| dragoncoach |
| I like HID's but it's actually illegal to put them on a vehicle not factory installed with them. I don't think the cost/benefit is worth it. There are also a lot of fly-by-night companies looking to make a quick buck selling you cheap equiptment. |
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| ASAGA |
quote:
Originally posted by dragoncoach
I like HID's but it's actually illegal to put them on a vehicle not factory installed with them. I don't think the cost/benefit is worth it. There are also a lot of fly-by-night companies looking to make a quick buck selling you cheap equiptment.
Maybe in Cali..... but here in NYC I have never encountered a problem with the police or passing the state inspection...... |
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| A6Pilot |
dragoncoach-
Are you positive that it is illegal to retrofit HID's? It seems to me that as long as they meet the lighting spec approved by DOT, etc, a retrofit would be legal. Can you substantiate your claim? |
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| ASAGA |
quote:
Originally posted by A6Pilot
dragoncoach-
Are you positive that it is illegal to retrofit HID's? It seems to me that as long as they meet the lighting spec approved by DOT, etc, a retrofit would be legal. Can you substantiate your claim?
I cant see where hes right on that.... also the hids I have on my Pilot are not cheap.... the bulbs alone were 275.... the hella ballast came off my accord and they were 650.00 |
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| iivtecracerii |
| it would be fine if you didnt have those two "blobs" of light (aka glare) right above the cutoff. |
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| ASAGA |
quote:
Originally posted by iivtecracerii
it would be fine if you didnt have those two "blobs" of light (aka glare) right above the cutoff.
Well its a bad pic...verizon cell phone.....
the "blob" is that bad..... and if you look at a OEM light... there is the same "blob".... |
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| ctobio |
quote:
Originally posted by A6Pilot
dragoncoach-
Are you positive that it is illegal to retrofit HID's? It seems to me that as long as they meet the lighting spec approved by DOT, etc, a retrofit would be legal. Can you substantiate your claim?
Long technical explanation:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/...onversions.html
Cutting to the chase:
What about the law, what does it have to say on the matter? In virtually every first-world country, HID "retrofits" into halogen headlamps are illegal. They're illegal clear across Europe and in all of the many countries that use European ECE headlight regulations. They're illegal in the US and Canada. Some people dismiss this because North American regulations, in particular, are written in such a manner as to reject a great many genuinely good headlamps. Nevertheless, on the particular count of HID "retrofits" into halogen headlamps, the world's regulators and engineers agree: DON'T!
The only safe and legitimate HID retrofit is one that replaces the entire headlamp—that is lens, reflector, bulb...the WHOLE shemozzle—with optics designed for HID usage. In the aftermarket, it is possible to get clever with the growing number of available products, such as Hella's modular projectors available in HID or halogen, and fabricate your own brackets and bezels, or to modify an original-equipment halogen headlamp housing to contain optical "guts" designed for HID usage. But just putting an HID bulb where a halogen one belongs is bad news all around.
Essentially, a HID capsule in a halogen headlamp housing CANNOT BY DESIGN meet the legal specifications.
You'll note that not a single HID retrofit manufacturer will claim that their setup is DOT-approved. The fine print always says "for off-road use only." If they are, they're outright lying.
That said, vehicle inspectors rarely do much more than turn on the lights and see if they work, thats it. I think in NJ they may do an aim test, but I could be wrong about that. |
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| dragoncoach |
| Thanks ctobio. I've read a lot on this and other forms regarding the HID installation topic. Almost all the forum discussions lean toward the side of them not being DOT legal. Not really a big deal unless you have to pass inspection and the inspector is a real picky and catches it. As stated before, if you only change the bulbs, beware of the light pattern. Putting them on is up to the owner. If you really want to install them, go for it! |
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| ctobio |
I think the point a lot of people miss, and why the whole aftermarket HID thing peeves me, is the idea that "as long as I can see further, damn everyone else." This may not be intentional on the consumer's part, but nonetheless those are the results.
Part of the reason why HID retrofit kits are illegal (no maybe about it) is that they are notorious about how sloppy they are at outputting light. The lense optics are not designed for the light coming off a HID capsule. They will put light in directions where they shouldn't go. The garage door test is hardly scientific. Find a parking lot and bring a lightmeter, and see where your light is going.
So, what this means to the rest of us is that while you think your headlights are awesome and light up the road real well, the rest of us in front of you are getting glare, dazzled, or blinded. Essentially, it makes you a bad citizen on the road.
This is why they're illegal, and unless the aftermarket manufacturer tests out every single configuration and certifies it (which they won't do, because they're out for a quick buck), they will continue to be unwise and illegal.
Headlights are designed to strike a balance between maximixing vision for the driver while weighing the needs of other drivers to not be blinded. These aftermarket HIDs tip the balance to the driver at the expense of others. |
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| ASAGA |
quote:
Originally posted by ctobio
So, what this means to the rest of us is that while you think your headlights are awesome and light up the road real well, the rest of us in front of you are getting glare, dazzled, or blinded. Essentially, it makes you a bad citizen on the road.
Wow...I have never been called a bad citizen of the road.... I've been call alot worse but oh well!!!!! :rolleyes
I mean look ..... if were going to get that technical, then anyone that does any type of modifications to there vechiles are bad citizens to the road...
tints, hinders vision
larger wheels, decreases gas milage therefore producing more polution
stereo systems, noise polution
see where this is going????
LONG LIVE MODS!
:2: :2: :2: |
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| mgorbsk |
quote:
Originally posted by ASAGA
Well its a bad pic...verizon cell phone.....
the "blob" is that bad..... and if you look at a OEM light... there is the same "blob"....
Ahh... And I was about to say you have about three stuck pixels on your digital cameras CCD. |
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| ED27 |
quote:
Originally posted by ASAGA
Wow...I have never been called a bad citizen of the road.... I've been call alot worse but oh well!!!!! :rolleyes
I mean look ..... if were going to get that technical, then anyone that does any type of modifications to there vechiles are bad citizens to the road...
tints, hinders vision
larger wheels, decreases gas milage therefore producing more polution
stereo systems, noise polution
see where this is going????
LONG LIVE MODS!
:2: :2: :2:
All 50 states have window tint laws - if you go with the limit then vision should not be impaired. I have no problem with 35% on my front windows. If you eyesight is that bad, then don't get window tint - easy solution.
Larger wheels typcially result in decreased gas mileage because the tires used have more rolling resistance than what came on the car. Sometimes aftermarket wheels are heavier as well. If you do research on tires and wheels you can minimize the effect. If your point is that more gas will be consumed because of decreased gas mileage then I would say to carpool more, use public transportation more or buy a daily driver that gets good gas mileage (if it fits into your budget).
Stereo noise or pollution is problem when people turn up the volume in residential areas or to get attention. People who are more responsible and considerate turn up the volume on the open road to enjoy the music - not to show off how loud your system is.
The point is to be responsible with your mods....that's why there are laws/regulations concerning most modifications to your vehicle. dragoncoach and ctobio are making a point about about the legality of retrofitted HID systems since another member asked to substantiate their claim. |
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| ctobio |
You have a responsibility as a driver (yes, with power comes responsibility, imagine that!) to maintain your vehicle in safe, working order.
If you put on headlamps that hinder other people's vision, or put on a poor choice of tires/rims that make your car handle poorly, or don't fix your car when it needs fixing so it breaks down in rush hour traffic, then yes, you're a bad citizen that is endangering others or wasting the collective time of many.
Like ED27 said, be responsible with your mods. If you're putting on mods that screw others up, well, then you're basically a selfish jerk. And there's too many of them on the road as it is. :) |
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| Fendyman |
quote:
Originally posted by ctobio
You have a responsibility as a driver (yes, with power comes responsibility, imagine that!) to maintain your vehicle in safe, working order.
If you put on headlamps that hinder other people's vision, or put on a poor choice of tires/rims that make your car handle poorly, or don't fix your car when it needs fixing so it breaks down in rush hour traffic, then yes, you're a bad citizen that is endangering others or wasting the collective time of many.
Like ED27 said, be responsible with your mods. If you're putting on mods that screw others up, well, then you're basically a selfish jerk. And there's too many of them on the road as it is. :)
Don't tell me you've NEVER talked on cell phone (or doing other stuff) while driving OR gone over speed limit OR checked out the accident next to the highway/freeway a.k.a. rubber-necking, & etc. :D |
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| ctobio |
quote:
Originally posted by Fendyman
Don't tell me you've NEVER talked on cell phone (or doing other stuff) while driving OR gone over speed limit OR checked out the accident next to the highway/freeway a.k.a. rubber-necking, & etc. :D
I plead the fifth. :)
On the chance that I may have done the above things, it still doesn't mean that doing the wrong thing is therefore now acceptable. That's a rather poor debating technique.
And no, I don't actually rubberneck. I'm not a lemming. |
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| jay |
quote:
Originally posted by mgorbsk
Ahh... And I was about to say you have about three stuck pixels on your digital cameras CCD.
Looks like pocket lint to me.:p |
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| ThePilotster |
quote:
Originally posted by ASAGA
Wow...I have never been called a bad citizen of the road.... I've been call alot worse but oh well!!!!! :rolleyes
I mean look ..... if were going to get that technical, then anyone that does any type of modifications to there vechiles are bad citizens to the road...
tints, hinders vision
larger wheels, decreases gas milage therefore producing more polution
stereo systems, noise polution
see where this is going????
LONG LIVE MODS!
:2: :2: :2:
Actually some Chicago burbs are ticketing quite heavily on loud thumping music.. |
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| ctobio |
quote:
Originally posted by ThePilotster
Actually some Chicago burbs are ticketing quite heavily on loud thumping music..
As well they should. While they're at it, they should probably ticket the jackholes who ride motorcycles with straight pipes who think they're bad-ass weekend Hell's Angels.
You know, because that amount of noise is necessary or anything. |
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| Fendyman |
quote:
Originally posted by ctobio
As well they should. While they're at it, they should probably ticket the jackholes who ride motorcycles with straight pipes who think they're bad-ass weekend Hell's Angels.
You know, because that amount of noise is necessary or anything.
Now THAT I agree w/ you! :)
IMHO, HID is actually much more pleasant to be stared at than halogen bulb... especially the halogen high beam! People who drive on highway/freeway w/ high beam SHOULD be arrested! :4: |
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| malmon |
Nice HIDs.
I have my HIDs for 2 years now, bought it from a company in Canada. Street signs appear clearer and no problems with law enforcement either. Drove from California to Arizona to Nevada, stopped by the Highway Patrol and went thru a checkpoint. Both instances were at night with no problem with lights on. Got a warning from the first one for my driving, not for the lights.
I think it's a safety feature and as long as the beam is directed down towards the road, it should be no problem. If you stay within the 4K to 5K which is white light, then that would prevent some people from getting hypnotized for some reason and makes them fixated on headlights with bluish hue. |
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| OCDetails |
Hey guys. I'm brand new to the forums. I just signed the papers on an 03 Pilot this afternoon, but I have to wait till Tuesday to pick it up. That is good because it gives me time to take stuff off my '05 Legacy GT that I am selling in order to get the Pilot. One of the first things I did on the Legacy was put HIDs in. That car has projector headlights though, so I am wondering if using them on the reflector housings of the Pilot is going to be an issue. I haven't ever seen HIDs in projector housing and I'm just wondering if there was any other modification to the headlights that needs to be made in order for them to work. If they don't work then I'll just sell them to another Legacy owner I guess. :) I've become addicted to the HID lighting and I don't want to be without it. I guess I'll see when I find out how good the Pilots lights are at night, eh?
Anyway, I'm glad to be here and hopefully be of some use around the forums. :) |
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| jay |
quote:
Originally posted by OCDetails
Hey guys. I'm brand new to the forums. I just signed the papers on an 03 Pilot this afternoon, but I have to wait till Tuesday to pick it up. That is good because it gives me time to take stuff off my '05 Legacy GT that I am selling in order to get the Pilot. One of the first things I did on the Legacy was put HIDs in. That car has projector headlights though, so I am wondering if using them on the reflector housings of the Pilot is going to be an issue. I haven't ever seen HIDs in projector housing and I'm just wondering if there was any other modification to the headlights that needs to be made in order for them to work. If they don't work then I'll just sell them to another Legacy owner I guess. :) I've become addicted to the HID lighting and I don't want to be without it. I guess I'll see when I find out how good the Pilots lights are at night, eh?
Anyway, I'm glad to be here and hopefully be of some use around the forums. :)
The Pilot was the first vehicle I'd ever owned that at night, regardless of speed, I felt like I was out-driving or over-driving the headlights. That is, I was constantly thinking that the vehicle was moving faster than I could react at night, given the short, sharp cutoff of the headlight beam. The next vehicle where I felt the same way was my first RX 330 with the HIDs. |
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| OCDetails |
| So what are you saying? The HIDs are a good thing or a bad thing? |
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| jay |
quote:
Originally posted by OCDetails
So what are you saying? The HIDs are a good thing or a bad thing?
I'm saying that I didn't like the factory halogen headlights on my '03 Pilot, and didn't like the factory HIDs on my '04 RX 330. The '05 RX 330 that had adaptive HIDs, though, seemed much improved over the '04.
With my Pilot, I swapped the OEM bulbs for Sylvania Silverstars (and later XtraVisions) and adjusted the beam upward just slightly, and that seemed to improve things somewhat. |
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| Fendyman |
quote:
Originally posted by OCDetails
Hey guys. I'm brand new to the forums. I just signed the papers on an 03 Pilot this afternoon, but I have to wait till Tuesday to pick it up. That is good because it gives me time to take stuff off my '05 Legacy GT that I am selling in order to get the Pilot. One of the first things I did on the Legacy was put HIDs in. That car has projector headlights though, so I am wondering if using them on the reflector housings of the Pilot is going to be an issue. I haven't ever seen HIDs in projector housing and I'm just wondering if there was any other modification to the headlights that needs to be made in order for them to work. If they don't work then I'll just sell them to another Legacy owner I guess. :) I've become addicted to the HID lighting and I don't want to be without it. I guess I'll see when I find out how good the Pilots lights are at night, eh?
Anyway, I'm glad to be here and hopefully be of some use around the forums. :)
Welcome to the forum! I've seen your posts at legacygt.com, but I don't post much there. I was considering LGT (that's why I hang out there) for my wife's Miata replacement, but I ended up w/ WRX TR that I always wanted (wife drives the Pilot now).
I believe your LGT uses H7 bulbs & 03-05 Pilot uses H4 bulbs... unless you got some kind of adapter. I have H4 HID kit w/ Denso/Koito ballasts (OEM for Lexus/Toyota) & Philips D2S 4300k bulbs from eBay for $288.88 shipped. The kit also comes w/ H4 adapter shields that reduces the glare (still exists a little). I lost my high beam w/ the kit, but I don't care since I got better/brighter lights now. Search for integra9006hid id on ebay.
Check out my post below:
http://www.hondapilot.org/forums/sh...15&pagenumber=2 |
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| ctobio |
| FYI, the high beams do not appear to be projector lamps on the '06. The lows certainly are. |
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| OCDetails |
| It's not an '06 that I bought. I bought an '03 and it doesn't have projectors at all. |
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| ASAGA |
quote:
Originally posted by ctobio
I plead the fifth. :)
On the chance that I may have done the above things, it still doesn't mean that doing the wrong thing is therefore now acceptable. That's a rather poor debating technique.
And no, I don't actually rubberneck. I'm not a lemming.
ok heres the real question to determine whos a bad driver.... how many of us have driven their cars with a head on their laps?????:2: :2: :2: :D :D
and damn it my attorney Bruce Cutler told me to tell the truth so :rolleyes:
guilty as charged! |
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| ASAGA |
quote:
Originally posted by malmon
Nice HIDs.
I have my HIDs for 2 years now, bought it from a company in Canada. Street signs appear clearer and no problems with law enforcement either. Drove from California to Arizona to Nevada, stopped by the Highway Patrol and went thru a checkpoint. Both instances were at night with no problem with lights on. Got a warning from the first one for my driving, not for the lights.
I think it's a safety feature and as long as the beam is directed down towards the road, it should be no problem. If you stay within the 4K to 5K which is white light, then that would prevent some people from getting hypnotized for some reason and makes them fixated on headlights with bluish hue.
Thanks for the compliment. I live in NYc and I have to say that I have not been stopped for my lights,tints or system. Then again I am responsible and do not thump the bass at 2am! |
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