Per moderator request I will provide a write up about everything you should know about HIDs before making a purchase.

The basics:

Infiniti equip all current year vehicles with HID systems.
Both Nissan and Infiniti headlights are manufactured by Ichikoh.
Nissan/Infiniti use Matsushi-ta Generation 3 ballast on all current HID equip Vehicles.
Matsushi-ta is a division of Panasonic, so if you see Panasonic Ballasts, they are the same, provided it's generation 3.
Projectors equipped vehicles like G37 uses D2S bulbs
Reflectors based HID system like Pre-06 G35 uses D2R bulbs.


The specs:

All DOT approved OEM equipped HID ballasts run on 35watts of power draw.
However initial start up could be as high as 42 watts.
The silver cap attaching the bulb is not a Igniter, it is simply a bulb connector. Older generation ballasts have detached igniters, OEM ballasts have built in ones.

The truths:

NO aftermarket HID company have DOT approval for on road use.
Most aftermarket HID ballasts advertised as 50watts or 55 watts only run on 45 watts, the bulb used is not specially designed 50watt bulbs, but a over driven 35watt bulb. As a result the bulb runs hotter than OEM or when a 50watt bulb is used.
Running a 50 watt system on your projector means you will output nearly twice the amount of light per bulb, the down side is most the light will reflect back into your eyes, causing your eyes to constrict and see less of the road on the side.
Having a 50 watt system with overdriven 35watt bulbs means it will ruin your projector's inner reflective material, render it useless overtime.
The Higher the Kelvin rating (K) the lower the output of a HID bulb
at 8000K, you lose at least 25% of the output that a OEM bulb produces.
Whiter bulb creates higher contrast to the things you see, it is NOT brighter, it's quite the opposite.
OEM bulb produces the highest amount of lumens, and is the brightest bulb you can use with OEM ballasts*.
Philips only makes 3000K, 4300K, 4900K, 5000K, 5700K, 6000K, 67000K bulbs. If you see anything else marked Philips, it's fake.
Real Philips bulbs have serial number marked 8512X XX for different bulbs for on road use.
D2C bulbs are aftermarket company's way to cheaply manufacture one bulb for both D2S and D2R applications, however the use of D2S bulb in D2R will result in significant glare for oncoming traffic, causing very unsafe driving conditions for others.
No HID kit should be installed in applications where the original system uses Halogen, any conversion kit used will result in glare for others.


From experience:

The usual lifespan for a Philips bulb is 3+ years.
The usual lifespan for a aftermarket bulb is less than 1 year.

What I suggest:

Use Philips, they are preferred by all OEM HID equipped vehicle manufacturers. (Other manufacturers also known to be reliable: Koito, PIAA, Osram)
Don't use kits in reflectors.
Educate others about HIDs for a safer driving environment for all of us.

*Technical data:
Philips DL35 runs on 35 watts and will work on factory ballasts, with higher claimed lumen output than OEM 85122+ bulbs.
Use Philips DL50 bulbs for your 50 watt ballsts, it will produce less heat than a overdriven 35 watt HID bulb
Neither DL35 or DL50 are approved for On road use.

Performance Comparison of OEM (85122+) to DL35 to DL50










#1 85122+
#2 DL35
#3 DL50
#4 DL35 top / 85122+ bottom
#5 same as above different angle
#6 DL35 top / DL50 bottom
#7 85122+ top / DL50 bottom

In Lumen Output

85122+<DL35<DL50

In term of color from yellow to white

DL50<85122+<DL35

 

Thanks!

 

Don't forget to mention that xenon bulbs "color shift" after 500 or so hours by about 250-500K, so a 6000K bulb would go to about 6250-6500K.

This is a great site for general info on HIDs: http://faqlight.carpassion.info/hl-hid-bulbs.htm

also, www.hidplanet.com is a great forum where people are doing really awesome custom mods with HIDs and LEDs. (I'm sure Ivory knows about this one)

 

^ good call on the colorshift, though 85122+ OEM bulb on the G37 is said to resist colorshift.

Also colorshift means the output is dimmer also.

 

There's a life time warrenty if u buy American titian can't beat that even if it goes out

 

Never had a philips go out on me. That's reliability and they dont need to offer warranty to give me a peace of mind.

 

IGTAUTO did I read this right, if I buy a 6700k then it will work well with my stock ballast?

 

IvoryGT, I have a question....

I have 8K bulbs I got off eBay and have been on the car for about a year now...
A few months ago, the driver side bulb started acting up, it will go on randomly when it is switched on. Sometimes it would stay act as if it was burnt out, and then it would be ok other times. Does this sound like a faulty ballast? Can I claim this under warranty?

Thanks.

 

Sounds to me might be a bulb issue, have you tried switching the bulb from the other side? If it turns out to be a ballast issue, I doubt you could claim this under warranty since you installed aftermarket bulbs...

 

Does anyone know if the 370 uses the same bulb as the G? Reason I ask is if/when it goes out I want OEM but my dealer is 45miles away and a hassle, the Nissan dealer (where I bought the G used) is 5 minutes away and a lot less hassle.

 

Yes. They both use D2S from Philips 85122+