HID replacement kits illegal in CA?

evandewindt · 10-22-2009, 01:02 PM

im getting the idea that the true HID replacement kits are illegal in CA if your stock headlamp housing wasnt made for HIDs?

is there a way to only make you high beams HID? and leave your lows as stock Halogen?
That way i can just leave my lows on while driving around town and run my HIDs only when im driving on back roads and on my way to the desert.

is this something im gonna have to make work by wiring or can i just buy a plug and play kit?

SD_Titan · 10-22-2009, 01:17 PM

Im not sure if its illegal but ive passed by many cops without ever having a prob. just make sure when you install them to adjust the height so your not blinding oncoming traffic

for the highs you can just buy a plug n play kit

MacOtac · 10-22-2009, 01:18 PM

You can just do a pug and play kit. Just get a kit with the right bulb size. The reason why most people don't do the high's because it takes a second or 2 for the ballast to warm up and get to full light. Not really practical for flashing you high beams. Also ballasts on HID's don't really like to be turned on and off repeatedly for short periods of time and can wear them down.

NorCal 4x4 · 10-22-2009, 01:51 PM

Consider the HID fog light kits. I'm fairly sure the HID headlight kits are illegal, even the ones that claim they are DOT approved, because the bulb is, but like you say the lens isn't designed for them.

evandewindt · 10-22-2009, 04:14 PM

SD_Titan -
so with your kit do you have it wired so that only your low beams are HID? and when you turn your brights on do you even notice a difference in light since your HIDs are already so bright?

MacOtac -
I noticed the High beams on my 06 are a totally separate bulb from the low beams unlike most of the cars ive had in the past. do you think running the HIDs in the high beam part of the headlight will offer more light than the low beam section? i ask this because the highbeam housing looks like it provides a more focused intense beam of light using the reflection of the housing?

NorCal 4x4 -
Thats a good option too that i didnt think of since my truck didnt come with fog lights and ive been wanting to put some in. are they just as bright as the headlight HIDs?

i was thinking of going with something around 6000K so i dont attract any more attention from the cops with a blue tint

wvmoney · 10-22-2009, 04:23 PM

for the high beams get a 9005 kit, and there not going to get you for that id dont think

MacOtac · 10-22-2009, 04:23 PM

I would just do 6k in your regular headlights. Just make sure to find that happy medium when you level them so as they are not to bright to oncoming traffic. As for the housing.. Both the high beam and low beam are on when you turn on the brights. The High beam does have a different area in the headlight that does make it so it produces more light but it is also the bulb and the combination with the lows. You could just add a small light bar with some PIAA HIDS for off road, or do what some guy have done and put several off road lights in the lower bumper grill of the T.

TitanBlue · 10-22-2009, 04:51 PM

It is a Federal issue actually. The DOT ruled over a year ago, that no aftermarket HID Kit was DOT approved. None.

As stated above, the Optics of the housing are not designed for the pattern HID gives. It is an issue that is generally overlooked as so many are OEM, and can an officer really tell yours is not, from a casual glance? Usually not.

dc_909 · 10-22-2009, 05:38 PM

I've had mine now for almost 2 years.

Was 8pm pretty dark, had both Headlamps and Fogs on ( HID's both ) exited off the freeway onto Beach Ave, Cop at the corner waiting....

Long Story short, this exit is notorious for people to take from the car pool lane to get home faster here in Fontana, and cops nail people all the time, anyhoo as said, long story short, got nabbed for Tinted windows.

I run 6k both upper and lower.

Yahooligan · 10-22-2009, 05:55 PM

I run the 5k low beams and have driven plenty at night with a number of LEOs on the side of the road as well as oncoming, no issues and I've never had a single person flash at me because they were too bright or high.

My main concern with going to HIDs was the beam pattern and scatter, the Xenon-Vision bulbs with an LCL that matches the halogen seems to have been the ticket to getting a decent beam with the HIDs.

If you hold the halogen and HID bulbs side by side, so the bases are even, and compare the position of the filament in the halogen with the center "bulb" of the HID they should be the same distance from the base. Any difference in LCL with the HID will affect the beam.

abboushi · 10-22-2009, 06:57 PM

I have HID kits in 3 cars now and have always had them in previous cars as well, Not once was i cited or even a double take from the HID and i do set them a tad higher then the limit for better view.

daptech · 10-22-2009, 07:17 PM

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

blk04titan · 10-23-2009, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_909

I've had mine now for almost 2 years.

Was 8pm pretty dark, had both Headlamps and Fogs on ( HID's both ) exited off the freeway onto Beach Ave, Cop at the corner waiting....

Long Story short, this exit is notorious for people to take from the car pool lane to get home faster here in Fontana, and cops nail people all the time, anyhoo as said, long story short, got nabbed for Tinted windows.

I run 6k both upper and lower.

beach off the 405??
if so yeah, cops lurk around there... damn pigs got me for modified exhaust.. damn pigs!!!

BRACEYOSELF777 · 10-28-2009, 12:35 AM

They are not illegal as long as you aim them down not to blind on coming traffic. You can have stock halogen bulbs and aim them high and you can get pulled over for those for blinding on coming traffic....trust me.....I know

Yahooligan · 10-28-2009, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRACEYOSELF777

They are not illegal as long as you aim them down not to blind on coming traffic. You can have stock halogen bulbs and aim them high and you can get pulled over for those for blinding on coming traffic....trust me.....I know

Mr. Jeff Deetz, Sales Manager, Santeca Electronics, Inc., 7215 East 21<sup>st</sup> Street, Suite D, Indianapolis, IN 46219

Legally speaking, HID kits don't meet any FMVSS and that makes them all illegal. The URL above explains why.

That said, I do run a HID kit with 5000k bulbs, have them properly aimed, haven't had any people flash me and haven't had any LEOs pull me over. If your HIDs look like they're factory (Proper color and aim) I doubt anyone will get hassled, it's the people running the blue and purple HIDs that are going to be ticketed.

Also, there's no such thing as "DOT approved" bulbs, as the URL above explains. It's all a bunch of marketing crap.