HID Headlight Bulbs / HID Projector Retrofit

[Spurshot]

what is the best NON HID bulb for these trucks? I want it as close to blue and white as you can get. Does anybody have one they recomend?

 

There's a thread (as linked above) that has people that have been seeking this "nervanna" for months. Most are seeking a fix for the narrow beam caused by the OEM projector with a simple bulb change and they want mega lumens as well. To top it off, they want 5000 kelvin color. And most of them don't want to spend any money either. Good luck with all that.

 

Look into the LED bulb thread if you need whiter color. There's just too many out there to keep track of which is better.

Edited December 15, 2014 by spurshot

[Dangerdick]

I havent seen how they are physically wired up, I cant say. But i would think that they are not as they are not connected in parallel. Relay is a electrical switch to bridge a connection.

 

Someone used a 55w bulb halogen in the stock conmector, so why would 55w HIDs be more of a problem? Needless to say, HIDs are more effecient, so it draws the 55w at first and the voltage required to run drops after. Take loss in efficiency in the ballasts, take 10-15%, a 5-7 watt difference on top

 

The use of a relay to isolate the vehicle circuit is based not only on the starting amperage spike, but also to prevent the line loss of the vehicle systems from impacting the ballast function. As well, the ballast's input voltage does not drop. Input voltage will match the charging system, so ~12v when the engine is off and ~13.5v when idling. Remember that voltage, amperage and wattage are all related and easily calculated based on one another.

 

On a factory Sierra with the HIR bulbs, the burning filament does not care what voltage is supplied to it. The electricity flows across and the resistance creates the heat and light intensity that is reflected off the bowl and out through the projector optics. When the engine is not running, the 12v is supplied from the battery at say 55w equates to roughly 4.5a of current draw, line loss notwithstanding.

 

HID ballasts are much more temperamental however. The harness comes into play mostly because of how vehicles operate based on the ignition. You insert your key and turn to on, which powers the electrical system. This sends 12v to the lights, firing the ballasts and igniting the bulbs. Then you turn the key further, starting the engine. The high amperage draw from the starter motor can momentarily lower overall system voltage under the threshold that the ballasts need to sustain the arc across the capsule and the HIDs go out. You then need to powercycle the HID system in order to get them to refire. The use of a relay kit ensures that power is maintained throughout vehicle operations, as the relay will remain latched through the starting process, keeping a constant power to the ballasts.

 

The second point is the influx at ignition. A 35w ballast at 12v will use just under 3 amps of current to maintain the arc. Ignition however requires substantially more. Between the two ballasts you can call for 20 or more amps depending on conditions and line loss, so using the factory electrical system isn't reccomended. The TRS 30a HD relay harness as perfect for the job.

[nbomar]

I installed my gmc specific kit tonight on my 2015 duramax from trs and when the lights turn on now, they turn on for a split second then go back off. The fogs work fine as they are supposed to with low beams. I tried reinstalling my factory headlights, and they do the exact same thing. They light for about half a second then go out. Any ideas?

 

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[morrislee]

I installed my gmc specific kit tonight on my 2015 duramax from trs and when the lights turn on now, they turn on for a split second then go back off. The fogs work fine as they are supposed to with low beams. I tried reinstalling my factory headlights, and they do the exact same thing. They light for about half a second then go out. Any ideas?

 

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What is the name on the kit? What is the rating of the ballasts? what is your wiring sequences?

[nbomar]

It is a morimoto kit from theretrofitsource.com it is a gmc sierra specific kit. The ballast are 35watt. It hooks into the drivers side factory bulb harness, has 1 wire direct to battery positive and one wire direct to battery negative. Both ballast have a ground that is hooked to bolts under hood (chassis ground) there is a resistor (I think thats what it is) in line between each ballast and bulb.

 

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[Crf450r420]

The resistor or capacitor goes between the factory connector and the relay harness, so if you have a single side connection you would only have one of them on your system. Sounds like you have them between the harness and the ballasts and that would be your problem. If it also has issue when you go back to stock then I don't know what causes this issue.

[Dangerdick]

He's referring to the inline ignitor. Unless you cut the AMP connections between the bulb and ballast, there's no place to rig in the capacitor link.

 

If your factory lights are doing it as well, there is an issue before the headlight harness. Check for blown fuses or a bad body ground.

[Crf450r420]

Forgot the new one has an external ignitor. They released them like 2 weeks after I got mine. If it is doing it stock also, then put everything back to stock and let the dealer fix the issue, unless you easily find a loose ground or other simple fix.

[nbomar]

Well the dealer said they dont know what's wrong, but check engine light on and remote start were out this morning. Should get it back tomorrow. Something I did when hooking up the hids freaked my truck out

 

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[Crf450r420]

If you hooked the relays directly to the battery posts and only factory wire you connected to was the headlight lead. My guess would be the issue was not caused by you. Correlation does not mean causation, could just be the timing of it freaking out making you think it was you.

[Spurshot]

He's referring to the inline ignitor. Unless you cut the AMP connections between the bulb and ballast, there's no place to rig in the capacitor link.

 

If your factory lights are doing it as well, there is an issue before the headlight harness. Check for blown fuses or a bad body ground.

 

 

My filter capacitor is between the headlight power plug and the relay. I believe it's intended to prevent the relay from seeing a frequency or fluctuation.

[Crf450r420]

Spurshot you are right. The TRS ballest they just released have external igniters that go between the relay harness and the ballast, I think. Could be after the balast, but either way it is now another new thing to confuse some people.

[Dangerdick]

 

 

My filter capacitor is between the headlight power plug and the relay. I believe it's intended to prevent the relay from seeing a frequency or fluctuation.

 

That's the correct spot and reasoning, the OP had said "Both ballast have a ground that is hooked to bolts under hood (chassis ground) there is a resistor (I think thats what it is) in line between each ballast and bulb." but he's simply seeing the large block coming off the ballast - which is the ignitor.

 

Spurshot you are right. The TRS ballest they just released have external igniters that go between the relay harness and the ballast, I think. Could be after the balast, but either way it is now another new thing to confuse some people.

 

The external ignitor isn't new, actually. Older ballasts were almost an inch thick, incorporating the ignitor into the ballast housing.

 

 

New ballasts are only slim because they simply have the circuit board and electrical components inside, with the ignitor inline to the bulb.

 

[Crf450r420]

No it's not new, but it is the change in the new TRS ballasts. Mine are from about 4 weeks ago and have no external igniters and OPs are newer with external because the company changed their product line.

[Dangerdick]

I didn't see that he posted whether he had the Morimotos or not but you're correct - they recently implemented the new modular system allowing the ballast to switch between AMP and D2S connections with the inline ignitor.