I installed the Saleen HID headlight kit. WOW, what a chore. The lights look VERY cool though, and represent my first mod! (Cold Air Induction and Magnaflows are next...)
INSTALLATION: I had to take off the front bumper cover/grille, pull the front wheels and wheel well covers, and the core support cover to access the stock headlights.
After pulling the stock units, I had to drill mounting holes into the headlight buckets to mount the ballast boxes, then installed the HID units, ran a new wiring harness from the power distribution block to the HID ballasts, plugged them in and presto! HID power. THEN came the chore of reassembling the parts I took off.
I've attached a few pictures for you all:
HID 1: Here is what you get from Saleen for your money. Two HID units, a wiring harness, hardware, and a somewhat cryptic instruction manual. My favorite useless instruction is "...Make sure the tabs line up with the Christmas tree" on page 12. WTF is a Christmas tree? I never found out.
HID 2: Here's what you have to do to get to the headlight units - remove a lot of parts. It looks worse than it really is! My g/f was horrified at how I was "dismantling the two-week old car!"
HID 3: The HIDs are in! I hadn't finished attaching the bumper yet at the time, but wanted to compare them with the stock unit. It's sitting on top of the core support. The pic doesn't do the HIDs justice but they are WAY whiter/brighter than the stock headlights.
HID 4: Here is the look after the completion of the job. Again the pic doesn't do the lights justice but DAMN what a difference.
HID 5: I tested the HIDs after dark - it's more noticeable in these pix. They really light up the road!
PERFORMANCE: These lights actually have HID high beams built in! That's always been a problem for these cars - you install HIDs and you lose your high beams. Not here! What's cool is that the high beams aren't regular halogen bulbs, they are actually a high beam HID light. When you trip the control you hear a click and the output of the headlights appears to triple.
When you first turn them on you get a slight whine (similar to a fuel pump whine) that fades away within 10 seconds. The light is not very bluish at all but rather a bright white.
I'm the first one that I know of to have installed these headlights - any thoughts?
Thanks for sharing the pics and the insight on the install. The pic with the front of the car torn apart looks scary. Have you had anybody flashing their lights at you as if you had your high beams on when your HID's were at the regular setting?
__________________
'06 GT Premium Manual Redfire
DORA 7/28/05
Serialized 8/18/05
Build Week:9/12/05
Gate release: 9/16/05
ETA to dealer: 9/26/05
I installed the Saleen HID headlight kit. WOW, what a chore. The lights look VERY cool though, and represent my first mod! (Cold Air Induction and Magnaflows are next...)
INSTALLATION: I had to take off the front bumper cover/grille, pull the front wheels and wheel well covers, and the core support cover to access the stock headlights.
After pulling the stock units, I had to drill mounting holes into the headlight buckets to mount the ballast boxes, then installed the HID units, ran a new wiring harness from the power distribution block to the HID ballasts, plugged them in and presto! HID power. THEN came the chore of reassembling the parts I took off.
I've attached a few pictures for you all:
HID 1: Here is what you get from Saleen for your money. Two HID units, a wiring harness, hardware, and a somewhat cryptic instruction manual. My favorite useless instruction is "...Make sure the tabs line up with the Christmas tree" on page 12. WTF is a Christmas tree? I never found out.
HID 2: Here's what you have to do to get to the headlight units - remove a lot of parts. It looks worse than it really is! My g/f was horrified at how I was "dismantling the two-week old car!"
HID 3: The HIDs are in! I hadn't finished attaching the bumper yet at the time, but wanted to compare them with the stock unit. It's sitting on top of the core support. The pic doesn't do the HIDs justice but they are WAY whiter/brighter than the stock headlights.
HID 4: Here is the look after the completion of the job. Again the pic doesn't do the lights justice but DAMN what a difference.
HID 5: I tested the HIDs after dark - it's more noticeable in these pix. They really light up the road!
PERFORMANCE: These lights actually have HID high beams built in! That's always been a problem for these cars - you install HIDs and you lose your high beams. Not here! What's cool is that the high beams aren't regular halogen bulbs, they are actually a high beam HID light. When you trip the control you hear a click and the output of the headlights appears to triple.
When you first turn them on you get a slight whine (similar to a fuel pump whine) that fades away within 10 seconds. The light is not very bluish at all but rather a bright white.
I'm the first one that I know of to have installed these headlights - any thoughts?
Yippers --- scary looking when all apart. How much did they set you back? Are the turn signals incorporated in the headlight unit? Thanks...
You should also change out the fog light bulbs to Silverstar driving/fog lights (p/n 9005ST). They are a lot brighter and cost about $20 for a pair. People get pissy when I run them. Sometimes I use them and not my headlight. Nice job on your car.
Nice write-up. I agree, WTF is the "christmas tree?"
I didn't take my front wheels off, just jacked each side up until the tire was almost off the ground to get some working room in the wheel well so I could remove the liner. My cordless drill paid for itself, since I don't have power to the carport at my apt complex.
For those of you thinking of doing this mod, go for it! It was pricey, but it makes a huge difference in the light output.
You should also change out the fog light bulbs to Silverstar driving/fog lights (p/n 9005ST). They are a lot brighter and cost about $20 for a pair. People get pissy when I run them. Sometimes I use them and not my headlight. Nice job on your car.
The p/n for the Silverstar fog/driving is 9145ST. There is a Silverstar lamp replacement guide found under automotive lighting at the OSRAM Sylvania web site -- http://www.sylvania.com/
You should also change out the fog light bulbs to Silverstar driving/fog lights (p/n 9005ST). They are a lot brighter and cost about $20 for a pair. People get pissy when I run them. Sometimes I use them and not my headlight. Nice job on your car.
The reason people get pissy when you run your fog/driving lights is because the 9005ST is a single filament high beam bulb, 70W. So you are lighting them up with your low beams and a pair of high beams -- holy crap!! The 9005ST is used for high beam applications for a 4 headlight system. See link https://www.jaycorptech.com/showprod...&categoryid=24 The correct replacement for fog/driving is the Silverstar 9145ST
'06Stang: I haven't had anyone flash their lights at me yet... However, when I first installed them I had aimed them too high - MAN they lit up road signs 1/2 mile away, but there was serious bailing out of the lane in front of me. I was able to properly aim them soon after and haven't had a problem since. No one seems to be offended (yet).
Redfire_Dave: I bought the HIDs off the Saleen website. Here is the URL: http://www.saleen.com/hid.htm They were pretty pricey at $1099 but cheaper than the California Mustang price of $1199 for the same unit. I REALLY wish I could have found them cheaper, but I really, really wanted them... The turn signals are located in the bumper and are separate.
Boltzman: You are probably right that it's a lot of money for a part-time mod... it looks more frightening than it really is, since the bumper cover is only held on by 8 bolts and the entire assembly lifts off the car upon removal. BUT... once you fire them up you will be blown away!
The turn signals are located in the bumper and are separate.
