HID questions

[IAFF78]

Sorry to be a bother but after i fried my old HID kit years ago, I dont wanna make the same mistake twice. After reading numerous posts on this site Im left baffled.

1. I have an 04 TB LT with the DIC. There are numerous features that come with the DIC. Is there a setting on there that will help preserve my HID's?

2. I was looking at the DDM kits. Which kit would work better. The slim or raptor kit? There looks to be a relay on the slim kit's ballast? Am i correct? And if that is a built in relay, do i need to add any other relays?

3. From what i gather doing the CAP mod will keep the HID's on during the day and keep them running at 100%. If i go this route, I'm guessing the lifespan of the HID's will be shortened? Also, doing the CAP mod allows you to run both high and lows at the same time...is that correct?

4. Now I could care less if i have DRL's. If i decide to buy the DRL killer where is a good place to pick one up(I checked Jettstreams website and its currently down). How many would i need to buy?

5. I am also planning on buying the 880 HID's for my fogs. From what i can gather I dont need and relays for the 880's?

6. If anyone has dealt with DDM before, what color bulb do you suggest? I dont want the factory OEM yellowish color. I like the bright white with the faintest tint of blue. I think the 5000k is what i'm looking for. Also from what i can gather if you stay below 6000k you still have plenty of pure light compared to the really blue lights which i heard doesnt light up a thing.

7. Some people state that the HID's are great for lighting up the road infront of you but you dont have much lighting in the distance. When i do get the lights installed, should I aim them slightly higher than factory or just leave them be. I guess since i plan on putting in the HID 880 fogs, it would light up the road infront of me allowing me to adjust the lights slightly higher than stock.

Again, sorry for being a pain in the a$$, I just want to make sure i do this right the first time and not have to go back and fix stupid mistakes. And again thanks for all the help and advice.



Kevin

 

[Boricua SS]

Sorry to be a bother but after i fried my old HID kit years ago, I dont wanna make the same mistake twice. After reading numerous posts on this site Im left baffled.

1. I have an 04 TB LT with the DIC. There are numerous features that come with the DIC. Is there a setting on there that will help preserve my HID's?

i do believe the only option in your DIC is to kill the perimeter lighting.. which can also be done by doing the DRL killer.. it just kills your "front" perimeter lighting, leaving the rears on still

2. I was looking at the DDM kits. Which kit would work better. The slim or raptor kit? There looks to be a relay on the slim kit's ballast? Am i correct? And if that is a built in relay, do i need to add any other relays?

as discussed in the HID guide thread, there is no difference between slim style and regular ballasts.. just one is smaller then the other, and relays can come with any style... what the relay harness does is protect your factory headlight wire harness from getting fried.. when ordering kits, you have to specify if you want the relay harness or not...

3. From what i gather doing the CAP mod will keep the HID's on during the day and keep them running at 100%. If i go this route, I'm guessing the lifespan of the HID's will be shortened? Also, doing the CAP mod allows you to run both high and lows at the same time...is that correct?

yes the CAP mod allows for your DRL's to run at 100%, there for allowing you to keep the DRL's without any harm to the ballasts.. logicallly thinking, yes the life span could be shortened, but no fewer then your factory head lights i would imagine... and the CAP mod just makes your DRL's run at 100%, you have to some other little wire splices to get the "Quad mod" as we call it for lows and highs on at the same time

4. Now I could care less if i have DRL's. If i decide to buy the DRL killer where is a good place to pick one up(I checked Jettstreams website and its currently down). How many would i need to buy?

Mike has a new site, i just cant remember the link to it.. there are schematics to make your own DRL killer from a standard relay at your local parts store.. or there was a member from the OS that was a vendor for them (TBlazed), im not sure if he is a member here or not..and you only need one relay to do the DRL killer mod.

5. I am also planning on buying the 880 HID's for my fogs. From what i can gather I dont need and relays for the 880's?

no you do not need realys for the fogs.. at least i dont run one for mine.. just make sure you get the 35W HID kit.. 55W will melt your factory fog housing..(found out the hard way from personal experrence)

6. If anyone has dealt with DDM before, what color bulb do you suggest? I dont want the factory OEM yellowish color. I like the bright white with the faintest tint of blue. I think the 5000k is what i'm looking for. Also from what i can gather if you stay below 6000k you still have plenty of pure light compared to the really blue lights which i heard doesnt light up a thing.

you are correct sir... 6000K is a popular color and are still very very bright... very white in light with just a hint of Blue... if your not looking for blue at all.. or barely noticible at least.. then go for 5000K

7. Some people state that the HID's are great for lighting up the road infront of you but you dont have much lighting in the distance. When i do get the lights installed, should I aim them slightly higher than factory or just leave them be. I guess since i plan on putting in the HID 880 fogs, it would light up the road infront of me allowing me to adjust the lights slightly higher than stock.

no you will not need to adjust your lights... they will be plenty bright... anything over 6000K is when you start sacraficing light output in front of you... if you re-aim your lights up.. you will have a lot of pissed off drivers lol

Again, sorry for being a pain in the a$$, I just want to make sure i do this right the first time and not have to go back and fix stupid mistakes. And again thanks for all the help and advice.

not a problem.. thats what we are here for.. it sounds like you know what you want to do.. so just pull the trigger and never look back



Kevin

hope this helps...

 

[IAFF78]

Thanks. You have been a big help brother.


Thanks,
Kevin

 

[BO TIE SS]

My two cents...

I run relays on both my lows and fogs. It might be overkill, but as cheap as relays are why not give yourself the added protection?

Color is important. The higher the temperature, the less light. And, the closer to white you stay, the less likely you will have legal issues. I have 6000K...but if I could do it over, I'd have 5000K.

 

[IAFF78]

Just ordered lows an fogs 4500k. My friend bought a new camaro and his HIDs are 4500 and they look awesome. I also remember thats what i had in my old TB. I hope they make it here in one piece.

 

[Boricua SS]

My two cents...

I run relays on both my lows and fogs. It might be overkill, but as cheap as relays are why not give yourself the added protection?

Color is important. The higher the temperature, the less light. And, the closer to white you stay, the less likely you will have legal issues. I have 6000K...but if I could do it over, I'd have 5000K.

All you gotta do is buy new bulbs

I was contiplating the relay for my fogs too.. but I just figured, there's minimal use, and there is no auto function on my fogs... so I "should" be fine , now that I said that, let me go start the beaSSt up today ad make sure my fogs work

 

[Boricua SS]

Just ordered lows an fogs 4500k. My friend bought a new camaro and his HIDs are 4500 and they look awesome. I also remember thats what i had in my old TB. I hope they make it here in one piece.

What brand did you go with?

 

[IAFF78]

Actually after reading all the reviews on both VVME and DDM kits I couldnt make up my mind, so i flipped a coin. DDM won the flip. So thats who I went with and i hope they do me justice. I order the HID harness for the low's and i will go out and get the stuff needed to do the cap mod. IS there anything else i might need to buy to make these suckers last? I did read where a guy used dielectric grease for all his connections. Might be overkill but who knows.


Have a happy new year,
Kevin

 

[Boricua SS]

Actually after reading all the reviews on both VVME and DDM kits I couldnt make up my mind, so i flipped a coin. DDM won the flip. So thats who I went with and i hope they do me justice. I order the HID harness for the low's and i will go out and get the stuff needed to do the cap mod. IS there anything else i might need to buy to make these suckers last? I did read where a guy used dielectric grease for all his connections. Might be overkill but who knows.


Have a happy new year,
Kevin

either way, you made a good choice.. Pros of DDM is their lifetime warranty in the even that something should go wrong...

i think you have everything covered.. overkill or not, its about your comfert of knowing your product will last...

 

[Jkust]

I'm more intersted in these threads since my 9-7x has factory HID's being the only of the whole bunch to offer them. I switched out the factory bulbs since they kept blinking on and off that I am guessing were 4500k for some replacement (not the $165 apiece bulbs) aftermarkets at 6000k. I'd say that 6000k is as far as I'd want to go now after having them for a couple weeks. They look just cool enough but not over the top purple. Now when I drive my wife's Rainier, it seems like really ugly yellow light. When my bulbs were switching on and off I shopped for Ballasts as well just in case it wasn't the bulbs and on the sites that discussed ballasts, the slim ballasts were made in I forget what country while the thick ballasts were made in some other country maybe Germany. The point seemed to be that the thin ones were the cheepos while the thicker ones were the better ones. That seemed to be agreed by many. My OEM ballasts are thick but are $250+ each if you need to replace with OEM which is outrageous, even used on ebay they were over $100 each. The 9-7x simply uses the side marker lights for the DRL's and doesn't use them for the entry lighting.

 

[IAFF78]

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

I remember when i installed my old HID's i just wired tied the ballast to something sturdy. Where is the easiest/best place to mount the ballast for the lows and fogs? Just want to hear everyones ideas.


Thanks,
Kevin

 

[BO TIE SS]

All you gotta do is buy new bulbs

I know...but that's four bulbs. I don't want to spend the money right now. (especially since they all work)

I'd say that 6000k is as far as I'd want to go now after having them for a couple weeks. They look just cool enough but not over the top purple.

6000K shouldn't have any purple.

 

[Boricua SS]

I know...but that's four bulbs. I don't want to spend the money right now. (especially since they all work)


6000K shouldn't have any purple.

touche ... and i agree.. there isnt any purple in 6000K

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

I remember when i installed my old HID's i just wired tied the ballast to something sturdy. Where is the easiest/best place to mount the ballast for the lows and fogs? Just want to hear everyones ideas.


Thanks,
Kevin

im not sure if it looks the same in a regular TB.. but this is where i put my ballasts in my SS... see where the zip tie is at.. and you can see the ballast.. been there for over a year and a half with zero problems... same in the drivers side

 

[IAFF78]

Barely even noticed the ballast. Good hiding job.

I quick question or two for everyone. I order DDM hid's and i also ordered the wire harness that they offered. Was ordering the harness overkill or is it a piece of mind purchase? If i read correctly the harness is for vehicles with smaller gauged wires, correct?

I gotta pick up a relay so i can do the DRL killer mod. Is that something I can find a Lowes or a radioshack?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Jkust]

6000K shouldn't have any purple.

Sorry didn't get my point across correctly. I meant generally speaking the 6k doesn't look like the wannabe, ricers with the really high K value colors. Blue but not really blue and def not purple. Nothing more annoying to me than the blue or purple coated bulbs trying to be HID or the aftermarket way extreme colors. Aftermarked HID's don't have the same hid projector built into the lense and plain old blue bulbs are just lame to me. I owned a set several cars back when HID's were new. I'm suprised that the HID's aren't standard equipment on most if not all cars especially in 2012 as in Europe.

05 06 07 08 09 SAAB 9-7X OEM LEFT HID XENON PROJECTOR | eBay

 

[Boricua SS]

Barely even noticed the ballast. Good hiding job.

I quick question or two for everyone. I order DDM hid's and i also ordered the wire harness that they offered. Was ordering the harness overkill or is it a piece of mind purchase? If i read correctly the harness is for vehicles with smaller gauged wires, correct?

I gotta pick up a relay so i can do the DRL killer mod. Is that something I can find a Lowes or a radioshack?

Thanks,
Kevin

Its both, piece of mind and added security... our factory headlights will fry our wiring harness, let alone HID's without a relay harness... and the relay is for any vehicle no mater the gauge wire size...

And its an automotive relay, so autozone or advance auto is where we got ours from.. possibly radio shack, but doubtful

 

[IAFF78]

Before my kit comes in I wanna get whatever I need to install it. Do I need extra wire for the wiring harness or does it come with enough wire? What gauge wire if I need some? Same question applies to the drl killer. Wire and size if needed?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Blckshdw]

Before my kit comes in I wanna get whatever I need to install it. Do I need extra wire for the wiring harness or does it come with enough wire? What gauge wire if I need some? Same question applies to the drl killer. Wire and size if needed?

Thanks,
Kevin

The wiring harnesses will have plenty of wire, they are meant to be plug and play. For your DRL killer, are you buying a pre-made unit, or making your own from scratch. If you're making your own, you don't need very large gauge wire, since all you're doing is interrupting and connecting signals that go to other relays. 18-20 gauge should be fine I would say.

 

[IAFF78]

Thx for the info. I stopped by advanced auto and they had a few different relays. Some were 3 terminals and some were 5 terminals. The other was a thin spade four terminal one. Confused on which one I need. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Blckshdw]

Thx for the info. I stopped by advanced auto and they had a few different relays. Some were 3 terminals and some were 5 terminals. The other was a thin spade four terminal one. Confused on which one I need. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kevin

Have you read any of the DRL killer threads yet?

http://gmtnation.com/f93/daytime-running-lamps-killer-quadlights-1087/

http://gmtnation.com/f33/daytime-running-lamps-eliminator-242/

 

[IAFF78]

Finally got the hids in and what a difference. Just as brite as I remember and the fogs really add to the lite output.

The only hang ups I had were finding a good place to mount the ballast but I finally made it work. The other issue was with the wiring harness. I couldn't get the lites to work at all. I wired it up per DDM instructions. I just wonder if polarity issues could be the problem. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Blckshdw]

Finally got the hids in and what a difference. Just as brite as I remember and the fogs really add to the lite output.

The only hang ups I had were finding a good place to mount the ballast but I finally made it work. The other issue was with the wiring harness. I couldn't get the lites to work at all. I wired it up per DDM instructions. I just wonder if polarity issues could be the problem. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kevin

I'd say on about half of the HID installs I've done/assisted with, the lil connectors were put together with the little nub in the wrong position, which reverses the polarity. Flip the plug around that goes into the ballast, and your HIDs will fire right up.

 

[IAFF78]

Thanks. I was running low on time and thought about doing that today. Also, I used the battery for my hot and ground if that is sufficient.


Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Blckshdw]

As long as you're happy with the wire management you've got going on, that's fine. I used the fender ground for mine, although I may take out my relay harnesses this weekend for an experiment.

 

[IAFF78]

I notice buzzing from the ballast without the harness hooked up. I wanna see if hooking it up will eliminate the buzzing.

I like the brightness from the hids but I'm curious if it would be more focused if I bought the aftermarket projector
headlights.

 

[Blckshdw]

I notice buzzing from the ballast without the harness hooked up. I wanna see if hooking it up will eliminate the buzzing.

Did you do the DRL killer or capacitor mod first? If not, then that's likely your problem. If you did, then the relay harness should help make sure they are getting full power. It's normal for them to buzz during their initial warm up period, then quiet down.

I like the brightness from the hids but I'm curious if it would be more focused if I bought the aftermarket projector
headlights.

Yes, the light will be much more focussed if you run them through projector lenses, instead of reflector style ones.

 

[IAFF78]

I've got everything I need for the drl killer. So hopefully Thursday I can knock both projects out. I don't wanna wait too long to get everything hooked up cause I don't wanna smoke my ballast.

 

[Blckshdw]

You can put a piece of electrical tape over the light sensor at the windshield, trick the BCM into thinking it's dark, and the low beams come on full power, instead of DRL power. That should hold you over until you can put your DRL killer together and install it.

 

[IAFF78]

I read that somewhere before but figured it was bs. I think I can find time to do that today. I just hate the thought of taking the headlights out again to re wire the harness correctly. The front grill was a pain to get off unlike my 02. I guess my 04's grill hasn't been removed before cause that sucker was tight.

 

[nismo0886]

Is there anywhere else to get the drl killer since jettstream is down i also bought the ddm kit with the relay harness and want to figure that ouy before i do anything

 

[Blckshdw]

Is there anywhere else to get the drl killer since jettstream is down i also bought the ddm kit with the relay harness and want to figure that ouy before i do anything

If you check the links I listed in post #20, you can make your own.

 

[IAFF78]

Well i finally have the DRL killer installed so i figured i would tackle the wire harness again. I called DDM and spoke to a tech guy and he said the same thing you guys are saying. The polarity might be reversed. So i switched the plugs and nothing. I could hear the relay click but nothing. I have the ground wire grounded into the bolt nearest the battery bracket on the fender. So i figured that spot would be a winner. I have the power wire running off the fuse box. I figured that would be a safe and reliable spot. I made sure that the headlight was plugged in and i checked the high beams and they work so i know its not a problem in the headlight wiring. Also, the only plug i didnt switch was the plug that connects to the bulb. Does that need to be switched also? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Blckshdw]

If you are hearing the relay click, when the low beams are supposed to come on, then your power/ground connections are fine. Focus your troubleshooting on the connections going into your ballasts. If you flipped the plugs going into the ballast around, and there was no change, you need to test the relay harness output connectors to make sure they have 12V. The ballast should buzz for a few seconds as they ignite and warm up, then quiet down. You get that volt meter yet? The bulb connectors only plug in one way, so you can't mess those up.

Pulling power from a stud on the front fuse block isn't usually recommended. Which stud did you use? If you have someone touch the relay harness lead to the battery terminal does it work? You may want to get an extended battery bolt, so you can hook up your harness directly to the battery as intended.

 

[IAFF78]

The only volt meter i have laying around is on of the older types with the needle and i have the foggiest idea on how to use that one. Any tips? I'll swap the power wire from the fuse block to the battery terminal. How about the plug that connects directly from the HID bulb to the OEM plug that used to plug into the OEM headlight, should those be switched? Should the plug that goes from the harness to the wires leading to the HID, switch them too or just hook everything up normal and reverse the wire harness plug that goes into the ballast? So for the abundant amount of questions. This is kicking my a$$.


Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Blckshdw]

The only volt meter i have laying around is on of the older types with the needle and i have the foggiest idea on how to use that one. Any tips? I'll swap the power wire from the fuse block to the battery terminal. How about the plug that connects directly from the HID bulb to the OEM plug that used to plug into the OEM headlight, should those be switched? Should the plug that goes from the harness to the wires leading to the HID, switch them too or just hook everything up normal and reverse the wire harness plug that goes into the ballast? So for the abundant amount of questions. This is kicking my a$$.


Thanks,
Kevin

Not sure what to tell you with the old school meter. A pic might help.

If the relay harness makes a single clicking sound when the low beams turn on/off, then the connection between the OEM low beam and the relay harness is correct. The relay is activating, and should be connecting the 12V from the power source, to the ballast. The problem would have to either be the power source, or the output connections.

SO if you flipped around the connectors going into both ballasts, and none of those configurations worked, you want to make sure it's getting good power in. And then test the output plugs. If you're not getting power from the output plugs when you are sure the + end is getting 12V, then there may be an issue with the wiring, or the connection of the wiring to the relay itself.

 

[IAFF78]

micronta battery tester 22-031 is the tester i have. If you google it and then click images its the third one from the left, top row. I checked the volts coming into the harness's fuse holder and it read good( and that was set to 12v on the meter). I checked the plug that goes into the ballast (the plug with the red and black wire) and i got nothing. I even switched up pos and neg and still got nothing on the meter. I'm stumped.

 

[Blckshdw]

The black wire that is in the ballast plug, where does that trace back to? Does it go to a ring terminal (if so, where did you connect it?) or does it go all the way back to the relay?

 

[IAFF78]

I tested the plastic plug that goes into the relay and the only termial that tested 12v was the terminal that goes to pin 87 on the relay. That sound right?

 

[Blckshdw]

I tested the plastic plug that goes into the relay and the only termial that tested 12v was the terminal that goes to pin 87 on the relay. That sound right?

Yes, that's correct. When the low beam socket fires up, it triggers the relay and the aperture inside it closes (makes the clicking sound) and connects pin 87 to pin 30 (which is the 12V output to the HID ballast) So the problem is between the relay pin 30 and the end of the plug. That's why I asked about the ground wire for the ballast plug, it may not be connected right, preventing the circuit being completed

 

[IAFF78]

Ill have to undo all the wiring to trace it back to find out. I did ground the harness to the bolt on the fender nearest the bolt for the battery bracket.