350z HID Bulb Upgrades

Upgrade your factory xenon bulbs with more stylish colors.

Does your Nissan 350z come with the optional xenon headlight package from the factory? The early year 350z, from 2003 until 2005, came with an optional HID low beam and a halogen high beam. If it didn’t come with facotry HID lows, then it had both high and low beam halogen lights. The later years, 2006+, came with only one style of headlights that employed a bi-xenon projector headlight. I just want to talk about the 350z cars that came with factory xenon bulbs.

All years and sub-models of the 350z came with projector headlights. The early style was single beam (using one bulb for high and one bulb for low) and the later years headlights came with dual beam xenon (one bulb did both high and low beam), but it doesn’t matter what year your 350z is, they all used the same bulb, it’s called a D2S, which is a very common OEM style xenon bulb.

Showing the difference between early and later style Nissan 350z Headlight designs. The later style is far superior to the earlier style because it uses a much higher quality projector and bi-xenon technology.

It is very common for people to change out their factory xenon D2S bulbs with aftermarket bulbs for a few reasons. First off, sometimes even xenon bulbs will go bad after years of faithful service. It is far less expensive to replace the lights with aftermarket bulbs. Secondly, many enthusiasts prefer a more white, blue or golden hue to the light, and Philips nor Sylvania offer any color of OEM style bulbs than 4,300K. GTR Lighting offers an OEM HID bulb for the Nissan 350z in different colors, and that can handle a higher wattage ballast.

Today it is possible to get a 350z OEM HID bulb in colors from 3,000K up to 12,000K.

On the right side is the OEM 4,300K bulbs, and on the left side are aftermarket 8,000K xenon bulbs.

Closeup of an early style 350z bulb, fitted with 6,000K HID Bulbs.

Here is a unique site, 3,000K HID Bulbs, AKA “JDM Gold” installed as factory xenon bulb replacements.

Next time you want to upgrade the look of your Z car, or need to replace a burnt out HID bulb, consider using a high quality xenon D2-Series bulb from GTR Lighting.

Nissan 350z Rear LED Conversion

You can change all of the rear lighting in your 350z with LED bulb upgrades.

One of the fastest ways to improve the appearance of a great car like the Nissan 350z is to change the light bulbs, which from the factory are incandescent light bulbs. A sports car like the Nissan 350z deserves all of the luxury upgrades possible, and that means changing out the original light bulbs with LED technology!

At TLG-Auto we have taken a stock Nissan 350z and replaced all of the original lights with LED replacements, documented it and created different packages so you can upgrade all of your lights to LED.

Here are the different LED upgrades for the rear of any 350z:

1. 350z Rear Blinker LEDs:

You can change all of the rear lighting in your 350z with LED bulb upgrades.

2. 350z Reverse Light LEDs:

Better visibility for others and helps you see better at night: Reverse Light LED lights.

3. 350z Rear License Plate Light LEDs:

Rear License Plate LED upgrades are a great way to make the car look more luxurious!

4. 350z Trunk Light LED:

The Ultimate LED trunk light.

4×6 Projector Headlight Housing Options

Today several options are available to upgrade your 4×6 headlights.

In the world of automobile customizing and upgrading, it is not uncommon to find a vehicle that uses a set of 4×6, or 165mm rectangular, headlights. It is common on older vehicles, like the short-lived Ford Mustang SVO, or the Ford Probe to use this type of headlight in a dual-beam sealed beam headlight that does both high beam and low beam. Then there’s other vehicles like many Peterbilt semi-trucks that use 4 different 4×6 headlights, 2 for low beam and 2 for high beam. No matter which configuration you have, it’s one of the favorite parts of the vehicle to modify for either style or performance. In this post I will discuss the different options that are available right now.

1. JW Speaker 8800 LED Headlights

The 4×6 LED Head Lamps by JW Speaker are model number 8800 and available in a high beam style or low beam style. These are designed to be able to be used in a 4-headlight system common in older cars and tractor trailers like Peterbilts and Kenworth trucks. These are the nicest, best performing and most expensive 4×6 headlights on the market. They utilize two D-Shaped LED projectors on the sides and one LED projector in the middle. Normally these would be used by purchasing two pairs, one pair for low beam and one pair for high beam, but it is possible to use these as a single beam headlight for a passenger car.

The JW Speaker 8800 LED headlight is the best option on the market but is also the most expensive.

2. GTR Lighting Tru-Projector 4×6 Headlights

The 4×6 projector/halo headlights by GTR Lighting are a great, inexpensive option that will allow you to use an H3 halogen bulb or an H3 single beam HID system. These headlights have a pretty decent light output, with a sharp cutoff and different colors available for the halo. These headlights look great and work even better. Perfect for show or increased light output, but also offers increased visibility and new technology style. The GTR Lighting 4×6 Projector headlights are a great, economical option that are easy to install and look great.

The GTR Lighting “Tru-Projector” 4×6 headlights feature a real projector lens and an LED halo.

3. Starr HID Projector with LED Accents

The 165mm / 4×6 projector headlights from Starr Lighting utilize a high quality 9005 style single beam projector housing with 6 LED accent lights around the outside of each projector. These headlights have a very unique look and are one of the most inexpensive projector headlights you can find in this style.

The 4×6 projector headlights from Starr feature a uniquely styled LED accent on each housing.

 

4. Starr HID 4×6 Quad HID Headlights

Last, and certainly not least, is the 4-lamp set by Starr HID. This is a truly unique system because it is super high quality, but is not suitable for pop-up headlights due to the deep design of the housing lens. The projectors used in the Starr HID housings are so incredible, that they are bigger than any other projector housing on the market. But they are great if you have fixed-headlights that do not go up and down.

The Starr HID XP4656 projector headlights utilize high quality GTR Lighting HID ballasts and OEM style HID bulbs. Also, they come with high power halogen 9005 bulbs for the high beam, which can also be upgraded to an HID system by using a conversion kit. This is a great system if you are looking for the best of the best, and can use it.

The best of the best, by Starr HID – utilizing OEM quality projectors and HID components.

JW Speaker 8700 LED Headlight Review

The legendary 8700 LED Headlight by JW Speaker Corp.

Recently I took the time to review a set of black-housing JW Speaker model #8700, 7″ Round LED Headlights. Needless to say I was blown away with the quality, style, and output. First some quick stats: 1,200 lumen light output, available in black and chrome housings, high and low beam function, 2.5amp current draw at 12 volts DC.

The smooth and powerful light output features a wide sweep from left to right and no distracting hot spots or lines that create shadows on the road. The light output on low beam leaves nothing to be desired, and high beam doesn’t offer much more. If anything could be improved on this set of lights it’s the high beam. It is almost non-existent and nothing like an OEM style bi-xenon hi/lo setup where the high beam floods light output way up high. The JW Speaker 8700 high beam adds a little extra “bump” in the center, but doesn’t really extend the reach upward but rather increases intensity.

Watch the video for a live demonstration and a comparison between the JW Speaker model and the original LED headlight from Truck-Lite:

These LED Headlights are the epitome of cool and the ultimate lighting accessory for any vehicle that comes from the factory with 7″ round headlights, either sealed beams or factory composites. Some of the vehicles that these lights will work in are the Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes Benz G500, Old Ford Mustang, Older Volkswagens, Hummer H1 and H2, and many industrial or commercial vehicles.

The legendary 8700 LED Headlight by JW Speaker Corp.

The JW Speaker 8700 is available in a chrome housing or a black housing.

The Jeep Wrangler Dragon build for the 2012 Chinese Auto Show used only the best lighting, including JW Speaker 8700 LED headlights and JW Speaker 6045 LED fog lights.

JW Speaker LED lights are excellent for off road applications because they are rugged, dependable, powerful and come with a great warranty.

The JW Speaker 8700 LED headlights are the greatest finishing touch to any vehicle, for show or off road.

The 8700 LED Headlight uses two D-Shaped LEDs on the side to produce the majority of the output and two larger projectors on top and bottom for high and low beam.

The low beam output installed and on the road behind a motorcycle. This is from a single JW Speaker 8700 LED Headlight.

Inexpensive 7″ Round LED Headlights by Truck-Lite

The original LED headlight, 7″ Round from Truck-Lite

In 2009 Truk-Lite introduced the FIRST 100% LED HEADLIGHT replacement housing for all 7″ round headlight housings. This headlight is called the “Phase 6″ or part number 27250C and uses 5 LED chips for high beam and 5 LED chips for low beam and drawing a maximum 4.5amps at 12 volts DC, all working together to produce up to 1,350 lumens of output light! This is very impressive, about 400 lumens brighter than most stock headlights and a plug and play LED alternative.

As you can see from the video it has good light output, but it is dwarfed by the performance of the JW Speaker #8700, 7” Round LED headlamp. The Truck Lite brand LED headlight has been a popular favorite in the Jeep and classic cars community for years because of it’s lone place in the market until recently and it is still a great option. The headlight has a plastic/polycarbonate lens and an H4 style wire harness to make installation simple and efficient.

The original LED headlight, 7″ Round from Truck-Lite

The final review of the Truck-Lite 7″ Round LED Headlights concludes that it is a very cool product, it is half the price of the JW Speaker counterpart, it looks great and is easy to install, and lastly the light output leaves something to be desired, but for the price you cannot beat it.

HID Relay Harnesses Explained

A typical relay power harness for HID Conversion Systems.

The primary function of an automotive headlight wire harness is to provide power directly from the vehicle’s battery to the lighting system. This allows the bulb, or HID ballast, to operate independently of the vehicle’s original wiring system and can provide a power source that is more consistent.

A lighting relay harness is most commonly used in aftermarket HID conversion kits to bypass the factory wiring in order to get around complicated electronic control systems or to allow a higher rate of current to be delivered to the bulbs. A Relay Wiring Harness utilizes a 30amp fuse protected power wire that directly connects to your positive terminal on the battery.  An Automotive Relay is used to pull signal from a source (Headlight connector) that triggers power to be drawn from the battery.  There are two sets of cables meant to provide power to an HID ballast.  There are also two separate ground wire terminals that need to be connected to the chassis to complete the electrical circuit.

The different components of the Accessory Wiring Harness.

As previously stated, this product is most commonly found used in aftermarket xenon retrofits but can also be beneficial when trying to get the most light output from aftermarket or OEM halogen/incandescent light bulbs. Any lighting system can benefit from increased current capacity in the wiring. GTR Lighting offers a wide array of Plug and Play Relay Wire harnesses for H7, H8, H9, H10, H11, H13, 9004, 9005, 9006, 9007 and more. Visit GTRLighting.com to learn more about the different wiring products available.

What does a Wiring Harness fix?

An Relay Wire Harness is capable of fixing a variety of power related HID lighting issues i.e. intermittent on/off, flickering, delayed start, HID low light output, and uneven brightness.

Problem: Delayed Start
An HID Ballast requires more power to ignite on start-up than during normal usage.  This initial power surge can sometimes be problematic for vehicles with weaker electrical systems that cannot provide the power needed.  The vehicles stock headlight connectors are not capable of providing 7-8 amps per headlight and as a result, only one HID turns on when the switch is turned on.  After about 20 seconds when the ballasts power consumption drops to 3.2 amps, you can quickly turn the lights off then back on and voila, both HID lights turn on.  This scenario happens all the time and is the direct result of insufficient power.

Solution:

An HID wiring harness with power supplied directly from the battery would eliminate this issue as it would be able to consume up to 30 amps through the batteries positive terminal to ignite both ballasts.

Problem: Flickering
An HID Ballast that is not getting sufficient power from a stock headlight connector will cycle on and off as it tries to ignite and power on.  This can also be a result of an inefficient ballast that is not able to convert the available power to properly ignite an HID system. I always recommend high quality HID components like the 35w CANBUS Pro ballast from GTR Lighting.

Solution: 
An HID wiring harness will provide the power necessary to ignite even an inefficient ballast for flicker free HID lighting.

Problem: Dim/Dark Light Output:
When a ballast is under-performing, light output can appear more blue and dimmer than it should be.  This is a result of the ballast not converting enough power to ignite the bulb at its optimal range.   A bulb that is 4300K connected to a ballast with a weak power source, can look like an 8000K blue color with substantially lower light output.

Solution:
An HID Wiring harness will be able to provide more power to the ballast allowing the system to operate at 100%.  This however is not a guaranteed solution as a poor quality ballast which will not output sufficient power no matter how much is being inputted.

Problem: Uneven Brightness
My passenger side is brighter than my driver side!  Power in not always delivered in equal amounts to each headlight, and depending on your vehicles wiring configuration, can have a negative impact on lighting performance when installing HIDs.  If one headlight has less resistance to the power source i.e. length of wiring, fuse panels bridging connections etc, it will receive power first leaving less for the second headlight to consume.  In this scenario, one headlight could end up being brighter than the other, or powering up to full brightness faster than the other.

Solution: An HID wiring relay harness will provide equal amounts of power to each HID Ballast allowing for even and consistent brightness between both headlights.

To Buy or Not to Buy?
An HID wiring harness for some vehicles is a safety and assurance item to prevent future problems, and for other vehicles is a necessary requirement to a successful HID installation.  My general recommendation is to always use a harness where possible to help extend the life of your HID system, avoid unnecessary headaches, or to boost the output of your halogen light bulbs.  Not only are you providing your HID ballasts with adequate power, you are protecting both your vehicle and HID system with the inline fuse that separates the systems.

Starr HID Offers OEM Performance with Aftermarket Flair!

This set of black-backed headlights are one of the absolute best on the market from Starr HID.

Recently I reviewed a set of Starr HID™ 7″ Round Bi-Xenon replacement Housings, part number HID-XP6024. The thing that I like about these lights the most is not only do they use OEM Philips brand components, including D1S xenon bulbs, but they also LOOK AWESOME! I mean, check out this Hummer H2 with the Starr HID headlights:

Starr HID headlights make this Hummer look extra-awesome.

The next best thing about these headlights has got to be the light output. Many consumers of fine lighting products already know that an HID conversion kit in a halogen/reflector style headlight doesn’t work as well as an OEM xenon system because that housing wasn’t made for HID light output. So sometimes the beam pattern output is scattered and has hot spots on the road. When a vehicle comes with original equipment high intensity discharge headlights the beam pattern is restricted and nearly perfect. The Starr HID headlights offer the best of both worlds: OEM Performance with Aftermarket Flair! Check out this comparison between the JW Speaker 7″ LED Headlights and the XP6024 7″ HID Headlight:

Starr HID Headlights low beam on the right, JW Speaker LED Headlights low beam on the left.

Another light output picture of the Starr HID headlights close against a wall to demonstrate the cutoff line, the high beam function and the smooth output pattern. This picture shows the headlights in their high beam state.

So in a nut shell, the Starr 7″ Round HID Headlights have a great (3 years) warranty, DOT certified, beautiful construction, great light output and they look fantastic when installed. I definitely give these headlights a thumbs up, and if you’re interested in getting your hands on a set, visit HeadlightRevolution.com

You can watch the full, fairly long winded, review video here:

What’s the Difference Between D1C and D3C?

See the green base? Means “Environmentally Friendly”!

Since the late 1990’s some automobile manufacturers like Ford, Audi and Mercedes Benz have been using xenon high intensity discharge headlights as an option for consumers when buying a new vehicle and the most common OEM HID bulb had been the D1 series bulb. First there was D1R (for reflector housings) then there was D1S (for shielded housings AKA projectors). The “R” type bulbs have a painted section designed to block light output to a certain part of the housing thus helping to create a safe output pattern. The “S” type bulbs have nothing on the bulb itself because the shield is inside the projector housing.

Then along came the D2 series bulbs, and again we started to see the D2R and then the D2S, with R and S meaning the same thing as the D1 series bulbs.

The D2R with painted on shield for use in reflector housings.

The D2S with nothing on the bulb, designed for projector housings.

Now that you have a clear understanding of the difference between the D2 style OEM xenon bulbs and the D1 style OEM bulbs, now I can show you the newest evolution in OEM high intensity discharge lighting – Introducing The Green Movement!

Enter D3 and D4 OE bulbs, D1 and D3 are in the same family, so are D2 and D4. D1 and D3 have an igniter built into the base, whereas D2 and D4 rely on the igniter inside of it’s accompanied ballast. The biggest difference between the D1/D2 VS D3/D4 bulbs is that these new D3 and D4 bulbs use no mercury and require less energy to turn on! The easiest way to tell the difference between a new No-Mercury bulb and the old style is to look at the part that the wire harness connects to and you will see it is green (see top picture).

Many vehicles today are using this type of D3 bulb, including the new Ford Mustang, Ford Flex and all new Audi vehicles like the A3, A4, Q5 and S5. When you are shopping for OEM style D1S, D1R, D1C, D2S, D2R, D2C, D3S, D3R or D3C HID bulbs, you also should know the difference between the S, R and C identifiers. Manufacturers want to make it hard to put the wrong bulb inside your factory HID headlight housing, so they built the bulbs with little notches allowing them to only fit the correct housing type, but otherwise they are identical.

The “C” type base replaces both “R & S” type bulbs.

As you can see, the D2C / D1C / D3C / D4C bulbs are all designed to replace either the S or R type bulbs because they have all of the notches for any application. This is great because it allows the cost of the bulb to be less than an OEM product due to needing to inventory only one bulb per style instead of 2 or 3. Before I let you go into the world to buy HID bulbs for your xenon equipped whip, let me make a few things clear:

1. The “C” type based-bulbs are a great option for replacing any OEM style bulb.

2. You CANNOT replace a D3 bulb with a D1 bulb! They will physically fit, but the bulb, ballast or both will be damaged when you turn it on.

3. You CANNOT replace a D4 bulb with a D2 bulb! They will physically fit, but the bulb, ballast or both will be damaged when you turn it on.

4. D1 and D2 xenon bulbs use Mercury. D3 and D4 xenon bulbs are Mercury-free!

5. Philips and other OEM producers of xenon lighting in cars DOES NOT offer anything besides 4,300K bulbs. All bulbs listed as Philips or Sylvania in other colors are fakes!

HID Reverse Lights – Blind From Behind!

Nissan 350z sporting the GTR Lighting HID Reverse Light Kit

Many folks that talk upgrading your reverse lights to anything other than stock is a waste of time because LED doesn’t put out enough light and HID takes too long to warm up. I am here to tell you today that that is WRONG! Sure sometimes LED bulbs aren’t as bright as the stock reverse lights but they look cool. Normally when working with a standard 35w HID conversion kit they will be WILDLY brighter than stock but they do take a little while to warm up, and by that time you’ve already finished backing up and into drive again to get where you’re going. I want to inform you about the GTR Lighting HID Reverse Lights conversion kit though – this kit is only 15w and designed for backing up. They light up really bright really fast and will blow any LED or stock bulbs out of the water! Just watch this video demonstration:

HID Reverse lights are one of the hottest products in the high performance lighting market right now because they are really efficient (therefore they warm up fast) but they still have the high-power output that you’re used to from HID components. They have a water proof ballast, several different adapters to make it plug and play for almost any vehicle and come with extensions in case you don’t have room for all the wiring and parts behind your tail lights!

These are perfect for if you are backing up a truck to hook up a trailer or boat, if you are trying to get out of a cramped parking lot at a party or you want other drivers to REALLY NOTICE YOU when you are driving in reverse. Sometimes you will hear people complain about their lack of visibility when backing up in their car or truck and they will say “why didn’t they make my reverse lights brighter?”. The reason is that the original function of a reverse light assembly in your vehicle is for the visibility TO other drivers, not your own visibility while backing up.

HID Reverse Light conversions will not only increase other-drivers’ visibility of your car, but also increase your own visibility when backing up in a dark setting. You can’t go wrong with this product, just make sure you don’t cheap out and get a “discount” kit that will only last a couple weeks of driving. We always recommend GTR Lighting because they have proven to be the best in the business.

For when you need the best in high performance lighting, pick the lights that don’t quit. GTR Lighting HID Reverse Lights.

Exciting LED Headlight Technology – JW Speaker Brand

7″ Round LED Headlights on a Jeep Wrangler add style, functionality and AWESOMENESS!

2 Years ago, LED Headlights were a fantasy – today they are a legitimate option for many automotive enthusiasts! With the help from JW Speaker Corp, a Wisconsin/USA manufacturer, it is now a possibility! LED headlights absolutely annihilate halogen lighting options in every category! Less electricity consumption, more efficient, less heat output, more lumen output, better looking! Because of recent advances in LED technology, and optics research and design, many consumers can replace halogen headlights with LED.

Beautiful concept build for Jeep and Chrysler to announce it’s return to the Chinese market – outfitted with JW Speaker LED Headlights

Check out this review on a new Chrysler/Jeep Chinese Design Concept vehicle from AutoBlog:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/chrysler-and-jeep-chinese-design-concepts/#photo-4947767/

The JW Speaker 7″ round LED Headlights fit a wide variety of different vehicles including: Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes Benz G500, Classic Chevrolet Chevelle, Classic Ford Mustang, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Older Volkswagen Golf and Jettas, and many other vehicles. The factory headlamps that come on these listed vehicles have an output rating of somewhere between 600 – 950 Lumen. A 35w HID lighting system will put out up to 3,500 Lumen, and these new LED headlights have an output of 1,400 Lumen! Not quite as mind-blowing as the HID counterpart, but the high-tech optical system used to send the lighting down the road makes it still very competitive as far as usable light goes.

Here are some more pictures of these LED Headlights:

Beautiful concept build for Jeep and Chrysler to announce it’s return to the Chinese market – outfitted with JW Speaker LED Headlights

7″ Round LED Headlights on a Jeep Wrangler add style, functionality and AWESOMENESS!