HID kit in stock lamps

[MikeTheApeman]

There is a common misperception that HID's are hot....they are not. They run cooler then standard Halogen bulbs. Heat is rarely, if ever, an issue. They should run in a stock housing just fine. Unless you are using a really cheap plastic aftermarket part, I wouldn't worry about heat at all.

HID's use an enclosed bulb with charged gases that emit light. A standard halogen bulb uses a an enclosed bulb with a filament that gets so hot it glows brightly, which produces light. Halogen bulbs can run into the thousands of degrees, literally. Not saying an HID bulb wouldn't be hot to the touch, but relative to a normal bulb, it will be much cooler.

The issue I have seen is not so much with the 35w HID kits. Obviously 35w of power is less than the stock bulbs. The 55w bulbs are the ones generally advised against. Granted, the stock bulbs are 55w, but I think the issue with 55w bulbs is more around startup and long-term use. Don't forget that when HID's start, they use more power. Over time, I think that the startup is what does damage. Also, in the headlights, you've got more surface area to dissipate the heat. In the fogs, 55w's can, and likely will cause some melting.

The stock fogs typically aren't too bad for 2 reasons. First is that they are very low to the ground. 2nd is that they are recessed into the bumper pretty well, and that kinda cuts the glare down a little bit.

 

[DenaliAK]

The difference in operating temp between the DDM 35w and 55w kits is roughly 5 degrees...too minimal to make a difference.

You may have something with the start-up current draw, though, and that's why a high-quality ballast and ignitor are important. A good ballast will significantly reduce the draw on start-up, putting less stress on all of the other components. The ballast is much more important to the overall HID experience then the bulbs, which is why I strongly advise against getting cheap kits off ebay. Most of them have inferior ballasts. I've had nothing but good experiences with DDM/Apexcone HID's, and they aren't super expensive, either, which is why I'm comfortable recommending them.

On my Subaru Legacy, I ran 55w bulbs in both the lows and fogs, and those are tiny fogs in that car. There were never any melting issues, even though most of the assembly is plastic.

Anyway, not arguing, just a lot of mixed-info out there on HID's. We both agree that DDM's are quality.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Nah, not trying to argue at all. My biggest concern here is if someone on this board tells a member 55w will be fine, then they go and get them and have a melting issue, it's going to be ugly for the board.

 

[DenaliAK]

Gotcha. If I can find some good projectors I'd have no worries personally about 55w. But that's me, and maybe I shouldn't recommend that to others until I give it a shot in these rigs and see how it works out.

Unfortunately, I'm having serious suspension issues that are taking precedence over lighting right now. Once that's squared away, I'll start saving up for my lights. Contemplating replacing the fogs with Hella 500's or something similar, but I need to check on fitment issues.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Personally, if I was to do 55w, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it without retrofitting some glass projectors into the housings, but that's just me. I've seen pics that were linked on some folks that put 55w in their fogs (not tahoe's, Subi's IIRC) where the lamp melted. Not something I personally would risk.

My opinion: 35w in good projectors are more than fine.

 

[DenaliAK]

I've never seen anyone melting a housing with HID's, and I have been around a lot of HID equipped vehicles. I have heard of, and seen, melted housings with over-wattage high-output Halogen bulbs. The problem with HID's isn't the bulb heat, it's the load on the wiring. You CAN melt wires, because HID's draw a lot more current then standard bulbs. The ballast helps protect against this, but even then if you don't run a wiring harness to the battery and hook it directly into your OEM headlight wires, you are running the risk of over-burdening those wires. They weren't designed for the load. That is probably the biggest difference between 35w and 55w HID's. I suspect most vehicle wiring can take the current load for a 35w system, but may not fair so well with the 55w. Different vehicles have different wiring, so there is no one right answer there.

So, my advice is to always run a harness to the battery, and don't wire directly into the stock wiring if you really want to play it safe. Any housing that melts with either HID bulb would also melt with any high output halogen bulb, as they are 4 or 5 times hotter at the least.

I agree that whatever you are running, you should get the highest quality projectors you can find and afford. It not only takes away melting issues, it provides superior focus and cutoff to your headlights.