Aftermarket H1 HID's or LED's etc?

Stormster

Stormster

Stormster

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,671
Location
Stoke-on-Trent
Hi guys, I have a Civic EP3 Type R now, the headlights are dangerously poor, so I want to do something about them now the dark nights are approaching and I use it a lot after work.

I had a nosey on HIDS4U (cheesy sounding company but still...) and they list some decent looking units which don't need loads of wires all over the place and just plug into the normal looms for power. They're about £70. Anyone had experience of these? Or can anyone recommend similar, good quality units which don't need OTT wiring to the battery and all that, I want a quick, reliable solution without having the yellowness of bulbs.

I need to refurb my headlights which I am sure will help, they're projector style lights, but I'd like to try some 35w 5000K HID's I think.

I know these days also there are LED options, I know little about them though or if they are any good full stop as a dipped beam solution/upgrade.

Cheers :D
 
HID bulbs are easy to fit, and have little additional wiring. LED bulbs also require a ballast to run the bulb, just like the HID.

I've only fitted one set of LED bulbs, they lasted 4 days. The customer said he paid around £70 for them.

I personally feel that HID is better than LED at the moment, as the LED technology is still too young to be that cheap.

I personally run 6000K HID, and have been for the last 6-7 years. I would never go back to halogen now. I've always bought the cheap kits on eBay from UK sellers.
 
Last edited:
Cheers guys. I need to find more people who run these HIDS4U kits or similar which run direct to the headlight wiring and not extra power/earth to battery, I would rather spend 60 odd than 30 on a cheap kit for it to fail, one of my old Fiesta ST's had some cheap HID's fitted when I got it and as good as they were one side didn't always fire up then just flickered and died eventually. I put Ring +130 bulbs in and they were good, but not as good as HID's at all.

Diagro let me know how you get on :)
 
H1, H3, and H7 all plug directly into the headlamp. The Bi-Xenon H4 kits are wired to the battery.

I originally thought the same as you, but I would assume they are the same or very similar kits as the eBay ones. I expect they'll all made in the same factory in China.

My main concern was how easy the warranty is. A lot of places just need a photo of the defective product with the wires cut off, and they send a new one. Saves having to return old items, and spends up the process.

I'd be interested in how you find them from HIDS4U. My bulbs are 2 years old now on this car, and the light temperature has started to change.
 
A lot of people say aftermarket LEDs are not great. The OEM ones on some recent cars are good, but they are hideously expensive.
 
I run a set of H4 LED lights from Horizon LEDS on my bike, drop straight in and plug into the standard connector with no messing around and are absolutely brilliant compared to standard bulbs been running them for a year now with no issues and a bike is going to be a much harsher place for them than a car.
 
Diagro said:
Well, I would hope that people here fit them to the correct housing....

Although HID4U sell a set made for reflector housings.
Click to expand...

Hope. I hope I win the lottery.

The reality is this, a reflector is designed for a certain bulb with a certain light output and pattern. You can't get more light from this arrangement (in the majority of cases) without disturbing the light pattern and potentially blinding on-coming vehicles.

The OP states his headlights are poor and wants better. His approach is to run a much higher power bulb. This will lead to light scattering and is dangerous. These "5000k" bulbs look bluey-green too. They're just crap.
 
ov_sjo said:
Hope. I hope I win the lottery.

The reality is this, a reflector is designed for a certain bulb with a certain light output and pattern. You can't get more light from this arrangement (in the majority of cases) without disturbing the light pattern and potentially blinding on-coming vehicles.

The OP states his headlights are poor and wants better. His approach is to run a much higher power bulb. This will lead to light scattering and is dangerous. These "5000k" bulbs look bluey-green too. They're just crap.
Click to expand...

He has projector housings it's not going to be an issue.
 
I have factory fit HIDs on my Evo, wouldn't run a car without HIDs now. Saying that, my MR2 needs some new bulbs at the very least.
 
OK. My order from HID4U arrived. DPD :)

Very nice kit. Looks very well made. Far better quality than the ebay set I had fitted.

Installation went well, took 10 mins.

Unplug original, plug spade connectors into plug.
Use supplied double side pad to secure ballast somewhere.
Tuck cables away.
Fit bulb.

Away you go.

I have some pictures if you want them? If so you will need to wait until tomorrow lunch time when I have 15 mins free to upload them.
 
Nasher said:
A lot of people say aftermarket LEDs are not great. The OEM ones on some recent cars are good, but they are hideously expensive.
Click to expand...

I really like the LEDs on my Leon, I had xenons on my Mazda3 (just dipped beam) and these are definitely better. They look great too and will probably stop the car from looking dated in years to come.

£500 per headlight unit to replace them though. :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom