Can I Replace Halogen Headlights with HID?
Anyone that has the factory-installed halogen headlights wish that the low beam would be a lot brighter. Such drivers usually turn to retrofit the low beam with HID Xenon conversion kits. The HID Xenon bulbs are rebased to fit the halogen bulb sockets, and they are installed to the HID ballast controller. The question we receive is why is HID ballast controller necessary? For the driver with the halogen headlights, ballast is an odd concept. Installing the halogen bulbs are as simple as unplugging the old halogen bulb and installing the new one without any additional steps. HID bulbs, however, are a bit different. Even the factory-installed HID headlights always have HID ballast controller per side. In this blog, we will give you a brief explanation of the HID Xenon ballast controller.
A ballast is an essential part of HID lighting technology. The ballast not only helps to provide the voltage to start the bulb but also helps in maintaining and regulating the flow of the electrical current to the bulb. HID bulbs cannot run on DC power. That being said, hypothetically, you can (With some moderate modifications) light up the HID bulb without the ballast controller. However, this would be quite dangerous and not a recommended method. Doing so would only create uncontrolled light output which would make the bulb burn out fast. Another side effect is that the bulbs may draw insufficient power and the light output would be uneven or dim. Now, here is where the HID ballast controller becomes important. The other main function of the ballast controller is that the ballast converts DC to AC so that you can use the DC power from your vehicle to light the HID bulb efficiently. In summary, the HID ballast controller optimizes the light output and regulates the life span of the rebased HID ballast.
Can you use any kind of HID ballast controller? Some people use the factory OEM or copied version ballasts for retrofitting the HID bulbs. At HIDCONCEPT.COM, we don't recommend that route. Besides the wattage issue, there are 12V and 24V HID ballasts. Also, some ballasts are made for D2 HID bulbs and some are for the D4 HID bulbs. Having said that, all of our HID conversion kits include both the rebased HID bulbs and the ballast that is made for the bulbs. (Plus necessary wire harnesses) These HID ballasts are specifically designed for the rebased HID bulbs. HIDCONCEPT.COM offers two brands of HID Xenon conversion kits. DAMA HID Xenon conversion kits have a compact designed HID ballast controller that easily fits into even tight spaces. The most popular HID conversion kit is BLESK HID conversion kit. Blesk is made in our factory in South Korea and has the most reliable HID ballast with a 1-year factory defect replacement warranty. Both DAMA and BLESK are designed according to the factory-recommended wattage setting of 35W. Also, the HID ballast controller for both brands has a built-in CANbus.
Why 35W? Why not 55W or 75W or even 100 ballast? First of all, there is a good reason why car manufacturers stay at 35W. Pumping higher wattage does not always equal brighter light output. The light would seem brighter, but there is a certain limitation to the xenon gas. For example, putting higher wattage to the halogen bulb may make the light brighter, but that would eventually burn out the filament a lot faster. It is a similar concept to the HID bulbs, and the additional reason why we do not recommend higher wattage ballast is that the bulb would get so hot that the headlight housing may melt before the bulb. Trust us. Stick with 35W. It is plenty bright enough. Finally, having a built-in CANbus is an extra layer of assurance that after all the work that went into installing the HID conversion kit, you are not faced with an error message on your dashboard. No vehicle manufacturers publish aftermarket product guidelines for their vehicles. So, having a built-in CANbus is a nice double layer system that BLESK and DAMA HID conversion kit have that would eliminate (Pardon the pun) doing work, twice.
A ballast is an essential part of HID lighting technology. The ballast not only helps to provide the voltage to start the bulb but also helps in maintaining and regulating the flow of the electrical current to the bulb. HID bulbs cannot run on DC power. That being said, hypothetically, you can (With some moderate modifications) light up the HID bulb without the ballast controller. However, this would be quite dangerous and not a recommended method. Doing so would only create uncontrolled light output which would make the bulb burn out fast. Another side effect is that the bulbs may draw insufficient power and the light output would be uneven or dim. Now, here is where the HID ballast controller becomes important. The other main function of the ballast controller is that the ballast converts DC to AC so that you can use the DC power from your vehicle to light the HID bulb efficiently. In summary, the HID ballast controller optimizes the light output and regulates the life span of the rebased HID ballast.
Can you use any kind of HID ballast controller? Some people use the factory OEM or copied version ballasts for retrofitting the HID bulbs. At HIDCONCEPT.COM, we don't recommend that route. Besides the wattage issue, there are 12V and 24V HID ballasts. Also, some ballasts are made for D2 HID bulbs and some are for the D4 HID bulbs. Having said that, all of our HID conversion kits include both the rebased HID bulbs and the ballast that is made for the bulbs. (Plus necessary wire harnesses) These HID ballasts are specifically designed for the rebased HID bulbs. HIDCONCEPT.COM offers two brands of HID Xenon conversion kits. DAMA HID Xenon conversion kits have a compact designed HID ballast controller that easily fits into even tight spaces. The most popular HID conversion kit is BLESK HID conversion kit. Blesk is made in our factory in South Korea and has the most reliable HID ballast with a 1-year factory defect replacement warranty. Both DAMA and BLESK are designed according to the factory-recommended wattage setting of 35W. Also, the HID ballast controller for both brands has a built-in CANbus.
Why 35W? Why not 55W or 75W or even 100 ballast? First of all, there is a good reason why car manufacturers stay at 35W. Pumping higher wattage does not always equal brighter light output. The light would seem brighter, but there is a certain limitation to the xenon gas. For example, putting higher wattage to the halogen bulb may make the light brighter, but that would eventually burn out the filament a lot faster. It is a similar concept to the HID bulbs, and the additional reason why we do not recommend higher wattage ballast is that the bulb would get so hot that the headlight housing may melt before the bulb. Trust us. Stick with 35W. It is plenty bright enough. Finally, having a built-in CANbus is an extra layer of assurance that after all the work that went into installing the HID conversion kit, you are not faced with an error message on your dashboard. No vehicle manufacturers publish aftermarket product guidelines for their vehicles. So, having a built-in CANbus is a nice double layer system that BLESK and DAMA HID conversion kit have that would eliminate (Pardon the pun) doing work, twice.