After countless hours of researching, I decided to do a HID upgrade. As others have noted the stock 9012 halogens are good lamps in their own way, however I believe the output of the headlights is marginal and should be and deserves to be improved upon. I do have some trouble with night vision, so any improvement that I can make is worth it to me. In looking at options I was at first scared off since the car has the DRLs with pulsed voltage. However it seems good quality components (capacitors and canbus cancellors) can correct for this. Not that I am overly concerned about running DRLs as it is not a law in the states, I am more concerned about damage to the ballasts with the pulsed voltage. So figuring on installing good components and maybe getting in the habit of manually shutting off the DRLs upon starting, this can be mitigated. I do want full functionality of the auto headlights, which this setup should provide.
Before going the HID route, I had tried Putco bulbs, but was not satisfied with the outcome. Aside from a whiter appearance I did not perceive much of a brighet output. So I committed to the Morimoto kit after reading up on good results with them and input from other helpful forum members I had PM'd and were kind enough to answer
I will be installing the kit as soon and the weather lets up, as it is snowing again today, and warms up slightly which should hoprefully be in a week or two. I want to install them over a weekend so I have some time to vet out any issues before the upcoming work week.
Since Stevo Supremo's HID sticky at the top of the page, I have read up more and offer thoughts below. Some new info on bulb type is provided too
Power for the system - Many people choose to install a relay harness to obtain power directly from the battery. This is a tried and true method. I have read quite a few posts about harness relays buzzing due to the pulsed voltage. I also believe that the extra work is not necessary to perform for our ATS, as utilizing a canbus harness(with built in capacitor) would yield a working system. Without crunching numbers, I suspect sticking with a standard 35w ballast as opposed to the higher 50W helps to have a successful result.
Type of bulb - My intention is to maximize the light output. The bulb color comes into play here as the OEM HIDs are 4300k which is closest to daylight and not as harsh on eyes as higher K colors. That range also provides the highest level of lumens.
Fitment of bulb - Morimoto now offers a 9012 bulb to fit the headlight. A 9006 does not need to be used. The new 9012 bulb is the new XB model and offers better output than their previous 3Five series. In addition, the return electrode placement is adjusted. It will now sit at a 4:00 position in the housing, hopefully this would alleviate having to trim the tabs to rotate the bulb to avoid a shadow.
Projector retrofit - This can be a sore subject if brought up in other forums. Yes, the housing is designed for halogen filament bulbs. Will it work well with a rebased HID bulb? Based on posts I have read and photos, and hopefully soon from my own experience, yes. Can a projector designed for HID provide a better beam pattern? Maybe, however I personally don't think the result would be worth removal and disassembly of each headlight. Another issue is glare to oncoming cars - this should not be a major concern with a projector setup as it would be for reflector housings. Also using a 35w as opposed to a 50w HID would reduce any effects as well. As another note, a more objective observation regarding the use of the halogen projector with a kit was made after I compared a 9012 halogen (the Putco I am not using) side by side with the HID 9012. The HID capsule sits almost at exactly the same distance off of the mounting base as the halogen filament, which should help deliver a focused source of light.
Quality components - I have used a couple of Amazon kits, and I can say that the quality of the Morimoto is evident. Wires, casings, bulb, clips are better than what I have previously seen. My thought is after all this is a Cadillac we have.
I am by far not an HID expert, just someone who has researched this ad nauseum and is ready to see the results.
I have attached photos of the bulb, including one of how it sits in the housing large tab at 6:00 and electrode off to the side and another side by side with a halogen 9012.
I will update this as the installation progresses.
John
Before going the HID route, I had tried Putco bulbs, but was not satisfied with the outcome. Aside from a whiter appearance I did not perceive much of a brighet output. So I committed to the Morimoto kit after reading up on good results with them and input from other helpful forum members I had PM'd and were kind enough to answer
I will be installing the kit as soon and the weather lets up, as it is snowing again today, and warms up slightly which should hoprefully be in a week or two. I want to install them over a weekend so I have some time to vet out any issues before the upcoming work week.
Since Stevo Supremo's HID sticky at the top of the page, I have read up more and offer thoughts below. Some new info on bulb type is provided too
Power for the system - Many people choose to install a relay harness to obtain power directly from the battery. This is a tried and true method. I have read quite a few posts about harness relays buzzing due to the pulsed voltage. I also believe that the extra work is not necessary to perform for our ATS, as utilizing a canbus harness(with built in capacitor) would yield a working system. Without crunching numbers, I suspect sticking with a standard 35w ballast as opposed to the higher 50W helps to have a successful result.
Type of bulb - My intention is to maximize the light output. The bulb color comes into play here as the OEM HIDs are 4300k which is closest to daylight and not as harsh on eyes as higher K colors. That range also provides the highest level of lumens.
Fitment of bulb - Morimoto now offers a 9012 bulb to fit the headlight. A 9006 does not need to be used. The new 9012 bulb is the new XB model and offers better output than their previous 3Five series. In addition, the return electrode placement is adjusted. It will now sit at a 4:00 position in the housing, hopefully this would alleviate having to trim the tabs to rotate the bulb to avoid a shadow.
Projector retrofit - This can be a sore subject if brought up in other forums. Yes, the housing is designed for halogen filament bulbs. Will it work well with a rebased HID bulb? Based on posts I have read and photos, and hopefully soon from my own experience, yes. Can a projector designed for HID provide a better beam pattern? Maybe, however I personally don't think the result would be worth removal and disassembly of each headlight. Another issue is glare to oncoming cars - this should not be a major concern with a projector setup as it would be for reflector housings. Also using a 35w as opposed to a 50w HID would reduce any effects as well. As another note, a more objective observation regarding the use of the halogen projector with a kit was made after I compared a 9012 halogen (the Putco I am not using) side by side with the HID 9012. The HID capsule sits almost at exactly the same distance off of the mounting base as the halogen filament, which should help deliver a focused source of light.
Quality components - I have used a couple of Amazon kits, and I can say that the quality of the Morimoto is evident. Wires, casings, bulb, clips are better than what I have previously seen. My thought is after all this is a Cadillac we have.
I am by far not an HID expert, just someone who has researched this ad nauseum and is ready to see the results.
I have attached photos of the bulb, including one of how it sits in the housing large tab at 6:00 and electrode off to the side and another side by side with a halogen 9012.
I will update this as the installation progresses.
John



