To those who installed an HID Kit, where did you put your ballast?

jason2811

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http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-HID-Kit-Slim-Ballast-35W-or-55W

Bought an HID kit from DDM Tuning. I've installed the left headlight on but can't exactly find a place to put the ballast. I was thinking the ballast could be stuck on the fusebox side facing the lights or the side of lowbeam box (but dont have much room there). Havn't installed the right HID yet. Waiting to figure out where to put the ballast is hard. I do have a couple questions as well too.

Could the wires be prone to overheating/frying? There's no point in strategic placing of the ballast if my wires could get f-ed up anyways.

Is heavy mount tape really good enough? The ballast is quite larger than I thought it'd be.

Do I need to have the red stopper plugged in as well for the HID? As I was jiggling the wires around and working it I've noticed the light fell out of position. I installed it without the rubber stopper it came with but with it, there was no room.

Anyone with tips or answers please let me know how your experience was!

Edit: I've decided to put the left ballast over the lid of the fuse box.
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G26okie

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I've had three kits so far. One DDM and two from xenondepot.

I've never had an issue with wires overheating. The only issues I've had were with the DDM relay harness. It melted the fuse in the fuse holder, probably because it never made good contact and would jiggle around.

Double sided exterior mount tape will hold them, I prefer to use zip ties if possible for ease of removal if needed.
 

jmat

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I used double sided tape that came with it and stuck the drivers side ballast on the inside of the fender, thinking I might move it though. The passenger side was tricky, I got the ballast in the small area where the windshield washer reservoir is and was able to mount it to the flat piece in front of the reservoir. I really need to go in and set the wires up better, its just been too cold to be out there for long periods haha. For now they are kind of just hanging out near the lights.
 
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jason2811

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I used double sided tape that came with it and stuck the drivers side ballast on the inside of the fender, thinking I might move it though. The passenger side was tricky, I got the ballast in the small area where the windshield washer reservoir is and was able to mount it to the flat piece in front of the reservoir. I really need to go in and set the wires up better, its just been too cold to be out there for long periods haha. For now they are kind of just hanging out near the lights.
Do you have any pictures for the passenger side setup?
 


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jason2811

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So I've decided to place the ballast on the driver's side over the fusebox lid and my uncle came over who my family says he has some car experience said to wrap the passenger side ballast with cardboard which should absorb the heat nicely I putted it next to the washer fluid tank cap. I went out for a good long drive. Came back to see if everything is in place and to check the lights. Lights were fine, ballasts were hot but not out of the ordinary. Here's some pics of my setup.

Honda Civic 10th gen To those who installed an HID Kit, where did you put your ballast? IMG_0490.JPG
Honda Civic 10th gen To those who installed an HID Kit, where did you put your ballast? IMG_0491.JPG
Honda Civic 10th gen To those who installed an HID Kit, where did you put your ballast? IMG_0489.JPG
Honda Civic 10th gen To those who installed an HID Kit, where did you put your ballast? IMG_0488.JPG
 

ctdemonet

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I'm brand new to both Honda/Civics and HID kits. Looking at the link for DDM kit, what bulb types are appropriate?
 
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jason2811

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I'm brand new to both Honda/Civics and HID kits. Looking at the link for DDM kit, what bulb types are appropriate?
What you want to get for the 16 civic is H11 (size), wattage should be 55W and 12V for the power. Although I think voltage shouldnt matter considering you'll get a ballast with your HID kit. If you take out your stock halogen bulb you should see the descriptors on the back what will fit the bulb chamber (even if youre just considering buying different halogen bulbs).
 

jmat

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Sorry I didnt get to take any pics, it was dark out by the time i got to my car. The passenger side on mine is the same area as yours, except I taped the ballast to the spot right below and to the left of where yours is sitting. I would advise you to just disconnect the ballast and run that wire directly under where you have it since there is room to snake it through. I will still take pics to show you what I did though.
 
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jason2811

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Sorry I didnt get to take any pics, it was dark out by the time i got to my car. The passenger side on mine is the same area as yours, except I taped the ballast to the spot right below and to the left of where yours is sitting. I would advise you to just disconnect the ballast and run that wire directly under where you have it since there is room to snake it through. I will still take pics to show you what I did though.
Thanks. When I get a chance I'll probably go to home depot and get some heat resistant tubing like how the other wires in the car is setup. And I'll definitely take your advice on running the wire the metal platform instead.
 


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Did any of you guys find a place to hide the ballast for the fog lights? I'm going to be doing them today.
 

inv4zn

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Not to sound like an ass, but wrapping something hot in something that is flammable sounds like a terrible idea.

The ballasts are made of metal because they act as heatsinks - you want to affix them to metal, to DISSIPATE heat; not wrap them in insulating cardboard and absorb all the heat back into the ballast.

Think about what you're doing. You're trapping in heat in something that gets hot anyway - not only are you impacting longevity of the ballast (heat and electronics don't mix well), but you've also created a fire hazard.

In my previous vehicles, I'd stick them on the inside of the fender with some 3M double sided tape. You can also put tape them on top of the front bumper bar (the metal piece). They've held up fine for over 5 years.

I would strongly recommend you re-place the ballasts. Also, please use electrical tape and not masking tape...and don't put something that can get hot on top of the fusebox.
 

kqn

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Well guys, I just finished installing the fog lights his kits 4500 35w..
The first bulb took 10 minutes to install and the second bulb took 2 minutes to install.. If anyone had the idea to mount the ballast to the water tank/ Reservoir.
Don't do it.. Instead I mounted it to the reinforcement bar.. I test metal for a living.. It doesn't matter how much heat the ballast transfers to the metal because the temperature limit is in the 1000s of Fahrenheit for steel.

ps since the op doesn't have a picture of both 450055&35 I will post one for you guys tonight.
 

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Well guys, I just finished installing the fog lights his kits 4500 35w..
The first bulb took 10 minutes to install and the second bulb took 2 minutes to install.. If anyone had the idea to mount the ballast to the water tank/ Reservoir.
Don't do it.. Instead I mounted it to the reinforcement bar.. I test metal for a living.. It doesn't matter how much heat the ballast transfers to the metal because the temperature limit is in the 1000s of Fahrenheit for steel.

ps since the op doesn't have a picture of both 450055&35 I will post one for you guys tonight.
Could you post pics please of the mounting locations
 

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I've had $25 kits, and $125 kits. The only HID kit I ever had that was consistent and without issue was the DDM kit I got. No flicker, no issues ever, had it for a while. Can't go wrong, their kits are affordable and they have a warranty. Mount the ballasts so they stay cool
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