HIDs: 35 watt or 50 watt?

[orlin03]

Due to some subtle hints from my significant other, I may have to take a break from the performance mods and tackle a few appearance items, namely HIDs. I have gone back and read quite a few threads on the subject, and have decided I want to make sure I get a high quality kit with a warranty. I like what I have read about Apexcone, and found they offer two kits; one is a standard 35 watt kit, and the other is a 'premium' 50 watt kit. Has anyone used or seen a 50 watt kit in use, or have you heard anything about this company or it's products? I am thinking about using the 50 watt 4500 kit, which says it is pure white; how does its color compare with the more popular 5000 color? Do you think the 50 watt would be too bright? Here is the link: http://www.therpmstore.com/product_info ... cts_id=336

[Sap Z]

Well for starters 'm never heard of that company.

Mucculoch is more know here. but then again my bulbs have crapped out on me in 1 yr. i had 5300K..its white..almost creamish at times..6300 is definately white..thts what i'm getting now.

Once u go HID there no turning back.

dont waste ur money on 4000K..

[SolaraGuy22]

Vegas installed the Apexcone kit on his. If I got a kit it would be this one it's been proven and looks great. go for the 50W. They also have a lifetime warranty. Once the search feature works again do a search for the warranty PDF. Here's the link to the page of the install: http://www.solaraguy.org/viewtopic.php?t=30298

Good Luck

[Projex0]

Well for starters 'm never heard of that company.

Mucculoch is more know here. but then again my bulbs have crapped out on me in 1 yr. i had 5300K..its white..almost creamish at times..6300 is definately white..thts what i'm getting now.

Once u go HID there no turning back.

dont waste ur money on 4000K..

6300K isn't all white, theres more of a blue color now that tricks your eyes in to thinking its fully white.

if you are looking for quality kits name philips, bosch or even oem kits are quality. yes the 50 watt is brighter of course but your bulbs will die out quicker then the length a reg 35watt would. considering that yours is a gen 2 and its a halogen projector base headlight the 5000K would suffice, it depends on if you want the most output yet still be distinct from other cars around you.

[indiglosolara]

Well for starters 'm never heard of that company.

Mucculoch is more know here. but then again my bulbs have crapped out on me in 1 yr. i had 5300K..its white..almost creamish at times..6300 is definately white..thts what i'm getting now.

Once u go HID there no turning back.

dont waste ur money on 4000K..

As Sap Stated.. Never heard of that brand. However I would use 35 watts as its more then enough light output. The power output is not what makes brighter lights..

its the bulbs itself and the temp bulb you are going with. Most OEM HIDs in cars now a days run the 4300k bulbs but due to most of them having projectors it give out a more white/blueist look to it.

I personally have ran McCulloch and is probably the only brand I will run.
I have a kit in my solara for 4yrs and have not had any problems with both bulbs and ballast.

I am also running the McCulloch 5300k hit in my xB's low beams and the 3000k kit in my fog lights. I was running the 5300k kits in my Solara and I have yet to have any problems.

I've seen more ppls having problem with some of the name brands out there. But in the end I always its usaully not the product but the installer.

Be sure to have your ballast mounted in the right place. Somewhere water doesn't get on it. Make sure your headlights dont leave moisture in it and that can shorten the life of any blubs.

35watt should be enough but if you want to do 50 watts I would use a relay harness just to be safe.

[RDKamikaze]

I have 6000K and 35W and I'm loving them! I didn't have the option for 50W, but oh well. They work especially well at night because every sign is lit from forever away to you. It's especially fun to have in construction zones .

[SolaraRolla]

In my opinoin, the 35watt is already bright enough. On my old car, i had 6000k 35w. When it first started, it had a tint of purple, then when the bulb warms up, it's white. i lit up every single lane on the freeway.

I just recently bought HIDs for my car. Bought the dark blue for my fog lights. It looks nice.

[woa_its_j3ff]

id say what everyone else said here. 35 watt is more than enough. you get enough light output as it is. but if you choose to get the 50 watt, upgrade the harness to be safe.

[Sentinel]

If you get 50w you'll HAVE to get a harness upgrade. Wasn' t there someone around here complaining of constantly blowing fuses on his 50w rig?

[orlin03]

If I get either kit, I will be getting the $30 harness upgrade. I made an inquiry on the 50 watt kit, and recieved this in the response:
"It's 40% brighter than a standard 35-watt kit. However, we do have some customers who run it on the street and they haven't had any problems. You just need to make sure they're aimed correctly... There aren't any problems with using a 50-watt kit. The bulbs will not last as long, but if they go out, they are covered by the lifetime warranty."
I like the fact that this product comes with a lifetime warrantee on bulbs & ballasts for either kit. The company also claims more lumens in the color range with 50 watts; for instance, the 5000k kit puts out 3300 lumens at 35 watts, but 4100 at 50 watts. I think my biggest concern is whether or not 50 watts will burn the eye sockets out of every living creature in a 500ft radius, or if, with proper aiming, it will simply look much better and aid that much in night vision. I think I will stay away from upgrading the fog lights because of the aiming and light control issues with them that I have read about, although I must say I am fond of the look created by the 3000k, yellow-type kits.

[gnegroni]

Sorry for the late post...Orlin, did you buy any kit? If so, how are they behaving?

[sahuddleston]

i have a custom HID kit that ive kept on the downlow lol. i got the Auerswald ballasts and ignitors from germany, they can be used at 50w or 35w. i use philips ultinon 6k bulbs and i put in a relay, i have yet to run into any issues. here are some pics of the ballasts during the project.

[Sin-R V6]

Auerswald is made mainly for off-road purposes. Ppl can get by using it but it's made mainly for underwater applications. 50W = more heat = shorter life span of the ballasts. All stock OEM ballasts are 35W...on REAL HID car-equipped cars.

I spent the past year researching on retrofits and talking to Larry. He did a retro for my older car and NONE of the "HID kits" are even comparable to what REAL HIDs performs like.

4300K D2S bulbs are the main bulbs for HID-projectors

4300K D2R bulbs are main bulbs for HID-non-projectors

There are also D4S bulbs that is used in the new D4S systems in Lexus and high end cars.

So if you're a performance guy, get the 50W (or better yet buy a set from Larry he custom makes them as well). If you're more of a durability kinda guy, then go OEM. Any OEM ballasts will work.

Good luck and I hope to see what it comes out to be. I'm going the same route soon. I have a set of S2000 Projectors sitting in my room just collecting dust.

[philosophicaljt]

50W 4300K is my favorite setup. The more well controlled light you have, the faster your reaction times, the more safety you have.

[talhizzle]

What?
I thought Gen 2 used 55W for lowbeams?