For those with halogen that want to upgrade... HID hands down

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GranPrix

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So I had the Hikari LEDs installed to upgrade from the halogens and it definitely was an upgrade. Reason I went with LEDs is because I was very weary of installing HIDs in a halogen projector. HID headlights are engineered for HID reflectors/projectors, so the focal point and optics is always an issue throwing HIDs in a halogen headlight.

I went with the Hikari LEDs because they had the best reviews, they were on sale and the best overall light output with very minimal hot spots. I did notice a couple hot spots but nothing really noticeable. I guess I noticed because I'm really picky with my lighting considering I use to retrofit OEM HIDs in halogen vehicles.

Any way I decided to buy a "cheap" aftermarket HID system from a reputable company to test out the HID capsule in a halogen projector just for ***** n giggles since I was actually impressed on how well the LEDs did in the halogen projector. Worst case I could just return the kit.

I have to admit I was very surprised on how well the HIDs did in the halogen projector. A very even spread of light. The only thing I have an issue with is I wish the spread of light would be a bit wider towards the left. Great cut-off with 0 bleed above the cut-off line.

Eventually I'm going to upgrade the HID capsules with the Phillips XV2 Xtreme Vision.
 

73Vetteman

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I think the halogen projector lens has the same or nearly identical focus as the HID projector lens. That is why a HID retrofit works perfectly on the 2015 and later Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukons with their projector lenses.

I installed HID's in my 15 Tahoe within days of it's delivery. After 5 years I can say it is the best upgrade anyone can do. My son and a few friends were so impressed that they had me install them in their vehicles as well.

You might hear of some people talking about light scatter etc but that is when any upgrade is used in a non projector housing. I did experience that when installing upgrades on older Yukons, my son's HD Silerado, and a couple of other vehicle with non projector lenses. However, the light scatter was still less with HID kits compared to LED kits. The pin point output of the HID is actually smaller (while brighter) than a halogen filament. The light output of most LED lamps is spread over a larger surface, actually exacerbating light scatter.
 

juicedgsr95

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I just tried HID's in my 19 and they work great with the truck off. Once I start the truck they turn off after 3 seconds. then I turn them back on and they flash 3 times and turn off again. Thinking I need a 12V harness?
 

cmatt

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Yes. The voltage supplied to the halogen low beams is pulse width modulated (PWM). The HID ballasts have trouble since the voltage isn’t constant.


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