Skip to main content
Topic: Cougar H.I.D.'s (Read 2087 times) previous topic - next topic

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Installed a set of the HID lights and all I can say is WoW!! Went from barely seeing at night even with the brights on to "no problem" now! Wish I had a before pic.

These are nothing too expensive and bought them off of ebay.
Only in America do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "POLI" in latin meaning "many", "TICS" meaning "bloodsucking creatures".

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #1
How hard was the installation? I hate electrical stuff. I do it,but I hate it.LOL.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #2
most of the time it's just plug and play. otherwise, you just cut your headlight connector off and wire it directly.. but i suggest staying away from those kits, they're usually cheaply made.. the plug and plays are usually higher quality

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #3
Yeah, it's plug and play. Super simple to put in with the "hardest" part just mounting the ballasts. Really happy with them!! :D


Sorry how big the pic is...at my work computer it didn't show it like that lol.
Only in America do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "POLI" in latin meaning "many", "TICS" meaning "bloodsucking creatures".

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #4
May I ask who you bought them from? (username)

I am looking to pick up a set for the daily.

Thanks!
2013 Focus (Daily)
1968 Cougar XR7
1987 Turbo Coupe
5 Speed, Stock IHI, Aeromotive 340LPH, Stinger 3in DP w/Magnaflow 3in Race Series ler, Hallman Boost Controller, Corbeau Fixed Back Racing Seats, Rebuilt 35# Injectors, Kirban AFPR, Stinger's Front Mount Piping w/Big NPR Front Mount IC, 3/8 E-85 Fuel Lines, SPEC Stage 3+ Clutch, Explorer 4.0 Dual Core Radiator, Optima Red Top Battery
1988 Turbo Coupe (RIP)
1984 Cougar (RIP) :cougarsmily:
1986 Cougar XR7 5 Speed.  (sold)

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #5
Quote from: Carl;338202
May I ask who you bought them from? (username)

I am looking to pick up a set for the daily.

Thanks!


Yeah, no problem. The name: brightledstyles

You have some options like what color of light and what brightness. I went with the iceberg blue 8000k bulbs.
Only in America do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "POLI" in latin meaning "many", "TICS" meaning "bloodsucking creatures".

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #6
sweet. ive been looking at getting some for the 93. So thats another thing newly added to the "to do" list. Although its not really a list anymore, it more like a catalog
Remember, if the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer.

Chris
 93 cat rebuilt 3.8

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #7
How is the glare? There is a long post on the corral on fitting them to a fox , and it shows hids fitted like you have, and a comparison to hid reflectors and all fitted in. the difference is amazing.

Cant find a pic with just the retrofit, but our housings throw the light up and everywhere, whereas the hid reflector housing keeps that sharp horizontal line.

With proper housing:





Here is the only example I could find all in one, etc:



Unfortunately, this one isnt even that bad about throwing light up into oncoming traffic.

With our lights, we need all the help we can get, especially not having replacment headlight support.  If I could see what your lights look like against a wall or something, I might buy one too!
87 Thunderbird LX
65mm tb, exploder intake, iron gt40 heads, 1.6 rr, a9l mass air swap, 9.5" Billet Dirty Dog TC, Built AOD, 4.10's, 31 spline TLoc, Superior Axles, full sn95 five lug swap.

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #8
Quote from: mtgmike;339059
With our lights, we need all the help we can get, especially not having replacment headlight support. 


1. Get a kit and clean up your outer lenses.
2. Get some kind of reflective surface back on the housings. Either tin foil or get them rechromed, or spray paint chrome.
3. THEN install HID's.

If your headlight housings do not reflect, HID's are not going to do hardly anything for you. HID headlights work on the same principle as all headlights, in that the light from the bulb is reflected off the housing and out onto the road in front of you.

If there is nothing for them to reflect off of, or if the light can't properly get out of the housing because of a py lense, then the HID's are not properly going to do their job, and you will have in effect just wasted your money on a conversion kit.

Trust me, even with stock OEM bulbs, if you do those 2 things first, you will see a hell of a difference.

And IMO, you won't need to worry about a/m support for new headlights, because you have just covered the 2 problems that new housings will fix for you. At fraction of the cost.

Then if you still go with HID's, you will really get your money's worth.
--Steve
[thread=28690]1988 Cougar V6[/thread]
2012 F-150 3.7L
2011 Mustang 3.7L

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #9
Quote from: mtgmike;339059
stuff

I agree completely. It's obvious that that car has some serious glare as the surrounding area and ground are not lit up more like they would be with a longer camera shutter speed or open aperture. I assume that there is no cutoff, the beam is illegal, and if a police man/woman cared, he/she could easily ticket the driver. Depending on location, it may be a simple "fix it" ticket, but it can easily have fees tacked on. Aiming them down won't help much and it'll just help you over-drive/out-drive the headlights which is a huge road hazard also.

While I see HID's thrown into cars often enough, I'm surprised I don't see it more often with how much it is talked about. I think that perhaps the police ARE ticketing these people in my area. I see about two a day with fully illegal headlight mods, driving for about an hour in the dark on the way to work - usually oncoming traffic.

Aaaanyways, when you claim things are "brighter", make sure that you are talking about the road itself. Light above a certain height is controlled by law for a reason and none of it will help you in any way but cause glare to other drivers, to yourself in fog and rain, and not make the actual road "brighter". Foreground lighting is also bad as your eyes adjust to it and you cannot see further out (as is also the case for having bright lights inside your car while driving). Typically, you will have less usable light on the road itself since the reflectors will no longer do their job as the light source is moved and reflected differently. I'd also take yellow light over white or blue light if the luminous intensity was the same on the road, to the sides of the road, and a couple hundred feet in front of the vehicle.

HID reflector or projector retrofits are technically illegal also in I believe the entire US (as is doing nearly anything at all to your vehicle) but because the projectors/housing and everything are certified for the parts they are paired up with, it is more gray area than slapping any random bulb into a housing that is certified only for bulbs of a certain type.
1988 Thunderbird Sport

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #10
Quote from: Seek;339181

HID reflector or projector retrofits are technically illegal also in I believe the entire US (as is doing nearly anything at all to your vehicle) but because the projectors/housing and everything are certified for the parts they are paired up with, it is more gray area than slapping any random bulb into a housing that is certified only for bulbs of a certain type.


yep

Quote
as is doing nearly anything at all to your vehicle


yep
--Steve
[thread=28690]1988 Cougar V6[/thread]
2012 F-150 3.7L
2011 Mustang 3.7L

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #11
Quote from: mechanized;338144
Installed a set of the HID lights and all I can say is WoW!! Went from barely seeing at night even with the brights on to "no problem" now! Wish I had a before pic.

These are nothing too expensive and bought them off of ebay.



god job, now all you are doing is BLINDING all the oncoming traffic and making it a  for the person you are following to see anything thanks to the glare in his mirrors...  not something to brag about.

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #12
I know of a couple of state troopers in TN who are ticketing drivers with (non-DOT approved) HID bulbs, and such. Not a fix-it ticket, but a pay a fine and can't drive your car ticket.
If worms had daggers, birds wouldn't f**k with 'em

 

Cougar H.I.D.'s

Reply #13
Quote from: 1WLD BRD;339714
god job, now all you are doing is BLINDING all the oncoming traffic and making it a  for the person you are following to see anything thanks to the glare in his mirrors...  not something to brag about.



Thanks Bro!  But to clarify since you don't know.... the HID is only when the brights are on, the low beam is a regular halogen.

I'm happy with them...
Only in America do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "POLI" in latin meaning "many", "TICS" meaning "bloodsucking creatures".