Modifications
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 		 Philips HID Xenon Low Beam Lights (9006)
Purchase Location: Visual Dynamics
Cost: $500.00 - Contact Trevor at 905-261-8960 and mention this web site (itrsport.com) and receive a $10 discount on this Philips HID kit.
Purchase Date: July 2001

The kit is simple to install, and I do mean simple. It took me less than 30 minutes to install on my car. Now that I know how the install goes I could install the same kit in under 20 minutes. The kit is designed specially for Honda's with 9006 headlights (driving lights/low beams). All you do is plug in the Xenon lights, secure two ballasts, and your Integra looks as cool as the high end BMW's and Audi's. Believe it or not, the ballast's are attached via sticky tape and velcro, which works surprisingly well. I do recommend using zip ties for added security.

Here is a night time comparison between PIAA Platinum Series Super White bulbs VS. the Philips HID kit. Before I purchased these lights I was a bit skeptical about this photo comparison but after installing them on my car I was pleased to see that this picture is quite accurate.

For those of you who are not familiar with Xenon lights, they have a 5-10 second warm up period when you turn them on (very entertaining to watch). They turn on instantly, like or stock halogens, but the initial color is bluish purple. After about 5 seconds the bluish tint fades into a crisp white color. The video clip I made is a bit deceiving because it appears the light gets darker during the warm up period (in actuality the digi cam is just adjusting the light aperture). But the clip does give an okay demonstration of how the light changes from blue to white. In person the lights are even more impressive. This Philips HID unit for the Integra is the real deal. The appearance and quality ranks next to the units found on these high end automobiles.

Another great thing about these lights is that it does not aggravate oncoming traffic. The 3rd Gen Integra has a very precise low beam cut off. This keeps the intense light of the HID's on the road and out of the eyes of oncoming drivers.

How it works:
Xenon lighting is based on the gas-discharge principle, where an arc of light is created between two tungsten electrodes in an extremely small gas-filled capsule. This gas-filled capsule contains a combination of metal halide salts in a xenon gas mixture which must be instantaneously ignited with a very high voltage (25,000 volts) to obtain a critical temperature. Once this temperature is reached, the gases ionize causing the metal halide salts to vaporize. When this occurs, the lamp will discharge full light output. Providing the gas discharge bulb with a fast enough start, hot re-strike, and optimum performance requires the aid of an electronic control gear and starter which are integrated into one component (ballast).

Benefits of High Intensity Discharge Xenon Lighting Over Traditional Halogen Lighting:
  • At just half the energy consumption compared to halogen lighting, HID lighting is more efficient at converting electrical energy into light (80-90 lumens/watt). The filament in a traditional halogen bulbs require a substantial amount of heat to produce light energy (18-20 lumens/watt).
  • The luminance produced by HID lighting is up to three times higher than that of traditional halogen*. This results in significantly better perception of objects in night time and poor lighting conditions thus increasing driving security and safety.
  • Traditional Halogen lighting produces a color temperature of approximately 3300 degrees Kelvin, while HID lighting produces a color temperature of approximately 4300 degrees Kelvin, which is much closer to the 5000 degrees Kelvin color temperature of daylight.
  • Because of its slightly bluish tint, xenon HID illumination does an excellent job of heightening contrasts in night driving, making reflective paint, road signs and lane markers pop into view.
  • Because HID bulbs do not utilize a filament, they last 6-7 times the life (4000 burning hours) of a conventional halogen bulb. Analogous, bending a small piece of metal back and forth is essentially what is occurring to a filament each time the lights are turned on and off. Constant expansion and contraction of the filament will eventually cause it to fall off. This is a major disadvantage to employing halogen bulbs in any vehicle. Filaments in Conventional halogen bulbs are furthermore prone to breaking off due to constant vibrations created within an engine bay, which reverberate into the headlamp housing. Thus, off-road and industrial applications are ideal for HID lighting.

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