I have a 02 accord and i'm lookin for xenon conversion kits. are 8000ks good? are xenon kits reliable and last a long time? Also, what xenon conversion brands have the best bang for the buck?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by osuperjohno &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have a 02 accord and i'm lookin for xenon conversion kits. are 8000ks good? are xenon kits reliable and last a long time? Also, what xenon conversion brands have the best bang for the buck?</TD></TR></TABLE>

NO. Aftermarket HIDs are not reliable at all. Stay away from them. The higher the k you go, the more color but less light output you will have. I recommend to stick with 4200k or 4100k. Those are all Merc, BMW, Audi use.

 

Between 4000 and 6000k is the best levels, and 4300k is about the max that comes on OEM cars. Dont buy a kit, get projectors retrofitted into your car. They dont give off glare and youll have a better light output.

HIDs in halogen housings are generally a bad idea, i'd go to hidplanet.com and check out their kits that are available including projectors, and have someone do a retrofit for you

 

like said before, you NEED a REAL projector do properly benefit from HID's....you'll also be less likely to get pulled over by cops

 

^^^ I dont agree...the benefit of HID's is better low/no light visibility. Even in a non-projector housing (like my CL-S) i still benefit 100% over regular halogens when it comes to visibility improvements. They may not be as accurate with light cut off and provide as MUCH visibility as a projector housing would...but that doesnt mean that the benefit of the setup is lost at all. I think it is an excellent idea to upgrade to HID's, no matter what type of housing you have...because you WILL benefit from it positively...you also have to consider the fact that SOME cars without projectors will blind people (hell, some cars WITH projectors will blind people, which is why the automotive world is moving to a new type of bulb technology that GM has been working on for years now that replaces HIDs). And the legality issue is also something to consider, but i can assure you, unless your running around with an old cavalier or something with HID's, cops wont know half the time.

Many aftermarket companies (cheap ones) are garbage...but you can still get a VERY good aftermarket setup, CATZ sells a great setup as does Philips...both are ones manufacturers use on their cars.

I would say stick between 4500-6500k...anything over that you'll get the light benefit, but you'll lose the color (as those are reserved primarily for projector housings on higher line cars and motorcycles...7k+)

 

you may still benefit w/o using a projector, you WILL blind other people, no buts about it

 

you wont blind other people, because the three aftermarket kits ive had didnt blind a soul, if installed and angled correctly, they will be just fine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you WILL blind other people, no buts about it</TD></TR></TABLE>

Totally disagree...i've driven in front of my CL-S, and the light is subtle and not blinding at all. Its the people that stick aftermarket HID kits in their housings and dont adjust them correctly (like confuc1ous was saying)...you can have a non-projector housing with HID's and it be non-blinding and very beneficial to your visibility.

 

i totally agree, ive had aftermarket sets on three of my cars, with only one of those having factory projectors. As long as the headlight has a way of being adjusted you are just fine.


Modified by Confuc1ous at 1:12 PM 6/14/2005

 

So....getting HID xenon kits from places like xenondepot.com is not a good idea for a 02 accord?

 

Its hit or miss really with those kits...i have a friend with an Integra LS that bought a cheaper HID system and its been fine for nearly 3 years now. I also had a friend that put them in his GS-R and went through 3 sets in a matter of a summer...so you take your chances.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by osuperjohno &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So....getting HID xenon kits from places like xenondepot.com is not a good idea for a 02 accord?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Your best bet is to go with the brand that is most widely used firstly, and then secondly, get them from a place that has a useable warranty, not one that sounds good on paper. As mentioned, they are definetly hit or miss so it boils down to a personal choice. You also have to worry about them not looking like stock HID's, because then the law becomes a problem also.

 

^^^ Exactly...and a good way to attract police attention to your headlights is to have them adjusted incorrectly to where they are focusing their light reflection at the top of your headlight housing, causing a very bright and blinding light emmission...since OEM headlights fitted with HID's are focused more towards the center or downwards in housings without projectors, it is easy to pick off those that just slapped HID's in their car without real knowledge about headlight adjustments, and then you are asked to remove them, and then (depending on where you live) you can be flagged and if they catch you again, they can give you a citation for using lighting intended for off road use only, which can range from $50-$150 (thats just based on what it is locally, and a ticket i got with my 4-Runner for foglights i had on it).

I would suggest getting someone familiar with how headlights should be adjusted to help you with installation, save you some headache and money down the line.