Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Aesthetics Is this an alternative to the HID conversion?

FYI -- my HyperWhites are 4300deg K color temp, so it looks like I've got stuff whiter already. They were $20/bulb at Pep Boys (in the ricer aisle). I highly recommend these. But Sylvania is a good company, can't go wrong there.

BTW you might be able to duplicate HID color, but the HID advantage is in the light output in lumens. It is significantly higher than any halogen bulb.

TheContourGuy: What is the stock output of a HID system?

A standard halogen is about 1000 lumens. When you add a tint (yellow, blue, etc) the output drops down. A HID bulb is roughly 3000 lumens. Thats three times brighter then any stock Contour can produce!

Dan Stern Lighting

Dan I have these in my car too...but they seem to self destruct every three months - do you have the same problem?

Also, I noticed that if I hit the 'lock' button twice to get the horn to beep, the lights will flash too, and I think that quick on-off cycle SIGNIFICANTLY reduces the life of these bulbs. I'm on my 4th set of the hyperwhites because I love them so much (and because pep-boys has been really cool about returning them.) In each of the previous sets there has been no VISIBLE damage, and the filament was still intact. They just stopped working for some reason.

These new Sylvania bulbs look really cool, and they're made by a manufacturer I trust more...so as soon as they're released, I'm there with bells on!

Matt

Matt -- I've had mine for well over 3 months and I'm doing fine. I even have the highs in the low socket. But I may purchase the Sylvania ones for our Windstar and see the improvement there first.

Our Infiniti I30t has HID....I lined my 'tour up next to it and turned on the headlamps. No comparison. Color is similar, luminosity is definitely different. Go get some REAL HID if you like them so much. I think it's like $500 for a kit.

What would be the difference between these and the PIAA ones, besides price.

Hmm those bulbs look interesting. A comment and question though on HID:

1) I was in a 2001 M5 last night, and I have to say that the lighting in that car is totally insane. The lighting is so clean, so white, and what got me the most, is that the light simply cuts out instead of fading away...and (this is so cool) there is simply a "Z" looking silouette from the left bulb being aimed a teeny bit lower to prevent blinding oncoming traffic (how nice of them hehe).

2) How good are the HID kits that can be retrofitted onto our cars? I hear mixed opinions, ranging from they are awesome to they will never work right since the headlight assy/reflector was never designed for an HID light, and will thus be very obnoxious to other drivers.

Hehe, my Ramcharger does that. Its called european headlamps. The ones cars here are getting are close, but still aren't the same. We put a set of E-specs in my friends Toyota, it is amazing. The cutoff that Hella built into them is almost razor sharp.

Not true at all. If the headlights are too high you will get flashed. The HID conversion is the best thing you can do to improve the horrible lighting in the contour.