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Ground wire shadow problems - HID kits

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by ImeanGreen, Mar 22, 2012.

  1. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Just want to get a survey of any ground wire shadow problems with your HID kit and please share your experience. It will be good if you state the brand name for components and bulb manufacturer if available.
     
  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I've never noticed anything weird about the cutoff pictures posted here but we both know beam shots like that do not tell the whole story.

    I'll likely add a Morimoto kit to mine sometime next fall. It makes no sense spending the money right now since my commute will be during daylight hours from spring through fall. :)
     
  3. leonard168

    leonard168 New Member

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    Morimoto H11 bulb is subjected to ground shadow problem (ground wire NOT facing down). Visit their web site and take a look at their H11 photo (the fifth one), and compare it with the factory H11. Note that their ground wire can only be installed facing up.
     
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I'll have to look at my crappy DDM bulbs to see which way they are facing but I have not noticed a ground shadow at all. If there is one it is so faint so as to be unnoticeable and therefore not a problem.
     
  5. managerman

    managerman Prius v Nerd

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    I just received my HID 4300K kit from Xenon Supply.com....The kit is advertised not to have ground shadow....supposed to have the ground wire down...Installing today in my Prius C...we'll see...

    -M
     
  6. leonard168

    leonard168 New Member

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    The DDM kit looks crappy but it works. No ground wire shadow problem, but one of the tabs is slightly too big and I had to trim it down. Overall I am happy with the kit.
     
  7. leonard168

    leonard168 New Member

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    Please post your experience with XenonSupply.com kit. They offer 4300k H11 bulbs. DDM has 4500k, but not 4300K.
     
  8. managerman

    managerman Prius v Nerd

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    Installed the kit today....I am going to do a thread on this install on the C forums..but wanted to follow through here first... The kit only took about 30 minutes to install very easy plug and play. Most of the time spent was mounting the ballasts and securing the wires....

    Here are some pics...I think everything looks ok...only concern is the weird Circular light pattern at the front of the car...is that normal...???

    -M

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  9. LulzChicken

    LulzChicken Prius Enthusiast

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    Yup, that's normal and it looks good! Enjoy!
     
  10. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Looks good. Did it come with metal or plastic tabs with your HID bulb and was the return ground wire on the bottom?
     
  11. managerman

    managerman Prius v Nerd

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    Plastic tabs....Ground wire at the bottom..

    -M
     
  12. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Thanks. Will get bulbs from them.
     
  13. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Got my HID bulbs from xenonsupply and can confirm that the return ground wire is at the bottom. NO MORE GROUND WIRE SHADOW. :rockon:
     
  14. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I hope they are better than my DDM bulbs. As I expected, the 5000K looks like a 6000K! My headlights are blue. :(
     
  15. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    That sucks. I ordered the 4300K.
     
  16. maoira

    maoira Junior Member

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    DDM advertises 4500, 5000, and 6000k... which are all 5000k. One of the reasons I no longer do business with them.
     
  17. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Aye, I know their bulbs are crap. I intended to buy Morimoto bulbs eventually. :)
     
  18. pacanes

    pacanes Curious Member

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    After reading all the posts about quality of ballasts, quality of bulbs, and ground wire shadow, I pulled the trigger on the Xenon Supply kit. It was the upgraded kit with the slim premium digital AC ballast with upgraded 4300K bulbs. They claim to have a 5 year hassle-free replacement warranty. I got this kit mainly because of it specifically addressing the ground wire shadow issue and secondarily because it got good reviews at other forums. I didn't get the relay harness from them but got 2 relay harnesses from ebay for $16 shipped. I wanted independent relay for each headlight so if the relay or the fuse goes out, it will only affect one side and I can still drive home with only one headlight. Installing everything was just plug and play. The most time consuming part was to hide and secure all the extra wires from the relay harnesses. Overall, I'm satisfied with the light pattern and the quality of the kit. The light color temperature looks to be a little higher Kelvin (K) than 4300K. I would say it looks closer to 5000K. It's pure white, no hint of yellow, no hint of blue. Only time will tell how long this kit will last.
     
  19. PriusWiLL

    PriusWiLL New Member

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    Ill be getting the same kit and was wondering what relay harness ur talking about on ebay? Can u link me to it or send a pm? Thanks