[RallySnake]

I ran HID bulbs in three different types of headlights. The Hella lights were the best because they have a round screen in front of the bulb that reduces the glare. I always adjust them so that the are at curb level about 150' in front of the car. The bulb pattern was very uneven though and was hard to aim. I run rallys with lots of car guys who would tell me that the low beam on my car was brighter than high beams on other cars and very distracting when you are oncoming. I met a car coming around a gentle right hand curve once who just stopped with his arm over his eyes. That's when I decided to fix it.

One of the most compact HID projector units come from a Nissan Morano. I got a set for about $60 on eBay (without ballasts). My ballasts came from a Mercedes and I got them from a wrecked car very cheap (I don't remember how much). I wanted a headlight with a clear lens so the beam would not be dispersed and found a pair on the Internet for $25. I cut a 2 3/4" hole in the back of the headlight and used JB Weld to hold the projector inside. I also had to make the buckets a little deeper. That gave me a chance to practise my welding.

The light quality is so much better! You get a broad solid beam with a sharp cutoff that you can line up exactly where you want it. I angled the one on the right to be higher at the edge of the road and signs just glow. The real payoff is that oncoming cars are not flashing me and checkpoint workers are not blinded when we pull up. The secondary benefit is that the high beam is built right in with a little shutter that opens up the whole road.

If you are going to go HID, why not get the full benefit? Mine costs less than $200, but took a fair amount of work. The good news is, I'm not running people off the road anymore.