The results of adding an HID kit to any car are a clear difference from the dim restrictions of the halogen bulb. Unfortunately not all HID kits are created equal! This is why we have conducted extensive testing on a variety of HID kits and the vehicles they were applied to. Through the testing of the illumination, HID kit condition after extensive usage hours, and fitment of HID kits, we were able to provide conclusive knowledge on what exactly makes up the best HID kit!


 


HID Kit Illumination


The reason behind why the HID kit exists is to save lives. The better illumination provided by HID kits is as much of an innovation to driving as headlamps themselves. We tested the illumination of HID kits by factoring what color temperature lighting drivers responded best to. We also used a light meter to make sure that the HID kits we were getting were consistent with their temperatures stated.


 


An HID kit with a higher color temperature range of 10000k cast a cool blue glow on the roads but sometimes lacked the luminance needed to aid a driver when an object was placed on a dark track. Driver’s reaction got best in vehicles with 6000K HID kits. This is because 6000K HID kits have a color temperature that is closer to the light cast by the sun. Because all HID kits provided up to 300% more usable light than a halogen bulb, this let us know that the safety of nighttime driving also increased 300%!


Any lower quality HID kit we use


d, mostly universal or types imported from China on ebay, showed that their lighting was not always consistent under a light meter. Some 6000K kits ran closer to 8000K obviously providing poorer luminance. This can be attributed to improper ballast design, something not found in the higher quality HID kits that cost a lot less than you might think!


 


HID Kit Usage Hours


The usage hours of an HID kit are important because you want to get at least 4000 hours from a bulb. Where cheaper HID kits state that they will last this long, in most instances a car tested for such time would result in bulbs or ballasts burning out within 1000 hours or less! These HID kits also proved useless in extreme environments due to inferior seals on bulbs and ballasts. Higher quality HID kits would often times exceed their factory usage times of 5000 hours and had us seeing better at night, longer, while our cars had people turning their heads in awe over the mystique of our HID kits!


 


Fitment Of HID Kits

Proper fitment of an HID kit is a MUST when going for safety while driving at night! Sure you may want that luxury look that HID kits give as well, but what’s all of that if your car ends up on fire? Some of the cheaper HID kits we tested had the tendency to have poor wiring or ballasts that led to small electrical fires within our test vehicles! Some of the more expensive HID kits required us to actually wire ballasts into our vehicle wiring harness, which has the capability of voiding factory warraties. The best HID kits are those that were easily installed and provided a factory fit and finish because the HID kits were made specifically for the models we tested!