HID Conversion?

[mercmtneer]

Has anyone done an HID conversion on their B9? There are tons of kits available and I was hoping somebody might have a recommendation.

[Tup]

The problem people run into is the daytime running lights(DRL). HID's don't do well with the reduced output of DRL's. I think they tend to flicker when in DRL mode.

[mercmtneer]

That would be bad. :headwall: I wonder if there's any way to fix that? The STis have DRLs, don't they? They have HIDs, of course. :bow:

The problem people run into is the daytime running lights(DRL). HID's don't do well with the reduced output of DRL's. I think they tend to flicker when in DRL mode.

[SoDealer]

i've done it. I just leave my HIDs on all the time... if i need to turn them off while parked... i set the emergency brake.

[ed@konceptracing.com]

One of my gripes about the B9, suppose to be their flagship, but no HID's?

[hawker800mech]

One of my gripes about the B9, suppose to be their flagship, but no HID's?

Ditto! They have them on the STI's, why not ours?

[ok-cami]

For the H7 HID kit, talk to Matt at Umnitza here:

http://www.umnitza.com

I purchased and installed the kit myself. It has a lifetime guarantee and has been operating without any problems since installation in August '06.

Lights will need to be left "on" at all times (I used black electrical tape to tape the switch to the "on" position). Otherwise the flickering from the DRL module will eventually destroy the HID ballasts.

-Cami

[Magic Marker]

There has to be a way to disable DRL's.

[B9LTD83]

I found that changing the headlight alone is a pain :tdown:
How hard is to to install the HID's? Either way i'll probably pay someone to put them in.

Regarding disabling the DRL's, I notice a clicking noise when the E-Brake is applied as the headlights go off. There has to be a switch or toggle that gets tripped when the e-brake is applied. Hmmm

[Magic Marker]

How hard is to to install the HID's? Either way i'll probably pay someone to put them in.
It's not hard, just very time consuming to do it right. I did it on one of our Civics. I had to pull off the front bumper, pull out the headlamps, install the bulbs, run the wiring, conceal the ballast/ igniter and then re-assemble the car. That is the right way to do it so you have a clean look.

Or you can do a half-assed job by attempting to install the bulb correctly w/o pulling out the headlamp and leaving wires everywhere.

Regarding disabling the DRL's, I notice a clicking noise when the E-Brake is applied as the headlights go off. There has to be a switch or toggle that gets tripped when the e-brake is applied. Hmmm
I believe I read on this forum that the e-brake is somehow attached to the DRL's. Those who have HID's will apply the e-brake, start the car, turn on the headlights and then release the e-brake. This is the round about way to disable the DRL's so your HID's don't flicker from the low voltage DRL's, thus damaging your bulbs.

[SubOperator]

I believe I read on this forum that the e-brake is somehow attached to the DRL's.

I would guess that disabling DLRs on Tribeca should be *very* similar to other Subarus, say Legacies and Outbacks. My LGT also has DLRs connected to parking break, and I don't see why Subaru would use any different components on Tribeca.

Here: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2117

[singincanary]

In my Forester there are two DRL modules, one in the glove box area of the dash, and one in the engine bay. Simply unplugging one or the other is sufficient to disable the DRL. I plan on looking into this further after we pick up our car this week, and will post up my findings.

[battlecat]

Out of curiousity has anyone purchased or know what would be required to swap to the canadian HID headlights?
Canadian tribeca's come with hid headlights and i'm curious what would be involved in changing to that system.
ballasts, drl relay modules, etc.
Also are the headlights the same for the tribeca's with factory HID's and non hid equipped?

[bionicbadger]

I know the candian version has the level adjustment on it too, located in the lower left where the interior light/display brightness adjustment is, the dealer pointed it out to me when I test drove one.
Not sure what would be all involved in a swap

[2subyfamily]

Out of curiousity has anyone purchased or know what would be required to swap to the canadian HID headlights?
Canadian tribeca's come with hid headlights and i'm curious what would be involved in changing to that system.
ballasts, drl relay modules, etc.
Also are the headlights the same for the tribeca's with factory HID's and non hid equipped?
did all model years in Canada come with HIDs? I've got an 06, and didn't look.:o

[battlecat]

i believe all years came with the adjustable height hid headlights.

So in theory it should be very simple to convert the usdm vehicle. Not cheap, but do-able.
When i goto pickup a tribeca i will certainly sit down with the parts dept and try to figure out what part numbers are needed.
Unless someone here is a parts manager or knows a good one.

[baboo]

i believe all years came with the adjustable height hid headlights.

So in theory it should be very simple to convert the usdm vehicle. Not cheap, but do-able.
When i goto pickup a tribeca i will certainly sit down with the parts dept and try to figure out what part numbers are needed.
Unless someone here is a parts manager or knows a good one.

Any updates on the HID parts?...thanks..:)

[fidodaputa]

Sorry for asking a stupid question but i was wondering if Xenon lights = HID lights?

Thanks

[crazycanuck]

I dunno if this is a rumor or what, but I have an 06 Tribeca here in Canada and I dont think I have HID lights. I read the owners manual and nowhere does it say anything about HID lights. Just recently I had to change my headlight bulb.. it was just a plain h7. Is there any Canadian Tribeca owners that did not import their vehicle from the US that can confirm HID's on their cars?

[fidodaputa]

I believe the 08 Tribeca are equiped with HID lights but the 06 amd 07 are not.

[SubieTri08]

I believe the 08 Tribeca are equiped with HID lights but the 06 amd 07 are not.

Yea looks like the 08 has HID's on them. Dammit, why can't they have that for the US models?

http://subaru.ca/WebPage.aspx?WebPageID=6583&WebSiteID=282&CarID=351

[Hum]

I have a 07 without HID's they also didn't come with them over here. My brother with the CX-9 just had some HID's fitted to his car, and WOW, they look awesome. They were 6000k philips and hella kit, cost him $1500, but money well spent. He parked next to a 5 series BMW and they compared light output, his CX-9 actually looked better and whiter than the BMW. I have seen kits for around $100, but surely they would be crap. Anyway he has motivated me to get one installed in my Tribeca, we don't have the DRL's over here so I shouldn't have any problems.

[rjdtribeca]

unfortunately the 08 beca's still don't come with HID's so you'd have to purchase them aftermarket. i purchased 6k low beam's & fogs on my08 beca, they came out great! i'll post pix soon :)

[snork]

rjd...your lucky with the 08 b/c the DRL is on the high-beams now. The 06-07 B9s have the DRLs through the low beam projectors which sucks for trying to do an HID conversion:( That's the main dilemma people are having with trying to do an HID retrofit b/c there's no simple way to disable the DRLs.

[SubieTri08]

RJ - where did you get yours from and how long did it take you to change the fogs and the low beams?

[singincanary]

I took the plunge today and installed an hid kit. I went with the DDM kit from a vendor over on www.legacygt.com and followed the simple install instructions posted by a member over there. Only took about 90 minutes, but would have been less if I worked straight through.
Ballasts were super thin and easy to mount. The kit came with a battery harness and was an easy install, a couple of plugs, the simple drilling of a hole in the back of the caps for the low beams.
Overall I am impressed. Light output is significantly better than stock. There are minor dim spots in the beams from their design which is a little disappointing, but overall they are a lot better than stock.

Easy install, low price, good results, overall a thumbs up modification.

[mercmtneer]

I started this thread back in February, 2007 and have been following it on and off since then. I have been doing research on the subject, too, and have gotten nothing but negative feedback from everybody I've talked to.

The Subaru repair people won't even talk to you about disabling the running lights, and all the HID people say they don't know if it will work, or it definitely will not work.

You are the first person, to my knowledge, who has been brave enough to try the conversion. Did you manage to disable the DRLs, or are you running the HIDs with the DRLs still enabled?

I contacted the Xenon Experts, who you apparently bought your kit from, and they told me that there are NO HID kits that will work with DRLs. Obviously if you're running one of their kits, they don't know what they're talking about, or you have disabled your DRLs.

I am very interested in this. Please let us all know what you have done to make this work.

I took the plunge today and installed an hid kit. I went with the DDM kit from a vendor over on www.legacygt.com and followed the simple install instructions posted by a member over there. Only took about 90 minutes, but would have been less if I worked straight through.
Ballasts were super thin and easy to mount. The kit came with a battery harness and was an easy install, a couple of plugs, the simple drilling of a hole in the back of the caps for the low beams.
Overall I am impressed. Light output is significantly better than stock. There are minor dim spots in the beams from their design which is a little disappointing, but overall they are a lot better than stock.

Easy install, low price, good results, overall a thumbs up modification.

[singincanary]

I did a super fancy "bypass" of the DRL's. Actually, not that fancy. The problem is that the DRL's either have to be disabled, or the low beams have to always be on. The only way that I have seen to disable them in our cars is to cut 2 wires, something I am unwilling to do. Instead I always leave the lights on. Just to be safe I did a quick wrap with some electical tape to ensure that the lights stay in the "on" position. I opt for simplicity whenever possible.

[mercmtneer]

Thanks for the fast response. Can you tell me what two wires need to be cut? I am not above trying it if there is a way to accomplish what I am wanting to do.

I did a super fancy "bypass" of the DRL's. Actually, not that fancy. The problem is that the DRL's either have to be disabled, or the low beams have to always be on. The only way that I have seen to disable them in our cars is to cut 2 wires, something I am unwilling to do. Instead I always leave the lights on. Just to be safe I did a quick wrap with some electical tape to ensure that the lights stay in the "on" position. I opt for simplicity whenever possible.

[Karim]

I orderd a kit DIGITAL HID 35 Watt Ballast & Bulb Kit from LightWerkz. Do you think these systems don't work?

[Magic Marker]

I'm sure the kit will work fine, but you'll need to keep your lights on all the time so you don't mess up the kit from the DRL's.

[lillriko]

I spoke to the tech's at eVision HID. He said if I installed the HID kit with the relay pack, it shouldn't effect my DRL's! That would regulate the power to the DRl's.

f your using the HID kit on the bulbs with DRL than it is recommend you get the relay kit or you could damage the ballasts. They need at least 9V to start, most DRL's run at 8V or lower.

thanks.
----
FutureVision HID
Performance Lighting Systems mailto:sales@futurevisionhid.com

[Jonnie Fraz]

Did a HID install on my wifes B9 a couple of weeks ago...Awesome! We just leave the lights in the on position. It works perfectly! Now I won't have to change that #$% @&*$ driver side bulb every three months.

[igorsh]

i did the conversion on my 06 tribeca. what he did he short circut e-brake in the dash board what hapens is when i press parking brake my light dosnt come out on the instrument panel taht it.

[igorsh]

i will post some pictures of my b9 with hid kit on later on today

[igorsh]

This is 06 tribeca with hid kit 6000k top and botom

[minus13]

This is just a suggestion for those that haven't considered it. Instead of attempting to disable the DRL module when I installed my HIDs, I set out to defeat the flicker while still keeping fully functional DRLs. Here's what I noted (e-brake off at all times):

(I grounded my voltmeter's ground using the negative lead on the headlight bulb and put the positive end of the voltmeter on the positive lead to the headlight bulb.)

1. When the headlight switch is set to the "on" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts.

2. When I turned the headlights to the "off" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 10.8 volts. (That's too low for most ballasts. We need to fix that.)

(I then grounded the negative on my voltmeter to the chassis and stuck the positive end of the voltmeter on the positive lead for the headlight bulb.)

3. When the headlight switch is set to the "on" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts

4. When I turned the headlights to the "off" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts. That's not a typo. Whether the lights were set to "off" or "on", voltage was at 13.4-13.8 volts.

So what did I learn? The resistance for the DRLs is governed by the negative lead of the headlight bulb, and not the positive lead. I simply grounded the negative lead for the ballast to the vehicle's chassis and used the positive lead for the headlights to power the positive lead on the HID ballast. The result is that I have HIDs installed with fully functional DRLs and low beams without any flicker whatsoever. The beauty of this setup is that I did not have to cut any wires on the vehicle - I just tapped into the wires for the ballast to ground the negative lead.

I hope this helps. If anyone anticipates any potential problems with this set up, please let me know. Good luck!

[Jonnie Fraz]

Nice find!

[Magic Marker]

This is 06 tribeca with hid kit 6000k top and botom
Let's see some wall shots.

[minus13]

Magic:

I think you are going to be surprised at just how good the cutoff is.

[alewis814]

This is just a suggestion for those that haven't considered it. Instead of attempting to disable the DRL module when I installed my HIDs, I set out to defeat the flicker while still keeping fully functional DRLs. Here's what I noted (e-brake off at all times):

(I grounded my voltmeter's ground using the negative lead on the headlight bulb and put the positive end of the voltmeter on the positive lead to the headlight bulb.)

1. When the headlight switch is set to the "on" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts.

2. When I turned the headlights to the "off" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 10.8 volts. (That's too low for most ballasts. We need to fix that.)

(I then grounded the negative on my voltmeter to the chassis and stuck the positive end of the voltmeter on the positive lead for the headlight bulb.)

3. When the headlight switch is set to the "on" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts

4. When I turned the headlights to the "off" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts. That's not a typo. Whether the lights were set to "off" or "on", voltage was at 13.4-13.8 volts.

So what did I learn? The resistance for the DRLs is governed by the negative lead of the headlight bulb, and not the positive lead. I simply grounded the negative lead for the ballast to the vehicle's chassis and used the positive lead for the headlights to power the positive lead on the HID ballast. The result is that I have HIDs installed with fully functional DRLs and low beams without any flicker whatsoever. The beauty of this setup is that I did not have to cut any wires on the vehicle - I just tapped into the wires for the ballast to ground the negative lead.

I hope this helps. If anyone anticipates any potential problems with this set up, please let me know. Good luck!

im lookin to buy this kit, could you point me to what wire needs to be grounded to the chasis? there is a possative a neggative coming out of 1 side of the ballast, the red (poss) goes to the OEM harness and the Black (neg) goes to the chassis?

[awd_envy]

Have you guys tried going oldskool and running a capacitor inline with the low beam to avoid the DRL pulse? Perhaps you're wanting them to remain off instead? I suppose you could also build a reverse delay circuit that won't enable a relay to drive the headlight unless it detects steady power.

[KaTo617]

Even with a capacitor my 06 would not function correctly. I still had difficulty with turn on and off the lights. :mad:

Here's what I found that worked for me. I ended up getting a HID wiring harness and the time delay relay. This relay eliminated the day lights all together. I'm no expert, but I think it b/c there is no power connecting 87a to 87. Either way it works. :tup:

http://www.retrosolutionsllc.com/servlet/the-263/Time-Delay-Relay-10/Detail

[GrayGhost]

Even with a capacitor my 06 would not function correctly. I still had difficulty with turn on and off the lights. :mad:

Here's what I found that worked for me. I ended up getting a HID wiring harness and the time delay relay. This relay eliminated the day lights all together. I'm no expert, but I think it b/c there is no power connecting 87a to 87. Either way it works. :tup:

http://www.retrosolutionsllc.com/servlet/the-263/Time-Delay-Relay-10/Detail

This looks promising. I'm curious though. It looks like the relay wire harness already comes with a relay in the pictures on their website. Will this relay block the DRL or did you need to purchace the time delay relay separate and then put that on the wire harness?

[KaTo617]

This looks promising. I'm curious though. It looks like the relay wire harness already comes with a relay in the pictures on their website. Will this relay block the DRL or did you need to purchace the time delay relay separate and then put that on the wire harness?

The relay harness does come with a relay, but it not the delay. The normal relay keeps your DRL's. The problem I was having with the regular relay was turning on and off the lights on command. Sometimes it worked, but most times it didn't. The delay works like a charm. Its been 3 months now and I can turn on and off lights without issues. :Dunno:

[IK99]

I just set it up HID on my 2006 without any problems and keep them on all time when i'm driving. No problem. Works fine. Light is perfect with 5000K.

[KaTo617]

I just set it up HID on my 2006 without any problems and keep them on all time when i'm driving. No problem. Works fine. Light is perfect with 5000K.

Hmmmm. What kind of set up do you have? :confused:

I didn't have issues either, if I left the lights on all the time, but I like to have the option to turn them off and on.

[PaulMac]

Are you guys running the 35w or 55w kits? I want to get a set for my fogs too but have had issues with other cars in the past melting the light housings...

I was planning on go with a 6K headlights and 3K fogs. I ran 3K's for fogs in the past and loved them!

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e205/paulfmcmillan/2006%20Jetta/Jetta_GLI_070907006.jpg

[KaTo617]

I'm running 35W in both lights without issue.

[PaulMac]

I'm running 35W in both lights without issue.

Cool thanks!

[klovell]

This is just a suggestion for those that haven't considered it. Instead of attempting to disable the DRL module when I installed my HIDs, I set out to defeat the flicker while still keeping fully functional DRLs. Here's what I noted (e-brake off at all times):

(I grounded my voltmeter's ground using the negative lead on the headlight bulb and put the positive end of the voltmeter on the positive lead to the headlight bulb.)

1. When the headlight switch is set to the "on" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts.

2. When I turned the headlights to the "off" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 10.8 volts. (That's too low for most ballasts. We need to fix that.)

(I then grounded the negative on my voltmeter to the chassis and stuck the positive end of the voltmeter on the positive lead for the headlight bulb.)

3. When the headlight switch is set to the "on" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts

4. When I turned the headlights to the "off" position with the engine running, the leads for the headlight bulbs were receiving approximately 13.4-13.8 volts. That's not a typo. Whether the lights were set to "off" or "on", voltage was at 13.4-13.8 volts.

So what did I learn? The resistance for the DRLs is governed by the negative lead of the headlight bulb, and not the positive lead. I simply grounded the negative lead for the ballast to the vehicle's chassis and used the positive lead for the headlights to power the positive lead on the HID ballast. The result is that I have HIDs installed with fully functional DRLs and low beams without any flicker whatsoever. The beauty of this setup is that I did not have to cut any wires on the vehicle - I just tapped into the wires for the ballast to ground the negative lead.

I hope this helps. If anyone anticipates any potential problems with this set up, please let me know. Good luck!

Is there a SB9T brilliancy award?!? I nominate this guy!! :clap: I think this should be the official HID conversion DRL resistor bypass instructions. I was a little skeptic at first but after blowing up ballast thanks to DRL, I pulled out my multi-meter and confirmed it. The negative leads are the leads affected by the resistor. Fortunately I have an extra ballast so I did as Minus13 suggested and my HID kit works flawlessly. I connected the positive lead from the H7 bulb to the positive lead on my HID wire harness. Then I connected the negative lead on my HID wire harness to the chassis. BOOYAA!!! DRL resistor has been bypassed. My Headlights are at full blast all the time but who cares... it's probably safer that way. Besides our Tribeca's are a little too pretty for tape around the headlight switch... come on guys... these aren’t civics.

[dreppucci007]

Is there a SB9T brilliancy award?!? I nominate this guy!! :clap: I think this should be the official HID conversion DRL resistor bypass instructions. I was a little skeptic at first but after blowing up ballast thanks to DRL, I pulled out my multi-meter and confirmed it. The negative leads are the leads affected by the resistor. Fortunately I have an extra ballast so I did as Minus13 suggested and my HID kit works flawlessly. I connected the positive lead from the H7 bulb to the positive lead on my HID wire harness. Then I connected the negative lead on my HID wire harness to the chassis. BOOYAA!!! DRL resistor has been bypassed. My Headlights are at full blast all the time but who cares... it's probably safer that way. Besides our Tribeca's are a little too pretty for tape around the headlight switch... come on guys... these aren’t civics.



I'm pretty sure I'm following you here...But just in case, any chance you can snap a picture or two so I can confirm what I think you're saying?

[klovell]

I'm pretty sure I'm following you here...But just in case, any chance you can snap a picture or two so I can confirm what I think you're saying?

Not a problem!! My wife took my car to work today so i'll post them later tonight or tomorrow. I miss my beca...:(

[dreppucci007]

Not a problem!! My wife took my car to work today so i'll post them later tonight or tomorrow. I miss my beca...:(

Awesome, thank you!

[klovell]

Awesome, thank you!

Hey, Sorry It took so long. I tried to take pictures but angle is really bad because the leads are very short. I couldn't get a great shot but they are attached anyway. It's really easy though, The negative leads to your ballast goes to the chasis and the positive leads connects to the positive lead for the factory H7 bulb. You should use a multi-meter to ensure you're using the correct leads (positive to H7 bulb) and to ensure subaru didn't change anything between my model year and yours.

The picture on the left is the positive lead and the one on the right is where I grounded it. I wouldn't recomend grounding it where I did. That is a temporary ground location for me.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[yoonity]

I just installed ONEX 600K HIDs, loving the setup!

However, I'm having problems with the H7 pin/clip that holds the bulb in place, especially on the passenger side. For those who successfully installed their kits, how did you deal with the clip/pin?

Any response is helpful, thanks! Feel free to PM me.

[jpra923]

Great write up! I'm getting ready to do the same, but a bit confuse as to how I need to set this up. What I see is a bulb w/ wires that connect to a box w/ wires that connects to the tribeca. Do I take the black wires from the bulb and the box and connect that to the chassis?

[jpra923]

Even with a capacitor my 06 would not function correctly. I still had difficulty with turn on and off the lights. :mad:

Here's what I found that worked for me. I ended up getting a HID wiring harness and the time delay relay. This relay eliminated the day lights all together. I'm no expert, but I think it b/c there is no power connecting 87a to 87. Either way it works. :tup:

http://www.retrosolutionsllc.com/servlet/the-263/Time-Delay-Relay-10/Detail

Could you explain a little bit how this works? And some instructions would be nice! Thanks!

[sub9]

I know this might be late but you don't really need a relay harness. what i did was just follow minus13 way of doing it. but rather than tapping in to the negative, i just connected the negative lead of the ballast straight to the chassis (ground). I believe this works the same as the relay since all it did was get the power straight from the battery. It will not disable your drl but instead give your hid the proper power supply and not flicker or strobe. I had this done for two weeks now with no problems and i will continue to update here so that anyone interested can try this way without worries.

Btw I have a 4300k and 8000k bulbs. while the 8000k has a nice blue look i stuck with the 4300k. It has a better light output and just looks natural and not aftermarket :) . but i will put 8000k every once in a while to show off and be ricey