DDM Tuning HID kit installed - Now with projectors!

[Yuriman]

Some goodies arrived! Ordered a DDM tuning HID kit with 4300K low/high beams for $70.

The new bulbs (H4) are a drop-in replacement, but I had a terrible time getting the clips in place. The HIDs don't have an indentation in the same place the stock bulbs do, causing it to be much harder to press them (the clips) into place. I ended up pulling the bumper off to get the driver headlight out to get a good look at it. After a good look, I was able to mash the passenger holding clip into place without headlight removal.

Otherwise, installation was pretty simple - one wire to the battery, and a tangle of wires and boxes behind each headlight.

One new headlight installed:

Low beams vs high beams, which are magnetically actuated and work just like regular halogen low/highs:

I may still need to adjust the headlight angle down a little, but it seems the low/high setting works extremely well even without projectors. This car sits very low to the ground so I don't expect to blind too many people.

Headlight wattage is now at 35w from 55w, and significantly brighter. Cutting watts helps with mileage in this older hybrid.

 

[WoodButcher]

I may still need to adjust the headlight angle down a little, but it seems the low/high setting works extremely well even without projectors. This car sits very low to the ground so I don't expect to blind too many people.

Headlight wattage is now at 35w from 55w, and significantly brighter. Cutting watts helps with mileage in this older hybrid.

Nice job and thanks for your consideration.
some people don't understand the concept, if you blind the guy coming at you,

he is,,,



COMING AT YOU!

 

[shabby]

I don't expect to blind too many people.

People who put hid's in halogen housings always tell themselves that...

 

[Meghan54]

Tell me you didn't just stick in HID bulbs into a reflector designed for halogen bulbs. Please.

Let me ask....does your headlight pattern now look like this:

If not, it's wrong and looks like the one on the left below, along side a properly done conversion:

And all of that scatter above the cutoff line is what's blinding oncoming drivers and you cannot adjust your headlights low enough to compensate. At least get some projector housings.

Do it correctly or don't do it at all. It's not just you being able to see, it's also everyone else with whom you share the road.

 

[tweakmonkey]

Ahh it's blinding me!! See post #4. ^^

 

[Yuriman]

There's a group-buy for projectors over on InsightCentral but there's a wait. I'll do some reading and see if I can figure out a way to get some DIY projectors in. In the mean time, I have the headlights adjusted pretty far down. I drove around town earlier and didn't get flashed, so I'm guessing it's enough. The light scatter is no worse with the HIDs than with the bulbs that were in before (really not a fan of the stock reflector design), it's just a matter of brightness.

There are two peaks dead-center with each bulb (you can see them in the grass in my GIF) but I spent about an hour and a half fine-tuning and now have them angled such that it shouldn't hit oncoming traffic, and given how low this car is to the ground, it shouldn't even be visible in the rearview mirrors of cars in front of me.

 

[Fenixgoon]

i tried DDM once, but was much happier with my kit from TheRetrofitSource. Sure, it's more expensive, but it's wayyyyyy better quality.

and if you want a full HID retrofit (bi-xenon projectors w/ shrouds), i conveniently have a kit for sale

 

[fbrdphreak]

HID's in reflector housing are always a bad idea. Even if you are driving in a low car, you'll still blind people.

You know why?

BECAUSE ALL THOSE EXTRA LUMENS ARE BEING REFLECTED EVERYWHERE INSTEAD OF FOCUSED INTO A BEAM WITH A SPECIFIC CUT-OFF.

It's your ride, but that was (A) really stupid, (B) didn't add much road visibility as a driver, (C) may be illegal in your area, and (D) will blind people.

Congratulations!

 

[Yuriman]

HID's in reflector housing are always a bad idea. Even if you are driving in a low car, you'll still blind people.

You know why?

BECAUSE ALL THOSE EXTRA LUMENS ARE BEING REFLECTED EVERYWHERE INSTEAD OF FOCUSED INTO A BEAM WITH A SPECIFIC CUT-OFF.

It's your ride, but that was (A) really stupid, (B) didn't add much road visibility as a driver, (C) may be illegal in your area, and (D) will blind people.

Congratulations!

Much appreciated!

There was actually a significant improvement in road visibility. At times, the old headlights were damn near dangerous.

 

[Yuriman]

Do you guys think these need to go lower?

 

[Pulsar]

Do you guys think these need to go lower?

We think you need to do the job right and put in reflectors.

What exactly do you think is going to happen when you're on a slight incline so your car isn't 100% level?

 

[Yuriman]

We think you need to do the job right and put in reflectors.

What exactly do you think is going to happen when you're on a slight incline so your car isn't 100% level?

The same thing that other cars do when they're not level?

EDITED : How far does auto-leveling go in projectors? Do all of them auto-level? How steep of an incline can you go up before they can't adjust any further?

 

[Zivic]

Do you guys think these need to go lower?

that looks like complete @ss

Please refer to Meghan54's post and look at what proper spread and cut-off look like. Not your Fubar'd pattern with glare and hotspots up the hoo-ha

 

[Yuriman]

that looks like complete @ss

Please refer to Meghan54's post and look at what proper spread and cut-off look like. Not your Fubar'd pattern with glare and hotspots up the hoo-ha

I'm aware it's not clean like projectors. Visibility is better though.

 

[fr]

It was a bad idea to do this without the proper projector housing.

 

[Yuriman]

On the advice of this wonderful forum, I have a pair of projectors on the way. I'll update when they're installed.

 

[Fenixgoon]

having a proper projector setup will make a world of difference.

 

[tweakmonkey]

Do you guys think these need to go lower?

No, I think they're too low. I think it looks like your low beams only cast the light about 20 feet in front of your car. It should be a lot further up/out unless you only drive 2 mph. But then you'll blind people with the scattering light.

Good to hear you're getting projectors.

 

[CurseTheSky]

On the advice of this wonderful forum, I have a pair of projectors on the way. I'll update when they're installed.

Thank you for doing the right thing. HIDs in reflective housings are hazardous to everyone else.

 

[Twista]

Do you guys think these need to go lower?

If you keep it like this then your better off putting the halogens back in.

 

[Yuriman]

If you keep it like this then your better off putting the halogens back in.

You didn't see it with the previous lights. I should've taken some before pictures, but it was almost like driving without headlights. Right now my visibility is improved, and I'm hoping with them aimed as low as they are, I'm being conscious enough of other drivers' safety.

Projectors should be here by this weekend.

 

[tweakmonkey]

It looks like they're aimed so you can only see about 20 feet in front of you though. My stock Insight headlights work for like 150 feet...

 

[Yuriman]

It looks like they're aimed so you can only see about 20 feet in front of you though. My stock Insight headlights work for like 150 feet...

The ground in that picture isn't flat (the road is a shallow "V"), though they are low. Because of light scatter from the reflectors, I have the bright spots aimed down, but the light cutoff is rather gradual. The highbeams are aimed such that they are slightly above level, with a majority of the light going straight out.

Irrelevant since I have some projectors coming though.

 

[vshah]

Do you guys think these need to go lower?

on the low beam in that pic you've probably got less light hitting the road ahead (where you need to be looking) than on your old halogen bulbs. just one really huge hotspot 15 feet in front of your car.

glad to hear you're getting projectors...which ones did you choose?

 

[Zivic]

On the advice of this wonderful forum, I have a pair of projectors on the way. I'll update when they're installed.

are the projectors designed for a halogen bulb or a xenon capsule? Xenon emits light in a different way than a halogen does. you have an enclosed capsule vs a filament. the shapes of the housings are designed around not only the shape, but also the location of where the light comes from.... the halogen is generally emitted closer to the base of the bulb than a xenon....

now you need to make sure you have the correct xenon bulb base for the projectors - if in fact you bought HID projectors, and not halogen projectors.


If I were a betting man, I'd put good money on the fact you bought halogen projectors and what has been talked about with your current housings will still be true when the new ones arrive.... thought the projectors, with a physical cut-off shield will help some of the glare compared to the crap you have now.... but keep in mind the dynamics of your high and low will change again as a projector based high and low will have a moving shield within projector or in some cases a separate bulb for high beams. it won't use your ghetto fabulous moving "magnetically actuated" bulb.

^^^ but what do I know, I'm just a dumb farmer that drives douche-bag cars that are riced out