I just thought I would check and see if anyone is planning on doing a retrofit HID setup. I would really like to do this to mine but I think it may be a little too much for me to do myself with such a limited amount of knowledge about it. So is anyone planning on doing this or has anyone done it to any of there other cars? I know I do not want to go the plug and play route.

check out this board G8 board HID's 4 sale (http://g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1191)

I've thought about it.. But what get's me is you can buy kits on Ebay for around $150 Vs these other kits for $300-400. I've had people swear by the cheaper ones saying, that the price has now come down, and I've had people swear that the cheaper ones are junk that use lesser grade bulbs....

So I'm gonna be happy with what I've got for now, and save my money for a CAI

i bought 2 HID kits for my Honda about a year ago, i paid $150 for each kit and i have had NO problems with them...

Well, if I do it I am going to need all new housing and all the other stuff too. I don't want to be one of those people blinding everyone because they decide to throw hid's in stock housings that are not designed for them. I guess I will be doing some research on HIDPlanet.com

I am so tired of reading. LOL

Well, if I do it I am going to need all new housing and all the other stuff too. I don't want to be one of those people blinding everyone because they decide to throw hid's in stock housings that are not designed for them. I guess I will be doing some research on HIDPlanet.com

I am so tired of reading. LOL

Depending on how well the projectors are designed, they may not work too badly with a simple drop in HID kit. I'm curious to see output pics. I would assume the output would be similar to that of the GTO projectors with HIDs in them. The stockers actually work very well but lack the intensity of HID lamps.

I've done the only bixenon retrofit ever on my Trans Am and read up extensively on these things. Eventually I may swap in some OEM HID's using a D2S - H7 adapter to get OEM quality components.

-Brian

Well, if I do it I am going to need all new housing and all the other stuff too. I don't want to be one of those people blinding everyone because they decide to throw hid's in stock housings that are not designed for them. I guess I will be doing some research on HIDPlanet.com

I am so tired of reading. LOL

i wouldn't worry about all that... if my current kits don't work, i'm gonna buy a 8000k kit and LED the rest out...

I've thought about it.. But what get's me is you can buy kits on Ebay for around $150 Vs these other kits for $300-400. I've had people swear by the cheaper ones saying, that the price has now come down, and I've had people swear that the cheaper ones are junk that use lesser grade bulbs....

My kits are cheap and NOT from e-bay :)

And just because the housing was originally intended for HID's, doesn't mean you're going to blind everyone. You're not driving a 93 Civic! Most any car with projector headlights will work just fine with a drop in HID kit. As long as you keep your headlight properly aimed, no one will every know they aren't stock.

My kits are cheap and NOT from e-bay :)

And just because the housing was originally intended for HID's, doesn't mean you're going to blind everyone. You're not driving a 93 Civic! Most any car with projector headlights will work just fine with a drop in HID kit. As long as you keep your headlight properly aimed, no one will every know they aren't stock.

How difficult are your kits to put in? From everything I have read people say that the best way to go is get OEM BMW (or other brand) parts and do them that way. The problem I am having with that is one it's going to cost nearly 1k and two I don't have the skills to do it. I would have to pay someone to do it for me. Which is where part of the total of 1k is coming from. I really think they should have put HIDs on this car. It just doesn't look right imo. I have no problem do your kit just want to make sure I don't get put oncoming traffic in danger from blinding them.

How difficult are your kits to put in? From everything I have read people say that the best way to go is get OEM BMW (or other brand) parts and do them that way. The problem I am having with that is one it's going to cost nearly 1k and two I don't have the skills to do it. I would have to pay someone to do it for me. Which is where part of the total of 1k is coming from. I really think they should have put HIDs on this car. It just doesn't look right imo. I have no problem do your kit just want to make sure I don't get put oncoming traffic in danger from blinding them.

As stated before, since you already have projectors the glare will be minimal with a drop-in kit as long as the focal length is unchanged going to the new HID lamp. The performance may not be as sharp or as wide spread as a true HID projector but you are almost splitting hairs at that point. I would not go beyond 6000k because the lumens drop off too hard after that point IMO.

Most of these kits install pretty easy with plug-n-play connectors and simply finding a suitable ground and power off the battery. The trickiest part I have found with these drop in kits is the placement of the ballasts. I do not have experience with Germlyn's components so I can't speak for those but if the goat guys are happy and he has a rep. they should be fine.

-Brian

I had HID's on my past cars and know where you guys are coming from. However, I wouldn't recommend buying a cheap conversion kit... Check out this link for more info: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

Does the g8 have day time running lamps? If so, are the headlamps used but at a lower wattage?

If the headlamps are used, how would HID's be incorporated in the setup as I don't think you can run HID's at a lower wattage.

Does the g8 have day time running lamps? If so, are the headlamps used but at a lower wattage?

If the headlamps are used, how would HID's be incorporated in the setup as I don't think you can run HID's at a lower wattage.

You just disable the DRL's like they do on the GTO's. All you would need to do is pull the DRL relay so they don't function anymore.

I had HID's on my past cars and know where you guys are coming from. However, I wouldn't recommend buying a cheap conversion kit... Check out this link for more info: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

Have you tried a conversion kit on any of your cars? I can understand not wanting to put a kit in a car with normal-style reflectors thats aren't designed for HID's, but with the projectors (even non-OEM HID types) the cutoffs are really quite good and the scatter/glare is minimal. To each his own of course and if you have the time/patience/resources/ability to do the full retrofit absolutely go for it and more power to you!

Also, check out this link: http://www.semasan.com/Main/Main.aspx?ID=61762

so gremlyn...

what would the G8 exactly need/recommend? (as far as having HID low beams)

thanks

EDIT: i noticed that your contact number on your website is a (714) number. Where are you located in Orange County exactly?

I already put in an HID kit in my G8. If you notice, the stock setup already offers a clean cutoff line. When you put your HID kit, it'll maintain that same cutoff line, but obviously with all the increased light output and color intensity.

It might cost you a lil more, but I think you'll be happy with a trusted brand. The best HID's in the market are by Philips. As Blackbird mentioned, the highest recommended color output would be 6000k ... after that the lumen drop off becomes too much.

I have the genuine philips bulb & ballast, and it looks unbelievable. It makes everyone's elses lights look yellow, yet it doesn't look a ricer blue. There is minimal glare coming from the headlight housing since they are projectors.

I already put in an HID kit in my G8.

:worthless: As stated earlier, projector lenses spread the light out more evenly than traditional housings. So many GTO owners have done HID conversions & none have had to swap headlight housings. Whenever I get my ST, I plan the HID upgrade.

so gremlyn...

what would the G8 exactly need/recommend? (as far as having HID low beams)

thanks

EDIT: i noticed that your contact number on your website is a (714) number. Where are you located in Orange County exactly?

My recommendation would echo whats already been said as far as colour. Unless you're specifically looking for the "blue" look, go no higher than 6000K. The 6000K do have a blue tint to them, but are still relatively white. The 5000K is the pure white, and 4500K is the brightest in lumens, but not quite pure white, though still very white. AFAIK, the car uses H11's (as per the user's manual). I always recommend using 55w in a low beam, it is quite a bit brighter and the light out put in noticeable while driving. I'm not sure on the need for the wiring harness just yet on the G8's. The GTO owners like to get the wiring harness just to play it safe, though reports of issues have been roughly 50/50 on it's need with their cars.

I'm actually in San Diego, but I used to live in Yorba Linda when I was in high school/some of college. Been living down here almost 4 years now, I just kept the 714 numbers for the cell phones.

I already put in an HID kit in my G8. If you notice, the stock setup already offers a clean cutoff line. When you put your HID kit, it'll maintain that same cutoff line, but obviously with all the increased light output and color intensity.


Did you use H11's? I've been looking for conformation on the bulb type.

Bulb info (from here (http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/LampReplacementGuide/AutoLRG-Results.htm)):

2008 PONTIAC G8 GT

Low beam headlamp
H7
H7SU Silverstar ULTRA for Ultra Night Vision - The Whitest and Brightest Halogen
H7ST Silverstar High Performance Lighting: The Whiter and Brighter Halogen
H7XV XtraVision Halogen - The Brighter Light
H7CB Cool Blue Halogen - The Whiter Light

High beam headlamp
H9-65W

Parking light
2825
2825LL Long Life Upgrade: Up to twice the life of the standard lamp

Tail light
7443

Stop light
7443

Fog/Driving light
5200

License plate
2825
2825LL Long Life Upgrade: Up to twice the life of the standard lamp

Front sidemarker
2825
2825LL Long Life Upgrade: Up to twice the life of the standard lamp

Step/Courtesy light
6418
6418LL Long Life Upgrade: Up to twice the life of the standard lamp

Trunk/Cargo area
6418
6418LL Long Life Upgrade: Up to twice the life of the standard lamp

__________________________________________________ __
The applications presented in this replacement guide have been compiled using the best information available from the vehicle manufacturers at the time of your search. This guide is intended for general information purposes only, not to be construed as any type of warrantee as to any particular application. For specific applications the vehicle owner's manual should be consulted.

Bulb info (from here (http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/LampReplacementGuide/AutoLRG-Results.htm)):

2008 PONTIAC G8 GT .


G8 got H11 for Low beams

http://www.g8board.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=731&stc=1&d=1208210273

i need to know this too... see if my 3000k kit works ;)

I already put in an HID kit in my G8. If you notice, the stock setup already offers a clean cutoff line. When you put your HID kit, it'll maintain that same cutoff line, but obviously with all the increased light output and color intensity.

It might cost you a lil more, but I think you'll be happy with a trusted brand. The best HID's in the market are by Philips. As Blackbird mentioned, the highest recommended color output would be 6000k ... after that the lumen drop off becomes too much.

I have the genuine philips bulb & ballast, and it looks unbelievable. It makes everyone's elses lights look yellow, yet it doesn't look a ricer blue. There is minimal glare coming from the headlight housing since they are projectors.

Did you happen to take before and after shots?

Note, the LL on the bulb is for Long Life, which means that the H11 on the car is lower lumen output than standard H11 bulbs (I guess to help extend the life as they are the DRL, where in Oz, they use a separate small bulb in the high beam reflector). LL also gives off a more yellow light as they are under-driving the filament to get the longer life. Just switching to a non-LL H11 bulb will give a higher lumen output and whiter light than currently (at the sacrifice of life though).

H7 ~2100 lumen
H11 (non LL) ~1300 lumen :banghead:

H9 ~2100 lumen Hm.....

So how much do these plug-in-play kit's run anyway?

My 35w kits are $135 and the 55w are $165 at the moment. The 35w kits put out around 1000 lumens more than a halogen and the 55w kit is about another 1000 again.

Since this thread had quite a bit of useful information I thought I would ask one question that I don't see being addressed... what about the Twilight Sentinal?

I disabled the DRLs within 30 minutes of owning the car and that is easy... but what has stopped me from doing HIDs in late-model GM cars that I've owned is the inability to disable the auto-headlights (Twilight Sentinal as it is called). There is no fuse or relay for the twilight sentinal that I know of at least. I have stayed away from HIDs because I know it is not good for them to be turned on and off "rapidly" and with the auto-headlights you don't have much control of that. For example... as I pull in my garage the headlights will turn on and as soon as I turn the car off (maybe 15-20 seconds later) the lights will turn off. This is generally not good for HIDs from my previous experience.

Yes you can use the momentary rocker to disable it on demand, but that is a hassle to have to do that EVERY time you want control of your HIDs. The only solution that I found on my previous car was to ground the signal wire going from the switch to the BCM. When you flip the momentary rocker over the switch sends a ground signal to the BCM. You could easily ground this wire permanently which would always disable the auto headlight feature but I didn't want to lose some of the other functionality (this also disables your entry and exit lighting permanently).

Is there some trick to getting rid of the auto-headlight but retaining all the other features? Or, are you guys just letting the BCM do what it wants with your HIDs???

Adam

Hi, Adam. :threadpiracy

as I pull in my garage the headlights will turn on and as soon as I turn the car off (maybe 15-20 seconds later) the lights will turn off. This is generally not good for HIDs from my previous experience.



so is OEM HID in ACADIA, SRX....
15-20 seconds is fine for HID and most GM cars have 15-30 seconds delay for auto lights

Hi, Adam. :threadpiracy

I thought I told you never to call me here :secret:

Since this thread had quite a bit of useful information I thought I would ask one question that I don't see being addressed... what about the Twilight Sentinal?

Adam

I believe you can go through the "Mode" button & control the settings for that. IIRC, I can do it on my GTO. Or is that the auto delay for turning off the lights after the ignition is cut off? I set mine (whichever one it was) so long ago that I can't remember.

back to the original thread....

i put HIDs on my G8 today and i found the easyest way to get to it was thru the wheel well... take off the tires and then the black plastic. youll see a nice spot to put the ballast and the back of the head lights are right there... its super simple. the kit i got was plug and play.. ill try and post some pics soon but i dont know where my camera is...

super simple and you dont have to remove any of those exterior pieces that can be finiky to put back on like the bumper.

That was going to be my next question was HL removal. Is everyone else attacking this from the wheel well as mentioned?

l3gofr3ak, would you please state the brand of hids you used along with your pictures, thank you

i put HIDs on my G8 today and i found the easyest way to get to it was thru the wheel well... take off the tires and then the black plastic. youll see a nice spot to put the ballast and the back of the head lights are right there... its super simple. the kit i got was plug and play.. ill try and post some pics soon but i dont know where my camera is...
Got a link to the HIDs? :err:

sorry it took me a couple days to respond.. i dont remember what brand my HIDs are right off the top of my head but i bought them off of ebay for $80something.... they are H11s not 7s and went on pretty easy. here is a couple pics of how they look. 5000k.

thats a nice 5 series...

i mean G8!!!!!

Looks nice!!! Thats what im gonna do to mine. 5000k

not a bad cutoff at all. I kind of expected something decent because they are projectors but those look beautiful. I may have to pick up a set at some point.

-Brian

I was thinking about the hids but I want some that look classy not trashy. Theres a guy in my neighborhood with aftermarket hids for his fog and headlights on a g8, too bright if you ask me it looks cheap.

Im still have problems with my HID's at first it was flickering and only one unit coming on. I bought the relay kit for it and the flickering is gone but now I still have the problen of only one light coming on after I turn the key! I checked my wiring and turn the light on and off a few times. The results was one light coming on the majority of the time but after about 11 or 12 attempts both lights finally come on. Any help is appreciated!

Need some help here Got a kit from a company in Cali and of course I got H7s and need to return them for H11 but if I face the car the install on the right side is fairly easy but on the left it is impossible!! Where the hell am I going to put the ballast?? Took me 30mins just to take the dust cover off with my fat hands.
I saw the pictures of the white car the l3gofr3ak has but I have the Gray color and I am thinking of getting either 8000k or 10000k bc my infinti fx45 had 8000k on them and I like them. Who has teh best kit out there??

im running a 6k hid kit, it was easy, i made brackets for ballast that mounts from the top. it was easy to install and to mount.

I was going to go into a big detailed post about why retrofitting HIDs is bad, but I realized that this page (http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html) explains it all nicely.

You may have heard that the US has removed the ban on modifying stock headlight systems, leading a lot of "retro-kit" sellers (including at least one sponsor here) to tell you that it's now legal to put HID capsules in your stock headlights. This could not be any further from the truth. While you are now allowed to modify headlights, they MUST retaing the stock photometrics. Photometrics are basically how mcuh light is produced and in what directions and angles.

While the G8 may have projector housings with a fixed cut off an HID arc will not be in the same location as the filament in standard bulbs, causing it to not be in the focal point of the lens and reflector, giving you improper light distribution. This leads to headlights that while possibly looking better to the driver are actually providing worse lighting for you while driving, and still blinding on coming drivers.

Yesterday I took a trip down I-95 about 200 miles, rain, traffic, fun! I have the HID's in for about 4 months. I agree the light distribution is not as good as a set of Sylvania Aftermarket H11's. My HID simply went out and when I came home the left one was blinking a bit, like a gassy muscle spasm. I had an issue when I installed them, one would not light and the DRL's did not work properly.
I am ready to toss them into the "Proper Recycle Container. Convince me why these are better. I hate facing other cars with them, and why the Hell did I waste my money?
I guess its the demise of the Pontiac that is getting me into the "Divorce My G8 Mode". I am fickle I admit.
Thanks

While the G8 may have projector housings with a fixed cut off an HID arc will not be in the same location as the filament in standard bulbs, causing it to not be in the focal point of the lens and reflector, giving you improper light distribution. This leads to headlights that while possibly looking better to the driver are actually providing worse lighting for you while driving, and still blinding on coming drivers.

No. Have you ever driven a G8 with HIDs. It's a night and day difference. I'm sorry, there's no way you get better lighting with halogens. Not a chance in hell.

The light output with the HID's is TWICE as good as the light output from the halogen bulbs in my car. And I have never had anyone flash me or get in an accident because I blinded them.

keglo69 it sounds like your HID's were defective from the start, mine work perfectly and both lights always come on. I pulled the fuse for the DRL's and use my parking lights during the daytime.

The light output with the HID's is TWICE as good as the light output from the halogen bulbs in my car. And I have never had anyone flash me or get in an accident because I blinded them.

keglo69 it sounds like your HID's were defective from the start, mine work perfectly and both lights always come on. I pulled the fuse for the DRL's and use my parking lights during the daytime.
Amen brother

Thanks for your Humble Opinions on the HID headlamps, the second time they were serviced, "The New York Distributor" said put in a relay, and they did and "Intensity Brothers" worked fine. I just wonder if heat? Moisture? I-95 Flu? caused the outage and slight rapid pulse like dimming? Never used them for that length of time. (retired and need to walk more, I get more miles to the gallon) Thanks very much for your input, but I think they are gone.