Aftermarket D3s kit to replace factory system

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DoubleWasp

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May 21, 2012
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Fort Lauderdale, FL
Our 2007 Lincoln Navigator was having problems. The ballasts would shut down without warning for no reason at all, requiring the lights to be turned off and on in order to restore the lights.

After this problem brought the attention of the police, it was time to act. Replacement factory components were not cost prohibitive, so I decided to gamble on an aftermarket kit conversion. The difference is clear. Much brighter, no shut-off, more modern in appearance.

Video below

http://youtu.be/gUDzwUYgnwE
 
You swap the OEM 35W ballast with Inovite 55W ballast and 6000k bulb ?

I'm thinking about swapping out the OEM 35W ballasts with Philips D2S 4300k bulbs in my S2000 to 55W ballasts and 5000K bulbs. I think 6000K is a little too white.
 
Yes. I've got the same kit, in 5000k in my Jeep, and I'm very happy with it. The owner wanted something slightly more blingy. He has Mercedes, Lexus, Ferrari, etc, and they all look slightly blue, and the 6000k matches them perfectly.

It looks very high tech compared to stock. If you are looking for sheer lighting improvement, I'd stick with 4300-5000k. I shy away from the 4300k, because they always look tan compared to the LED lights I always like to install.

Honda projectors tend to refractive a little bluer than domestic projectors, so if your stock color satisfies you, then you might not even have to step up to 5000k, but it's a great place to be.
 
As far as I know the Kevin temperature drops a little with higher wattage ballast. With the OEM 35W ballast the 4300K bulb (Philips or Osram) produces rated color.

If I swap the OEM 35W ballast to aftermarket 50-55W ballast then the OEM bulb will produces less than 4300K, probably around 3600-4000K. With higher wattage ballast of 50-55W the 5000K bulb will probably produces around 4300-4700K which isn't too white(or blue).

The original OEM HID system in my 11 years old S2000 is a little too yellow and not as bright as it was new. I'm thinking about upgrading to 50-55W ballasts and 5000K bulbs, but not sure which brand to buy. It seems most aftermarket 50-55W ballasts are made in China, which one is more reliable is hard to tell.

Swapping the ballasts and bulbs in a S2000 is very time consuming, the front bumper cover have to be removed to gain access to the headlight assemblies, so the total time can be 4-5 hours(I'm slow) or longer, I would like to get a good system and do it once and forget about it for 5-10 years.
 
yes, 55W ballast on a 35W bulb does drop the color temperature.

using a 55W-specific bulb with a 55W ballast, maintains the rated temperature
 
My efforts to find a "high quality" aftermarket kit either resulted in super high prices for questionable products, or just high prices for stuff I knew wasn't any better.

The Navi was a major pain, just because it's a D3s sydtem with the bulb/ignitor combo screwed into the projector.

Hold the phone, because I have an 80W LED bulb headlight conversion coming in on Thursday, for dude's Harley. Might be a better option for you if it's any good. They have a D2s version too.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
My efforts to find a "high quality" aftermarket kit either resulted in super high prices for questionable products, or just high prices for stuff I knew wasn't any better.

The Navi was a major pain, just because it's a D3s sydtem with the bulb/ignitor combo screwed into the projector.

Hold the phone, because I have an 80W LED bulb headlight conversion coming in on Thursday, for dude's Harley. Might be a better option for you if it's any good. They have a D2s version too.

I will wait for your opinion about LED conversion. If you have some pictures comparing the LED bulb(also where you get it) with original light bulb will be great.

TIA
 
Ok, so the pic below shows the xenon headlight above the LED converted highway light. The camera shifted the colors, likely compensating for the blueness of the xenon light. The LED light is very bright, and completely outshines the larger xenon headlight.

The kit I got is an 80W system using Cree LED lights. This technology is definitely valid. I won't be using xenon lights anymore. Only wish I'd had the stones to get the kit for the Navigator. Oh well. The more you know.



Next pic shows the headlight above the highway light, with the LED converted marker to the right. The two dim bulbs you see to the left are actually "xenon blue" halogen bulbs. Again, color shifting in full effect. The whiteness of the LED lights, and the blueness of the xenon headlight have caused the halogens to appear brown.



The highway lights with the halogen H3 lights had no visible pattern at all. Now, they come close to overwhelming the big xenon headlight. I'm downright amazed. I'm getting these for all my vehicles. Unlike xenon, these work very well at maintaining a good pattern like the halogens they replaced.

Did some other lighting mods too. Looks amazing at night. This I took before doing the highway lights:

 
From the pictures LED seems to be very bright compares with Xenon, is this Xenon HID ?

How much is the D2S version of the 80W Cree LED bulb ? Where did you get it ?

PS The Harley is so clean and nice. With all the light the alternator must work overtime to supply the power.
 
Hey DoubleWasp, I'm having same issue with with my 07 Navi can you tell me which model and brand and the procedure you used to get the bulbs and ballasts to work properly, actually if you got the LEDs to work I would really love to get that info as well. Please and thanks.
 
Oh yeah, did it a while ago, and worked like a charm. I have not touched a xenon kit since. Everything I do now is LED.

I used the New Brights D3S kit. The trick is, the stock ballast needs to stay in place as a cover. When you remove it, there is just a big hole.

I just ran the power wires through the rubber cover behind the bulb and used a little black 3M 5200 on the spot the wires went through to keep it water tight.

The kit I used has fans on the back to keep the LED hardware cool, and it does, even sealed up in the headlight housing.

The New Brights kits don't seem to be available anymore, so you might have to shop elsewhere.

Shame, because I'm going on almost 2 years on this kit with no problems.
 
Hey DoubleWasp thanks for getting back to me so soon. I'm having issues finding Leds for the Navi too. I guess I'll keep looking. I will let you know if any thing comes up.
 
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