Newbie here and hello to everyone. I have a 2K8 Honda Civic Hybrid and have become irritated with my headlights which are awful especially at night. I was wanting to know if anyone has made a successful switch to HID and if you could guide me on what I need to know about making a smooth transition. Thanks to all.

 

I don't have an HID setup yet, but I can tell you that a Projector housing with a full HID conversion is your best bet. I couldn't find any links to housings other than for the Coupe Civics and i'm not sure if they'll fit on your car.

Avoid the Plug-N-Play kits at all costs.

 

All I'm able to find are plug and play, why should I avoid them?

 

Some people have had wiring issues with them, but mainly....HID lighting is designed to be placed in a Projector housing so the light can be focused to avoid blinding other oncoming traffic.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RICO_ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Some people have had wiring issues with them, but mainly....HID lighting is designed to be placed in a Projector housing so the light can be focused to avoid blinding other oncoming traffic. </TD></TR></TABLE>

x2, avoid plug n plays. You will probably end up with a cheap kit that will fail (every kit comes with a warranty, but good luck ever trying to take them up on it).

Then, they are HID lights put into halogen housings. Putting that much more light through a reflector housing that wasn't meant to handle that many lumens means you'll get a lot of glare, and the light won't distribute evenly, meaning you get hotspots of light with no good distribution.

Retrofitting is expensive if you don't do it yourself ($1,000 or so), but customlightz.com does a good job, and if you're not technically minded to save a few hundred bucks, they have the experience and materials.

I'd be interested to see the results of HID on a hybrid. I'm assuming the electrical drive system is separate from the other electronics, so the huge draw on HID startup won't affect it.

 

Sorry to thread jack but if one was to go with just a brighter bulb, what would you recommend?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KlickityClack07 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sorry to thread jack but if one was to go with just a brighter bulb, what would you recommend?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Brighter means more light output, but you risk excessive light output and glare.

I used HiR bulbs on my Accord housings and they put out a LOT more light than stock for what a halogen bulb can do, but they weren't cheap, and they put out more light and I started getting ghosting and glare.

http://hirheadlights.com/

9012 HiR= 9006 halogen like us.

9011 HiR=9005 high beam---BUT, you can do the 9005-9006 mod for more light ouput if you wish, and trim a 9011 to fit in a 9006 housing for a bit more light. They run 10 watts more than the 9012/9006 because they're high beams, and they're not capped.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by accordselux &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Brighter means more light output, but you risk excessive light output and glare.

I used HiR bulbs on my Accord housings and they put out a LOT more light than stock for what a halogen bulb can do, but they weren't cheap, and they put out more light and I started getting ghosting and glare.

http://hirheadlights.com/

9012 HiR= 9006 halogen like us.

9011 HiR=9005 high beam---BUT, you can do the 9005-9006 mod for more light ouput if you wish, and trim a 9011 to fit in a 9006 housing for a bit more light. They run 10 watts more than the 9012/9006 because they're high beams, and they're not capped.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks for the info.

I just want a slightly brighter bulb that wont affect on coming traffic. I cant afford a retrofit

 

I don't know why so many people think putting HID's into non-projectors is such a bad idea. My wife's Lexus RX and my Lexus IS both had factory HID's in reflector shrouds. Next to my Civic, they all have about the same e-codes which is really all you need to worry about as far as blinding on coming drivers. I put the 4300k into my stock Si sedan shrouds and not a problem with people flashing me. Also, next to both Lexus, the Si is the least in your face but the output on the road is great. I can't wait to put the HID's in my fogs!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phatsi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't know why so many people think putting HID's into non-projectors is such a bad idea. My wife's Lexus RX and my Lexus IS both had factory HID's in reflector shrouds. Next to my Civic, they all have about the same e-codes which is really all you need to worry about as far as blinding on coming drivers. I put the 4300k into my stock Si sedan shrouds and not a problem with people flashing me. Also, next to both Lexus, the Si is the least in your face but the output on the road is great. I can't wait to put the HID's in my fogs!</TD></TR></TABLE>

The reflector housings for HID are NOT the same as the halogens. We went over this in another thread.

HID reflector:


That missing step in the lighting in the housing is the difference between halogens and HID. That 'cutoff' on the bottom the reflector is reversed and it provides a straight cutoff. The downside to plug n play kits is that the halogen reflectors don't prevent the excess light from reflecting on the chrome on the bottom and sides of the housing like that. They weren't meant to handle that kind of output, while HID reflectors are stepped.

 

HID - projector = unwanted glare

 

[QUOTE=accordselux]

The reflector housings for HID are NOT the same as the halogens. We went over this in another thread.


Never said they were the same. Just that the Si seems to take a pnp HID kit well compared to other vehicles.