So I was thinking about getting halos plus HIDs for my 06 supercharged cobalt but decided I just want HIDs. Is the HID less brighter in a stock headlight? Will it be any better than my stock headlights? Will it matter if I get it off ebay for 50 dollars or 150 dollars?

 

put it this way there have been post wars on this topic and im sure it will start here as well...the short answer is that HIDs are brighter than stock Halogens and the glare from them can blind other drivers so its not recommended for the stock housings but people put them in anyway. ebay ones may just not be a good quality..best ones are from 3bspec i think thats the vendor. good luck getting flamed at

 

DO NOT put HIDs in stock halogen housings. You are going to blind other drivers. HIDs are meant for projectors!! read the 100000 threads on HIDs and the few stickies instead of making a useless post like this.

If you do put HIDs in your halogen housings, I hope a cop pulls you over and gives you a ticket for being ignorant and dangerous.

 

dont do it.

good choice of words i agree!

my buddy has a trans am and he put hids in his headlights and his foglights
cant stand it

 

oh oh oh can i be the cop oh oh pick me pick me.

 

seriously. if lights are AIMED RIGHT they DO NOT blind others, i have them in mine and have never been flashed. even had my buddy drive my car towards me while i was in his in the other lane and didnt look any diff then halogen lights.

 

i know someone that's got them in a grand prix GT and it ******* sucked driving in front of him. lol.

first time i ever had to use the dimmer on my rearview mirror

 

i have HID's in the stock headlights and their not that bright it depends on which ballast u get i have the 35watt ballast on mine and their not as bright as the other hid's ive seen on some cars

 

Our stock housings are about the best housing ive seen on the road for glare. Ive seen stock lights with HIDs in them and theyre not bad, idiots who put 100W bulbs in Ventures are worse, and if you aim them correctly the glare is reduced.

And as for HIDs only belonging in projecotrs, look up mid 90's Envoys and Acuras

 

Maybe that's because their reflectors are DESIGNED for hid's? The lights in our Cobalts most certainly are not.

All headlights are designed to allow a certain amount of light above the "cutoff" (yes, reflector headlights have cutoffs, just not very good ones), that amount is determined with whatever light source the manufacturer put in it. This is done so you can see the reflective signs on the roadside which are obviously higher than your low beams - if the cutoff was perfect you would see nothing but the surface of the road.
Replace the stock halogens with hid's that put out 3 times as much light and you are also tripling the amount of light above the cutoff. In many cases the light output above the cutoff will increase to the same level as your high beams - think about that for a moment.

Aiming them lower might reduce the glare but it also reduces the usability of the light. The road 20 feet in front of you is lit up bright as daylight which causes your pupils to contract and will actually REDUCE your ability to see at the leading edge of the beam pattern where you actually need to see.

Cliffs notes: hid's in stock headlights

 

i have 10k HID in stock ousings, i dont blind people. yah they are BRIGHTER than halogens, so therefore they are gonna be BRIGHTER to oncoming drivers. but by no means do they "glare"

 

Honestly ive seen numerous cobalts with HID's. The Right way to do is with projectors. Granted.

However the ones ive seen with factory housings the glare really wasnt bad at all. However the lights also did not seem that bright and probably would be brighter in a projector.

 

*face palm*

HID in stock housing will produce more uncontrolled light beam and its been proven so many times there is no point to argue.

HID will be brighter than stock halogen bulbs unless you go beyond say 10,000k color temperature with 35w ballast.

It may matter getting a 50 dollar conversion kit over a 150 dollar one when it comes to ballast durability and reliability.

If you want bright HID, stay within the 4,300k to 5,000k color temperature range.

Although HID will be brigher than stock halogen in terms of light output itself, it may not necessarily be brighter on the road because a portion of that output is not going where it needs to which clauses glare instead. but this is down to your choice of course.

 

:facepalm: Here we go again
and to some people they dont care about the other drivers if they blind them or not

 

Hell as many people who seem to drive around here with their highbeams on I have to say im starting not to care myself...

 

haha exactly and with everyone raising their trucks with H.I.D you just have the light right in your eyes anyways

 

HID's in stock headlights is the biggest win in the world.

no but seriously its not a big deal. i did it for a long time untill i got a sick deal on projectos, but id recommend getting Bi-xenon b/c to pass inspection you need low-hi, and sometimes at night youd wish you got the decision to get the high beams

 

i seriously dont think the people that is SO AGAINST HID's in cobalt reflector housing has ACTUALLY seen it in person. i have 10k in stock housings, my buddy has 10k in 2nd gen projectors. Light output is the same and just as bright as mine when standing out 50 feet in front of the cars

 

DO IT!!!n

 

QFT! Everyday someone comes at me with their highbeams on or they put thos 100w bulbs or hids in housings that shouldnt even have a halogen in them. Ventures, Cavaliers, VWs, Civics and Sunfires are the worst.

 

Do not do it

 

I have 6k HIDs in my stock housings and I don't blind anyone, I even tested it out and made sure my beams were pointed low enough to not blind anyone. I got my friends to drive in front of me at various distances and to drive in the other line oncoming to me. If you look at my headlights you can tell they are def brighter but like I said they don't blind you. You will have to lower them a bit compared to regular bulbs or else you will blind people. Projectors will definitely have better light output but I prefer the look of blacked out stockers.

also just a side note my headlights are not even as bright (or should I say blinding) as some of those freaking BMWs, mercedes, and other cars with bright ass stock projector headlights that still tend to blind me.

*Begin flame war!

 

i have hids in my stock headlights havent been pulled over once, i find the lighting to be fine lights up the whole rd and more..i get flashed here and there but w.e people deal with it there lights.

 

You're blinding them and you don't care? I'd bash in your headlights for a statement like that .. see how I "deal with it".

A guy in my apartment building drives a Cavalier with HIDs in his stock housings ... so I went to town with some duct tape () and covered em all up.

 

heres a pic taken at the track when I had HID's in stock headlights, pic taken from the front, in the "glare zone" like some1 in oncoming traffic