My headlight dilemma.

[DJ metadelic]

Well, I wouldn't really call it a dilemma.

A lot of you guys are doing the nifty smoked/blackhousing DIY on your stock pods. This looks great, however how is the light output after? Do any of you guys happen to have pics of before and after...

This thread here http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=363, explains why ebay projectors are bad. Yes, I am a little guilty on this because the thought of purchasing a pair had crossed my mind. But it was soon changed after skimming that thread. Basically, my stock headlights are boring as eff. I now have my 8k ebay HID kit in, and the passenger side controller is beginning to kick the bulb on and off. I was told this might be happening because of the cold. I'm thinking it was because I paid only $43 for the ballasts, bulbs, wiring, and some neat double stick tape that does not work. I feel bad because I'm always feeling guilty that I'm going to blind someone and cause an accident. They glare all to shit as well.

Thus, in turn this brings me to my next question...

Should I go back to halogens in your opinions, and what would the best thing to do with my headlights leave them stock, DIY them, or... Input please Thanks

[MikeW]

Start by buying a decent set of HIDs. Nothing above 6000k either. I know the 8000k looks cool, but find a light output chart and read it carefully. You start to lose optimal output after like 5000k.

Secondly, projectors can be used assuming theyre not cheap projectors. C91BLX7 got himself a nice, decent pair of pre-projectored lights and i havent heard any complaints.

Light ouput, from blackhousing--if done correctly-- should NOT change at all. You're simply changing the color of the NON-reflective surfaces in the light.

Otherwise, i love me some blackhoused lights. They look good. Id say ditch your ebay's for a better set of 6000k's and go from there.

[Tippey764]

Yeah you arent blinding anyone with your 8k because your output is lower. Is it 4300k or 3400k that is the brightest?

[1991f22a1]

couldnt agree more with greencb7inkc. when i did mine the light output did not change at all. i bought a set of hid's from a guy that all my buddys had bought from, 6000k's, and theyre badass! i would love projectors but if ive got to fab up some to get good results than im not guna mess with ebay crap! somethings on ebay are good to buy but others arent.

[1991f22a1]

also, tippey, i believe it was the 4300k. from what ive heard 5 or 6000k best reproduces the natural light output kind of like the sun. which in turn will light up the road better than 50,000k lights.

[blizzard335]

blackhousing the headlights wont effect the light output.

[The-Gr8-Ox]

when i did my blk house and hids, i did it to cut glare in the stock housing. the cb headlights are one of the better platforms to plug and forget without to much hassle, when i did mine i took my time to map out the light reflections and painted everything that can cause glare or upward light to on coming traffic. its not a big deal to some, i'm just anal when it comes to this sort of thing, i've been blinded to many times to be another dick on the road with hids and no common sense to do it right.
this way i can focus more light farther out on the road with less glare and hassle to others.

my recommendations:
if you don't blackhouse the headlights, adjust the lights down to reduce glare, unfortunately you get less light farther up the road, but you can see well.
if you blackhouse your headlights, you can focus more light outward for better visibility and country driving.
and don't get anything higher than 5000K, its just annoying and it not good for the eyes. your less prone to headaches and eye fatigue when you use 3500-5000k hids.

either way, its better than stock

[marcusv8thunder]

when i did my blk house and hids, i did it to cut glare in the stock housing. the cb headlights are one of the better platforms to plug and forget without to much hassle, when i did mine i took my time to map out the light reflections and painted everything that can cause glare or upward light to on coming traffic. its not a big deal to some, i'm just anal when it comes to this sort of thing, i've been blinded to many times to be another dick on the road with hids and no common sense to do it right.
this way i can focus more light farther out on the road with less glare and hassle to others.

my recommendations:
if you don't blackhouse the headlights, adjust the lights down to reduce glare, unfortunately you get less light farther up the road, but you can see well.
if you blackhouse your headlights, you can focus more light outward for better visibility and country driving.
and don't get anything higher than 5000K, its just annoying and it not good for the eyes. your less prone to headaches and eye fatigue when you use 3500-5000k hids.

either way, its better than stock

What did you do specifically different to a normal black housing to reduce upward facing rays?

[The-Gr8-Ox]

What did you do specifically different to a normal black housing to reduce upward facing rays?

you look at how light would bounce off each surface, light is ominous, so it travels in all directions correct? housings are designed to channel that light into a pattern, look at the walls of the reflecting surface and see how it will bounce off, kinda like when you play pool, you tap the cue to bounce another ball into a hole.
then paint all surfaces that would cause that upward ray of light.
mainly the bottom surfaces, and any low angled surfaces at the bottom.

[crazymikey]

I blackhoused my lights and found no difference in lighting, because as stated, you're only painting the non reflective parts.

I have 6000k HIDs, and while they seem quite blue, the light output is very crisp and clear. HIDs are probably the best upgrade I have done. Night time visibility is so much better now and in over a month of having HIDs, I have only been flashed at once. Unfortunately it wasn't titties.

[av6g6]

At least this http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...b7a64630a41dfe

Or just stick with halogen or blackhousing. I would never stick an HID kit in a halogen reflector. It just doesn't work.

[crazymikey]

I would never stick an HID kit in a halogen reflector. It just doesn't work.

Really. Maybe try it before you knock it. My HIDs in stock housings are fantastic. I'd probably laugh if someone told me there was a way to make my light output even better, even though it is true.

I know you SHOULD have projectors with HIDs, but really, the Accord lenses don't have any problems with the HIDs. Mine dont glare or anything. I'm just running a DDM Tuning 35w 6000k kit and I've had no issues with it.

Noah, your lighting dilemma is caused solely by your choice of an 8000k kit. Go to a 5000 or 6000k kit and stick that in your stock lenses and you'll notice a world of improvement.

My HIDs are so bright and crisp, that when I hit my high beams, I can barely tell that they're on.

[av6g6]

Really. Maybe try it before you knock it. My HIDs in stock housings are fantastic. I'd probably laugh if someone told me there was a way to make my light output even better, even though it is true.

I know you SHOULD have projectors with HIDs, but really, the Accord lenses don't have any problems with the HIDs. Mine dont glare or anything. I'm just running a DDM Tuning 35w 6000k kit and I've had no issues with it.

Noah, your lighting dilemma is caused solely by your choice of an 8000k kit. Go to a 5000 or 6000k kit and stick that in your stock lenses and you'll notice a world of improvement.

My HIDs are so bright and crisp, that when I hit my high beams, I can barely tell that they're on.

Haha, funny, you act like I haven't seen it before. Being as I'm on cb7tuner you should probably safely assume I've seen an HID kit in a cb7 before. I've even ridden in the car. (That's me telling you I have personal experience.) I'll tell you that your reflector is no different than any other cb7 reflector and what I saw was not that impressive.

The only thing I have to add is if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

[marcusv8thunder]

you look at how light would bounce off each surface, light is ominous, so it travels in all directions correct? housings are designed to channel that light into a pattern, look at the walls of the reflecting surface and see how it will bounce off, kinda like when you play pool, you tap the cue to bounce another ball into a hole.
then paint all surfaces that would cause that upward ray of light.
mainly the bottom surfaces, and any low angled surfaces at the bottom.

cheers i want to look into this, this weekend.

Unfortunately it wasn't titties.

haha

[crazymikey]

Haha, funny, you act like I haven't seen it before. Being as I'm on cb7tuner you should probably safely assume I've seen an HID kit in a cb7 before. I've even ridden in the car. (That's me telling you I have personal experience.) I'll tell you that your reflector is no different than any other cb7 reflector and what I saw was not that impressive.

The only thing I have to add is if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

Alright, so what was it that didn't impress you? I honestly can't find any flaw with mine. They do not blindingly glare and shoot light all over the place. They have fantastic light output both down the road and to the sides, and they light up road signs better than any halogen can.

I have heard so many people complain about HIDs in halogen housings. Yes, I have seen some awful ones, such as Ford Rangers, but I don't see anything wrong with the output in the Accord.

You can stand infront, and off to the side (as if you are an oncoming car) and my lights do not blind you.

Usually when people say something sucks and I go and do it too, yeah, it does suck and I see why with experience. But when people say HIDs in stock Accord lights are terrible, from my experience with them, I just can't see what all the complaining is about. I'm not trying to argue with you, I'm just going with what I see and experience every day. I think my HIDs are fantastic and I'll never have a set of halogen lights again.