01SilveradoJakee

Hey guys! I already have a set of HID 35w low beams and fogs for my 01 Silverado. I'm just bought 55w kits for both, I also bought the wiring harness for it so I don't have any issues. I just wanna see how y'all routed it or any ideas how to to still look good, and maybe not even see it!

Suburbazine

Most of the el cheapo 55w kits (what brand did you get?) can run off the stock wiring harness but sometimes the cheap ballast can't overcome the minimal ground resistance. If you're really interested in keeping it out of sight, I ran mine from the battery, under the radiator support, over the front of the radiator, through the latch bracket and to the side of the passenger headlight. Put it in some black loom and it will be invisible.

Unless you spend $$$ that "55w" kit will put out about 32-36w (or less). It will appear brighter than a 35w kit no question, but...

To give you a quick reference using a very popular "Chinese cheap ballast"-

DDM 35w premium ballast: 24w to the bulb (lol)
DDM 55w premium ballast: 33w to the bulb (lol)

Versus a desirable "Chinese expensive ballast"
HyluxTek 35w premium ballast: 32w to the bulb
HyluxTek 55w premium ballast: 49w to the bulb
HyluxTek 70w premium ballast: 61w to the bulb

01SilveradoJakee

I got Kensun I believe? I'm having issues with my 35w with one light coming on and I have to flash my brights or something. Plus I heard it makes it a little bit brighter with the harness.

Suburbazine

If you managed to light the lamp, the harness won't improve the output any. Even the cheapest ballasts are voltage regulating to the bulb to some extent. Not lighting (requiring flicking the high beam) indicates a faulty ground or low quality ballast (which Kensun is). The harness is mainly used to prevent flickering- once the bulb is started the power requirement drops significantly.

Kensun/DDM/HIDExtra and similar clones all share a basic topography with sub-par potting and poorly binned parts. You're not guaranteed to get a dud, though- this just means the "acceptable range" is probably from nearly dead to working but shortlived. Many are not truly waterproof (due to lousy potting) and all of them suffer from heat displacement and circuitry limitations (like using DC output stages whilst claiming to be AC, or using brute force instead of electronics to monitor bulb state).

What this means for you? Less light output compared to a high end bulb/ballast. Expect relatively short lifetime (400 hours means you got an incredible set) and arc discoloration. FYI, the only good non-OEM bulbs are the CNlight Ball where the outer tube is flared over the arc chamber, like a bubble). Ideally, a good HID kit will last 2000+ hours before you have any issues like discoloration or failure.

The reason I go into this detail? I used to import and sell the cheap kits- I averaged around $40 a kit. The ballasts were (and still are) $7.25/ballast to manufacture. Bulbs were $4.50 per unit. So my expenditure was a measly $23.50 with a $16.50 profit. I received no warranty on the kits- however I extended a year warranty to my customers on the kits. The return rate was about 15% (outright failure), 20% intermittent failure. I think by the time I quit (2 years of selling) my total profits after warranty were less than $650.

So yes, there is a degree of risk in dealing with cheap hardware. The successful companies are able to survive on that 65% margin by cutting costs and maximizing revenue on the kits that do work (like DDM...that lifetime warranty isn't offered by their factory- they just make that much profit).

someotherguy

It sounds hack-ish but to keep my ballasts close to the headlight and not have to chop anything up or drill any holes, I used that crazy strong 3M double-stick (the body molding stuff, dark gray with the red backing) along two sides of each ballast to stick them to the core support on my '06. They're sitting sideways just on either side of the part sticking out past the radiator opening.

I went with DDM for my 35W HID's because of their warranty. I've only had 1 ballast go bad out of 3 sets total, and honestly I'm pretty sure that was because of a relay that got water in it, corroded and stuck on while my old '94 was in storage. (It actually burned the relay harness up, too - fuse popped so it didn't burn the truck up, thankfully.) They replaced the ballast without any question. As far as longevity the DDM's currently in my '06, I have owned for probably 5 or 6 years now!

DDM also apparently has new ballasts that take a lot less power on start-up, making the harness requirement on some vehicles less of an issue.

Richard

BigKID

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the detailed information on the ballasts and bulbs. I have had several sets of DDM ballasts/bulbs and they are hit and miss. I have been recently looking into a projector retrofit for my Sierra. Since you seem to be in the know on the technology, where do the Morimoto XB ballasts and bulbs fall in the 'quality' range? I am considering using the Mini H1 projectors and wondering if using the Morimoto ballasts/bulbs are actually an upgrade. They say their boards are 100% potted and use a separate igniter.

someotherguy

Yeah, if this forum had a "like" button I'd be liking Suburbazine's post. Thanks

Richard