PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

Thanks.

This isn't a mechanical issue, so I'm moving to Detailing & Appearance.

I suggest visiting The Retrofit Source ( http://www.theretrofitsource.com/ ) and looking at the Morimoto bulbs and ballasts. I hope you aren't planning to just install an HID kit - do be aware that without a projector swap, you will be blinding other drivers; your lights will only LOOK brighter but you are in fact degrading your lighting quality.

Cheap HID kits have such spotty quality control it's almost impossible to recommend a best. What works for one person may not work for someone else.

And no matter what the seller claims, or the price attached to it, all aftermarket HID components that don't cater to OEM equipment are cheaply manufactured in China. There's only a small variety of HID kit ballasts out there, they just have different labels slapped on them for the individual seller.

I've seen the same ballast being sold for 10 bucks on one ebay listing direct from China being sold as "Genuine Philips Ballasts!" for over $100 on another listing. Don't trust what you read about HID kits from the seller...they're all crap.

So if that's what you want, pick your poison...they're all virtually the same...
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Having DDM ballasts and the Morimoto 3Five side by side for fogs and low beams respectively, I can definitely say that the Mori's are way chunkier and better built

The Morimotos are great ballasts. The ones you have actually can be used with an HID kit (though they are never sold as part of one) but that's a lot more than most kitters are looking to spend at $100 a set, no bulbs or harness. But a great part of any retrofit. I use Morimoto D2S ballasts myself.
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If you want better low beams, get the 9012 (also known as HIR2) bulbs. Those are twice as bright as the OEM 9006's, and completely street-legal. It'll be about $75 for the set. They'll also last longer than any cheap HID kit.

Another thumbs up to the HIR2 and HIR1 bulbs. The HIR2's I believe put out ~1,900 lumens vs. a stock 9006 bulb at about 1,000 lumens. An HIR1 (which will replace your high beam and the bulb that GXP's come with stock), is 2,500 lumens vs. 1,700 for a regular 9005. Both bulbs are about 3,600k, which is much closer to most stock HID bulbs, which are usually around 4,300k, hence the claims of the "closest thing to HID without going HID" statement. Stock halogens are 3,100k/3,200k respectively. This is a much cheaper and reliable way to go, giving you substantially more lumen output, which is REALLY the most important part. That being to put more light out in front of the car, NOT necessarily the coloring (or kelvin rating), of it.

HID bulbs and Halogen bulbs have different burn patterns to the element as well as the reaction to the gasses inside the bulb when "excited" by electricity. The OEM housing in the Bonneville is designed to reflect the light out onto the road/area in front of the vehicle based on this halogen bulb "burn" pattern NOT a HID pattern. As such, retrofitting a HID setup into a halogen light housing can cause *potentially* misaimed light directed onto oncoming traffic that could give them temporary blindness until you pass.

I know my GXP with it's HIR1's weren't quite the pretty "ricer" like Kelvin rating that is sooo desired by everyone. Matter of fact, they were almost yellow by comparison (some of it was due to the smoked GXP housing). But the lumen output was the tradeoff I made. I'd rather put the light out in front of the car, than color it. The higher you go on the kelvin scale (usually past 6,000 kelvin), you're actually hurting lighting performance...

And if you have the time and know-how, a projector retrofit is also the way to go.

I don't have much reason to use the GXP HIR high beams with a bi-xenon projector installed, but I do anyway. They don't do much anymore!

Hummm. Oh well, I got the $38 (at the time HID kit from ebay) and i have not had any problems with mine going on a year and half now!!! Def brighter than OEM! Im pretty much pleased with them. But on the other hand i have the same kit for my intrepid and the left side is on it's 2nd light bulb within 7 months!! So yea, some kits will be perfect and others will be not so perfect.. But Now they are going for $32 shipped. I think they is worth it IMO i have 6k HID kit!!

I Betcha other drivers dont think that.

DDMtuning has some of the most reputable HID kids on the market, and come with a LIFETIME warranty.

Total price for a kit for our car shouldn't be more than 50$ shipped.

tyler.avis wrote:DDMtuning has some of the most reputable HID kids on the market, and come with a LIFETIME warranty.

Total price for a kit for our car shouldn't be more than 50$ shipped.

Yea i forgot about DMM tunning!!! I found out about them after i bought mine from ebay.... But yea DMM tunning is also on FB and they do alittle customer service on their fb page also!!

Bvill_GXP wrote:Hummm. Oh well, I got the $38 (at the time HID kit from ebay) and i have not had any problems with mine going on a year and half now!!! Def brighter than OEM! Im pretty much pleased with them. But on the other hand i have the same kit for my intrepid and the left side is on it's 2nd light bulb within 7 months!! So yea, some kits will be perfect and others will be not so perfect.. But Now they are going for $32 shipped. I think they is worth it IMO i have 6k HID kit!!

You're blinding everyone. They look adjusted fine, but they are blinding everyone.

If I don't find a set of OEM projectors for the BMW, i'm going to go with the mori's.

i reckon buying one from japan...

Well, he's kinda right. Pretty sure these ballasts (what I run) are made in Japan:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/produc ... cts_id=160

i looked around online befor purchasing my HID lights and i went to a shop by my town that had JD Lighting HID kits. they were only 65 bucks for the ballasts and bulbs and ive had no problem with them at all and its been 4 months and i love the improvement of vision they give

razmatazz wrote:i looked around online befor purchasing my HID lights and i went to a shop by my town that had JD Lighting HID kits. they were only 65 bucks for the ballasts and bulbs and ive had no problem with them at all and its been 4 months and i love the improvement of vision they give

BonneMe wrote:
You're blinding everyone. They look adjusted fine, but they are blinding everyone.

If I don't find a set of OEM projectors for the BMW, i'm going to go with the mori's.

If you consider "improvement of lighting" to be scattered light upward, where you don't need it (ie, the road), then yes -your lighting has improved.