One of my running lights burned out so I'm using this as the opportunity to replace both. I want LEDs but I want them to color-match the HIDs that came with my car. I also don't want them to be brighter than my HIDs. My questions are:

- what bulb type is stock for the running lights?
- what kind of LED bulb can I get? Are there any wattage/size limitations?

For the high beams, I want the brightest LEDs legally possible (since HIDs will probably require mods instead of plug-n-play) that color-match the stock HIDs.

- what bulb type is stock for the high beams?
- what kind of LED bulb can I get? I'm guessing that I'm looking for ~5400k, right?

 

I don't believe LED"s have come to point of being high beam replacements. Could be wrong though....

 

I also just had my low beam bulb go out and would like to replace with HID...the car was not originally stocked with HID's will this be a problem? I would also like to change over the DTRL or DIP lights to LED's......I read in the owners manual that it is a W5W bulb for these. Anyone had any luck with these mods?

THANKS IN ADAVNCE

 

sqenixs, you will never get the running lights brighter than the high beams. The high beams are a 55 watt bulb, the running lights are a 5 watt bulb. The running light wiring can only handle but about a 5 watt bulb. So, with that being said, this will "limit" your options. Granted, I really down you would find a bulb in the W5W size (aka, 194) that is over about 6 watts (this would be fine on the stock wiring). If you are looking at a LED bulb in this location, you want to find something in the 6000K color range. Again, this is going to prove to be a challenge as most white LEDs are in the 7000K range, which is going to give you a slight blue tint to it. Also, HID bulbs (your low beams) only come in 4300K, 5000K, 6000K, and 8000K colors. So, depending on which bulb you have in the car, it may be close, it may be a little bit further away.

As for upgrading your high beams. The easy conversion would be to simply pick up a set of Sylvania Silverstars (55W bulb). For the money, that is about the brightest bulb that you are going to be able to get Sure, they make 100W bulbs, but most of those are "HID simulator" bulbs, so, they have a blue tint to them and those actually output less light than the Silverstars, yet are going to tax your wiring and lead to many issues with the clips on the bulbs. We have issues with melting the connectors on the factory bulbs. Running a 100W bulb, that is going to run extremely hot and WILL!!!! lead to lots of issues if you plan on using your high beams a lot. If you need any assistance, let me know. I have had tons of training in electronics and part of it dealt with light transmission and the pros/cons of various types of lighting.

babyjag, please do not confuse "dip lights" with something else. Dip lights is the british term for what us Americans call "low beams". Same light, two different names. The dim lights inboard of your low beams are called "running lights". Converting these over to LED has been a hit and miss with the members here. In short, you will get what you pay for. I have bought some LED bulbs for in that location and ultimately, I went the hard way and created my own LED bulbs for in that location. This is not a project for the weak at heart as you are having to cut into the factory wiring to make it all work if you do it my way. So, if you need any assistance, let me know.

 

Thanks Thermo for the clarification as you can see I was confused, I heard that term being used and thought it was the same.....good to know.

So as for the "dim lights" which are located in the high beam bucket, but not the high beam itself I would like to try just some LED bulbs first before going a different route. You say you get what you pay for....is there something you would recommend? Obviously there are thousands of choices on eBay but I have not order anything yet. There are toooooo many choices. Any additional help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

babyjag, I have personally not found a manufactured bulb yet that I can recommend. I have seen 3 styles of bulbs used. 2 of the bulbs where the "led chips" mounted to the face of a flat plate. Both of those the solder joints had to be so small that even a little bit of corrosion resulted in the bulb failing due to the solder being eaten away. The last style of bulb was essentially a 10mm bulb that was manufactured with a plastic base attached to allow you to plug it in to the bulb socket. While this seems to be holding up over time, the brightness of this bulb is lacking. I would compare it to about a 2-3 watt bulb (the factory incandescent bulb is a 5 watt). It is a white light, but not very bright.

Hopefully one of the other members can make a recommendation. My solution was picking up a 285K MCD 10mm LED, folding the leads over so they would fit into the openings of the bulb base and then I ended up cutting the wiring so I could put in the appropriate size resistor in line with the bulb. 3 years and no issues. This bulb is about as bright as the 5W incandescent bulb, but only pulls 0.5 watts. I also like this option since I end up spending about $0.50 a "bulb" vice what the companies are wanting for the LED bulbs.

 

So i want to replace the halogen headlights in my car with 6000k HIDS. Will i damage the wiring in anyway if i use a 55w ballast or should i stick with the 35w? thanks! also does anyone know what the stock lumens are in my 2002 jaguar x-type 3.0 sport; i have halogens stock.

 

55w's are SUPER bright... I think that would be overkill personally. The 35w's area already 3x's brighter than halogens. I think halogens are like 1200 lumens? HID is usually about 3000. More I think for the 55w though.... Probably more like 4000. I have 35w and they are plenty bright enough. I don't think I've ever needed my high beams.

 

Cory, when it comes to HIDs, 35W bulbs (and ballasts as the ballasts have to match the wattage of the bulb else you have big issues) are the only street legal bulbs that you can buy. Even with that being said, not all 35W bulbs are street legal due to their color. In short, only 4300K to 8000K can be used for headlights. I know, you will find others out there being used. That does not make them street legal.

As for wiring them up, the factory wiring will handle the 35W HIDs with no issues. The wiring in the car was built around the 35W HIDs. So, match up the wiring and have fun. I have done a few X-Types and some other cars.

When it comes to the HID kits, this is where you have to make a decision. The short of the story, what you pay and the quality of kit that you get are directly related. Sure, you can buy the $30 E-bay kits and they will work fine for about a year. After that, plan on issues. If you want more info on this, let me know. Plan on spending about $100 for a set of HIDs that are going to be worthwhile. If they have the thin ballast, you might as well just toss the kits in the garbage as soon as you get them (atleast that is my experience with them). You may find posts where I have said that they were OK, but I have learned my lesson after that year time frame.

As for brightness, standard halogen bulbs run around 1200 lumen (with the brightest possible getting up near 1500 lumen). 4300K/35W HIDs output 3300 lumen. Please note that I state a very specific wattage and color. With HIDs, the color of the bulb has a great effect on the brightness of the bulb. A 4300K bulb will output 3300 lumen, but a 30000K bulb will only output around 2500 lumen. Big difference.

 

I was planning on buy these heres a link H1 6000k HID Kit Intense White Headlight Conversion | HID Extra
I like 6000k because its clean looking and the brightest from what people say. also do i need to buy relays and or capacitors?

Thanks!

 

I've heard a lot of good things about ddmtuning's HID kits. They run about $50.

 

Cory, DDM tuning seems to have a good reputation, can not speak about the HID Extra group. Just keep an eye on the kit as the ballasts are normally what will give you the biggest grief with an HID conversion. I have found that there are 2 styles of ballasts out there. You have the slim line version and the "bulky OEM" style. Trust me, you want that bulky OEM style. It is made by Maxlux. The bulbs, I have not found any difference between the expensive and the cheapy bulbs. Just note which style of connector the bulbs have as there are 2 styles of connectors out there.

As for the wiring. This is a very simple thing. If you think you need capacitors (because the lights are flickering, low voltage, etc), then you have a bigger wiring problem and you need to fix that first. I do wiring/electronics for a living. A capacitor is only there to filter our noise or get rid of a signal. That is its function. If you are using it as a "reserve source of power", your wiring is being taxed too much.

As for a relay, like I mentioned, if you go with a 35W HID setup, no wiring modification is needed. You step up to 55W HIDs (not recommended), then the use of a relay setup is mandatory. Please keep in mind that this information is Jaguar specific. This may not be true when you look at other makes/brands of vehicles. Our cars came from the factory with a relay in the headlight circuit. So, the additional of a relay has already been done for you. You get into the older vehicles for example, I can almost garantee that they won't have a relay in them and at that point, the addition of a relay will be mandatory. Hopefully this will clear up any confusion that you see on the internet. Both groups (those saying you don't and those saying that you do) are correct to a degree.

When it comes to light intensity. Hands down, 6000K bulbs are not the brightest of the same wattage bulbs. That is held by the 4300K bulbs (normally rated at 3300 lumen per bulb). The 6000K bulbs are normally rated at about 3100 lumen each. If they appear brighter, it is only because your eyes just happen to see that shade of light a little better. Any HID setup is going to be brighter than a halogen bulb setup.

If you have any questions, please let me know. As you see, I will give you the information that you need.

 

So i do NOT need any relays? I'm just asking for the sake of my automatic lights.


Thanks again!!

 

Cory, nope, no relays are required. The automatic lights are triggering the relay and they are not directly feeding the headlights themselves. So, all is good.

 

Thanks you!!