# HID's.... yeah or nah



## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

They seem pointless at best to me, and actively dangerous at worst because they can blind oncoming drivers. The stock lights are perfectly adequate for night driving under normal conditions. If you find yourself driving in Mirkwood or some such, maybe they're useful.

JMHO, YMMV, etc.


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Pros: none. Unless you run projector housings, they don't really improve your visbility. Keep in mind, brightness is not equal to visibility. They are brighter, but I wouldn't really call that a benefit. 

Cons: Illegal per NHTSA. Another member here got slapped with a $250 fine for running them. They are inconsiderate and unsafe. They make you a hazard on the road. NHTSA is actually cracking down pretty hard on vendors and revoking their ability to sell these "retrofit kits." 

If you want to improve your lighting, either retrofit some projectors (see theretrofitsource.com), get a set of aftermarket projector headlight assembles for the Cruze, or see my thread on upgrading your factory headlight wiring harness, which will legally and safely improve your visibility.


----------



## Dreamsofyou365 (Jun 26, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Pros: none. Unless you run projector housings, they don't really improve your visbility. Keep in mind, brightness is not equal to visibility. They are brighter, but I wouldn't really call that a benefit.
> 
> Cons: Illegal per NHTSA. Another member here got slapped with a $250 fine for running them. They are inconsiderate and unsafe. They make you a hazard on the road. NHTSA is actually cracking down pretty hard on vendors and revoking their ability to sell these "retrofit kits."
> 
> If you want to improve your lighting, either retrofit some projectors (see theretrofitsource.com), get a set of aftermarket projector headlight assembles for the Cruze, or see my thread on upgrading your factory headlight wiring harness, which will legally and safely improve your visibility.


 I will have to have my bf look at your thread. I def need brighter lights doesnt have to be HID but I really got use to them and going from them to the cruze lights its a big difference. Thank you for your help.

Sent from my DROID Pro using AutoGuide.Com Free App


----------



## 515cruze (May 9, 2012)

i have them in my low beams and fog lights and love them. went with the DDM kit, and of course they're plug and play. i have yet to have anyone flash their brights at me or anything so no safety issue there


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

There's an issue since the Cruze does not have factory projectors. A HID bulb in a halogen reflector is a bad idea due to glare. A HID bulb in a projector is a brilliant idea, no pun intended. 

Like Xtreme said, best to put in a dedicated relay harness for the stock headlights. The headlights after that upgrade and a re-aiming will be plenty bright enough. Did both, and no complaints, except from the fools who leave their high beams on too long.


----------



## Dreamsofyou365 (Jun 26, 2012)

515cruze said:


> i have them in my low beams and fog lights and love them. went with the DDM kit, and of course they're plug and play. i have yet to have anyone flash their brights at me or anything so no safety issue there


I only see one kit on there site its for $150 not sure if Im looking at the right one.


----------



## 515cruze (May 9, 2012)

Dreamsofyou365 said:


> I only see one kit on there site its for $150 not sure if Im looking at the right one.


http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-HID-Kit-Slim-Ballast-35W-or-55W

i chose 3000k for the fog lights and 5000k for the low beams, both 35w ballasts. i wouldn't recommend getting anything higher than 6000k, as you start to lose lumens after 6000k


----------



## Dreamsofyou365 (Jun 26, 2012)

515cruze said:


> http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-HID-Kit-Slim-Ballast-35W-or-55W
> 
> i chose 3000k for the fog lights and 5000k for the low beams, both 35w ballasts. i wouldn't recommend getting anything higher than 6000k, as you start to lose lumens after 6000k


thank you sooo much for your help!


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

515cruze said:


> i have them in my low beams and fog lights and love them. went with the DDM kit, and of course they're plug and play. i have yet to have anyone flash their brights at me or anything so no safety issue there


Just because people don't flash their high beams at you doesn't mean you're not producing massive amounts of glare and blinding many oncoming drivers. There isn't a question of a safety issue in this regard. NHSTA has measured it, proven it, and outlawed it. 

If anyone needs any additional information, feel free to read this post:
HID Question!!!

Summary:



> The consequence of making these substitutions is to adversely affect safety. Filament headlamps are optically designed for the volume of light and filament placement and other critical dimensions and performance that OEM filament bulbs have. The HID conversions result in two to three times the volume of light and potentially imprecise arc placement. Such conversions often result in beam patterns that behave nothing like the original filament beam pattern, cannot be reliably aimed, and have many times the permitted glare intensity.
> 
> 
> NHTSA has concluded that it is impossible to produce HID conversion kits (converting a halogen system to HID) that would be compliant with the federal lighting standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. The noncompliant kits frequently include an HID bulb, ballast, igniter, relay and wiring harness adapters. NHTSA believes this equipment presents a safety risk to the public since the kits can be expected to produce excessive glare to oncoming motorists. In one investigation, NHTSA found that an HID conversion headlamp exceeded the maximum allowable candlepower by over 800 percent.
> ...


----------



## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

^ Agreed - do it right (OEM projector retrofit properly aimed) or don't do it at all.

A retrofit is not legal either, but at least you are making an effort by using OEM equipment that meets requirements if aimed properly and is not surrounded by reflective material that can cause glare outside of the projector unit.


----------



## danimal (Oct 4, 2011)

I re-aimed mine up and swapped to Sylvania SuperStar Ultra and it made worlds of difference. Mine used to be pointed pretty low but aimed correctly and better bulbs did the trick! It'll cost you about $50 bucks and 15 min but well worth it.


----------

