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Home > Visual / Audio Mods > Exterior Styling > HID Lights What You Should Know

HID Lights What You Should Know

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Orin

Reg'd: Dec 08, 2005


HID or high intensity discharge lighting uses Xenon gas thats charged by two electrodes from front to back. HID uses less electricity than a normal halogen bulb, about 35 watts when powered up compared to 55 watts of a normal bulb.

There is some danger of using plug & play systems that manufacturers are not going to make you aware of. Let's focus specifically on the Scion tC.

The stock wiring harness was designed for halogen bulbs only. So what's the problem when HID only uses 35 watts?

When you turn on your HID lights, it takes a lot of power to charge up the gases in the bulb. How much? Twice as much. 13.5 Amps rushed in for about 1 second. This kind of inrush WILL take it toll on your headlight switch built into the tC's internals. Just as others have said, it might not happen a month or a year from now, but it WILL happen and it's expensive and time consuming to fix.

So what to do if you want HID on your tC? It's called a relay switch and to make things simple to explain it bypasses your cars stock wiring to provide the power and draws it straight from the battery instead of through the car's stock circuitry and headlight switch.

A relay switch is really just a heavy duty switch with wires to be a bridge from your cars stock wires to the ballasts of your HID system.

You can make a relay harness yourself for about 15 bucks and some time or you can buy one pre-made off sites like ebay. Make sure the wires you buy for the tC are 9006

There are different color temperatures for HID the lower degrees like 5000k will look plain white like a sheet of paper. Higher temperatures will look more like electricity. 12,000k will look more ultra violet

The headlamp housing for cars like the tC were designed for halogen output. When using HID there will be light scatter and no sharp cutoff unless you're using projectors. It's possible that HID light will be distracting for other drivers. HID plug & play is illegal in the state of California

Here is a resource that will teach you more about what you want to know.


How Stuff Works (HID)

[#] Aug 20, 2006 03:59pm
Bsp05Tc

Reg'd: Aug 01, 2005

Detailer

Very good Information!

[#] Aug 21, 2006 12:41am
CaliRow

Reg'd: May 21, 2005

Scion Guru

On the tC the light does not look as scattered as most cars. I have driven behind my wife and some of my friends and they said it is not blinding at all so it makes me feel a little less worried about being pulled over for them. I see cops on a daily basis and i actually got a ticket at night for my window tint about 2 weeks ago but he said nothing about the HID's. As for frying the headlight switch i never heard of anyone doing that (not saying it cant happen) but if you make a DIY of the relay harness i might conceder doing this. Thanx for the info.

[#] Aug 21, 2006 08:34am
Web

Reg'd: Apr 17, 2006

THE SHADOW

Yes DIY for the relay please!


Ignorance is bliss....305 fo life!...haha...Poser
[#] Aug 21, 2006 10:15am
Orin

Reg'd: Dec 08, 2005


I'll gather as much information as I can on how you can make your own relay harness.

[#] Aug 21, 2006 10:50am
Web

Reg'd: Apr 17, 2006

THE SHADOW

Awesome, thanks. Pictures would be great if you could as well. They help more sometimes than words.


Ignorance is bliss....305 fo life!...haha...Poser
[#] Aug 21, 2006 10:51am
MrScion07

Reg'd: Sep 09, 2006

Godlike Advisor

maybe we could change the title to this for people with HIDs so they can post that they got them and pictures of them because there are alot of people getting them and people that are going to get them just a idea to clean the forums up


[#] Mar 03, 2007 10:18am
SharpiesTc

Reg'd: Aug 30, 2007

Window Washer

Yeah I just bought an 08 Scion Tc and an conisdering on getting HIDs for my car. Thanks for the info. I live in jersey and I know the cops will bust me as is cause I just had tinting done to my windows. I figured with the HIDs and the tint. It would def make my Tc stand out from the crowd here in Jersey. 12000K here I come!

[#] Aug 30, 2007 07:11pm
Orin

Reg'd: Dec 08, 2005


here is a link to HID kits purchased after the information about HID kits

you can see which colors and kits you like:

Show Off Your New HID Lighting Here!

[#] Aug 30, 2007 07:16pm

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