Im in need of better lighting myself. I run with high beams and still can see sh!t. Could i do that polish stuff and sling me some hids in there? Would it help? Or should i buy whole new assembly.
If you click the link that I posted earlier, you will get most of the details. A lot of the information is my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.
HID light was never intended for a factory lamp, and you will get mixed results (at best). The light will be there. You WILL have better visability. However, you will also get a lot of scatter from the factory lamps. Here are some picture examples that should help explain it better:
Factory lamps with HID kit:
Aftermarket lamps that use a projector housing instead of a reflector. You can use regular bulbs, but an HID kit in these housings will work much better:
Now, which of those 2 options would pass Idaho's definition for a glaring light (infraction violation)?
As a practical means of determining whether head lamps or auxiliary driving or fog lamps glare the following test shall apply: Any such lamp shall be deemed to be glaring if any part of the main beam strikes the body of a person, vehicle, screen or other object higher than the lamp centers twenty-five (25) feet or more ahead of the vehicle and in no event shall the main bright portion of the beam be higher than forty-two (42) inches at a distance of seventy-five (75) feet ahead of the vehicle.
That is the main reason for switching to the aftermarket headlights if you want to run HIDs, in my humble opinion. I may still get a ticket, but I at least have some arguement if I end up in court, and it is pretty easy to show where the cut-off line for my headlights is (and mine are adjusted in accordance with Idaho law... but I may be hosed either way in other states).
In my humble opinion, the HID kits are a great way to give you more light. They will be brighter, and you will see better. But, they can cause glare to other drivers, and if the glare is severe enough you might end up talking to Johnny Law about it. There are also folks that retrofit expensive reflectors into their factory headlamps from vehicles with HIDs from the factory (like Acura TLs, Prius, Caddys, etc). If you are mechanically inclined and don't mind spending the extra money, this is probably the best option. I'd list them as:
Best: Retro-fit using factory high-end components.
Mo Gooder: Aftermarket projector headlamps using aftermarket HID kits.
Gooder: High quality halogen bulbs in clean, properly adjusted headlights.
Okay: HID kits in factory lights.
Un Good: cheap halogen bulbs in old nasty lights.
I think you will be very happy with an HID kit, but you run the risk of getting hassled for them, and they will never have the nice, crisp cut-off line of a projector housing (no matter how high quality the kit is).
