Possible? Halogen to HID (Xenon)

[saiken]

Hi.

This might seem stupid, but please bear with me.

The holdiays are coming up and my parents have been dropping a specific hint for over half a year now.

They drive a Ford Escort 1997-2002:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Escort_(North_America)#Third_generation_.281997.E2.80.932002.29

Basically they like the light that HID headlights give off. I've done some searching here and on other sites, but I don't know much at all about cars.

I assume that the current headlights are halogen. They look like the 'standard' yellow lights and whatnot. Sorry for the vaugeness.


Converting them would require:

1. New housing made for HID lights
2. New projector
3. Xenon bulbs

right?

Using those HID conversion kits are supposed to be bad as far as I could tell if the housing and projector are made for halogen lights.

So is that list right? Is it even possible on that car? This might seem stupid, but I have no clue. I planned on buying the correct parts and giving it to a mechanic to install...that is if it is possible in the first place.

Thanks

 

[thescreensavers]

Yes using the HID conversion kits in the standard halogen housing will emit tons of glare.

Going with a projector retrofit is a good idea.

 

[Zenmervolt]

1) Of course it's technically "possible". Now, if you mean is it possible to do it well AND still have a reasonable cost, then the answer is "no". But if you have unlimited money and can pay someone to engineer the proper optics specifically for the car, then sure, it could be done.

2) Current "halogen" bulbs have a large amount of xenon gas in their filament envelope. The light from a HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamp has almost nothing at all to do with there being xenon gas in the capsule, rather it's simply the nature of metal-halide arc lamps. The use of xenon rather than argon helps HID lamps in automobiles achieve usable light output faster (if the traditional argon were used it would take several minutes for the lights to come up to useful output), but the xenon doesn't actually change the nature of the light itself.

ZV

 

[saiken]

Thank you for your replies.

So it would not be possible for under $400 I take it? I was hoping for kits to be available, but if they have to be custom made it would most likely be out of the question.

 

[MikeMike]

Thank you for your replies.

So it would not be possible for under $400 I take it? I was hoping for kits to be available, but if they have to be custom made it would most likely be out of the question.

pretty much... sticking HID kits into a halogen reflector is going to cause all sorts of light output problems... from a super blinding affect on other drivers, to improper road lighting...

 

[drnickriviera]

They have actually driven a car at night with HIDs? Personally I prefer the European E-Code halogens in my old Merc than the HIDs in my BMW. I don't see what all the fuss is all about.

 

[DivideBYZero]

OEM or don't bother, IMHO.

 

[vshah]

OEM or don't bother, IMHO.

a good retrofit can be just as good as oem, but it will cost ~500 for parts if you do it yourself, or ~1000 for parts + labor if you pay someone reputable to do it.

i do a lot of night driving between nyc and pittsburgh, so i'm considering doing a retrofit at some point.

the advantage of the retrofit is you can choose your own components. the OP's escort with s2k projectors will light the road better than lots of OEM hids.

 

[herm0016]

just replace the lamps with new, slightly higher color tempature and slightly brighter bulbs.

 

[MotF Bane]

Thank you for your replies.

So it would not be possible for under $400 I take it? I was hoping for kits to be available, but if they have to be custom made it would most likely be out of the question.

No, and looking at the low height of the current capsules, you might not be able to find a projector that fits them anyways.

 

[saiken]

I see. So it would be too much of a hassel / out of price range to attempt it. Yall have been very helpful and I appreciate the quick responses! Thank you.

 

[hanoverphist]

where the hell do yall live getting raped for HID conversions? most shops will just toss a conversion kit in the OEM light cans (not usually recommended), some will buy aftermarket ones that work for HIDs. the base kit shouldnt be more than 150 bucks for single beam, 250 for the hi/lo set. do yourself a favor, go visit some custom shops in your area, talk to the guys and see which kind of shop they are and make your mind up which way to go. the install takes less than an hour usually.

 

[hanoverphist]

http://www.carhidkits.com/ford-76/escort-hid-kit-190/

there ya go

 

[vshah]

where the hell do yall live getting raped for HID conversions? most shops will just toss a conversion kit in the OEM light cans (not usually recommended), some will buy aftermarket ones that work for HIDs. the base kit shouldnt be more than 150 bucks for single beam, 250 for the hi/lo set. do yourself a favor, go visit some custom shops in your area, talk to the guys and see which kind of shop they are and make your mind up which way to go. the install takes less than an hour usually.

the quality of those projectors in the cheap housings is pretty terrible compared to OEM equipment.

$500 for parts would be top notch stuff (s2k projectors new Philips bulbs etc.)

$350-400 is probably the low end for slightly worse/used parts. Still way better than those $100 ebay hid kits

 

[MotF Bane]

http://www.carhidkits.com/ford-76/escort-hid-kit-190/

there ya go

No projector housing. People who install that shit should have it smashed to pieces.

 

[speedy2]

This might seem stupid



Basically they like the light that HID headlights give off.

Yeah. Not a good enough reason to risk a bad install. And, all the consequences that come with it.

 

[KIAman]

I like the "white" light that my HID gives off rather than the "yellow" from standard halogen. Also, I find that HID are more reflective so I can see the eyes off people and animals more clearly and any road reflector glow like they are radioactive.

Although the lowbeam power is pretty weak compared to halogen, highbeam lights up everything in front of my car like daylight.

As for the OP, I would go OEM or don't bother. Unless you MUST have the lights, I'd spend that $400 elsewhere.

 

[BassBomb]

get a retrofit if you want to do it right

ie: not an hid kit... I mean you buy real projectors from an hid-oem car, install them into your oem headlights, add an oem ballast and you are good to go

I am using TSX Projectors, Denso(Lexus/Toyota) ballast, inside my OEM accord headlights

 

[PlasmaBomb]

http://www.carhidkits.com/ford-76/escort-hid-kit-190/

there ya go

No projector housing. People who install that shit should have it smashed to pieces.

What do they look like installed?

GLARE

Video taken from the website hanoverphist provided.

 

[KentState]

delete

 

[BassBomb]

Twice today I've been called from a 732 area code (New Jersey) telling me I was approved for a cash advance and then a car loan. This has come across my cell phone and I haven't applied for anything in over a year. Advice please.

wtf

 

[dbk]

retrofit or bust.. pretty expensive though

 

[Capt Caveman]

retrofit or bust.. pretty expensive though

Yeah and the cost would probably be more than the car is worth.

 

[BassBomb]

Yeah and the cost would probably be more than the car is worth.

But it can always be sold whenever they get rid of the car... unless they crash the front end :twisted:

 

[fbrdphreak]

If your parents want better lighting, you could find a shop that can install upgraded wiring with relays that are triggered by the stock headlight plugs to send power straight from the battery to upgraded bulbs. A harness might run as much as $100 and the bulbs $50+. I did this myself on my 97 Subaru and it made quite the difference.

Mind you, for a worthwhile improvement, they won't have the "cool" light that everyone wants. BUT, they will have better functioning headlights.

More info and a source to buy the parts: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html

P.S. Putting HIDs in a shitty Focus that is only worth a few grand? Save your money, seriously.