pulled over for HIDs

[Ronin]

I've said before and I'll say it again, especially since this thread seems to be a magnet for the HID-haters...

...I do care about the other drivers on the road; blinding them unnecessarily is NOT an option, that other person's safety is no less valuable then anyone else's on the road...

I try to be courteous to whoever is ahead or behind me, but that doesn't always mean I'm successful, and it goes both ways...

 

[sniper_101]

well personally I couldn't care less what you have. If it blinds me my 100 watt road light are coming on. run your fog lights when you meet meno fog, my road light come on again. hey fair is fair you run more than ow beam when meeting me, I'll my my aux lights when meeting you. most places state dim for oncoming traffic. that means low beams, not low beams and fogs. 75% of the stock fogs out there do not shine as far as the low beams but are much more blinding.
oooo I run tinted windshield so I need more light, how STUPID is that would you wear sunglasses at night too. yes it looks cool but you can't see crap so blinding me to compensate is ok? NOT simple solution reduce the tint or remove enough of it to give you enough normal vision to function. how much tint do you have 3 seconds of my road lights from behind seems to blow the dumbest driver with a rear tinted window out of the fast lane so imagine them from in front of you at close range. you will see large blue spots for some time to come. show me courtesy or the nasty in me comes out too

I agree 100%.

I do drive with my "fog" lights (R.I. D2's) in the day however, seems to help people avoid cutting me off or pulling out in front of me. But never use them at night on a road with traffic, unless someone decides not to dim or their stupid HID's are making it hard for me to see (let a lone the people driving cars 2ft lower than me).

 

[mortal798]

It's a federal law.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) #108 "Replaceable Light Sources"

Says something to the effect of: 'A replacement light source must conform to the original plug size, shape, number of pins, filament rating, candle power, and ballast rating.'

So any aftermarket HID kit is a violation of Federal law, unless it meets exactly the same specifications as the factry lighting system. (This is impossible inthe case of any vehicle that comes with halogen bulbs, because they don't require a ballast.) Adding the ballast is the first violation, the second is the candlepower - most aftermarket HID kits ar close to 800% brighter than factory.

 

[6.0Dually]

I just got a ticket the other day for having mine on.

 

[Ronin]

So all you HID-haters spouting off about federal law have ALL of your OEM EPA equipment in place, right? EGR, DPF, DOC...all of it right? Give it a rest. I hate eBay ricer 18K purple flickering and scattered "HIDs" as much as anyone else here but lumping all HIDs in together is ridiculous...

And getting ticketed? Pics/scan or it didn't happen. Not calling anyone a liar but this is starting to get legendary along the lines of "...my buddy got a $10K fine for having his DPF deleted..."

And more likely than not, it wasn't just the HIDs that got the cop's attention in the first place. Could be an obnoxious lift (with the lights not adjusted properly), oversized tires sticking out a 1/2 foot from the sides (which as a biker I just LOVE), the soot and tire smoke pouring off the arse end of your truck when you were schooling the snot nose kid in his mom's Civic with a gigantic fart can on it or the windows you were rattling in the church parking lot when you were cranking Kid Rock's version of "Sweet Home Alabama" at 10 o'clock on a Sunday morning...

Cops are people too, and sometimes they just have bad days and decide to hammer someone JUST for HIDs cause they want to and they can. That's the price you pay to play. Fight the ticket, "fix it" (by removing them and returning to stock) or keep them in and run the risk of getting ticketed again. It's common sense...

 

[6.0Dually]

I don't even understand how it happened. I made a right turn at a 4 way stop and he was just there waiting on me, mind you this was around 6:30 in the evening. This was a state trooper, he had me standing on the side of the highway for about half an hour while he was searching through my truck.

 

[sniper_101]

So all you HID-haters spouting off about federal law have ALL of your OEM EPA equipment in place, right? EGR, DPF, DOC...all of it right? Give it a rest. I hate eBay ricer 18K purple flickering scattered "HIDs" as much as anyone else here but lumping all HIDs in together is ridiculous...

And getting ticketed? Pics/scan or it didn't happen. Not calling anyone a liar but this is starting to get legendary along the lines of "...my buddy got a $10K fine for having his DPF deleted..."

And more likely than not, it wasn't just the HIDs that got the cop's attention in the first place. Could be an obnoxious lift (with the lights not adjusted properly), oversized tires sticking out a 1/2 foot from the sides (which as a biker I just LOVE), the soot and tire smoke pouring off the arse end of your truck when you were schooling the snot nose kid in his mom's Civic with a gigantic fart can on it or the windows you were rattling in the church parking lot when you were cranking Kid Rock's version of "Sweet Home Alabama" at 10 o'clock in a Sunday morning...

Cops are people too, and sometimes they just have bad days and decide to hammer someone JUST for HIDs cause they want to and they can. That's the price you pay to play.

Removing emissions are not a direct and immediate source of danger and ignorance to other drivers . . . you're just using that as a pointless argument/derail.

Also, I love HID's! I have them in my Ranger. However, I have them in HID designated projectors, aimed properly like HID's were designed for. I also had the factory HID/projector combo on the 379 flat top I drove short haul in; they're far superior to the halogen light option.

"Could be an obnoxious lift (with the lights not adjusted properly)"

Notice the "not adjusted properly" there, people put lights in their housings 4x brighter than factory lights, then have to "aim them down" in an attempt to avoid blinding people and getting pulled over. Am I the only one that can see the irony in buying "better lights", then have to aim them at the ground to run them? :fustrate:

 

[Ronin]

I don't even understand how it happened. I made a right turn at a 4 way stop and he was just there waiting on me, mind you this was around 6:30 in the evening. This was a state trooper, he had me standing on the side of the highway for about half an hour while he was searching through my truck.

Are you commercial (plates or otherwise), or have any markings (DOT, etc.) that would attract attention? It's real scary to mod your truck if you're using them for a commercial purpose and subjecting yourself to additional scrutiny (log books, etc.) and the inspections and fines that can go with them.

Like I said, trooper could just be having a bad day. I live in a wealthy oceanfront community and the town council has recently made it very clear that they're going to be rigorously enforcing the noise ordinances this summer. So bikes with loud pipes, ricers with fart cans and anyone with a loud azz stereo is gonna need to be on their best behavior or else. What do you think the chances are that a few select azz clowns acting like children are the root cause of this...?

It's a rhetorical question.

Tickets suck, no doubt about and no way around it. How you end up dealing with it is a whole other story...

 

[Ronin]

Removing emissions are not a direct and immediate source of danger and ignorance to other drivers . . . you're just using that as a pointless argument/derail.

Also, I love HID's! I have them in my Ranger. However, I have them in HID designated projectors, aimed properly like HID's were designed for. I also had the factory HID/projector combo on the 379 flat top I drove short haul in; they're far superior to the halogen light option.

"Could be an obnoxious lift (with the lights not adjusted properly)"

Notice the "not adjusted properly" there, people put lights in their housings 4x brighter than factory lights, then have to "aim them down" in an attempt to avoid blinding people and getting pulled over. Am I the only one that can see the irony in buying "better lights", then have to aim them at the ground to run them? :fustrate:

So "rolling coal" and impairing the visibility of the traffic behind you isn't an "...direct and immediate source of danger and ignorance to other drivers..."? Argument fail #1.

"Notice the "not adjusted properly" there..." Argument fail #2 for a variety of reasons. Headlights need to be adjusted, stock or otherwise when a vehicle is lifted. There are laws/rules/regulations/whatever you want to call them that vary from state to state regarding acceptable lift heights/bumper heights (etc.) and how much tires can stick out. Likewise the "...direct and immediate source of danger and ignorance to other drivers..." is prolific. Your bumper that's a foot and a half higher than stock could smack the back of the head of a backseat passenger in a MINI Cooper in an accident and turn a fender bender into a fatality. That's not internet legend, it's happened (not the exact same circumstance but wannabe BigFoot trucks being street driven and wrecking all sorts of havoc because they can't see around them for sh!te), or those bad azz super knobby tires (with no mudflaps of course, 'cause they disrupt the cool look of your awesome tires) picking up a nice size rock and putting it right through the windshield, faceshield and skull of a biker who was minding their own business and just out for a ride...

I've said repeatedly (reading comprehension fail) that I have similar disdain for those with obnoxious and improperly adjusted HIDs and I try to drive courteous and extend the amount of respect I get. But AGAIN lumping all HID users (like myself) in together and likening them to a menace to society on the road that's comparable to drunk driving as in some of these posts is just completely ignorant...

 

[mortal798]

Wow, Ronin is mad about this. I like HIDs too, if they are done correctly. I was meerly pointing out what the law says, not saying I agree with it. I had to write a lecture on vehicle lighting systems for a class I was teaching and happened across that information.

Sorry for posting it. :flipa::wtf:

 

[Ronin]

Wow, Ronin is mad about this. I like HIDs too, if they are done correctly. I was merely pointing out what the law says, not saying I agree with it. I had to write a lecture on vehicle lighting systems for a class I was teaching and happened across that information.

Sorry for posting it. :flipa::wtf:

No, not mad, just sick of lumping all HIDs together like they're the same...they're not, just the way not all LEDs are the same or all tuners/tunes either.

You didn't mention the context of your knowledge of the federal law before, but you are now. I commented about EPA related equipment that some people install on their trucks and that's when the butthurting started. It wasn't a derail, just using the same "logic" other people here are using about the legality of HIDs.

No need to apologize but :flipa: ...I mean, really?

 

[chappy]

I've got hids in the heads and fogs. I've aimed them down so they are as high as a stock halogen and I also run my fogs at night. I guess I really just don't care if it bothers someone. Maybe someday I will but as bad as it may sound I just don't give a f***.

 

[skew12]

There are TONS of f250's in my area and I'd say about 85% run their fogs/headlights simultaneously. I don't really hear people complaining about it. Especially compared to the eBay special "HID's." There are just as many 90's civic's or VW's running around with those pos HID's. Those are the real problem. Though not so much for lifted trucks.

 

[sniper_101]

So "rolling coal" and impairing the visibility of the traffic behind you isn't an "...direct and immediate source of danger and ignorance to other drivers..."? Argument fail #1.

"Notice the "not adjusted properly" there..." Argument fail #2 for a variety of reasons. Headlights need to be adjusted, stock or otherwise when a vehicle is lifted. There are laws/rules/regulations/whatever you want to call them that vary from state to state regarding acceptable lift heights/bumper heights (etc.) and how much tires can stick out. Likewise the "...direct and immediate source of danger and ignorance to other drivers..." is prolific. Your bumper that's a foot and a half higher than stock could smack the back of the head of a backseat passenger in a MINI Cooper in an accident and turn a fender bender into a fatality. That's not internet legend, it's happened (not the exact same circumstance but wannabe BigFoot trucks being street driven and wrecking all sorts of havoc because they can't see around them for sh!te), or those bad azz super knobby tires (with no mudflaps of course, 'cause they disrupt the cool look of your awesome tires) picking up a nice size rock and putting it right through the windshield, faceshield and skull of a biker who was minding their own business and just out for a ride...

I've said repeatedly (reading comprehension fail) that I have similar disdain for those with obnoxious and improperly adjusted HIDs and I try to drive courteous and extend the amount of respect I get. But AGAIN lumping all HID users (like myself) in together and likening them to a menace to society on the road that's comparable to drunk driving as in some of these posts is just completely ignorant...

You're comparing "smoking people out" to blinding people at night with HID's? You're again swaying this into an unrelated topic. The people being "blinded" by smoke from a d-bag vs. people not being able to see the road thanks to someone with an HID kit in a vehicle with no business having HID's is about a 1:100 ratio. Also the responsible people removing emissions aren't smoking people out, just like the responsible people swapping to HID's are running retro-fit projectors or housings designed for HID's. Your argument is invalid.

As for the headlight adjustment, I wasn't picking on lifted vehicles alone; that much was obvious you're just trying to nitpick at a statement. Most of the posts from guys defending HID's (not just on this site) preach "but if you aim them down". As for a bumper being "a foot and a half higher than stock could smack the back of the head of a backseat passenger in a MINI Cooper in an accident and turn a fender bender into a fatality", your point? I could just as easily be driving a 12ft high 130,000lb semi. Not sure what your argument about that is. It wouldn't be "immediately affecting" everyone a person is driving past, unless you're running into everyone with a smaller vehicle... Tires pick up rocks, that's life. Knobby tires or not. Ever driven a gravel road? I've had a passing Camry take care of a windshield on my Sierra, and a stock S10 take out a lens on my bike helmet. Tires picking up rocks has as much in relation to the ignorance as HID's as choose the fish or chicken sandwich.

No. You think they're aimed correctly, because you stand in front of your truck at "other car heights" and say "I can handle that". The oncoming person on a 2 lane road in the middle of the night most likely won't agree.

If you're going to do it, just fit projectors for crying out loud. You'll not only do the oncoming driver a huge favour (who just might be in a truck a foot and a half higher than stock, or 130,000lb truck you could be blinding), but you'll have FAR better directional light output, and therefore viability. If you had ever rode in a vehicle with proper, true projector mounted and properly aimed HID's, you'll see why people like me, laugh at everyone thinking they have "awesome" light output from a brighter than should be lamp in an incorrect housing.

My claimed lack of reading comprehension by you is no match for your lack of ability to maintain a related and informative topic.

 

[Ronin]

Nice try...

And how far off the ground is the bumper on that 12 foot high, 130K pound truck?

Exactly. Another argument fail...

(FYI, I think you're about 50K pounds overweight. DOT isn't going to be pleased ointlaugh: )

Your "logic" applies to oversized tires, overlifted trucks and overfueling tunes, you can't have it both ways, but hey if that's your thing, I won't judge. LOL

And as far as oversized tires go, they are mudflap laws for a reason (which vary from state to state), and an oversized tire sticking half a foot out (and there's more than one on this site) are FAR more likely to pick up a rock and send it flying versus a legal tire or an oversized tire protected by a mudflap.

Ever seen vehicles have to come to a dead stop because they can't see from getting smoked out from an overfueling diesel douchecanoe? They're ALL over YouTube...and they're a laugh riot, right up until someone gets rear-ended...

LOVE your stats by the way, did you have to get up out of your chair to pull them out of your azz? 1:100?

Here's some real stats, I've owned several Euro cars with bi-xenon/HID headlights in addition to the '07 Escalade that I previously mentioned. I was frequently flashed and brake checked when driving each and every one of those cars when using low beams during the day and almost constantly at night. Hasn't happened a single time since installing my Retro-Solution HIDs. Are they better than the bixenons that were in my S-55 Mercedes-Benz AMG (a $130K car by the way)? Not likely, but when I do end up getting flashed, you'll be the first to know...and then you'll get to say I told you so.

The only thing I've ever been asked about my HIDs (after being told how great they look) is where to buy them, how much they were, etc. The set I installed in my buddy's F350 replaced the 18K eBay flickering/scattering specials that were getting him constantly flashed and brake checked. That's come to a complete stop...hmmm...I see a pattern here with quality HID kits (like those from Retro Solutions) combined with reasonable wattage, K/temperature and proper aiming.

HID haters are gonna hate...

Potatoes gonna potate!

 

[nitrogen here 2]

no I don't hate any light except a mis aimed, misused light. like a fog light when meeting head traffic especially when there is no fog. snipers not overweight, he is from another country Canada aka "The Great White North" where we run "super b trains" 130k is about right

 

[Ronin]

no I don't hate any light except a mis aimed, misused light. like a fog light when meeting head traffic especially when there is no fog. snipers not overweight, he is from another country Canada aka "The Great White North" where we run "super b trains" 130k is about right

Canada. That explains EVERYTHING! LOL

Sorry...I don't know what got into me...how we can we forget Canada's greatest gift to the rest of the world...

ANYWAY, I'm in agreement here for the most part, except the part that running an HID in a non-projector housing AUTOMATICALLY makes you a douchecanoe, a menace to the general motoring public, a threat to national security, a kicker of adorable puppies and stealer of children's candy...

I have the same disdain for mis-aimed/aligned and mis-used lighting. But sniper_101 now has me thinking about two things, (1) THIS (foglights on with high-beams) and (2) a road trip to the Great White North!

MUHAHAHAHA...take that hosers!

 

[sniper_101]

Canada. That explains EVERYTHING! LOL

Sorry...I don't know what got into me...how we can we forget Canada's greatest gift to the rest of the world...

ANYWAY, I'm in agreement here for the most part, except the part that running an HID in a non-projector housing AUTOMATICALLY makes you a douchecanoe, a menace to the general motoring public, a threat to national security, a kicker of adorable puppies and stealer of children's candy...

I have the same disdain for mis-aimed/aligned and mis-used lighting. But sniper_101 now has me thinking about two things, (1) THIS (foglights on with high-beams) and (2) a road trip to the Great White North!

MUHAHAHAHA...take that hosers!

Technically I can run 62,500kg/137,789lbs, FYI.

And if you would read, I said on page one, post #14:

HID's don't belong in reflector housings designed for Halogen bulbs.

There are reflector housings designed for HID lamps, and HID lamps designed for halogen or HID reflector housings. So no I don't group everyone together.

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=227

Pretty much done with the pointless back and forth in here, so unless you have something useful to discuss I'll waste my time elsewhere.

 

[Ronin]

Pretty much done with the pointless back and forth in here, so unless you have something useful to discuss I'll waste my time elsewhere.

Awww...

Sorry, where are my manners?!

MMMOKCYALATERBYE!

 

[sniper_101]

Not in the least. I just don't see a point in discussing a topic with someone who can't comprehend it.

Edit - I'll bow out and let you have the last post now. I can see that's what you're striving for.