HOME / DRL MOD / CUSTOMERS RIDES / CONTACTING
HID Headlight & Projector FAQ's Q: What are HID's? A: The best way to describe an HID headlight is to compare it to a more conventional halogen headlight. A halogen bulb consists of a wire filament surrounded by an inert gas. When electrical current is applied to the filament, it glows brightly to produce light. Contrast that with an HID bulb which has no filament, but instead consists of xenon gas, mercury, and metal halide salts. The xenon gas is ignited by an arc of high-voltage current and glows brightly. Also, the high voltage is supplied by a ballast, so in these respects it is like a fluorescent light. HID's are original equipment generally found on luxury and exotic cars but are progressively finding their way into the mainstream. For example, the 2004 Mazda 3s at ~$17k will include HID's. Q: Why install HID's?
A: The improved light output of HID's will give you a better field of vision and thus improved safety. Plus, let's admit it, they look cool. Q: What is meant by color temperature?
A: The Kelvin (K) is the unit of color temperature. 4100K is the brightest, most natural white light similar to that of daytime sunlight, and therefore the HID color temperature used most in the OEM automotive industry. When you look at the light coming directly out of an HID headlight, it possesses a bit of a blue or purple hue which most people recognize as the expensive, elegant look characteristic of HID's. For this reason, some HID kit manufacturers produce 5400K, 6500K, 8000K, etc. bulbs that give an even more distinct blue hue but at the expense of overall light output. For comparison, most halogen headlights have a color temperature around 3200K which gives them a "dingy" yellowish appearance compared to HID's. Blue light is more fatiguing to the eyes, both to oncoming traffic and to the driver. Oncoming cars will see your lights for only a brief time, but as the driver, you must deal with it for the duration of your drive. The bluer the tint cast on the road and surrounding area, the more quickly your eyes become tired. It's a personal choice and I recognize and respect that some install HID's mostly for the look. However, very blue headlights might get you the wrong kind of attention from law enforcement. Personally, I'd like to benefit from my investment in the way of increased visibility and safety. Be aware that most of the 6500K and higher bulbs are produced by inferior manufacturers to capitalize on the marketability of "the bigger number must be better". Their 8000K bulbs may not measure 8000K. Don't be fooled. Q: How Do Projectors Work? A: The reflector gathers as much light as possible so that it passes above the cutoff shield and gets evenly spread out by the curved lens: 
A projector unit consists of: - a light source (bulb)
- a reflector
- a cutoff shield
- curved lens
All components are designed to work together within small tolerances. Headlight manufacturers may use the same projector unit in headlights destined for different vehicles. This is cost saving. All a manufacturer has to do is have a nice looking round hole that the curved lens can peep out of. Most projector units look roughly the same. They all have the same proportions-- long and skinny. The differences are diameter and depth, which is always proportional. The bigger the curved lens, the deeper the projector is. Q: What is the "cut off line", and how is it created?
A: The cutoff line is the horizontal line where the beam turns from fully illuminated to almost darkness. If headlights are aimed correctly, the cutoff line should be within 50-100m in front of the car. The cutoff band is the area around the cutoff line that can contain various colors. These are the beautiful colors that you see when looking at projector lights from a distance. 
The reflector shapes a rough cutoff above the shield. Then, the cutoff shield defines the final shape of a horizontal line on the wall separating darkness and light. Because a razor sharp beam cutoff is needed, the reflector beam is overlapping the cutoff shield edge, so that maximum intensity is kept close to cutoff line. The light that hits the gray cutoff shield will partially be converted to heat and partially deflected into stray light. 
Q: What are "Bi-xenon" projectors"? A: These projectors use solenoids to change the position of the metal shield that creates the cut off line, so that in one position "up" it acts as a cutoff to prevent light from blinding oncoming drivers, and in the other position "down" this restriction is removed for full brightness. The problem is that there are actually two solenoids in this package, one for pulling and one for holding, and consequently there is a 3-wire connector on the projector. For proper operation, the pull coil is supposed to be activated for about 1/10 - 1/5 of a second, and then turned off while the hold coil is still powered as long as high beams are desired. The hold coil alone is not strong enough to move the shield, only to hold it in the high- beam position. Q: What are LED angel eyes? A: LED angel eyes are acrylic rings formed to shape and have two LED light diodes on each end to eliminate the whole ring. These are very sturdy, and easy to mount. Q: What are Cold Cathode angel eyes? A: Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lighting (CCFL) is in essence a variation of the technology used in fluorescent light bulbs. These angel eye rings produce the absolute brightest, most consistent light output and provide the most aesthetically appealing appearance as well. - Advantages: Very bright look and best appearance. Cool, high tech appearance.
- Disadvantages: Somewhat fragile rings, so installation requires more care.
*Videos to watch* Why Projectors are important: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/videos/featuresvideos/204742/xenon_test.html | 
