H11 HID Brands, Experiences and General Discussion

[armyman22]

Let me start off by saying YES I USED THE SEARCH FUNCTION. I know that there are a ton of HID threads out there but because there are so many, most of them are old and rather than trying to revive an old thread with page after page after page of posts we could start fresh with a new, current, up to date topic. I have been posting on the 5202 thread but my questions and discussion is more in the general sense as opposed to just the 5202 bulbs. My intent is to get current information in one place so that myself and anyone else can easily find the answers to their questions in one place. I will soon be ordering a set of H11 HID's for my low beams but haven't decided on where to get them from yet. I've kinda narrowed it down to www.ddmtuning.com or www.kryptonbulbs.com I have read good and bad things about both places, ddm for being very SLOW on shipping, and krypton for sometimes being hard to contact.

 

Who RECENTLY has ordered from either place and what were your experiences with customer service and shipping?

 

For those that have had kits from either place for a while, how well are they holding up and what is your opinion of the quality?

 

Are there any other suggestions of places to by from (please provide personal experience)? (fyi, I know a lot of people are going to recommend spencershids.com however I don't want to pay quite that much, plus he claims that his bulbs AND ballasts are phillips patended and this is simply not the case, phillips doesn't make ballasts, the do make bulbs and I'm not sure if his are genuine or not) regardless this would be my last choice of places to buy from unless someone can make a good argument to convince me otherwise.

 

Once I do get my kit I intend to do a very detailed write-up on how-to, as I know a lot of people have struggled with this. I have seen a couple but it never hurts to do another.

 

**As a side note: If you're not going to be helpful, please don't post here. I don't mean any disrespect but I don't care to hear the moans and groans of "HID's are dangerous / illegal / blinding...you should have projectors..." I've heard it enough through other threads and I want this to be a thread of accurate, knowledgable information, not a fight over whether it should or shouldn't be done. YES I know they are illegal, I'm going to be running 6000K so they're not going to attract a LOT of attention...YES they are blinding...IF you don't aim them properly...NO I am not installing projector housings. I know this is the best way to do it but I don't have the money to spend on them right now.

 

I ask that everyone please give information and personal experiences when you can. I'm creating this thread because through my research I have read countless posts where people recommend someone but don't give any information as to why or their personal experience. I want this to be more of a knowledge base rather than just another thread. Maybe if we get enough information we can get it pinned or something. I look forward to everyone's discussions and information.

 

Ben

[armyman22]

DDM. Although Spencer's HIDs have great bulbs and great service, I cannot justify spending $300 on fogs and lows

 

 

I'm not doing the fogs bc of heat build up in the small housings. Why do you suggest ddm? What experience have you had with them?

[Eatstone]

Why have a thread pinned with info on something illegal?

[wild willy]

I think you would have less heat build up with the HID bulb rather than the normal incandescent bulb. What is the stock fog bulb, 35W? You would get something like triple the lumens off an HID bulb, and probably less heat also. I have HID's in both my Camaro and Tahoe, and they throw a significant amount of light.

 

Don't forget to check your local craiglist, too, for deals

[Spurshot]

I have Spencer's in my 5202 fog positions. They're fine except I almost never use them since they are very low to the ground and high beams with Ultra-Silver Stars provide better vision due to the higher location, closer to eye level. I think his ballasts are Phillips PATENTED design, not manufactured. The bulbs were marked Phillips.

[armyman22]

Actually the stock fogs are 24w so it would be a little more heat. There's nothing on craigslist around here. As far as it being pinned, I said if we get enough good info. There are a lot of people doing HIDs now bc of the benefit of more light. It's really a gray area bc a cop can't pull you over and ticket you without knowing the manufacturers specifications for that vehicle. If you're running something like 10000-12000k then you should get a ticket bc no manufacturer uses something like that but 5000-6000k is pretty common around me.

[armyman22]

I have Spencer's in my 5202 fog positions. They're fine except I almost never use them since they are very low to the ground and high beams with Ultra-Silver Stars provide better vision due to the higher location, closer to eye level. I think his ballasts are Phillips PATENTED design, not manufactured. The bulbs were marked Phillips.

 

 

I don't THINK they have a ballast design but I could be wrong. I use mine all the time so I'm not gonna take the risk right now. I have thought about running the silverstar ultra or xfe but I hear their life span is horrible.

[krdeal]

How are you going to aim something that is bouncing off the silver reflective surface on the backside of any halogen bulb set-up. Without projectors and a shutter or step to not have the light go above a certain level you cannot aim them. I just purchased a complete set-up with qauality parts (NOT EBAY) for $279 shipped. That's Projectors, bi-xenon bulbs, ballasts, harness, etc. It's well worth it. You do not need to go fancy or expensive, just do it right. Best thing? It's legal! A cop does not need to know your specs, if it's blinding light (ANY HID without projectors is) they can pull you over and give you a ticket. Fog lights maybe as they are in a housing with a built in cut-off aimed downward, but regular headlights do not have that.

[armyman22]

How are you going to aim something that is bouncing off the silver reflective surface on the backside of any halogen bulb set-up. Without projectors and a shutter or step to not have the light go above a certain level you cannot aim them. I just purchased a complete set-up with qauality parts (NOT EBAY) for $279 shipped. That's Projectors, bi-xenon bulbs, ballasts, harness, etc. It's well worth it. You do not need to go fancy or expensive, just do it right. Best thing? It's legal! A cop does not need to know your specs, if it's blinding light (ANY HID without projectors is) they can pull you over and give you a ticket. Fog lights maybe as they are in a housing with a built in cut-off aimed downward, but regular headlights do not have that.

 

 

As I said in my first post, I don't want to hear about the legality of it. You obviously haven't done your research on how the light pattern is in GMT900's. There is a very good cutoff line with the stock reflector shield that still works well with HIDS. I know people that have them so I do speak from personal experience. How can you possibly say that these headlights can not be aimed? As far as the projectors I have said that I may add them at some point hut not now. As far as yours being "good quality" you can't buy "good quality" projector housings alone for less than $300. Just because you didn't buy them on ebay doesn't mean ANYTHING. As I stated before, I have decided on what I am doing and that's not going to change, this thread is me asking for personal experience with different brands.

 

/rant

[abnjeffy]

Wow, people really just can't help from giving legal advice, I will stick to giving the info you asked for...

 

I have the DDM 6000 35w bulbs in fogs and headlights. I HAVE experienced some issues but only in low beams. I removed the DRL fuse. If you are not aware, the DRLs are your low beams but running on like 8v of power, the HIDs need a full 12 for the ballast and taking out the DRL fuse prevents them from burning out easily from straining under too low voltage, but you no longer have DRLs. The lights still automatically come on when it's dark. With that said, I did NOT use the wiring relay harness (and I now know that I should have). This is an issue b/c maybe once every month or two I will turn my truck on at night and only one bulb will be on, if I shut it off and turn it back on it works but there is still that issue. This is supposedly fixed by the relay harness that DDM sells for like 12 bucks. Hope this helps, other than that, the light output and look are awesome.

 

Lastly, don't put them in your hi-beams b/c if you "flick" them to signal other motorists it will burn out your ballasts super fast. Hids need like 10-12 seconds to warm up and interrupting this process strains the ballast a lot.

[Ianf]

No legal advice here either, but, here is my experience

 

I have had many different sets of HIDs, almost all of them had real Philips 35W bulbs in them and I have never burnt one out. I only get the old style ballasts as I feel that they are more robust and I always install a relay kit in any car with DRLs. I get a recommended brand at my local ricer shop that they feel their customers have had good performance from and I then also do not have to go anywhere but back to them if I have an issue.

 

I have left the DRLs as stock in my '10 Silverado and installed a relay kit wired directly to the battery as suggested earlier. Maybe once every other month one will not light on startup but comes on as soon as I put the truck in gear. I dp not suggest buying on line if you have a local custom shop close at hand. Cost is usually about 70-100 per set including the relay kit. It is essential that you make a good ground to eliminate issues down the road. In my truck the 35W bulbs are very bright (6000K colour) and they do not create as much heat as the OEM stock halogens.

 

Hope that helps you a bit

[armyman22]

Wow, people really just can't help from giving legal advice, I will stick to giving the info you asked for...

 

I have the DDM 6000 35w bulbs in fogs and headlights. I HAVE experienced some issues but only in low beams. I removed the DRL fuse. If you are not aware, the DRLs are your low beams but running on like 8v of power, the HIDs need a full 12 for the ballast and taking out the DRL fuse prevents them from burning out easily from straining under too low voltage, but you no longer have DRLs. The lights still automatically come on when it's dark. With that said, I did NOT use the wiring relay harness (and I now know that I should have). This is an issue b/c maybe once every month or two I will turn my truck on at night and only one bulb will be on, if I shut it off and turn it back on it works but there is still that issue. This is supposedly fixed by the relay harness that DDM sells for like 12 bucks. Hope this helps, other than that, the light output and look are awesome.

 

Lastly, don't put them in your hi-beams b/c if you "flick" them to signal other motorists it will burn out your ballasts super fast. Hids need like 10-12 seconds to warm up and interrupting this process strains the ballast a lot.

 

 

Thank you very much! I don't understand why people can't just answer the question asked without having to give their know-it-all opinions. This is exactly what I was looking for, just some personal experience. This is the setup I am leaning toward as the guy from kryptonbulbs.com will not answer the phone or return e-mails. I am going to use the relay harness and splice two H11 male connectors on it so that everything will be weather-tight and so I can keep my DRL's. I'm up in the air between 5000 and 6000 so how blue are your 6000's? I want a tiny bit of blue but still want very good light output. Thanks!

 

No legal advice here either, but, here is my experience

 

I have had many different sets of HIDs, almost all of them had real Philips 35W bulbs in them and I have never burnt one out. I only get the old style ballasts as I feel that they are more robust and I always install a relay kit in any car with DRLs. I get a recommended brand at my local ricer shop that they feel their customers have had good performance from and I then also do not have to go anywhere but back to them if I have an issue.

 

I have left the DRLs as stock in my '10 Silverado and installed a relay kit wired directly to the battery as suggested earlier. Maybe once every other month one will not light on startup but comes on as soon as I put the truck in gear. I dp not suggest buying on line if you have a local custom shop close at hand. Cost is usually about 70-100 per set including the relay kit. It is essential that you make a good ground to eliminate issues down the road. In my truck the 35W bulbs are very bright (6000K colour) and they do not create as much heat as the OEM stock halogens.

 

Hope that helps you a bit

 

 

Unfortunately I don't know of anywhere around that sells them otherwise I would have gone there. How do you like the 6000 color?

[Ianf]

[unfortunately I don't know of anywhere around that sells them otherwise I would have gone there. How do you like the 6000 color?

 

 

The 6000k Colour is about the same as the ultrastar sylvania, maybe just a hint more blue. Its very bright and white day and night. By the way, I put yellow halogens (euro style) in my highs so I can see a little better in the fog

[armyman22]

The 6000k Colour is about the same as the ultrastar sylvania, maybe just a hint more blue. Its very bright and white day and night. By the way, I put yellow halogens (euro style) in my highs so I can see a little better in the fog

 

 

I have never used any of the silverstar stuff. I'm gonna keep my highs stock (for now) and just see how well the lows do.

[owenbyc]

Hey i have a 03 silverado with ddm 8000k. Just the lows. I aimed mine down 3 inches at 10 feet. Nobody has ever flashed me and ive had them for over a year. I had to have the relay harness. Mine has never flickerd or turned off. Mine to me look solid white with just a lil hint of blue