Stock Halogen Lighting vs. HID Lighting

Corvette HID · Jun 12, 2009

Both C4's and C5's come from the factory with halogen headlights and fog lights installed. Halogens were OK back in it's time, but now almost every car manufacturer out there is calling HID lighting the norm and is equipping their cars with HID's from the factory, due to their added safety benefits and multiple advantages over halogen lighting.

As many of us know, our stock Corvette lighting system is very underwhelming, and it can be downright dangerous to drive at night. Some of the benefits of HID over halogen are...

* Up to three times less wattage is used (HID = 35w, halogen = 55-100w)

* Up to four times more bright light produced (HID = 2400-3200lu, halogen = 800-1700lu)

* Up to ten times more intense light produced (HID = 202,500cd, halogen = 21,000cd)

* Up to six times longer lifespan (HID = 2500hr, halogen = 400hr)

* HID light contains less infrared and ultraviolet light, which fatigues the driver and surrounding motorists

* HID light illuminates the road with better contrast and more lifelike tones of color

* Halogen filaments naturally produce a color of 2300K to 4000K (2300K is yellowish, 4000K is whitish) Anything bluer requires the use of light-dimming color filters

* HID produces a natural color of 4100K to 6000K (4100K is daylight white, and 6000K is slightly bluish white) Anything bluer requires the use of light-dimming color filters

* HID lighting produces a wider and deeper beam pattern with razor sharp cut off lines

* HID has low lumen maintenance, meaning bulbs do not dim down as much towards the end of their lives

* HID has high flux properties, meaning light is very evenly distributed when installed properly

We are the first and only company that sells plug & play HID kits for the C4 that uses REAL projectors mounted inside the headlight bucket. We will not sell you HID bulbs for you to stick in your halogen headlights, because this is a dangerous practice and produces entirely too much glare for on-coming motorists, and is simply the wrong way to update your lights. Those kits can be found on eBay and are sold by the dozen.

Visit our site to learn more about the correct, safer way to update your Corvettes lighting system!👍

Stock lighting on the left, Our HID upgrade kit on the right.

eilax53 · Jun 12, 2009

Great information and good luck with the site :thumbsup:

Dan85Vette · Jun 13, 2009

Sweet, I'm getting the fog light kit as soon as I'm on the road.

Better lighting is a serious concern for me seeing how far back in the woods I live. A day rarely passes where I don't come across some wildlife in the road.

Corvette HID · Jun 13, 2009

Great:thumbsup:

For back road driving they are a must!

Yosi:cheers:

drmrman · Jun 18, 2009

As well as owning and installing CorvetteHID's Fog light HID system and their head light retrofit system I JUST ordered an interior LED lighting retrofit! I cant wait! Once I get it all installed Ill try and take the car out for some night time pics! I cant wait to install everything! So far every modification I bought from CorvetteHID has brought my early 90's era technology to the next level with HID quality up there with the ranks of Mercedes and BMW's...

Thanks Yosi for your great customer service and great product!

JT

ColtHard · Aug 23, 2009

* HID lighting produces a wider and deeper beam pattern with razor sharp cut off lines

"razor sharp cut off lines" are due to the projector lens, not the bulb. An HID bulb isnt a magical bulb, just a different kind of bulb. I have a set of HID's in my 84 that don't yet have the advantage of a projector lens. When i purchased my lighting housing (not from corvette HID, sorry....) for the bulb the images led me to believe it was a projector lens, but it was in fact an imitation lens that still utilized the reflectors in the rest of the housing. They still produce the same quantity of light, but it is just not as focused as it could be if it were forced through a projector lens assembly. Even without a projector lens, the HID bulbs are significantly brighter and more effective than a halogen bulb.

C.S.I. · Oct 17, 2009

Corvettehid.com products rock. I know from personal experience.

Corvette HID · Oct 19, 2009

Thanks for the kind words:cheers:

Fluffy · Oct 31, 2009

Any chance of getting a self leveling HID retrofit kit for the C6? A lot Euro dudes will jump on it in a flash, me first.

a++ Cedric

Corvette HID · Nov 2, 2009

As of now, there is nothing in the works for a C6 self leveling system. Perhaps in the future though:thumbsup:

Bitburgslim · Dec 31, 2009

What is the biggest difference between this $100 H4 lighting conversion kit for a C4 Corvette

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/84-9...tem518f596017QQitemZ350297350167QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

as opposed to a

$750 Lighting kit by corvettehid.com?

Will they both have the same amount of lighting power?

ColtHard · Dec 31, 2009

their kit is the only kit with a true projector lens. all other kits are really just a lens on a standoff thats really pretty useless.... ask me how i know.....

Corvette HID · Dec 31, 2009

Those ebay kits are cheap for a reason. They are basically a reflector type housing with a cheap Korean made HID bulb stuck inside. They scatter the light and annoy other drivers, and will give you hot spots and uneven lighting. The glare from those kits are unbearable, and they are what gives HID lighting a bad name.

Our kit uses state of the art projectors, with a cut-off shield to provide crisp clean even lighting. It puts the light on the road in front of you, and keeps it out of the eyes of on coming motorists. We use the highest quality Philips D2S 85122 HID bulbs, the same bulbs that many exotics use, as well as BMW's, Lexus's etc. We offer quality parts, top notch customer service, and a 1 year warranty. Any other questions please feel free to ask.

Sometimes it's easier to let the pictures speak for themselves:thumbsup:

Bitburgslim · Dec 31, 2009

These last 2 replys really cleared up alot of stuff thanks a ton.

If the $100 kits really blind other people than that definitely isnt cool. A freind of mine has a set of lights on his RX7 that are as bright as the sun so its prolly something similar to this.

Once again thx for the info

artyon:

MGLENN · Jun 20, 2010

need help with hid installation

Hello everyone. I just instlled a bi xenon kit on my 1990 vette. The install went well and looks great the only problem I have is that I lost my driving lamps. When I turn on the driving light switch the high beams come on. Has anyone else had this problem and does anyone know the fix for this.

Thank you in advance
-Mark-

eilax53 · Aug 24, 2010

MGLENN said:
Hello everyone. I just instlled a bi xenon kit on my 1990 vette. The install went well and looks great the only problem I have is that I lost my driving lamps. When I turn on the driving light switch the high beams come on. Has anyone else had this problem and does anyone know the fix for this.

Thank you in advance
-Mark-

is the bi-xenon kit from corvetteHID.com?

bgrant_12002 · Aug 23, 2010

Hi MGLENN
does your HID setup have a sharp cutoff of light? thx

blr33439 · Oct 2, 2010

The driving lamp cutoff could be a result of the power drawn by the HID ballasts. Maybe a inline resistor to balance the load could help. I know when switching to leds, resistors are necessary to keep the system working properly.

OldVetteDude · May 18, 2011

1993 C4 Corvette.

I purchased the Fog Light Kit from CORVETTE HID.

After I got it and installed it - I emailed this guy, Yassi and he was NO help. No returned email ... This was over 1 week ago. Also, before I bought, I tried calling this dude umerous times. He was hard to get on the phone. I was not comfortable with this but still bought the product. Installing was not easy ... I had to pay a kid with small hands to install inside the front bottom flap then snake the Ballast and other small Ballast thru the interior Bumper, then tape inside of Headlight Bay area, inside of engine. My knees are shot so I drove to Tire Kingdom and they helped me free of charge with vette on a Lift. Even the Tire Kingdom Mechanic said it was not easy to install and leaving it bunched up in the flap area as Yassi recommended was danger waiting to happen.

Now here's the catch ... What IF you have Ballast problems, or bulb issues? No walking to Auto Zone for a new Ballast that's for sure !!! And will this MoFo be around in 2-3 years ... ? Think about that .... BEFORE YOU BUY !

I regret buying this product because it was not a plug n play as deswcribed, and if the Ballast blows up or the Bulb breaks, blows, ... Aint no going to Pep Boys or Auto Zone.

And the extreme white color contradicts my Headlights. After installing, I cruised up A1A in Daytona Beach and sure enough a Shores Beach PD Unit was on my ass .... I asked him why he followed me, and he said " Your headlights were very bright and white and caught my attention so I tailed you and ran your plate for possible warrant, felonies, etc ".

So much for be anonymous !!!

And thanks Yassi for not returning my email.

drmrman · May 31, 2011

Your english is horrid (and trust me mine isnt perfect but wow.)... But if I read what you wrote correctly... You are complaining about install issues. If you felt you were not capible to install, then you should have left it to a professional. The white color and the brighter output is the whole point of an HID bulb.... If you didnt want a brighter light then you should have left it alone.

If you are worried about replacing parts for your aftermarket lighting system from autozone then maybe you should have bought a honda not a vette.... If you are going to buy an aftermarket part of ANY SORT! You cant expect to find replacement parts at autozone or pepboys thats just rediculous... Youre crazy...:thud:

Sounds like someone who just wants to complain about anything...

OldVetteDude · May 30, 2011

After spending the better part of a day installing, now the bulbs won't come on. I did everything right, even pulled the wires thru to the engine bay and taped to the chassis. After all this, with help from Tire Kingdom, the lights will not come on?

Please advise.

Thank you

Mr.C4 · Nov 13, 2011

re:

I think am going to have my own for my C4 .. thaaaaanx

Theman5 · Mar 27, 2020

Years later now we have the option of LEDs too. I put a set from amazon on a 86. So far they are great. Very bright !! Good pattern also. Tried some hids with projector housing and that wasn’t a good match at all

dlsacco · Apr 14, 2022

At the moment your site appears to be non functional. Main page looks ok, with the 3 choices (headlights, conversions, custom) but selecting Headlights or custom takes you to other peoples sites and selecting conversions goes no where.

c5d · Apr 14, 2022

Note the post was 2009, their site is probably non-op.
The some of us die-hard Corvette lug nuts will resurrect old posts that still have tech relevance that can help restorers, or those whom like to upgrade their general knowledge.

With that general knowledge you can easily make the right choice with other, current vendors.

C'ya not buying/flying blind..

Magentaer · Mar 14, 2023

We are the first and only company that sells plug & play HID kits for the C4 that uses REAL projectors mounted inside the headlight bucket. We will not sell you HID bulbs for you to stick in your halogen headlights, because this is a dangerous practice and produces entirely too much glare for on-coming motorists, and is simply the wrong way to update your lights. Those kits can be found on eBay and are sold by the dozen.

The Torch · Mar 14, 2023

It's easy to advertise them on digitalcorvettes.com. CLICK HERE for a link to get started

wjosenhans · Mar 14, 2023

Corvette HID said:
Both C4's and C5's come from the factory with halogen headlights and fog lights installed. Halogens were OK back in it's time, but now almost every car manufacturer out there is calling HID lighting the norm and is equipping their cars with HID's from the factory, due to their added safety benefits and multiple advantages over halogen lighting.

As many of us know, our stock Corvette lighting system is very underwhelming, and it can be downright dangerous to drive at night. Some of the benefits of HID over halogen are...

* Up to three times less wattage is used (HID = 35w, halogen = 55-100w)

* Up to four times more bright light produced (HID = 2400-3200lu, halogen = 800-1700lu)

* Up to ten times more intense light produced (HID = 202,500cd, halogen = 21,000cd)

* Up to six times longer lifespan (HID = 2500hr, halogen = 400hr)

* HID light contains less infrared and ultraviolet light, which fatigues the driver and surrounding motorists

* HID light illuminates the road with better contrast and more lifelike tones of color

* Halogen filaments naturally produce a color of 2300K to 4000K (2300K is yellowish, 4000K is whitish) Anything bluer requires the use of light-dimming color filters

* HID produces a natural color of 4100K to 6000K (4100K is daylight white, and 6000K is slightly bluish white) Anything bluer requires the use of light-dimming color filters

* HID lighting produces a wider and deeper beam pattern with razor sharp cut off lines

* HID has low lumen maintenance, meaning bulbs do not dim down as much towards the end of their lives

* HID has high flux properties, meaning light is very evenly distributed when installed properly

We are the first and only company that sells plug & play HID kits for the C4 that uses REAL projectors mounted inside the headlight bucket. We will not sell you HID bulbs for you to stick in your halogen headlights, because this is a dangerous practice and produces entirely too much glare for on-coming motorists, and is simply the wrong way to update your lights. Those kits can be found on eBay and are sold by the dozen.

Visit our site to learn more about the correct, safer way to update your Corvettes lighting system!👍

Stock lighting on the left, Our HID upgrade kit on the right.

Stay away from these links. they will download a trojan horse virus.

Stock Halogen Lighting vs. HID Lighting

Our Vendors

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities