DDMTuning.com H7 HID Bulb Installation Question

Got a pair of 55watt, 4500K, HID kits from DDMTuning for both HI and LO beam. Started putting in the HID H7 Bulb and now have my first issues.

Attached are a couple of photos that show the OEM bulb (left) and HID bulb (right). The center point of the OEM bulb sticks in 1-1/8 inches while the HID Gas Bubble (I am guessing the eliptical bubble is where all the light comes from) sticks in 1" (all measurements to nearest 1/16 inch). So, overall, if I am correct in where the light comes from, the HID bulb LIGHT GENERATING AREA sticks in 1/8 inch LESS that the OEM bulb (even though the overall length of the HID bulb is a bit longer that the OEM bulb) Which IMHO is close enough for all practical purposes. Any comments on this?

Next, the HID bulb shoulder is 1/16 inch while the OEM shoulder is 1/4 inch. The spring retainer that holds in the bulb bears on two points in each side of the buld (180 degrees opposite). On the OEM bulb it bears well on each side -but on the HID (since it is 3/16 inch thinner in the shoulder area) the retaining spring only bears on one side. So, when you grab the bulb base it easily wiggles a bit from side-to-side. I plan to get some type of washer/spacer that is 1/8th to 3/16 inch thick to enable the retaining spring to better hold the HID bulb in position. Any comments?

Thanks in advance!

There should have been a spacer that came with the HID bulb that will make up the difference. IIRC the spacer is 'plastic', and maybe doesn't look to be all that important. So you may have mistakenly discarded it.

If worse comes to worse you can always cut that ring with the bumps from the bulb adapter on the OEM bulb. That DDM spacer will be the equivalent of that bumpy ring.

I hope that make sense.

The HID bulb in the high beam will be pretty much useless because the HID bulb takes a bit of time to warm up and reach full brightness. And by that time you'll probably need to dip back to the low beam. So you might want to just mount the low beam HID first and see how that works for you.

That said, the new HID low beam will be so much brighter that once you turn on the OEM high beam it will seem to have about the same brightness as a candle.

Tim

You know that the standard H7 bulb is stuck in an adapter (the black plastic bit), you may need it wire things up.

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

The HID bulb in the high beam will be pretty much useless because the HID bulb takes a bit of time to warm up and reach full brightness. And by that time you'll probably need to dip back to the low beam. So you might want to just mount the low beam HID first and see how that works for you.

That said, the new HID low beam will be so much brighter that once you turn on the OEM high beam it will seem to have about the same brightness as a candle.

Tim

I agree with Tim!

I also changed both high and low beam to HID's and replaced the high beam with a 65 watt H7 bulb from Susquehanna MotorSports

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=1197

trouble1100 wrote:

[EDIT] I also changed both high and low beam to HID's and replaced the high beam with a 65 watt H7 bulb from Susquehanna MotorSports

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=1197

Ron,

Any negative effects using a high watt bulb in the plastic light housing?

Added Does the 65W H7 'compliment' the HID low beam vs the OEM 55W bulb?

Susquehana's price seems pretty steep compared to some eBay suppliers. Is there a reason you went with them rather that elsewhere?

Tim

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

There should have been a spacer that came with the HID bulb.... .....you can always cut that ring with the bumps from the bulb adapter on the OEM bulb.
Tim

Thanks for the input Tim. Did not get a spacer with my kit - so I cut the ring off of the bulb adapter (vice grips and hacksaw - not much to cut - then filed the ring flat and rounded out the inside). The spacer is just perfect for holding the HID bulk in place (with the retainer spring).

NEXT ISSUE: I have concerns about powering BOTH HIDs with the OEM Honda supply wiring. My Honda OEM wiring is 18awg while the DDM supply to the ballast is 20awg. For peace of mind I am thinking of installing two relays that would be triggered by the OEM power lines going to OEM headlights - this would let me run 16awg power lines to the Hi and the Lo beams - each fused at 10amps. Some kits (not DDM) with 55watt HID are recommened to be installed with a relay - but this may just be a conservative approach. I am mosly concerned with the OEM wiring that runs back to the power source - lots of wire - lots of switches - and lots of harnes - all of which would be difficult to fix IF (?) a problem developed. Any thoughts/comments? Thanks.



FYI - Photos attatached: OEM Bulb Adapter, 'Ring' cut from OEM Bulb adaptor, HID lights installed w/o any sealant, RTV Silicone Sealant to prevent entry of water/dirt at read of bulb.

Yeah, cutting that adapter is exactly what I meant.

I wouldn't worry too much about needing a relay or heavier wiring. I've been using my DDM HID low beam with the OEM head light wiring & plug for several years with no problem. My buddy, Hammy, has been using both high & low beam DDM HID's for the same amount of time with no ill effects either.

Seems as if the biggest problem we've run into is where to mount the transformer(s), and what to do with all those loose wires.

FWIW you might want to order another OEM bulb adaptor just in case you have to switch back to the standard H7 bulb sometime.

BUMP

Ron, I'm really curious about your 65wt high beam experience

Any negative effects using a high watt bulb in the plastic light housing?

Does the 65W H7 'compliment' the HID low beam vs the OEM 55W bulb?

Susquehana's price seems pretty steep compared to some eBay suppliers. Is there a reason you went with them rather that elsewhere?

Tim

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

Ron, I'm really curious about your 65wt high beam experience

Any negative effects using a high watt bulb in the plastic light housing?

Does the 65W H7 'compliment' the HID low beam vs the OEM 55W bulb?

Susquehana's price seems pretty steep compared to some eBay suppliers. Is there a reason you went with them rather that elsewhere?

Tim

I did this a few years back on my 06. The housing and wiring was not affected and my big concern was the wiring.

The big plus was how well the sides of the road were illuminated by the high beam with the Orsam 65W over the 55W.

As far as the price, Susquehanna has almost doubled the price since I purchased the Orsam bulb

Ron