Drop Top

Ordered some HIDS. Came in today. Will post pics when they come in

Kojack

I hope you don't drive in crappy weather often. You will be blinded by stray light from them. I am removing mine next week. First snowfall of the year and it was down right scary driving in the jeep. Wall of white and no projected light. Now, in my hella 500 driving light I have 55w hid kit and it's like daylight. But for the main headlight on the jeep hid is useless.

antonioso

Where did you get the HID kit for your hellas? I have a pair of 500s and was looking to do a similar conversion

Krynn

If you install a HID bulb in your stock reflectors, that's exactly what you get. In addition, you're likely to annoy the hell out of other vehicles on the road. Those two reasons are why it's illegal to install those in many if not all states.

If you have a HID projector retrofit kit, those do an amazing job. Huge amounts of light, all directed where you need it. And they're no worse in snow than any other properly designed headlight. Oh, and they are perfectly legal in all states.

Personally, I'm keeping an eye out for what Truck-Lite is releasing at SEMA. If that puts out a more even light pattern than the original Truck-Lites, I might have to spring for it. If not, I'll be picking up a HID retrofit kit shortly.

antonioso

I have a set of 500FF on my windshield does hella have a bulb or a HID kit I can just plug into those?

Kojack

Yes. I know the retro kits are good but I don't think that's what he has. Then with the retro kits you still got to screw around with wiring and trying to get them to work.

I used a 55w kit from vvme. Just install and then your good.

antonioso

Any pics of yours?

Krynn

There are some cases where the bulb replacement kits do an acceptable job. The only one that I know of off the top of my head is the Honda ST1300. That bike has a very large and deep reflector where bulb position isn't as critical as it is in smaller reflectors. Our Jeeps have the exact opposite - a tiny, shallow reflector. If the light emitting element is not in the exact position and orientation that the reflector was designed for, you get glare. In other words, lots and lots of scattered light heading off in unintended directions. This is a royal pain in the ass for other vehicles on the road, as the HIDs are by their nature very very bright. And it can be a disaster for you if it's snowing or raining heavily. You can end up where you can't see anything but a sheet of white.

As for how hard they are to install, the answer is 'not very'... assuming you're willing to pay for it. The XSighting Xe7 is a drop-in replacement, but it's not very cheap. On the other hand, it is street legal. A DIY HID retrofit kit is kinda-sorta legal and will run around 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the drop in kit, but it takes a good bit of effort to get it set up right. And then there are the bulb replacement kits like VVME sells, which, while cheap, are most decidedly not street legal and can get you a pretty hefty ticket.

IcyFridge

I have HIDs in my H4 e-Code lights and have no problems in the snow at all. There is a decent cutoff.... BUT - the glare is still there. I am looking to retrofit my lights soon if I can build up the guts to buy the stuff and tools lol.

Drop Top

Mine are Xentec hi/lo and fogs. Work great.