HID kits are headlight conversion sets which contain all the components that enable you to change your car or motorcycle headlights from traditional halogen bulbs to xenon or HID bulbs. HID stands for High Intensity Discharge and xenon is the gas contained in the bulbs.
What are HID kits?
There are several components contained in a HID kit consisting of two bulbs, dual or two single ballasts, starter, holders, wires and connectors. Each kit contains an instruction manual as most people are able to do the conversion from halogen to HID bulbs themselves. Most of the new HID kits contain slim digital ballasts, which replace the older magnetic ones. You cannot use your ordinary light system with xenon bulbs as a HID kit uses a very different mechanism.
Installing the kits
When installing HID kits you need to use latex gloves so that you do not touch the glass of the bulbs with your fingers. This is because oil from your skin can shorten the life of the HID bulb. You need to ensure you fasten the ballasts and starter securely to the vehicle in a suitable mounting spot so that all the wiring can reach without fitting too closely. Once you have unplugged the halogen bulb and removed it from the headlight holder, take the plug and plug it into the starter. Then plug the starter into the ballast and plug the new HID bulbs into the headlight housing, which should fit in the same way as the halogen ones you removed. Lastly, the ballast needs to be plugged into the bulb to complete the circuit. You may need to adjust the headlights before the kit is fully functioning.
How they work
Taking the signal from the starter, ballasts supply the necessary voltage to ignite the HID bulbs and control the current to the bulb. When the bulb receives the power from the ballast, it energizes the xenon gas in the bulb creating a white/blue light, the color being regulated by the Kelvin color/temperature of the kit.
The cost involved
The price of HID lighting varies according to the type and quality. The cost is mainly affected by how high and low beam is achieved. Single HID headlight kits cost less than $100 but they only supply low beam from one HID bulb in each headlight holder. When they are installed it is not possible to obtain high beam.If you want high beam, HID/halogen kits use HID light for low beam and halogen for high beam. They cost around $150. Flexible HID kits have one hid bulb which can switch between high and low beam and cost between $150 and $180. The most expensive are the bi-xenon kits which contain two HID bulbs and two ballasts per head lamp. One bulb is used for high beam and one for low beam. These more sophisticated HID headlight kits cost over $200.
There is a great variety of HID headlight kits on the market and each one is not suited to every type of vehicle so it is important to know your car model and the HID bulb size you need. It is also crucial to ensure the quality of HID headlight kits as cheaper options will not last or give the same performance. Always choose HID kits which come with at least one year warranty on all the parts.
By Jill Kaestner
What are HID kits?
There are several components contained in a HID kit consisting of two bulbs, dual or two single ballasts, starter, holders, wires and connectors. Each kit contains an instruction manual as most people are able to do the conversion from halogen to HID bulbs themselves. Most of the new HID kits contain slim digital ballasts, which replace the older magnetic ones. You cannot use your ordinary light system with xenon bulbs as a HID kit uses a very different mechanism.
Installing the kits
When installing HID kits you need to use latex gloves so that you do not touch the glass of the bulbs with your fingers. This is because oil from your skin can shorten the life of the HID bulb. You need to ensure you fasten the ballasts and starter securely to the vehicle in a suitable mounting spot so that all the wiring can reach without fitting too closely. Once you have unplugged the halogen bulb and removed it from the headlight holder, take the plug and plug it into the starter. Then plug the starter into the ballast and plug the new HID bulbs into the headlight housing, which should fit in the same way as the halogen ones you removed. Lastly, the ballast needs to be plugged into the bulb to complete the circuit. You may need to adjust the headlights before the kit is fully functioning.
How they work
Taking the signal from the starter, ballasts supply the necessary voltage to ignite the HID bulbs and control the current to the bulb. When the bulb receives the power from the ballast, it energizes the xenon gas in the bulb creating a white/blue light, the color being regulated by the Kelvin color/temperature of the kit.
The cost involved
The price of HID lighting varies according to the type and quality. The cost is mainly affected by how high and low beam is achieved. Single HID headlight kits cost less than $100 but they only supply low beam from one HID bulb in each headlight holder. When they are installed it is not possible to obtain high beam.If you want high beam, HID/halogen kits use HID light for low beam and halogen for high beam. They cost around $150. Flexible HID kits have one hid bulb which can switch between high and low beam and cost between $150 and $180. The most expensive are the bi-xenon kits which contain two HID bulbs and two ballasts per head lamp. One bulb is used for high beam and one for low beam. These more sophisticated HID headlight kits cost over $200.
There is a great variety of HID headlight kits on the market and each one is not suited to every type of vehicle so it is important to know your car model and the HID bulb size you need. It is also crucial to ensure the quality of HID headlight kits as cheaper options will not last or give the same performance. Always choose HID kits which come with at least one year warranty on all the parts.
By Jill Kaestner
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