Following in the steps of Bruce, I converted my set of Hella 4000s to HID. Only difference being, I opted for the Hellas with the Cornering Beam pattern and choose to run 4300K bulbs.
Thanks Bruce for the great write up! (For his install, check it out here: http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=2678.msg3 3207"]Click Me[/URL])
These are 8” round, 100wt halogen lights with the Cornering Beam pattern. I chose this pattern over the Driving Beam pattern simply because I wanted a wider light spread. I got a deal on the lights and picked up the set brand new for $150. The Hella wiring harness is sold separate, but since I already had an existing wiring harness from my previous lights, I was able to reuse what I already had. I also purchased an inexpensive 35wt HID kit off ebay for around $75. It is a H1 kit with 4300K bulbs.
Picture of the HID kit I purchased. Please note, this is just a universal picture of the kit I used. I used H1 bulbs.
Install was very easy. I removed the lense from the housing and simply removed the stock 100wt halogen bulb:
Next, I inserted the new HID H1 bulb:
Like Bruce, I also drilled a hole in the back of each housing to accommodate the new HID bulb. I decided to leave the stock-wiring plug in place in case I ever decide to convert these lights back to a halogen set up. Therefore, I just covered up the existing pin connections with tape and zip tied it off:
With the bulbs installed, I sealed the grommets with black RTV silcone to further prevent water from leaking in through the new holes:
I sealed each ballast to prevent water from entering. I disassembled each one and placed a bead of silicone inbetween the top and bottom covers. Once the covers were reinstalled and the silicone had dried, I wrapped each ballast in tape. I also siliconed both areas of the ballasts where the wires plug into it.
To mount them, I just zip-tied them in place. I may ditch the zip ties and upgrade to hose clamps in the future, but for now, this works.
(You will also notice I have 4 ballasts mounted…the other 2 are wired for small fog lights that I’m in the process of adding.)
Lights mounted. I also added a set of clear covers to the lights to protect the lenses:
Darkness was approaching, but here they fired up:
That night, I took a few more pictures of them:
Approx 10ft back:
Approx 40ft back: (And yes my headlights are still on. I will say that the camera deceives you a little though. In this picture, both lights are on, but it appears as though only one is. From this distance, I could clearly make out both lights even though the camera could not. Although, if I looked at them too long, I could not see anything afterwards. They are very bright):
On the trail with just my headlights on (photo taken thru the sunroof):
Same spot with just the Hellas on:
Notice the ridge in the background…that is approximately 300ft away.
I'm digging these new lights. The light output is amazing. With this Cornering Beam pattern, the light spread is almost a complete 180 degrees and reaches very far out on both sides. I could not stand back far enough to get a good enough picture to show the side-to-side light spread, but believe me, it is WIDE.
Now I can honestly say I have a pair of Hella HIDs
I'll post a video soon of them warming up...it's really cool to see too.
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Originally Posted by NC994Run
