MikeATL wrote:made in china wrote:You are getting some bad info here. First, HIDs run cooler and draw less power...FACT. People ASSume that because they are brighter they MUST be using much more power. Not so.
FALSE.
Its true that the continuous draw is only 35w compared to 55w with halogens. HOWEVER, the inrush load (when the HIDs ignite) can be up to 13amps per ballast compared to 7 amps inrush.
There is a reason car's that come with HIDs from the factory also use a harness.
See
http://faqlight.carpassion.info/headlamp-harness.html for more info.
Let me clarify my stand. Yes I know the initial turn on takes more current. The ballasts need to generate a very high voltage to initiate the arc, so at the moment of generating a arc, which is like milliseconds, the ballast will draw large current to generate high voltage. This is basic electronics knowledge. However, I doubt that the time base on the graph is accurate. Where does this graph come from?? Somebody using a multimeter and a stop watch to measure turn on current?? Or someone actually using a real time high response speed graph?? Or watching a oscilloscope?? Because if they were generating a graph from what they observed on their multimeter...you would need to remember that all multimeters have dwell. They can display peak current, but it takes the display a few moments to catch up to the real values as they quickly change.
I have had at least 4 cars with aftermarket HID kits. At least 2 of those cars have had a less than strong electrical system. I never noticed any pop or lights dimming when I would turn on my HID kits (I've always run without harness and relays) and they were wired directly to the headlight socket. In fact, pressing the brakes would cause the interior lights to dim momentarily....but the HIDs never did. I never saw any signs that these kits pull 13 amps a side......for a few seconds. Come on, most cars will have dimming interior lights or the such when they are hit with a sudden 26A pull.....RIGHT??
I would say that in most cases you could trace back damaged harness to the past use of high wattage colored bulbs until the owners finally switched to real HID. The original connectors were probably well cooked already...and yes then I would agree that after the HID kit is installed you'd eventually have a problem. Depends on the circumstances though...the problems might arise from the ballasts pulling more current than usual to make up for the voltage drop in the damaged connectors. Thats the nature of any electronics with a switching/boosting power supply. The current in goes up as the voltage in droops to maintain a steady output.
BTW, all cars have headlight harness....what did you mean by the last statement??
by MikeATL » Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:26 am 
*sniff*
