Dad's Question

[RollTide2]

My dad had a question about the HIDs I just got in. He wants to know why you have to power the ballast by the battery. I guess he got that from when I showed him this how to:http://tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38182. He also questions it because the guys who installed my system got my power from the same spot. Thanks in advance for answering his question.

EDIT: I have 35w 8000k HIDs from DDM Tuning with the relay harness.

 

[06xl]

Just a fyi It should be plug and play no additional wires the factory headlight wires connect directly to the ballast and those wires run of the battery like any other car and to answer your question I believe the ballast is like a power converter which runs a lower wattage to the hid bulbs because they require a lower wattage VS the standard bulb

 

[RollTide2]

He said that is what he is thinking, but he doesn't understand why I bought the relay harness. Can someone explain better to him better than I can about why you can buy one?

 

[NathanJax]

you bought the relay because when your truck turns on, the headlights don't always get the 12 volts that the ballast need right away. That's why you see ballast go bad and flicker on some vehicles. The harness takes the voltage from the headlight wire and turns on the relay (because a relay can open and stay open at a lower voltage) and puts the full 12 volts from the battery to the ballast. Basically saves the lifespan of your ballast...

 

[RollTide2]

Thank you Nathan. He understood your explanation than anything I could show or tell him. Earlier he said when I did get them installed that I would need to turn the lights on and off manually rather then let them come on automatically. Is that right?

 

[NathanJax]

From my understanding, the auto lights is where the voltage issue comes in to play. With the harness, that voltage from the auto headlights is just opening or closing a relay that's giving a constant power from your battery.

You should be able to continue using the auto lights with the harness. Someone might be able to chime in and verify that.

 

[RollTide2]

Ok I was thinking the same thing about the auto lights. Thanks for your input.

 

[felixgun]

The HID kit WILL work without the relay harness but definitely not recommended. The question is WHEN will it burn out a bulb or ballast? Nathan hit it on point with his explanation. The relay harness definitely extends the life of your HID kit.

 

[vt_hokie2008]

From my understanding, the auto lights is where the voltage issue comes in to play. With the harness, that voltage from the auto headlights is just opening or closing a relay that's giving a constant power from your battery.

You should be able to continue using the auto lights with the harness. Someone might be able to chime in and verify that.

I did that write-up, and yes, you can use your auto lights just fine with the harness. Everything functions just like stock. I've been running this for 2 months now, but other kits I've installed the same way on GM trucks have been going for around 5 years this way.

 

[RollTide2]

Alright thank for all the input guys. Hope to put them in when I get back from the beach.