HID conversion on Hella 4000

BruceTS · 10-04-2007, 11:36 PM

I've been wanting to install HID driving lights, but the Hella HID's are way too expensive. I decided to try one of those inexpensive kits off ebay. For $80 it was worth the gamble.....
As for construction it seems well made, but there was no label to say where they were produced.

Edit* they are made in Japan......

Installing bulbs was a simple plug n' play

Since the kit came with grommets, I decided to drill a new hole into the housing, this way I still have the option to use standard H1 bulbs....

Ballast mounted, double sided tape that was supplied with the kit plus I added a hose clamp for extra hold down. Spliced and soldered wiring....

Here's what they look like now......

GatorTaco · 10-05-2007, 01:07 AM

Look really bright! I like the color of em too

NickJames · 10-05-2007, 02:03 AM

Thanks for the write-up! I have been wanting to do this for awhile now. Do you know is that a 6000k HID? and do you have any regrets with going with the cheap HID conversion kit vs. name brand?

motochain · 10-05-2007, 02:12 AM

Do you think this would work with the Hella 1000's, to be more exact the Black magics? Also do you have a link to the ebay item so I could check it out? Thanks man, they look good!

SurfingDrunk · 10-05-2007, 02:23 AM

BruceTS · 10-05-2007, 06:00 AM

This was the seller I got it from
AUTOLUMINATE

I chose him because he had the better customer rating and is located near me in Los Angeles, also his kits have a 2 year warranty, but you know how these ebay companies are......

I looked into the name brand kits, and from what I could see is they are all made in the same region, now I've heard good and bad things about the cheaper bulbs, either way it was worth the gamble, I'll post updates if I have any issues. I'll be out at Pismo next weekend to give them a good testing.

I went with the 5000k bulbs...... wanted the white color, as for my Hella's they are the driving light model. I'd rather have the cornering lights, but now the splash lighting these give out light everything......

As for working in different housings, I wouldn't trust installing them if you lenses are made of plastic........

bunchr1 · 10-05-2007, 09:01 AM

Off Topic- I love your wheels. I think Beadlocked Toyota wheels look so sexy on a fixed-up Yota...

Now back to the topic- How hot (in comparison to the Halogens) does your lights get? Is it a noticable difference in a heat increase or are they about the same? I've heard horror stories of peeps installing HID kits in factory housings (cars and such) and it melting the housing..

VWTim · 10-05-2007, 11:58 AM

Looks good. I may have to do that to my 4000's when I get them mounted

motochain · 10-05-2007, 03:36 PM

Thanks Bruce! I think I will eventually try that out with mine. I have glass lenses so I think it will work out similar to your setup, just in a smaller housing, and maybe a different bulb.

LarryStew · 10-05-2007, 06:07 PM

What type bulb were you using prior to the HID conversion?

I'm running 130 watt H1 bulbs in my Hella 4000's and was considering a swap to HID..... but only if there was a considerable light output increase.

BruceTS · 10-05-2007, 06:41 PM

I was using the 100 watt H1's, the advantage of going HID is lower 35 watt usage.....

Ironically the difference in heat wasn't noticable, but I do agree I wouldn't install them in housings with polycarbonate reflector lenses.

AZNPG · 10-05-2007, 07:36 PM

looks nice man

LarryStew · 10-05-2007, 07:39 PM

What size hole did you have to drill in the housing? I'm going to give the HID lights a try...

BruceTS · 10-05-2007, 07:56 PM

1" hole in the back, but all I had was a 3/4" bit, so I took a round file to finish the job. Used a 1" dameter tubing to scribe a line to file to.....

mgyver1 · 10-07-2007, 11:46 AM

It should be fine installing them on plastic housings. The KC HID 8" lights have Lexan lenses, and they have a 23 year warranty. HIDs produce less heat because they use less energy. Your 35watt HID kit will produce less heat than the 55watt stock bulb that came with it, and a whole lot less than the 130watt bulbs.

LarryStew · 10-21-2007, 07:21 PM

I just installed the same kit in my Hella 4000 lights. Wow! what a difference!!! Definately worth it. I was running 130 watt H1 bulbs and switched to the HID 5000K, 35 watt kit and was totally impressed.

NTAPHSE · 10-21-2007, 07:40 PM

NICE! I have Lexus IS300 HID's in my headlights right now and they are brighter than my Hella 4000's. Problem is the headlights shine in peoples eyes, and I dont have high beams with the HID's. I think I would be a lot better off switching the HID's into the Hellas and putting the headlights back to stock. Thanks for the motivation, I've been thinking about doing it for a while.

Did you run the 4000's without HID? How much brighter are they? Is there a significant difference?

LarryStew · 10-21-2007, 08:32 PM

I had been using 130 watt halogen H1 bulbs in the Hella 4000's for several years and thought they were okay.. Turning on the HID bulbs turns a dark road into daylight.... and the range is much better. The 35 watt HID bulbs definately out-shine the 130 watt halogen bulbs.

NTAPHSE · 10-25-2007, 12:21 AM

Thanks for the comparison. Any idea what the 4000's come with stock, because that's what I have and its not that impressive. They are pretty much like a set of high beams right now.

LarryStew · 10-25-2007, 06:47 PM

I believe they come stock with 100 watt bulbs.

BruceTS · 10-25-2007, 08:32 PM

Played around at Pismo 2 weeks ago and they worked flawless.......did a side by side comparison to another with hellas identical as mine but with a 100w H-1 bulb. There is no comparison......

Now with another mod completed it will be intresting to see how well the kits hold up, for me so far so good.

LarryStew · 10-26-2007, 05:11 PM

I picked up my pair of Hella 4000's 6 years ago for $70, and just got the $80 HID kit to convert them last week. What a bargin!!!!!!! Hella sells the equivelant light for over $600... HID off road lights kick ass!!!! What a great find for the HID kit!

Brown · 10-31-2007, 11:34 PM

This may be a stupid question, but I'm curious if any of these will fit into Hella 500 lamps. I know the housing is plastic but don't these bulbs produce less heat anyway?

Just wondering, if I could find a cheaper solution over the Hella 4000's.

Btw. for the price the lighting looks excellent

hytenor · 11-01-2007, 02:21 AM

I too picked up a set of the $80 ebay H-1 replacement HIDs for my Cibie Oscar Cornering lights. I haven't installed them but the product looks to be top quality...and...made in Japan, not China

If these work as well as Bruce's I may grab a set of the H-3s for my top/side floods.

as for them working in the Hella 500s...yes, they should work fine. The ebay seller I bought from had them for any bulb so your H-3 500s can be upgraded

just get the lower K rated bulbs to keep the heat down to a minimum. I went with 4300k mainly for the better off-road lighting. the higher #s are mainly for show/bling.

thehackman15 · 11-01-2007, 02:52 AM

which one of the kits would be best for headlights? these lights would still be able to go high and low beam right? ive got a 96 right now but i wanna put these into the set of 00 headlights going in
http://stores.ebay.com/AUTOLUMINATE_...dZ2QQpZ3QQtZkm

hytenor · 11-01-2007, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehackman15

which one of the kits would be best for headlights? these lights would still be able to go high and low beam right? ive got a 96 right now but i wanna put these into the set of 00 headlights going in
http://stores.ebay.com/AUTOLUMINATE_...dZ2QQpZ3QQtZkm

don't bother trying them in headlights. The lens configuration won't work for HID...you'll blind everyone ahead of you and most likely get a ticket. If you have a '01-04 the light housing (lens) is pretty decent and can be aimed to work...just don't go with the hi 'K' rating or you'll be right back to the 'blinding' problem. The gen 2 ('98-00) housings will not work w/o heavily modifying the housings as has been done to a few member's rigs.

how are you going to get a set of molded gen 2 light housing housings into your '96?? the gen 1s have the regular 200mm sealed beam headlights. You would need to swap the entire front grill assembly to even begin to make that work...and then the front bumper won't line up right

thehackman15 · 11-01-2007, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hytenor

don't bother trying them in headlights. The lens configuration won't work for HID...you'll blind everyone ahead of you and most likely get a ticket. If you have a '01-04 the light housing (lens) is pretty decent and can be aimed to work...just don't go with the hi 'K' rating or you'll be right back to the 'blinding' problem. The gen 2 ('98-00) housings will not work w/o heavily modifying the housings as has been done to a few member's rigs.

how are you going to get a set of molded gen 2 light housing housings into your '96?? the gen 1s have the regular 200mm sealed beam headlights. You would need to swap the entire front grill assembly to even begin to make that work...and then the front bumper won't line up right

i know what kind of lights they have i upgraded mine awhile ago so i could replace the bulbs n not the entire light.. im going to swap in a new grille, they use some of the same mounting holes, then mount the headlights off that.

hytenor · 11-01-2007, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehackman15

i know what kind of lights they have i upgraded mine awhile ago so i could replace the bulbs n not the entire light.. im going to swap in a new grille, they use some of the same mounting holes, then mount the headlights off that.

that still leaves you with the problem of the gen 2 housings...won't work with HIDs. they may not ticket in Fl but the CHP sure as hell will around here.

thehackman15 · 11-01-2007, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hytenor

that still leaves you with the problem of the gen 2 housings...won't work with HIDs. they may not ticket in Fl but the CHP sure as hell will around here.

yea thanks for that info once you said that in the first post i looked at them and i could see how it would mess with them, guess ill just put them the set in my 500s and get a better bulb

hytenor · 11-01-2007, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehackman15

yea thanks for that info once you said that in the first post i looked at them and i could see how it would mess with them, guess ill just put them the set in my 500s and get a better bulb

a few months back someone posted how he had taken a set of OE assemblies and modded them with the projection lens section from, I think, a Lexus, and it worked quite well.

10-04-2007, 11:36 PM	#1
BruceTS Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 282	HID conversion on Hella 4000 I've been wanting to install HID driving lights, but the Hella HID's are way too expensive. I decided to try one of those inexpensive kits off ebay. For $80 it was worth the gamble..... As for construction it seems well made, but there was no label to say where they were produced. Edit* they are made in Japan...... Installing bulbs was a simple plug n' play Since the kit came with grommets, I decided to drill a new hole into the housing, this way I still have the option to use standard H1 bulbs.... Ballast mounted, double sided tape that was supplied with the kit plus I added a hose clamp for extra hold down. Spliced and soldered wiring.... Here's what they look like now...... __________________ 99 SR5 4Runner Highlander 5spd V6 4WD e-locker New Webpage Last edited by BruceTS; 01-12-2008 at 06:57 PM.

10-05-2007, 02:03 AM	#3
NickJames Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 189	Thanks for the write-up! I have been wanting to do this for awhile now. Do you know is that a 6000k HID? and do you have any regrets with going with the cheap HID conversion kit vs. name brand? __________________ '01 Tacoma TRD 4X4 Suspension Front: Donahoe Coilovers, Donahoe Chubbys, Total Choas Arms Rear: Deaver 8 Pack, Bilstein 5125, Donahoe Chubbys Armor Demello Rear Bumper, Demello Sliders, Demello Bed Bar, Demello Frame Reinforcers, Bud Built Skid, Line X Bedliner Performance K&N Intake, Flowmaster Exhaust, Tranny Cooler, ScanGauge II, Slotted and Drilled Rotors Misc. Mickey Thomson Rims, 32” BFG-AT, Clifford Alarm, GPS

10-05-2007, 02:12 AM	#4
motochain Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: CO & AZ Posts: 1,738	Do you think this would work with the Hella 1000's, to be more exact the Black magics? Also do you have a link to the ebay item so I could check it out? Thanks man, they look good! __________________ Tundra-->35's--->IFS--->Armor--->Stuff IFS--->D60, one of these days.... '03 T4R

10-05-2007, 02:23 AM	#5
SurfingDrunk hell is other people Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 2,495	<borat voice>very nice.</borat voice> __________________ FUCK SURFINGDRUNK "There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so". Bill Shakes I love to buy my parts from trdparts4u.com!

10-05-2007, 06:00 AM	#6
BruceTS Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 282	This was the seller I got it from AUTOLUMINATE I chose him because he had the better customer rating and is located near me in Los Angeles, also his kits have a 2 year warranty, but you know how these ebay companies are...... I looked into the name brand kits, and from what I could see is they are all made in the same region, now I've heard good and bad things about the cheaper bulbs, either way it was worth the gamble, I'll post updates if I have any issues. I'll be out at Pismo next weekend to give them a good testing. I went with the 5000k bulbs...... wanted the white color, as for my Hella's they are the driving light model. I'd rather have the cornering lights, but now the splash lighting these give out light everything...... As for working in different housings, I wouldn't trust installing them if you lenses are made of plastic........ __________________ 99 SR5 4Runner Highlander 5spd V6 4WD e-locker New Webpage Last edited by BruceTS; 01-13-2008 at 10:00 AM.

10-05-2007, 09:01 AM	#7
bunchr1 Blow Here^^^ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hudson, NC Posts: 506	Off Topic- I love your wheels. I think Beadlocked Toyota wheels look so sexy on a fixed-up Yota... Now back to the topic- How hot (in comparison to the Halogens) does your lights get? Is it a noticable difference in a heat increase or are they about the same? I've heard horror stories of peeps installing HID kits in factory housings (cars and such) and it melting the housing.. __________________ Ronnie 1992 4Runner V6 Auto Daily Driver... 1987 Toyota Pickup. 22R, 5speed, TwinStick'd 4.7's, F/R Lockers, 1.5" BJ Spacers, 32x11.50's, Warn winch w/indash controls, Mazda 626 buckets w/FJ40 console, sliders and skids.. ect. SOLD!!! "It's a rock... Get over it!"-Terry M. "Half of life is fucking up the other half is dealing with it."-Henry Rollins Myspace

10-05-2007, 11:58 AM	#8
VWTim Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Corvallis, OR Posts: 471	Looks good. I may have to do that to my 4000's when I get them mounted

10-05-2007, 03:36 PM	#9
motochain Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: CO & AZ Posts: 1,738	Thanks Bruce! I think I will eventually try that out with mine. I have glass lenses so I think it will work out similar to your setup, just in a smaller housing, and maybe a different bulb. __________________ Tundra-->35's--->IFS--->Armor--->Stuff IFS--->D60, one of these days.... '03 T4R

10-05-2007, 06:07 PM	#10
LarryStew Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 173	What type bulb were you using prior to the HID conversion? I'm running 130 watt H1 bulbs in my Hella 4000's and was considering a swap to HID..... but only if there was a considerable light output increase.

10-05-2007, 06:41 PM	#11
BruceTS Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 282	I was using the 100 watt H1's, the advantage of going HID is lower 35 watt usage..... Ironically the difference in heat wasn't noticable, but I do agree I wouldn't install them in housings with polycarbonate reflector lenses. __________________ 99 SR5 4Runner Highlander 5spd V6 4WD e-locker New Webpage

10-05-2007, 07:36 PM	#12
AZNPG Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: so-cal Posts: 2,006	looks nice man __________________ orange high smog(714) 289-1088 jlb motorsports(951) 734-4411

10-05-2007, 07:39 PM	#13
LarryStew Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 173	What size hole did you have to drill in the housing? I'm going to give the HID lights a try...

10-05-2007, 07:56 PM	#14
BruceTS Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 282	1" hole in the back, but all I had was a 3/4" bit, so I took a round file to finish the job. Used a 1" dameter tubing to scribe a line to file to..... __________________ 99 SR5 4Runner Highlander 5spd V6 4WD e-locker New Webpage

10-07-2007, 11:46 AM	#15
mgyver1 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,014	It should be fine installing them on plastic housings. The KC HID 8" lights have Lexan lenses, and they have a 23 year warranty. HIDs produce less heat because they use less energy. Your 35watt HID kit will produce less heat than the 55watt stock bulb that came with it, and a whole lot less than the 130watt bulbs. __________________ Mgyver1 Nevada TTORA 4X4HIM Best In The Desert Racing Association '02 Ext. cab Prerunner V6 Auto SR5 TRD

10-21-2007, 07:21 PM	#16
LarryStew Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 173	I just installed the same kit in my Hella 4000 lights. Wow! what a difference!!! Definately worth it. I was running 130 watt H1 bulbs and switched to the HID 5000K, 35 watt kit and was totally impressed.

10-21-2007, 07:40 PM	#17
NTAPHSE Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Tempe, AZ 85283 Posts: 583	NICE! I have Lexus IS300 HID's in my headlights right now and they are brighter than my Hella 4000's. Problem is the headlights shine in peoples eyes, and I dont have high beams with the HID's. I think I would be a lot better off switching the HID's into the Hellas and putting the headlights back to stock. Thanks for the motivation, I've been thinking about doing it for a while. Did you run the 4000's without HID? How much brighter are they? Is there a significant difference? __________________ '01 TRD extended cab, 285/75/16 MT/R, 4Runner wheels, Camburg Long Travel w/ SAW's, 63" Chevy's with frenched hangers, TG U-bolt flip, Bilstein 12" 7100 shortbody, TG e-locker guard, Hella 4000's, Trail Gear weld-on sliders, Hanneman fenders, Glassworks bedsides http://www.myrideisme.com/Garage/NTAPHSE

10-21-2007, 08:32 PM	#18
LarryStew Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 173	I had been using 130 watt halogen H1 bulbs in the Hella 4000's for several years and thought they were okay.. Turning on the HID bulbs turns a dark road into daylight.... and the range is much better. The 35 watt HID bulbs definately out-shine the 130 watt halogen bulbs.

10-25-2007, 12:21 AM	#19
NTAPHSE Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Tempe, AZ 85283 Posts: 583	Thanks for the comparison. Any idea what the 4000's come with stock, because that's what I have and its not that impressive. They are pretty much like a set of high beams right now. __________________ '01 TRD extended cab, 285/75/16 MT/R, 4Runner wheels, Camburg Long Travel w/ SAW's, 63" Chevy's with frenched hangers, TG U-bolt flip, Bilstein 12" 7100 shortbody, TG e-locker guard, Hella 4000's, Trail Gear weld-on sliders, Hanneman fenders, Glassworks bedsides http://www.myrideisme.com/Garage/NTAPHSE

10-25-2007, 06:47 PM	#20
LarryStew Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 173	I believe they come stock with 100 watt bulbs.

10-25-2007, 08:32 PM	#21
BruceTS Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 282	Played around at Pismo 2 weeks ago and they worked flawless.......did a side by side comparison to another with hellas identical as mine but with a 100w H-1 bulb. There is no comparison...... Now with another mod completed it will be intresting to see how well the kits hold up, for me so far so good. __________________ 99 SR5 4Runner Highlander 5spd V6 4WD e-locker New Webpage

10-26-2007, 05:11 PM	#22
LarryStew Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 173	I picked up my pair of Hella 4000's 6 years ago for $70, and just got the $80 HID kit to convert them last week. What a bargin!!!!!!! Hella sells the equivelant light for over $600... HID off road lights kick ass!!!! What a great find for the HID kit!

10-31-2007, 11:34 PM	#23
Brown Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 30	This may be a stupid question, but I'm curious if any of these will fit into Hella 500 lamps. I know the housing is plastic but don't these bulbs produce less heat anyway? Just wondering, if I could find a cheaper solution over the Hella 4000's. Btw. for the price the lighting looks excellent

11-01-2007, 02:52 AM	#25
thehackman15 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: NorCal/Zona Posts: 1,493	which one of the kits would be best for headlights? these lights would still be able to go high and low beam right? ive got a 96 right now but i wanna put these into the set of 00 headlights going in http://stores.ebay.com/AUTOLUMINATE_...dZ2QQpZ3QQtZkm

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