hunterrr

I'm in the market for an HID kit so I thought would share my findings and ask a few opinions.

1. Which kit do you recommend (see below)?
2. Does ballast brand really matter (osram vs. philips vs. hella)? I realize that philips makes the stock xenon kits but also is most pricey.
3. Where have people secured their ballasts other than below the housing? (Please post pics)
4. For comparison sake, anyone have pics of Hoen (or other brand) white halogen bulbs vs. HIDs. (more below)

I've decided that the 6000k kit is the one I want- bright white but not too blue. I'm considering:

Supreme Power Parts- $499; Philips ballasts & bulbs, 3 yr warranty
http://www.supremepower.com/category/spr/spplight-hid.html

Fusion Racing- $395 +20 S/H ; Osram ballasts, 3 yr warranty
http://www.fusionracing.net/HID.htm

Mister Jung's Kit- $389 shipped (on sale), GB last yr was $350; Hella ballasts, 18 mo. warranty
http://www.misterjung.com/

Ebay auction, for example- $329.99 + 30 S/H; Osram ballasts, 18mo. warranty
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33710&item =2432394671

Ballasts- I believe Philips makes the OEM ballasts for Audi. I've helped with a Hella install (mister jung) but I didn't like the thickness of the ballast- it was hard to get it to sit flush (lots of dremel) plus we had to cut down the screws since they were longer than the ballast. For that reason and because of price on the philips, I'm considering the Osrams which look thinner. That's also why I would like to see where others have mounted their ballasts- I'd like to avoid altering my housings if possible. Please post pics if you have an alternate location.

White Halogens- please post pics of white halogen "xenon match" bulbs versus HID conversions or Xenons. These are a much cheaper alternative ($45) but I'm wary of the reliability.
(See http://www.hoen-usa.com/plus.htm) Hoen offers the xenonmatch plus in the H7. My understanding is that these halogens run extremely hot and can melt the headlamp harness so a heavier duty harnesses are recommended ($42). There is only a 6 month warranty on these which leads me to think they won't be as reliable. Still, $87 is a lot less than an HID kit and may be an option if performance is comparable. Please share experiences.

If you've read this whole post you may know something about turn indicator lights as well. The OEM lights are dual filament and from what I understand, I don't think anyone make a dual filament bulb so using single filament bulbs throws off the timing of the turn signal. I think most people paint their bulbs with a heat resistant paint and some just use the single filament bulbs (around $15). I think B5s use the 1157 fitting and B6s use the 3157 fitting.
Can someone confirm this information and make a recommendation? I'd rather not paint them if I can help it.

Thanks.

maggio

get HID ecodes. the housings will cost you some money, but if looking to go ecode anyway, this might be a good option. I like this option because the HID D2S capsules are plentiful seeing as how BMW, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, Acura, etc...all use the same bulb more or less. This means that ballasts and bulbs are usually easy to source.

hunterrr

So E-code HID kits are less costly or just more available? Is D2S/R only avail on ecodes?

maggio

share the same exact bulb for some reason. the D2S and D2R are the same exact 'bulb' other than the fact that S is designed for projector housings (like our ecodes) and the R is designed for reflector housings (like acura). they'll both fit in the same places, but the way they throw light is different. with that said, the ecodes are more expensive to buy in Xenon form than halogen form. I'd suppose any company that sells one would sell the other. But the guts that you need for the HID ecodes (ballasts, bulbs) could be gotten from a variety of places due to the universal nature. Plus using halogen housings with HID conversion kits are nice, but won't throw light as correctly as using true xenon housings. Hope this helps. Contact SPP for more info, I got mine from them. Talk to Dan, he's the man.<ul><li><a href="http://www.supremepower.com">http://www.supremepower.com</a</li></ul>

hunterrr

Ok, thanks- I can't spring for ecodes right now; I guess I have one vote for SPP

3pt8 turbo

i would go SPP, good quality set.