HID Kit have got more popular today and have replaced most of the halogen headlights. An HID light consists of a glass tube that contains tungsten electrodes, gas, and metals. Light is emitted when an electrical arc is struck across the electrodes. They provide better light intensity and lower power consumptions compared to a normal halogen lamp. These HID lights have reformed the world of car headlight system due to the several advantages they offer. More or less all recent and sophisticated car models are equipped with HID headlight system and hence most of the style conscious people are opting for these HID lights.

HID lamps or High Intensity Discharge lamps are much brighter than the conventional halogen lamps. They offer superior lighting that is more within the spectrum of visible light and hence is more helpful for the human eye. Since they are brighter and offer almost three times the light as compared to conventional lights, they are the best options while driving at night or in rains. They provide a clear and bright view of the object making driving a safe option. Apart from the brightness, these lamps also add to the car's overall appearance; they can easily make the car look classy.

HID Kit are more energy efficient and produce light that can be used by the human eye. Another advantage is they consume less energy than regular halogen headlights; they practically last for four to five times than the conventional lamps. They not only help the car owners save some cash but also help the environment; they consume help save fuel and contribute less to pollution from cars.

These HID Lights can be brought from a lot of sites on the Internet. However, it is advised the store should provide good quality and branded lamps with warranty. hidkitscheap.com is one such site that provides great quality HID lights for cars. The products they offer are guaranteed and add to the functionality and look of the car. The kits they provide 100% plug and play and work with nearly any type of headlight. The HID Kit are custom designed and have a one year warranty.

Answer:

Yes, aftermarket HID lights are illegal since they do not have FMVSS ceritification

They are illegal because of these factors:

1> Not DOT approved

2> Intense light/glare blinds incoming traffic

3> Color exceeds the standards for the industry (blue, Purple etc)

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Actually they are not illegal .. they come stock in such cars as BMW, Lexus , Audi , Lincoln , Mazda , Nissan and many more. I know im a Texas State Trooper !

I live just outside of Syracuse NY. Even by a major city and being 2010, HID's are still rare. I wanted a set for my 04 Mercury Mountaineer and didnt know what their legalities were. I hit the forums and got a mass of conflicting statements so i actually called a few places myself. I first called my local state police station and asked to talk to the officer who handles the traffic infractions. I asked him if HID's were illegal in halogen light vehicles. His initial reply was they do pull over drivers with them. I asked why and he stated cause they were blinding. Halogen based vehicles have higher lights cause halogen isn't as bright. Xenon is significantly brighter and in stock housings can be blinding cause they go straight into oncoming traffics eyes. Just find a way to angle it down some. I asked for an actual law stating they were illegal and he put me on hold. He came back to say they is absolutly no law in NY or federally saying they are illegal. You can get pulled over if they are preceived as blinding to the police officer but that's the extent. He went on to say he checked the supreme court rulings and there has never been a case brought up where someone or some group have contested it as a law.Basically in NY and on the federal level it is 100% legal to drive with them in halogen housings. Granted state laws can make aomething illegal that the federal level deems legal(though not vise versa) so check your state athorities. Next i tackled the notion of failing an inspection. I called my mechanic and he told me he has never failed nor knew anyone who failed someone who had aftermarket HID's. To verify i called the DMV to confirm i would pass an inspection. Again both state wide and federally there is no law against it. The only thing that is looked at when getting an inspection is if a vehicle has high beams and low beams. Im posting this for the people who are currently looking to see if its legal or not and may be confused by the people who really don't know what they are talking about or stating false statements they may have read or heard from someone else. Plain and simple, it takes less than 5 minutes to call your local state troopers to find out. Its worth the $100+ ticket risk.

from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Are_HID_lights_illegal

The most important part of a HID Kit is the ballast. Its function is to supply enough voltage to ignite the lamp and then to regulate the flow of electricity. HID bulbs draw more electrical current than they need to operate and if the ballast was not there to provide a positive reactance, the lamp would quickly destroy itself. This ensures that a high intensity beam is produced and the light does not fluctuate.

Ballasts require an ignitor to provide this initial voltage to ionize the xenon gas inside the bulb. Once the lamp is lit the ignitor stops automatically and the ballast stabilizes and maintains the brilliant white light created by the arc of the bulb. Many manufacturers combine the ballast and ignition parts in the same housing. Though complex devices in themselves, when sold in HID kits they are intended to be used as a 'plug and play' mechanism. It should be noted that HID ballasts are only to be used with car and motorcycle headlight applications.

Digital ballasts

Most manufacturers are now using slim digital ballasts in their HID Kit. While they are more expensive, they have many benefits which make this new technology very worthwhile. These electronic ballasts often use IC chips and feedback to apply safety features and improved controls into ballasts. Fault mode protection includes open and short circuit protection, over and under voltage safety, and flashing light protection. The digital aspect also allows the temperature at which the ballast operates to be controlled at a consistent level which promotes the life of the bulb. Other advantages are the fact that it is small and lightweight and therefore saves on space. Digital ballasts also give enhanced power regulation, easier lumen maintenance and improved color constancy. Functioning at a higher frequency means that the ballast produces more light but uses less energy and so is much more efficient. You can use a HID kit with digital ballasts with almost all modern cars without causing any onboard computer problems.

Buy quality ballasts

There are vast disparities in the quality of HID kits being sold online. Since ballasts are the core of a HID headlight system, the performance of your HID kit is greatly affected by second-rate ballasts. Faulty ballasts are also extremely dangerous as high voltage is produced from ballasts. Furthermore, they cannot be repaired so if they are not working properly you will have to spend extra money on replacing them. Therefore it is crucial to buy HID kits from reputable companies who can guarantee that they have been put through rigorous testing and have passed quality control. Ballasts should be designed to be durable and manufacturers should be able to guarantee that they are waterproof, dustproof and shockproof. Good companies who stand behind the quality of their products will also give a one or two year guarantee on their HID Kit so if something does go wrong you can have it fixed without any extra cost to yourself.

It is believed that most people spend money on Headlight system upgrading for their cars, hence HID Conversion Kit is best option. Before speaking about HID Kit installation on your car, it is better to talk about what’s introduced in HID conversion kit. Four common HIDs are available in the market.

Single Beam Kit: This comes with a pair of HID ballast and two pairs of HID bulbs. Common sizes of Bulb are 9004-1, 9005, 9006, H1, H3, H4-1, H7 etc.

Telescope Kit: This can switch between low beam and high beam with a pair of HID ballast. Common sizes of Bulb are 9004-2, 9007-2 and H4-2.

High-Low Beam: Common sizes of bulbs for High-Low kit are 9004-2, 9007-2 and H4-2. This HID kit has four HID bulbs with two pairs of HID ballasts.

Bi-Xenon Kit: Common bulb sizes for Xenon kit are 9004-4, 9007-4, H4-4. Two HID bulbs on each bulb are available, which works for low and high beam.

These four HID Kit are designed to give more and long lasting light than other kits for lighting. HID kits are replacement to existing headlight bulb, as their installation is extremely easy. Starter receives signal from vehicle and send to ballast quickly. The HID ballast amplifies the signal and sends it to bulb, which then produces the light. A mixture of salts and gases is found in the bulb. When bulb receives amplified signal from ballast, it stimulates the bulb gases to create light output. The color varies according to color temperature of kit. Blue headlights and white are more attractive and popular.

These kits are better because of their visual appeal and functionality they offer. They do add class to your car and also give a confidence to drive in rain, fog and night driving. Installation of these kits is easy. Firstly, set up the components and search a better mounting spot for both the starter and HID ballast. It should be sure that wiring from both of them not be too snug. After finding the mounting spot, attach them firmly into place. Tighten them well to the vehicle. Using the latex gloves, remove the halogen bulb from headlight and then unplug the plug from this. Now take the plug and plug it into newly mounted starter. Then plug the starter into ballast and plug the new bulb carefully into housing of headlight. You can’t touch the bulb with your hands, so use latex gloves. New one should go in same manner as the old one has come out. After fastened it securely into place with reconnected rubber bands, plug ballast into bulb. You may feel that there is need to adjust the headlights. Owners manual can help you to find more information about how to do this.

If we talk about the price of HID Kit, it is becoming cheaper and cheaper, and most manufacturers are offering warranty of 1 year for kits. So it is a better idea to update halogen bulbs with latest technology HID bulbs.

As soon as you start talking about Bi-Xenon HID Kit in a store the salesman is sure to start telling you the virtues of LED lights, xenon headlights and will no doubt be spewing all kinds of other acronyms that mean nothing to you!

Here we’re going to cut through the techno-babble and get down to the basics concerning the two car bulb heavyweights, HID and LED bulbs.

These two types of bulbs have become the hottest property thanks to their advanced technology and excellent performance in comparison to other older halogen bulbs (which are more similar to the older-style light bulbs that you used to have at home).

But if both are so good then which should you choose? Let’s look at them both in more detail:

Bi-Xenon HID Kit – These are also known as xenon headlights or by their full name, high intensity charge bulbs. The charge refers to the arc of electricity that is created by firing electricity between two tungsten electrodes in a bulb filled with xenon gas. This basically produces far more light when compared with simply heating up a tungsten element to create light.

In fact you can expect around 3000 lumens covering an area of around 90 square metres, as opposed to just 1400 lumens and 30 square metres from older halogen bulbs.