[tas]

I am thinking about using a conversion kit for my headlamps. There are ones that replace the factory sealed beams with H4 / H1 type bulbs, HID kits, etc. I have seen many styles and manufactuers... anybody have any experiances with these kits?

Tom

 

[ONEBADASS71]

Yeah I got a pair of those HID lights on my 71 chevelle. It was an easy install that took about 30min. Cost me $40. It included a pair of H4 blue bulbs and the new housing for each bulb. These lights work great. They light up floor with a bright white light that reflect the street signs perfectly.

 

[derekf]

Where did you get your kit?

 

[TimG]

Ok.

I have an autopal kit on my 65 El Camino that uses the H4 bulbs.. I have it wired through relays, which helped a great deal. Also had them professionally adjusted for 10 bucks. Well worth the money in my opinion. Garage doors just don't cut it for the 10 bucks to get it aligned correctly. THe kit I bought at a swap meet for 50 bucks. This included the bulbs and outer lenses. It lights up the road well, MUCH better than stock.

On the other extreme. In my 65 Chevelle. I have a TRUE HID conversion, the Sylvania Xenarc Kit. This cost quite a bit more. The brightness difference does not justify the price in my opinion. They do take ALOT less power to run though. This and the cool look of the headlights is the reason I purchased the kit. I highly reccomend them, if you are willing to shell out the dough. I also had this kit adjusted.

On a side note: The earlier versions of the Xenarc housings had a poor beam pattern. This is the one I originally bought. I called Sylvania, and they sent me out the replacement housings with the new beam pattern for free. This made a big difference in overall light output to the ground.

You cannot get HID for 40 bucks. You can only get HID LIKE bulbs. They take quite a bit more power than your average bulb which neccesitates the relay's.

Tim

 

[ONEBADASS71]

I got my kit at the Hi-Performance swatmeet in lakewood,California. You can probably also get them online on ebay.

 

[ONEBADASS71]

Well, you say they take up more power, but i'm running those lights and a hi powered sound system with no capacitors and i don't have any problems with my battery dying out or any power problems.

 

[TimG]

True. I have not had power problems since I changed over to the relay kits. I have sound systems in both my cars.

The chevelle has a 2000 watts RMS stereo. I run two batteries. One dedicated to the soundsystem, one for Starting, these are seperated by a high amp solenoid. I also have Fuel injection, Dual 12" electric Fans, MSD box, Mini starter, two amps, electric fuel pump, and a digital Dashboard. As you can see I have enough accessories to power.

Headlights do take away some power when you turn them on. The typical HID like bulb is usually anywhere from 65-110 watts or so. The take a bit of juice to run them. There is a voltage drop when you turn them on. The drop is more signifigant in the Hi wattage bulbs as compared to the HID bulbs. The HID bulbs are just more efficient. Like I said I have both, and they both work very well. Its just the HID lights are more efficient0.

Tim

 

[coop]

I would like to see a HID kit for only $40. I don't think so. H4 bulbs are not HID.