

You guys should be careful with your HID lights, If you come behind me on the highway I stop. I hate people blinding me and I don't care if you hit me, just a little FYI

[Rekognize]

I have a 5000k hi/low kit... I can see more clearly at night and never been pulled over for it...

[skidz88]

You guys should be careful with your HID lights, If you come behind me on the highway I stop. I hate people blinding me and I don't care if you hit me, just a little FYI

I hope you're not in the left lane. Otherwise it'd be your fault, and you'd probably be charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. Thumbs up to you, idiot.

[scouzer]

I hope you're not in the left lane. Otherwise it'd be your fault, and you'd probably be charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. Thumbs up to you, idiot.

He probably wouldn't be. It'd be your word against him in all likelihood, and the cop would be more likely to think YOU were driving too fast and simply rear ended him. It is the more likely explanation.

[Paolo]

But good for you though, nothing beats the quality on them Ford parts!

Yeah nothing beats the ford oem part lamps on my car made by Hella headlights, made in Germany... Almsot exactly the same as the ones found on my friends BMW.