HIDs and housings

[CarbonXJ]

I did a little searching a got some great info, but no real concrete evidence. I have the clear Autopal e-code H4 housing I got for a birthday present and some Silverstar Halogens I had left over from my old truck. They are really nice. 10x better than the stock Wagner sealed beams I had when I bought the Jeep. I'm looking at upgrading to HIDs (headlights and fog lights) when I replace my front bumper with a winch bumper.
But...
I see that people say not to use HIDs with the clear housings, and others have no trouble. I guess with all the variables (housing design, HID bulb design, positioning, etc.) What would the best choice be? Just give it a try and see what happens? :eeks1: round and round we go...

 

[cruiser54]

Have you installed an upgraded headlight harness? If not, you're missing out on about another 30% brighter lights and a 100% chance you won't fry your headlight switch and/or it's connector.

 

[iwannadie]

This will be a good read for you.

 

[slappomatt]

I have been running 55W hi/low HID's for about a year and a half since I first got my 95 XJ in Hella housings and they are the best lights I own on any of my 3 vehicles. Hands down awesome. No issues.

ETA my bean patterns are great too. I got my lights from DDM tuning.

 

[DanMan2k06]

^Bandwagon.

 

[hubs97xj]

E-code or DOT housings? Dan, what happened with your retrofit project? Ever get those together and in?

 

[Oil Town XJ]

Just retrofit some projectors, its not that hard

 

[DanMan2k06]

One is done, the other is pending completion. My wheels and tires kinda took priority before mother winter arrives

This is essentially what the finished product looks like, but with a clear lexan lense over it. I'm debating painting the chrome a smoke/gunmetal color to match the smoked projector lense, before I install them.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

Do those fit without cutting? Link to a writeup if you have one yet.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

This will be a good read for you.

First of all, that was way too effing long. And it seemed like a giant bash fest on ALL aftermarket HID conversions. It can be done right, contrary to the tone of the article.

 

[Ben824]

One is done, the other is pending completion. My wheels and tires kinda took priority before mother winter arrives

This is essentially what the finished product looks like, but with a clear lexan lense over it. I'm debating painting the chrome a smoke/gunmetal color to match the smoked projector lense, before I install them.

Do it! I was thinking of going gunmetal or gloss black when I get around to finally doing mine but I would rather see you be the guinea pig lol

 

[CherBear]

I did a little searching a got some great info, but no real concrete evidence. I have the clear Autopal e-code H4 housing I got for a birthday present and some Silverstar Halogens I had left over from my old truck. They are really nice. 10x better than the stock Wagner sealed beams I had when I bought the Jeep. I'm looking at upgrading to HIDs (headlights and fog lights) when I replace my front bumper with a winch bumper.
But...
I see that people say not to use HIDs with the clear housings, and others have no trouble. I guess with all the variables (housing design, HID bulb design, positioning, etc.) What would the best choice be? Just give it a try and see what happens? :eeks1: round and round we go...

To sum up what I have learned and everyone else will tell you:

You will never get a perfect light setup unless you want to spend a lot of money. Yes, HIDs are bright, but probably not legal. Nor will they produce a suitable beam pattern without the use of a projector housing. Any HID setup costing you less than a few hundred bucks and a few hours of your time is going to be a compromise somewhere.

 

[FlexdXJ]

To sum up what I have learned and everyone else will tell you:

You will never get a perfect light setup unless you want to spend a lot of money. Yes, HIDs are bright, but probably not legal. Nor will they produce a suitable beam pattern without the use of a projector housing. Any HID setup costing you less than a few hundred bucks and a few hours of your time is going to be a compromise somewhere.

^that

 

[urban yan]

^that

^this

 

[DanMan2k06]

^That's it that's all






My take on the whole housings/hid's/halogens battle:

Putting HID's in reflective housings CAN work, but it's not as cheap as most people think. What it is - is convenient and quick, and the net results can be dramatically better than stock halogen sealed beams. Stay away from cheap chinese kits (almost impossible), and buy some quality h4 housings. Cibie's probably coming in at the top as far as cutoff and even light dispersion, but again, they're not very cheap. Around $200 for the pair. Still cheaper than a retro.

I'm all for retro's (duh hallo). But I've come to realize they're not the best solution for everyone. It takes patience, researching, experimenting, MONEY, and most of all - time. For most people it's much easier to buy the kit, buy the housings, and be done with it. I'm not doing my retro because I want a better solution to halogens, I'm doing it so that I can have the BEST possible solution. The most useable light out of a given environment. While, still being somewhat considerate to the DOT regulations.

 

[Talyn]

If you are talking about the autopal housings with the clear lens, then no, HIDs shouldn't go near them. HIDs shouldn't be put in a halogen housing for reasons listed above. Mainly poor beam pattern w/ hot spots, glare and blinding on coming drivers. However, if someone for some reason has to put HID in a halogen housing IPF or Cibies are the only housings that should be used due to their beam pattern and lens optics (vs. reflector optics).

 

[CherBear]

If you are talking about the autopal housings with the clear lens, then no, HIDs shouldn't go near them. HIDs shouldn't be put in a halogen housing for reasons listed above. Mainly poor beam pattern w/ hot spots, glare and blinding on coming drivers. However, if someone for some reason has to put HID in a halogen housing IPF or Cibies are the only housings that should be used due to their beam pattern and lens optics (vs. reflector optics).

From my experience, the bulbs seem to be just as important as the housing. I have the Hella e-codes, the first bulbs I had threw a horrible pattern. I replaced those with a different set of bulbs and it is a whole different beast. Way better cut-off and much less hot-spotting.

We need a thread of HID setup beam pattern shots. :viking:

 

[DanMan2k06]

Bulb position also plays a role. Some of these kits will leave you with a lot of room to wiggle the bulb around once it's in it's seat. Moving the bulb will do a lot for distance and focus. Play with it until you get something satisfactory.

 

[hubs97xj]

That's where the casper shields come into play, is it not? I know they've been mentioned in the other threads, but I don't think I've seen anyone actually use them in a Jeep.

I'm still running halogens, although I've wondered about refitting my driving lights with HIDs at some point. The Hella 500FFs are a disappointment compared to my H4s.

 

[DanMan2k06]

Are they pencil beam, driving beam, or fog beam? I had some FF pencil beams and hated them. I don't need to see a 5 foot circle 5000 yards in front of my vehicle.