G26okie
Senior Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Saw a few posts about the LED kit so I figured I would post my review of both Xenondepot's LED H11 kit and their HID Xtreme kit. This might be a long one...
LED Headlight Kit: http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-LED-headlight-kit-p/h11-led-hl.htm
PICS: http://imgur.com/a/H4ej3
Pros:
Very simple install
Don't need to mount extra boxes or run more wiring
lifespan, they will last life of the car at least
instant on
can retain use of auto on headlights
Great look at 6000k
Cons:
Brightness lower than hid
Less throw than HID and/or oem bulbs
diodes located on sides of bulb rather than 360* light causing non-optimal light pattern
POSSIBLE dimming as they heat up
HID Xtreme Kit with 4300k Philips bulbs: http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-HID-Kit-Xtreme-HID-p/xt-h11.htm
PICS: http://imgur.com/a/6Nv5m
Pros:
Unparalleled field of vision
Brightness
4300k color allows most visible light on road
Cons:
More difficult install
More parts to break/have issues
lifespan no where close to LEDs although plenty long
4300k color not as "cool" as LEDs (although the philips bulbs will color shift to approx 4700k)
Possible electro-magnetic interference (I have ZERO radio static) as their kit supposedly contains proper EMI filters
LONG REVIEW AHEAD
I had HIDs on my two previous cars, a Mazdaspeed 3 and 2010 Accord coupe, one was a DDM kit, and the next was a xenondepot Volt kit. I wanted to try something different with this car and since LEDs are the new hotness I decided to try that. Benefits were plug and play and very very easy install with a long lifespan and whiteish blue light. They worked fine for what they were, great quality in the hand, but the light output and pattern left something to be desired as the diodes don't project 360* light. Great for stock like brightness with a better look, but I wanted more light. So I ordered the xenondepot xtreme HID kit with philips 4300k bulbs.
The HID kit quality feels very good, ballasts are weighted nicely with thick metal casings, unlike the DDMs I had which had a tin-like case. During operation they are also completely silent much like my volt kit also from xenondepot, however my DDM kit's ballasts would whine/buzz.
The 4300k bulbs match in color exactly, and according to other users and xenondepot they will color-shift to 4700k during the first 100 hours of use which will be just about perfect.
The install was not bad at all, much easier than my two previous cars, using one large zip tie per ballast right behind each headlight, they can be removed and reinstalled in under 10 minutes if needed. The only hiccup was having to reverse the pins in a plug on the kit which took under 5 minutes.
The result is a great light throw, brightness and nice OEM luxury look.
As an aside, xenondepot's customer service in my experience has been second to none. With their volt kit I had issues with one side and after a short discussion on the phone I was shipped a new bulb, ballast and relay harness (which I did not use on that car or this car), and then had 3 years of trouble free operation. They respond to emails/PMs within a couple of hours, and sometimes quicker.
LED Headlight Kit: http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-LED-headlight-kit-p/h11-led-hl.htm
PICS: http://imgur.com/a/H4ej3
Pros:
Very simple install
Don't need to mount extra boxes or run more wiring
lifespan, they will last life of the car at least
instant on
can retain use of auto on headlights
Great look at 6000k
Cons:
Brightness lower than hid
Less throw than HID and/or oem bulbs
diodes located on sides of bulb rather than 360* light causing non-optimal light pattern
POSSIBLE dimming as they heat up
HID Xtreme Kit with 4300k Philips bulbs: http://www.xenondepot.com/H11-HID-Kit-Xtreme-HID-p/xt-h11.htm
PICS: http://imgur.com/a/6Nv5m
Pros:
Unparalleled field of vision
Brightness
4300k color allows most visible light on road
Cons:
More difficult install
More parts to break/have issues
lifespan no where close to LEDs although plenty long
4300k color not as "cool" as LEDs (although the philips bulbs will color shift to approx 4700k)
Possible electro-magnetic interference (I have ZERO radio static) as their kit supposedly contains proper EMI filters
LONG REVIEW AHEAD
I had HIDs on my two previous cars, a Mazdaspeed 3 and 2010 Accord coupe, one was a DDM kit, and the next was a xenondepot Volt kit. I wanted to try something different with this car and since LEDs are the new hotness I decided to try that. Benefits were plug and play and very very easy install with a long lifespan and whiteish blue light. They worked fine for what they were, great quality in the hand, but the light output and pattern left something to be desired as the diodes don't project 360* light. Great for stock like brightness with a better look, but I wanted more light. So I ordered the xenondepot xtreme HID kit with philips 4300k bulbs.
The HID kit quality feels very good, ballasts are weighted nicely with thick metal casings, unlike the DDMs I had which had a tin-like case. During operation they are also completely silent much like my volt kit also from xenondepot, however my DDM kit's ballasts would whine/buzz.
The 4300k bulbs match in color exactly, and according to other users and xenondepot they will color-shift to 4700k during the first 100 hours of use which will be just about perfect.
The install was not bad at all, much easier than my two previous cars, using one large zip tie per ballast right behind each headlight, they can be removed and reinstalled in under 10 minutes if needed. The only hiccup was having to reverse the pins in a plug on the kit which took under 5 minutes.
The result is a great light throw, brightness and nice OEM luxury look.
As an aside, xenondepot's customer service in my experience has been second to none. With their volt kit I had issues with one side and after a short discussion on the phone I was shipped a new bulb, ballast and relay harness (which I did not use on that car or this car), and then had 3 years of trouble free operation. They respond to emails/PMs within a couple of hours, and sometimes quicker.
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