Thread: Headlight and FogLight Upgrade (to upgrade to HID or not?) Please Help???

I have a 2004 Grand Prix GT2 and am looking to upgrade my night time driving experience not only for looks but for safety. I am trying to find out what my options are to making this happen.

First what size/style of bulbs do I buy for each of the low beam, high beam, and fog lights? I think that it is as follows:
Low Beam = 9006
High Beam = 9005
Fog Light = 898

Do I Use a conversion kit and upgrade to HID such as one of the ones below, what watt size (35 watt or 55 watt), and what color do I use (4300, 5000, 6000, 8000)?

I WOULD LIKE A TRUE WHITE (NOT YELLOW, NOT BLUE) - LIKE A LED WHITE

1) KENSUN HID KID 9006 - Amazon.com: Kensun HID Xenon Conversion Kit "All Bulb Sizes and Colors" with Premium Ballasts - 9006 (HB4) - 5000k: Automotive

2) Morimoto Elite HID System 9006 - [url=http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3957[/url]


OR DO I JUST REPLACE THE BULBS ONLY WITH NEW HALOGEN BULBS LIKE ONE OF THE ONES BELOW (OR WILL I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MELTING WIRES/PLASTIC DUE TO BULBS BURNING SO HOT? ESPECIALLY THE 100 WATT ONES):

1) Hipro Power 9006 - Amazon.com: Hipro Power 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix Xenon HID Headlight Bulb - Low & High Beam: Everything Else

2) GE NIGHTHAWK Platinum 9006 - Amazon.com: GE 9006NHP/BP2 Nighthawk PLATINUM Headlight Bulbs (Low Beam), Pack of 2: Automotive

3) Sylvania SILVERSTAR Ultra 9006 - Amazon.com: Sylvania 9006SU/BP SilverStar ULTRA High Performance Headlight Bulbs (Low-Beam), Pack of 2: Automotive

4) Sylvania SILVERSTAR ZXE 9006 - [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KDOA3K/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lp o-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B005KDO9UY&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX 0DER&pf_rd_r=1TSCVTHAKX67C6A9SDMH[/url]

---------------EDIT---------------
Ok, So to clarify my situation my budget for upgrading my lights is $100 and I would like this to cover my low and fog light upgrade. I can stay with my halogen high's. I also want to be able to do this upgrade myself in less than 2 hrs without modifying the bulbs (sanding, cutting, shortening), replacing my stock housings/lenses, or doing any wiring.

For the price of a good halogen bulb, you can do HID's. 4300k is the whitest color from what I understand.

4300k is natural white
5000k is pure white

Expensive halogens are well, expensive, but they're better than $10 for a reason. Think of HIDs in the same way, just multiply, and factor in problem areas.

Cheap, ****ty ballasts and bulbs aren't worth your money.
The Retrofit Source online: headlight upgrades for all applications has a great, quality selection of ballasts and bulbs, as well as retrofit kits, which many of us here, including myself, have. To get any sort of quality projector, retrofitting is the only way to go for 04+ has the aftermarket projectors are just god awful.

Also, if you retrofit, and wish to do so, you can wire your highbeam to the projector to lower the shield, save essentially save money as you'll only need one hid kit, (unless you plan to do halogen highs with hid lows).

Edit: To the comment above, you WILL blind people no matter how your headlights are aimed. There are tons of people out here with HIDs in stock housings. The only difference being improperly aimed lights blind you even more. So don't think putting HIDs in stock housings won't piss people off. Most people already hate HIDs in projectors (which blinds people the least, obviously).

Ok, I went to The Retrofit Source online: headlight upgrades for all applications and it looks like the kit they sell for my low beams is 9006: Morimoto Elite HID System - HID Component Kits from The Retrofit Source Inc. I'm assuming this kit uses my existing housings/lenses?


Please correct me if I'm wrong but this is what I am getting out of my research:

1) A PROJECTOR IS THE "FISH EYE" LOOKING HOUSING WHICH HOUSES THE HID BULB


2) A RETROFIT IS WHERE I WOULD HAVE TO CUT OPEN THE STOCK LENSES TO MODIFY/ADD THE PROJECTOR


3) A COMPONENT KIT IS WHERE I WOULD NOT HAVE TO MODIFY THE LENSES AND ONLY NEED TO INSTALL THE BULBS AND RUN POWER TO THE BALLAST.



I ALSO CAME ACROSS THIS SYLVANIA PAGE WHICH SHOWS YOU WHICH BULB IS RIGHT FOR YOUR CAR:
Lamp Replacement Guide Home


Here's what it said to use for my car:

Part #s and Upgrades available for:*2004*PONTIAC*Grand Prix*
Low beam headlight
9006
High beam headlight
9005
Parking light
3757A
Front turn signal
3757A
Rear turn signal
3057
Tail light
3057
Stop light
3057
Fog/Driving light
898
License plate
194
Back up light
3157
Front sidemarker
194
Rear sidemarker
194
Glove box
194
Map light
2825


below info is from http://www.naohid.com/NewsView.asp?ID=82&SortID=11

Bulb Cross Reference
880 = 884, 885, 892, 893, 899 have same base PG13, different wattage. These are single filament bulbs and use as foglight bulbs.
881 = 886, 889, 894, 896, 898 have same base PGJ13, different wattage. These are single filament bulbs and use as foglight bulbs.
H1, H3, H7, H8, H9, H11 are single filament bulbs, they use as single low or high beam or as fog lights.
H4 = 9003, HB2 is double filaments and is used for both low and high beams in the same bulb.
H10 = 9145
H12 = 9055
H13 = 9008 is dual filaments and is for both low and high beams.
HB1 = 9004 is dual filaments and is for both low and high beams.
HB3 = 9005
HB4 = 9006
HB5 = 9007 is dual filaments and is used for both low and high beams in the same bulb.

Correct. But adding the projector will do a few things for you:
1.) Unmatched light output; you'll never get that bright with HIDs alone
2.) Less issues with other people and the law. It will focus the light on the road, not scatter it like reflectors do. Cops CAN pull you over and ***** that your headlights aren't adjusted properly, or other such bs.
3.) It just looks so much damn cooler. Paint the shrouds whatever color your want, add angel or demon eyes, your choice.

I would never go back to stock housings in a million years.

I know I'm going to hear crap for this but it looks like the best bang for my buck would be just installing a HID conversion kit. I know that the light will not be as focused as if I did a retrofit and installed projectors however I just don't want the fuss of modifying the lenses or making wiring changes - Plug and Play is what I'm looking for in my stock housing.

Saying that, I found these charts and color pics and was wondering if this is accurate on the temperature/color scale. I am trying to find the whitest output possible. Is that 4300, 5000, or 6000?

I am only looking to change the low beams (9006 bulb size) and hopefully there is a kit for the fog lights (898 bulb size).

Also, Any recommendation/suggestion/history on using these brands as I was looking into:

1) KENSUN (Amazon.com: Kensun HID Xenon Conversion Kit "All Bulb Sizes and Colors" with Premium Ballasts - 9006 (HB4) - 5000k: Automotive) - $72 shipped
- has great reviews on Amazon

2) CLEAR VIEW (Amazon.com: Clear View HID Xenon Conversion kit "All Bulb Sizes and Colors" With Premium Digital Ballast 9006-6000K: Automotive) - $60 shipped
- has great reviews on Amazon










Information Below was taken from HID bulb information from The Retrofit Source Inc

Kelvin Ratings

3000K - Has a golden yellow output perfect for use in fog lights. The yellow light penetrates through snow, rain, and fog more effectively than white or blue light.

4300K - Has a slightly off-white output similar to that of sunlight. All cars that come equipped with HID headlights from the factory use 4300K bulbs. If you want the most usable light, 4300K is the kelvin rating for you.

5000K - A pure white output, no tinge of yellow, and no tinge of blue.

6000K+ - As you move into the higher kelvin ratings, your light output will appear more bluish-purple in hue, but the bulbs wont be physically as bright.

As HID bulbs age, they go through what is known as "color-shift". When the bulbs are brand new, the output is whitish-yellow and as physically bright as it will ever be. As the bulbs age with use, their output turns more pure white/bluish and also starts to dim a bit. That's why cars with factory 4300K bulbs that are 5+ years old look like they're running 5000K or higher bulbs.
Color flicker can still be achieved even with 4300K bulbs

We commonly get customers looking for high kelvin [ie 6000K] bulbs because they want their headlights to be "brighter". There is a huge misconception here. As the Kelvin rating of a bulb increases, its Lumen rating decreases. Simply put: 4300K bulbs will put more usable light on the road compared to 6000K, 8000K, 15,000K bulbs. Period, end of story. TRS refuses to sell anything higher than 6000K because 1) We don't cater to obnoxious "enthusiasts" who want their headlights to look like a Christmas tree, and 2) it starts to defeat one of the main purposes of the headlight upgrade: better light output.

Sean, do you have demon eyes?

No I don't... yet. I plan to do that mod soon.

As far as what color is whitest, I have 6000k and I can definitely tell you it's still a bit blue. 5000k is your best bet. Pure white.

Also, I will make 3 recommendations for an HID kit.

Cheap, decent quality: VVME.com and DDMTuning.com

Great quality, well-priced kit: Morimoto Elite HID Kit from theretrofitsource.com

Do keep in mind ballast location. I burned up my VVME ballasts for my fog lights because they got covered in snow.

FOG LIGHT BULB INFO - STYLE/TYPE, BASE/DESIGN, WATT, HOURS, ETC...

http://candlepowerinc.com/pdfs/700_800.pdf

Originally Posted by dbextreme

I just installed DDM Tuning HID's in my car. I purchased 6000K for my headlights and 8000K for my fogs.

Do you have a picture of your lights? Did you have to use any other wiring harnesses, modify anything, or need the error eliminator when you installed the DDM kit? What year is your grand prix?


COUPLE OF QUESTIONS:
1) What is better, the thin or full size ballast?
- I understand that the full ballast is best at reducing heat while the thin ballast is best for tight spaces.

2) Do I need the error code eliminator for my 2004 grand prix gt2?

3) I know that I will be staying with the 35watt for my 898 fog light kit but should I use the same 35watt bulb or can I bump it up the 55 watt for my lows (9006) in factory housings? Or will it be to Hot?

4) As for Color - I am so torn between buying the 5000k and 6000k sets. I want clear white light (absolutely no yellow) but the rep at DDM is trying to steer me away from the 5000k as he said that no two bulbs are guaranteed to look the same at 5000k since they are in the middle of the spectrum. He said that I may get one that is just slightly yellow and one slightly blue or clear as stated.

5) Do I need any additional wiring harnesses or mounting brackets to do an install?

6) Will the 881 kit fit my 898 fog light housing?

7) Which brand is worth the money?
a) DDM - $30 for 9006 lows (full size ballasts) and $40 for 898 fogs (slim ballasts)
b) VVME - $54.99 for 9006 low beams only - does not sell fog kits
c) Theretrofit - $150 for 9006 lows and $150 for 898 fogs
d) Clear View on Amazon.com - $60 for 9006 lows only

HID's don't like to be flicked on and off correct?

1) What is better, the thin or full size ballast?

Full size will be just fine, and seem to be slightly cheaper.

2) Do I need the error code eliminator for my 2004 grand prix gt2

No, you should have no issues with that problem

3) I know that I will be staying with the 35watt for my 898 fog light kit but should I use the same 35watt bulb or can I bump it up the 55 watt for my lows (9006) in factory housings? Or will it be to Hot?

You can run 55W if you wish to. I've ran them before with zero issues.

4) As for Color - I am so torn between buying the 5000k and 6000k sets. I want clear white light (absolutely no yellow) but the rep at DDM is trying to steer me away from the 5000k as he said that no two bulbs are guaranteed to look the same at 5000k since they are in the middle of the spectrum. He said that I may get one that is just slightly yellow and one slightly blue or clear as stated.

To be honest, if you buy a cheaper a cheaper brand you won't be guaranteed a correct match. Cheaper usually means cheaper craftsman ship, and depending on the bulb and power supplied depends on the lighting mostly. 5000k or 6000k, personally I would go with 5000k.

5) Do I need any additional wiring harnesses or mounting brackets to do an install?

Most kits comes with the required wiring, thus plug and play. A relay harness is highly suggested as it will supply true power to the ballasts, and prevent frying stock wiring. Mounting brackets, some supply them, some don't. There is no sense of going out of the way to buy them, when you can either zip tie or double sided tape them.

6) Will the 881 kit fit my 898 fog light housing?

Yes, all 800 series bulbs have the same base.

7) Which brand is worth the money?

DDM carries a lifetime warranty. VVME I beleive has a one year. I have heard both bad and really good about both companies. I run Morimoto, and have great luck but at a higher price. Morimoto is what TRS carries.


In my personal experience, retrofitting stock headlights is the best option to go. Of course it takes some time, and a little more money, but the outcome and benefit is worth it. Instead of a scattered light output, retrofits concentrate the light in the best usable forward output. Not only this, it also doesn't blind oncoming traffic that could potential wreck, and you would be at fault or hit you. There is a new write up from Drunkie that does a good job at going through the process of doing a retrofit. I just did my second set in eight hours this past weekend. Plus depending on local laws, open bulb HIDs can be illegal as well. That is just some food for thought.

i have VVME in my head and foglights, zero problems and plenty bright too

I have VVME in both my projectors and my fogs and they have done fine. Absolutely fine. Also, spend the extra 15 dollars on the relay. You will be glad that you did.

Did you use 35 or 55 watt for your lows?

Originally Posted by DanPrixGTP

i have VVME in my head and foglights, zero problems and plenty bright too

Did you use 35 or 55 watt in your lows?

unless you are running projectors i wouldnt do a 55watt kit. you are just going to blind everyone