HID Xenon Lights

[TmanOK]

I went Spyder shopping today.

I was wondering if anyone had these and are the worth $1,0299.99?

Thanks


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[jcthorne]

I also have the HIDs from KBcarstuff in both headlamps and fog lamps. VERY pleased with the look and better visibility.

[taxmyzer]

I also have the HIDs from KBcarstuff in both headlamps and fog lamps. VERY pleased with the look and better visibility.

Did you just replace the bulbs or install the whole HID kit. Can you give us the part numbers. I also have a 2013 RT.

[DrewNJ]

I've done both aftermarket and now the BRP HID's. IMHO don't waste your time or money on the aftermarket kits. They are (flame suite on) junk.

Personally, I'd say stay with the stock lights vs aftermarket HID's and Keep an eye out for the BRP kit. They go on sale through different dealers from time to time. I paid $350 for mine through a local dealer that was clearing out their shelves.



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[jcthorne]

Did you just replace the bulbs or install the whole HID kit. Can you give us the part numbers. I also have a 2013 RT.

Installed the HID conversion kit. Real HID, not blue bulbs. 9005 for headlights, H11 for foglights on the RT. STs are different.

[jcthorne]

I've done both aftermarket and now the BRP HID's. IMHO don't waste your time or money on the aftermarket kits. They are (flame suite on) junk.

Personally, I'd say stay with the stock lights vs aftermarket HID's and Keep an eye out for the BRP kit. They go on sale through different dealers from time to time. I paid $350 for mine through a local dealer that was clearing out their shelves.



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For older design open element headlamp assemblies on most cars until recently I would agree with you. On the newer Spyders, like the 2013 RT that have Hella projector beam housings from the factory and proper beam patterns, just replacing the elements is a great upgrade and perform as well as the BRP replacements. The only 'advantage' of the BRP upgrade is that the ballasts are incorporated into the headlight housing, the lamp beam and optics are the same. I do not consider an 'all in one' non serviceable unit to be an upgrade. With HID lamps, both OEM and aftermarket, the ballasts have a roughly equal failure rate as the bulbs themselves. To each their own though. $900 for just head lamps from BRP (they do not offer fogs) or less than $300 for all 4 lamps from KBcarstuff with the high quality kits. (there are cheaper kits but do not recommend them for several reasons on the bike)

[DrewNJ]

They are NOT the same. The electronics in the aftermarket kit are notorious for causing problems with the Spyder. Where the BRP kit is truly a seamless plug and play setup.
Cost is a moot point if your wasting time chasing electrical gremlins.
I've been down that aftermarket HID road and would never recommend it. To hodgepodge for me.


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[DrewNJ]

Oh, and the BRP kits are not "all in one". The ballasts mount to the frame.....


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[billrob71]

I have the BRP kit we'll worth the money , has new headlight assemblies along with the ballasts. They are a install plug and play for the most part.


Have not done the for lights yet but gonna in the near future.

[jcthorne]

They are NOT the same. The electronics in the aftermarket kit are notorious for causing problems with the Spyder. Where the BRP kit is truly a seamless plug and play setup.
Cost is a moot point if your wasting time chasing electrical gremlins.
I've been down that aftermarket HID road and would never recommend it. To hodgepodge for me.


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That is the difference between the slim digital ballast and the cheap Chinese ballasts and also why I recommended not going with a cheaper kit. The digital ones from KBcarstuff with the Phillips lamps work GREAT and there are no electronic problems at all. They plug into the factory wiring. I have also had problems with lesser HID kits on other vehicles. Not these. Have them on other vehicles as well.

[jcthorne]

I have the BRP kit we'll worth the money , has new headlight assemblies along with the ballasts. They are a install plug and play for the most part.


Have not done the for lights yet but gonna in the near future.

Don't understand the desire to replace perfectly good headlamp optic assemblies. BRP does not sell replacements for the FOG lamps.

[billrob71]

Don't understand the desire to replace perfectly good headlamp optic assemblies. BRP does not sell replacements for the FOG lamps.

It is what comes in the kit the bulbs that are installed are not the cheap ones , they are the same as I had in my Mercedes , think they were DS1. The kits are a direct plug in for bikes up to 2012 I had to change one plug on my 13 but they still work perfect and the light difference is great. If you look on eBay you can find them a lot cheaper then a $1000.

As for the fog lights yes BRP doesn't have those and that will half to be a kit don't like the kits but half to do

[Spidergirl]

I have them and I love them!!

[DrewNJ]

That is the difference between the slim digital ballast and the cheap Chinese ballasts and also why I recommended not going with a cheaper kit. The digital ones from KBcarstuff with the Phillips lamps work GREAT and there are no electronic problems at all. They plug into the factory wiring. I have also had problems with lesser HID kits on other vehicles. Not these. Have them on other vehicles as well.

I'm glad you have had success with yours. I used the same vendor your talking about (my intent wasn't to slam a vendor) and my experience (as well as several others) was lets just say "less than desirable". Maybe quality control isn't what we're lead to believe???
I've used both the KB aftermarket HID's and now the BRP HID's and there is absolutely no comparison. The BRP HID's are a much better fit/finish and worth the additional money.
I spent way to much money for my spyder to go cheap on some "universal" hack it together HID kit....

[Flanker]

That is the difference between the slim digital ballast and the cheap Chinese ballasts and also why I recommended not going with a cheaper kit. The digital ones from KBcarstuff with the Phillips lamps work GREAT and there are no electronic problems at all. They plug into the factory wiring. I have also had problems with lesser HID kits on other vehicles. Not these. Have them on other vehicles as well.

I don't have HIDs. I do have a current model car and am a member of a forum for that also. A number of our members there have engaged in forum discussion on factory HIDs (standard on some models, and optional on others) vs aftermarket HIDs. Sound familiar? Anyway the upshot of those discussions has been factory HIDs are great, but very pricey, especially as an after purchase retrofit (no one is giving deals on those puppies!), and more relevant to this thread; there are some very good aftermarket HID kits out there. There are also................................"the other kind of aftermarket HID kits". The kind to avoid like the plague. This dovetails exactly into what jcthorne is saying. PAY ATTENTION to what brand of aftermarket HID kit you're considering. Choose wisely, and you can get factory HID functionality and efficiency at a greatly reduced cost. Buy the "wrong brand" HID aftermarket kit though, and you've just yourself over. Good luck with your upgrade!

[jcthorne]

I don't have HIDs. I do have a current model car and am a member of a forum for that also. A number of our members there have engaged in forum discussion on factory HIDs (standard on some models, and optional on others) vs aftermarket HIDs. Sound familiar? Anyway the upshot of those discussions has been factory HIDs are great, but very pricey, especially as an after purchase retrofit (no one is giving deals on those puppies!), and more relevant to this thread; there are some very good aftermarket HID kits out there. There are also................................"the other kind of aftermarket HID kits". The kind to avoid like the plague. This dovetails exactly into what jcthorne is saying. PAY ATTENTION to what brand of aftermarket HID kit you're considering. Choose wisely, and you can get factory HID functionality and efficiency at a greatly reduce cost. Buy the "wrong brand" HID aftermarket kit though, and you've just yourself over. Good luck with your upgrade!

Thanks, exactly what I was trying to get across. You stated it well.

[DrewNJ]

I can only comment on first hand experience with BOTH the BRP kit and what is sold as, and supposed to be a high quality aftermarket kit on this forum.
Keep trying to convince yourself that your aftermarket kit is quality.....haha. Ride on!


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[CyncySpyder]

I can only comment on first hand experience with BOTH the BRP kit and what is sold as, and supposed to be a high quality aftermarket kit on this forum. Keep trying to convince yourself that your aftermarket kit is quality.....haha. Ride on!

I do believe the HID Kits offered from KBCarStuff are different for the RT compared to the RS Kit that you've obviously had a bad experience with. I can't speak of the RS kits from personal experience, but have read some of the same threads that discuss all kinds of early problems on the RS's when trying to plug them directly into the Spyders systems & many ppl reported the problems you speak of. After talking personally with Steve from KB, and bringing to his attention my apprehension, he explained that they now include Relays in all kits for the Spyders so that they can be directly wired if an owner so wishes, and that should solve any issues with causing potential electrical 'gremlins' as you put it. He said that some of the early Kits (08-10) being installed on RS's did present some issues, but the Relays (if used) should take care of them.

Personally, we got the HID Kits for the Headlights first & loved the much better & brighter light output so we recently also got the HID Kit from KB for the Fogs as well for our 2011 RT-S & you can see for yourself the change between the OEM & the aftermarket HID Kits offered from KB. After talking with Steve, we decided NOT to use the included relays & wired them into the Spyders system, and after almost 2 years for the HeadLights and about 6 months now for the Fogs, we haven't had any problems related to this mod to report, but much satisfaction & would personally Highly Recommend to anyone else with an RT that asks us, of course, In Our Humble Opinion

[MarkLawson]

I do believe the HID Kits offered from KBCarStuff are different for the RT compared to the RS Kit that you've obviously had a bad experience with. I can't speak of the RS kits from personal experience, but have read some of the same threads that discuss all kinds of early problems on the RS's when trying to plug them directly into the Spyders systems & many ppl reported the problems you speak of. After talking personally with Steve from KB, and bringing to his attention my apprehension, he explained that they now include Relays in all kits for the Spyders so that they can be directly wired if an owner so wishes, and that should solve any issues with causing potential electrical 'gremlins' as you put it. He said the some of the early Kits (08-10) being installed on RS's did present some issues, but the Relays (if used) should take care of them.

Personally, we got the HID Kits for the Headlights first & loved the much better & brighter light output so we recently also got the HID Kit from KB for the Fogs as well for our 2011 RT-S & you can see for yourself the change between the OEM & the aftermarket HID Kits offered from KB. After talking with Steve, we decided NOT to use the included relays & wired them into the Spyders system, and after almost 2 years for the HeadLights and about 6 months now for the Fogs, we haven't had any problems related to this mod to report, but much satisfaction & would personally Highly Recommend to anyone else with an RT that asks us, of course, In Our Humble Opinion

I went to same route as you for the headlights, but did install the relays, just to be safe, and love them. They also sent me a free set of LED replacement bulbs for the fog lights with the understanding that they do not put out much light, but are the same color temp as the new HIDs. My hands are too big to get to the rear of the fog lights to install them, so they're still in the package. I do hate the yellowish color of my fog lights now and have found they add little to the total usable light output from the driver's perspective, so I leave them off. If I decide to stay with my current RT, I may go back to KB and order the HID fog kit.