HID Kit

[mastrhiggins]

So I installed a xenondepot 5k kit.

I am very happy with the color and cutoff, however I am a bit disappointed with the amount of light that it outputs.
In the pic below it does seem bright but driving around town it does not really seem that bright.

We have a 2012 Acura RDX that has OEM HID headlights and they are much, much brighter.

Did I set my expectations too high?

Are the lumens actually less on the kits or is it that projector housing is meant for a halogen only?

[junction]

Researrrchhh

[mastrhiggins]

Originally Posted by junction

Researrrchhh

Was kind of hoping for others real world experiences.

Thanks for your input though.

[Dieseltiger]

is this the volt?

[benjerman112]

They look great! I don't really know if the housing affects the light output that much?

[MM49]

Should've gone with 6-8k.

[Mitchell]

Originally Posted by mastrhiggins

So I installed a xenondepot 5k kit.

I am very happy with the color and cutoff, however I am a bit disappointed with the amount of light that it outputs.
In the pic below it does seem bright but driving around town it does not really seem that bright.

Projectors werent designed for HID bulbs. See below for more explination.

We have a 2012 Acura RDX that has OEM HID headlights and they are much, much brighter.

Did I set my expectations too high?

Yes and no. The Accord projectors simply don't compare to the RDX projectors. The RDX was designed for HID and also utilized OEM bulbs (most likely Phillips or Osram). In terms of quality, one thing you will notice right of bat when replacing the bulbs in both vehicles: The Accord, +\- $25.00 (pair), The RDX: +\- $100.00 (pair)

Are the lumens actually less on the kits or is it that projector housing is meant for a halogen only?

Chances are, no they arent the correct lumens. Aftermarket bulbs don't have as high of quality standards as OE suppliers. Not ripping on Xenondepot, but aftermarket bulbs simply just don't add up to Phillips or Osram. Your projectors are only ment for halogen bulbs, and you yourself proved why they are: They arent as bright as your OEM setup on the RDX (one reason). Halogen projectors, although they look the same as HID projectors, perform differently. You are probably going to notice that the projectors in your Accord dont have near as much width, throw (and as stated) intensity as the Acura. If you're really interested, you could retrofit HID projectors into your housing, allowing you to have a proper HID setup but also depending on the projector, you might be able to use OEM bulbs (Any D2S projector will allow this). I have the MH1 (HID) projector and although the width and throw are fairly good, they arent nearly as intense as some OEM setups I've seen.

[Mitchell]

Originally Posted by MM49

Should've gone with 6-8k.

6,000K and 8,000K put out less lumens the 5,000K, meaning it would be even less usable light.

[mastrhiggins]

is this the volt?

It is an extreme kit.

I think Mitchell's response really helped me understand.

Thanks!

[Mitchell]

Originally Posted by mastrhiggins

It is an extreme kit.

I think Mitchell's response really helped me understand.

Thanks!

Projectors are so much then just the cutoff, which seems to be all that people on this forum care about. With your setup you could try using a better name bulb, such as Phillips or Osram, but those will cost you. You could also try Morimoto, and I personally have had luck with "Supervision" even though its one of the cheep Chinese bulbs. I've had a few sets, and I was testing with my MH1's prior to mounting them on the car and one of the headlights fell causing the wires to come loose, couldnt safely use them again.

[sp3ak]

Another thing to consider is that ambient light can kill off some of the light from your headlights. To really see what your headlights are doing you need to go drive out where there are no street lights or other cars around when it's nice and dark.

My wifes LX-P sedan is all stock and I thought the lights ****ed at first until I drove somewhere that it was actually truly dark and then I was fine with them.

3rd post down is good:
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...f-lumen-output

[pmdbruin]

You can see in your picture that the light distribution is concentrated in the center instead of being spread out. Our projectors are designed for halogen. That's part of why your light output is not as good. This can be fixed with a retrofit w/ real HID projectors or using H9 bulbs instead.

[Mitchell]

Could you post a picture of the headlights on a wall at 25 feet? All projectors have hot spots (spots that the light up the farthest down the road). I'd be interested to see where the hot spots are on your car as well as the cutoff at 25 feet.

[mastrhiggins]

Originally Posted by Mitchell

Could you post a picture of the headlights on a wall at 25 feet? All projectors have hot spots (spots that the light up the farthest down the road). I'd be interested to see where the hot spots are on your car as well as the cutoff at 25 feet.

I will try to take some when I have chance.

[dorkiedoode]

Originally Posted by MM49

Should've gone with 6-8k.

this is fail