What?? No Xenon headlights??

[M. Schneider]

Having ordered a '05 OB XT Ltd. wagon a few weeks ago, I was surprized that these cars didn't have xenon lights or as a option at least. The OB offered in Germany are sans the xenon too, but make up for this (so-to-speak) by offering a killer navigation system. Yep, the nav. is mounted right smack in the center, up high. Its a touch panel screen type. I hear things .... that a navigation system is to be available next year of '06? Has anyone made the xenon up grade with the many aftermarket kits? Cheers, Mike

[B4GT]

Yes, unfortunately. I feel they should have at least made it an option. However, the projector beam lights on my legacy is really good in terms of range and brightness I feel that a xenon upgrade isn't necessary. I may upgrade to better bulbs later on, but for now the stock lights are fine. The only reason I would want to upgrade to xenon is to get that cool blue look, but it's not necessary.

[agctr]

Welcome to the site. Yes there are a lot of posts here on the site regarding the lack of Xenons. You can install yourself for a mere USD600 or less. Best of luck with your order and posts some pics when you get it. All the best Adam.

[gt_ltd]

mike, where in CO are you (i live close to I-36)? do you plan to install HID's by yourself?

[gtguy]

[quote name='B4GT']Yes, unfortunately. I feel they should have at least made it an option. However, the projector beam lights on my legacy is really good in terms of range and brightness I feel that a xenon upgrade isn't necessary. I may upgrade to better bulbs later on, but for now the stock lights are fine. The only reason I would want to upgrade to xenon is to get that cool blue look, but it's not necessary.[/QUOTE] That's the only reason ANYBODY wants to upgrade to HIDs on the GT. :lol: Noting your interest in better bulbs, the Osram SilverStars (not Sylvania, please note) available from Europe make a significant improvement. Cheers, Kevin

[chucktoo]

Try here - [url="http://www.hid-lights.com/"]http://www.hid-lights.com/[/url] for HIDs. There are also 100w H-7s and 9005 s but you need to change fuses to 20 amp from 15 amp which is what I have today and am happy. I a running the 100w low and highs today from these guys - [url="http://www.rallylights.com/"]http://www.rallylights.com/[/url] wait till their web page is fixed . They are very good to deal with. Charlie

[Deer Killer]

[quote name='chucktoo']Try here - [url="http://www.hid-lights.com/"]http://www.hid-lights.com/[/url] for HIDs. There are also 100w H-7s and 9005 s but you need to change fuses to 20 amp from 15 amp which is what I have today and am happy. I a running the 100w low and highs today from these guys - [url="http://www.rallylights.com/"]http://www.rallylights.com/[/url] wait till their web page is fixed . They are very good to deal with. Charlie[/QUOTE] Have you taken your bulb out and inspected it, the housing, wires, etc? People have completely destroyed their housing without knowing it before, of course when they try to change the bulb out it's locked in a ball of charcoal..

[chucktoo]

No probelm changing the bulbs took about 15 minutes . I have been running them for about a month with no melt down yet.

[docsmile71]

yup, running anything greater than 55W/65W on the stock harness will result in a fried harness. My friend who had a early 90's integra actually melted his foglight housing with an 85W bulb. hahaha.

[c_hunter]

The projector beams on my OB XT are nearly as good at the HIDs on my wife's TSX. Same bright pattern with a strong cutoff line. So I agree with earlier posts -- unless you like the blue light, you aren't missing much. Craig

[Drift Monkey]

[url]http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2821[/url]

[rockford33]

[quote name='gtguy']That's the only reason ANYBODY wants to upgrade to HIDs on the GT. :lol: Noting your interest in better bulbs, the Osram SilverStars (not Sylvania, please note) available from Europe make a significant improvement. Cheers, Kevin[/QUOTE] Where can you get the Osrams from and are they really that much better than the Sylvanias? Are they DOT legal? Thanks, Neil

[ih8vtec13]

I have to agree with the crowd the stock lights are fine. before i got the car my plan was to pick up the car and change them the next day but i realy like the stock ones and they will do until they die and then i may just change to a xenon bulb but thats about it.

[gtguy]

[quote name='rockford33']Where can you get the Osrams from and are they really that much better than the Sylvanias? Are they DOT legal? Thanks, Neil[/QUOTE] There's a "DOT" on the bulb. I got them from [url]www.powerbulbs.uk[/url] (might be .com). Cheap, free shipping and fast shipping, too. I got a pair of VisionPlus bulbs to compare to them, as well. The VPs are now my spares. Kevin

[greg davis]

Osram and Sylvania are one in the same in the US, it seems strange they would produce differnt lamps (bulbs).

[gtguy]

[quote name='greg davis']Osram and Sylvania are one in the same in the US, it seems strange they would produce differnt lamps (bulbs).[/QUOTE] The Sylvania SilverStars are blued up, because the modders here like to replicate that bluish/white HID look. The Euros just want to see better. :lol: Kevin

[Xenonk]

I opted for PIAA Ion Crystals for my headlights and fog lights (PURE YELLOW OUTPUT.. rated as 2700k on the HID Kelvin Chart). Reason why I went with these bulbs (or more YELLOW, not the "dirty" stock halogen or HID) is because of the foul weather driving.. HIDs suck in foul weather (it's too much glare).. I would know, I use to have all sorts of HIDs on the WRX, hence I opted to get additional driving/for lights on my WRX because of it (8 lights in total, which was also illegal for street use). Anyways, to make the story short, the projectors give out a very clear pattern reducing the need to actually need more white light output. Yes, color does matter since you are trying to contrast the dark road with white light. When the weather such as fog or rain reflects the light, it makes it hard to even see the lines on the road due to the refraction of light. I opted yellow because it's more acceptable to public use (and that my light bulbs are DOT approved). It's also great for foul weather driving, especially through the night's rain and fog. Another news, the NHSTA is cracking down to the next step on HIDs. The first step was banning the sale of HIDs on US soils. Number of very reputable companies comply to this because the fine was very heavy ($10,000 fine per occurance since it was not DOT approved for most units per any sale after August 15th, 2003). The next step that NHSTA is taking now is making any company that is still in business that sold HIDs to do a recall on all the HIDs sold that are not DOT approved. The hard part for NHSTA to track down are imported HID kits.. which they have no right of controlling sales from international commerce, but they can crack down on what is legal and illegal for public transportation traffic safety use. Yeah, yeah, we all run around with illegal lights, illegal exhuasts, heck there's people out there running without cats (federal offense btw). HIDs are just one of those things that you take your own risks of owning and using. To each their own. Keefe

[Deer Killer]

[quote name='Xenonk']The next step that NHSTA is taking now is making any company that is still in business that sold HIDs to do a recall on all the HIDs sold that are not DOT approved.[/QUOTE] Company: We sold you illegal HID's, give them back! Customer: No.

[Xenonk]

Exactly Keefe

[plunk10]

I've seen the pure yellows on Keefe's car. They are truly badass :) I may have to copycat

[Xenonk]

:D it's all about being GT-LM car Keefe

[Nawambo]

Everything, I've read about their headlights is that they are excellent, I've even read they outperform some Xenon's such as those on the TSX (I'm guessing the lights on the Legacy and Outback are the same)

[ST-EYE]

Well since there isnt a factory option for HID, there has been ALOT of talk and great reviews of professional retrofit services done to various vehicles. It seems like a very good option too since the cost of parts and the retrofit is well under what a dealer would charge if there was a factory HID option. On average dealers charge $2000+ for an HID option whereas parts and retrofit service seems to be under $1000. There are a few companies out there that perform these types of services but one seems to stand out as far as their customer support and prices and quality equipment. [url="http://www.hidplanet.com/"]http://www.hidplanet.com[/url] They seem to have a huge amount of information on their forums and quality parts off the website. I will be shooting them an email.

[Xenonk]

Anyone know the part numbers for the JDM HID kit? It seems that even the fuse box for the USDM model has the PnP relays ready to be used.. I wonder what the cost it would be to get the HID kit from Japan and just cram it into our cars. Personally, I will never go back to HID due to the kind of driving I do through the foul weather and my eyes are not happy with all the glare (my astigmatism is really bad, so my next mod would be lasik surgery instead of the car's optics) "Astigmatism: A visual defect in which the unequal curvature of one or more refractive surfaces of the eye, usually the cornea, prevents light rays from focusing clearly at one point on the retina, resulting in blurred or streaky vision." Keefe

[jdepew]

While I can appreciate everyone's love of the stock headlight setup, there is genuine concern for the lack of HIDs if your interest is light output. Light output for headlights is given in lumens, and while we have to take many of the stated numbers with a grain of salt, there is a significant difference in light output between halogen and xenon setups. If you are interested in HIDs for the 'blue' look go get the silly lights they sell at Wal*Mart or Advance. First point - Tinted bulbs REDUCE light output, usually significantly. But, for me, the lack of HIDs in the USDM model is disturbing. Everyone agrees that the beam pattern and efficiency of the LGT housing is a great design and works very well with the stock H7 bulb. In 55W form, these put out about 1350 lumens, in 65W ~1500 lumens([url="http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/Products/Halogen/StandardHalogenProducts/StandardHalogenProducts.htm"]http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/Products/Halogen/StandardHalogenProducts/StandardHalogenProducts.htm[/url]). In contrast, the JDM model has the appropriate housing for the D2S bulb. Again depending on the color temp, HID bulbs output up to 3200 lumens at 4100K color temp ([url="http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Spec%20Sheets/Philips%20D2S.htm"]http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Spec%20Sheets/Philips%20D2S.htm[/url]), again decreasing lumens with increased color temp (read: more blue). So, if the HID housings used in the JDM car were designed as well as H7 housings, likely the same except for the base to fit the bulb and filament alignment, a >2X light output should make for a significant difference in lighting performance. So, in trying to decide on which car I want to buy, I'm thinking about contact KingofImports about obtaining the OEM HID housing, ballast, relay, etc. Of course, this could turn out to be a $2,000+ venture, which could be better used on a AccessPort, UP, etc. So, yes, we LOVE the current design of the headlight, but more light output couldn't hurt. Now, i have never once been blinded by a HID headlight, except when it was obviously aimed wrong (read aftermarket in a Civic, ugh), and this feature is important to me because I spend a LOT of time driving at night going to/from library, lab, hospital, and any advantage I can get at night seems like a no brainer to me. So, when I find some time after this next exam, I'll get ahold of KOI and see what they can scrounge up, after all, we do have a place for a relay labelled HID. jim