DDM Tuning HID's - Ballast/Size Bulb - Is it Worth It? $50 shipped?

All4BeSpinnin · 11-23-2009, 12:18 AM

SO Ive read a few reviews/threads about the DDM tuning HID's... so far I have heard good things about it. And I know someone will say "Just get the real ones and spend $500+ on some real ones" or "the STI's are the only ones that will work with it"... Not everyone has that kinda money to throw around, lol

I mean, for the price $50 shipped, cant beat that right?!? I was going to ask if anyone maybe has put these on? And how bright they are?

Also, if its worth spending the extra $10 getting the 55W over the 35W? I also have an 06 WRX, so is it just an easy plug and play?

Thanks for any help given, I would appreciate it

EDIT: READ POST #28 BELOW FOR MY REVIEW ON THE PRODUCT WHEN I ORDERED IT. I LOVE THE RESULTS OF THE KIT, WAS SIMPLE INSTALL, AND DEFINALLY THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK REGARDLESS OF WHAT OTHERS SAY. FOR $60 SHIPPED, WHY NOT! IT WAS DEFINALLY WORTH IT, I ORDERED THE 35W 4500K BALLAST/BULB KIT. GROUND SHIPPING WITH NO PROBLEMS AND RECIEVED IT IN THE TIME THEY SAID I SHOULD, WITHIN 5-6 DAYS VERY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS, I HOPE THIS THREAD HELPS!!!

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE THREAD!

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

classicaddict · 11-23-2009, 12:28 AM

i wouldnt get 55w. i had ddm 5k hid's in my mazda3 and loved them to death. actually wish i had gotten the 4.5k color........i detest blue lights. the cut off was actually pretty damn good in my mazda3's stock halogen projectors....dare i say razor sharp. but i have never seen an hid kit in oem subaru halogen projectors so idk if it will be great or crap.

All4BeSpinnin · 11-23-2009, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicaddict

i wouldnt get 55w. i had ddm 5k hid's in my mazda3 and loved them to death. actually wish i had gotten the 4.5k color........i detest blue lights. the cut off was actually pretty damn good in my mazda3's stock halogen projectors....dare i say razor sharp. but i have never seen an hid kit in oem subaru halogen projectors so idk if it will be great or crap.

so was it just an easy plug and play? do you have any pics on how they looked?

yea i started reading more recent threads, and found lightwerkz is pretty good but cost a bit more than i was hoping... hmm...

maybe more people can shed their input...

Da-Risin-Smoke · 11-23-2009, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicaddict

i wouldnt get 55w. i had ddm 5k hid's in my mazda3 and loved them to death. actually wish i had gotten the 4.5k color........i detest blue lights. the cut off was actually pretty damn good in my mazda3's stock halogen projectors....dare i say razor sharp.

Really, is 55w more powerful than 35w?

How different are they?

Quote:

but i have never seen an hid kit in oem subaru halogen projectors so idk if it will be great or crap.

I have. The cut off was pretty good, but will not match a good HID projector set up. Only a couple inches of light glare.

But with how anal and high the standards are on this website, I guess the guy got flamed to death.

classicaddict · 11-23-2009, 01:10 AM

a 55watt kit put in halogen projectors will amplify any slight light scatter issues 100x+. trust me when i tell you the 35watt 5k's in my mazda were more than enough. i loved how they lit up the road when wet unlike average halogen lights that seem to do very very little on wet roads.

ill be useing some 55watt DDM slim kits installed in hella 500 lights i am going to mount to a removeable light bar. i love **** tons of light at night and 4 hella 500's (floods mounted on the sides of the bar, spots in the middle) would be insain. but i hate how it looks lol.

Spore · 11-23-2009, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Da-Risin-Smoke

Really, is 55w more powerful than 35w?

How different are they?

I have. The cut off was pretty good, but will not match a good HID projector set up. Only a couple inches of light glare.

But with how anal and high the standards are on this website, I guess the guy got flamed to death.

55W ballasts produces higher luminosity than 35W ballasts. 55W tends to be larger in dimension than 35W ballasts.

"Only a couple of inches of glare"? From what distance? If you get 3" of glare in 10', you will get 6" of glare in 20'. The farther you go, the greater the distance, simple trigonometry

Some projectors are more adaptable than others. I've seen legacy projectors getting near-HID cutoff (please notice the word "near"). And those "high standards" are not from the website. They are from your federal government. If you want to complain about the legality of HID kits, give DOT an email and see what they reply you with?

noTe · 11-23-2009, 01:18 AM

I have 3000k in my fogs. They stopped working after 6 months of being used. Enough said.

I need to not be lazy and get them replaced using the warranty.

classicaddict · 11-23-2009, 01:24 AM

^ very good post above. i have always been a huge advocate of correct HID installs. when i got my mazda3 everyone and their mothers were doing hid kits. i had someone park infront of a wall and take a pic of the cut off with 6k hid's <rice ass blue color) and there was only a very small amount of glair on the right side of the beam. i found this to be acceptable to my standards.

i had them installed for a year and was never flashed by on coming traffic. even went as far as swapping cars with my buddy and haveing him drive behind me, then at me on the other side of the road. they had less glair than his stock corrola with silver stars.

but that tiny bit of glair i did have would light up reflective street signs like they had a spot light on them.

since the DDM hid kit seems to be "the new subject" of the forum im SURE someone has them installed. find them and have them park infront of a garage or wall and take a nice clear picture. id suggest parking 12 feet away and taking a pic. then parking nice and close and take a pic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by noTe

I have 3000k in my fogs. They stopped working after 6 months of being used. Enough said.

I need to not be lazy and get them replaced using the warranty.

had mine for a year and they were flawless. but the life time warranty alone should speak volumes about the company.

edit: i forgot. 3 months after i had mine the right side stopped working and i took them out. for some reason i put them back in a few days later and they worked till the day i sold my car. sometimes a ballast wont fire up on one side. just turn them off and wait a minute then turn it back on and all should be good.

go to mazda3forums.com and search around about apexcone.

itskrees · 11-23-2009, 02:31 AM

I've had the DDM tuning HIDS for more than 6 months now and they are EXCELLENT. 4500k is the temperature that comes on most vehicles equipped with HID from the factory, but I chose to get 5000k to avoid the little yellow that I've seen on 4500k. I'd definitely recommend the kit. As far as wattage goes, stick with the 35w. 55w is so bright to the point where you don't even see the projector in your housing anymore.

NutBucket · 11-23-2009, 03:23 AM

I have some other cheapies that I paid $100 for...well maybe it was more back then. Anyway, been using them for at least 3 years with zero issues. Stock Subaru halogen projectors are definitely adequate for HIDs IMHO. There is a bit of glare as there is an opening in the cutoff shield to allow some light to illuminate road signs. Some people block off that opening as its really not necessary is urban areas.

wrx609 · 11-23-2009, 03:23 AM

i have a 06 wrx as well and hid kits look great with the projectors. as far as the install it is fairly simple. you do have to drive about a 1" whole in the cap of the back of the head light for the bulb to fit through. other then that its just pulling the wires from the bulb into the ballast and then mounting the ballast.

All4BeSpinnin · 11-23-2009, 09:38 AM

nice, thanks to those who helped, if anyone has anything else to add please do

thanks!

straytowel · 11-23-2009, 10:02 AM

i've had DDM 6000k 55w HIDs on my motorcycle for about 1yr now with no problems so far. the ballasts are just as small as any other 35w kit. only problem i had with them is the shipping time (took ~3 weeks) and lack of customer service.

PleiadesSTi · 11-23-2009, 10:16 AM

You folks do realize that stock halogen projectors and reflector headlamps have glare in of themselves right?

NutBucket · 11-23-2009, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PleiadesSTi

You folks do realize that stock halogen projectors and reflector headlamps have glare in of themselves right?

Already mentioned above. Its there for a reason and yes, HIDs do make them more noticeable.

Spore · 11-23-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PleiadesSTi

You folks do realize that stock halogen projectors and reflector headlamps have glare in of themselves right?

They aren't exactly the same glare HID kits have. "Glare" from stock projectors are just a difference in regulations. European standards (ECE) has a very sharp cutoff as they don't require headlights to illuminate overhead signs. American standards (DOT) requires such illumination as the signs themselves are not self-lighted. The glare HID produces emphasize on that "glare" and more, as the halogen projector themselves are not fully capable of controlling the HID beam. I'm glad people are starting to realize there IS a difference between authentic HID system and HID kit.

Back to topic of DDM HID kits. I've used them before, and they are great product for their money. I have not tried their slim ballast model, but I have used their full size ballast ones. They do their job, and it's cheap. However, I did notice a slight flicker in the light output by the ballast from time to time. So maybe there is a slight quality error there. Overall, they are better quality than those you find on Ebay or some ricer shop.

CRAZYHAWK · 11-23-2009, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicaddict

i wouldnt get 55w. i had ddm 5k hid's in my mazda3 and loved them to death. actually wish i had gotten the 4.5k color........i detest blue lights. the cut off was actually pretty damn good in my mazda3's stock halogen projectors....dare i say razor sharp. but i have never seen an hid kit in oem subaru halogen projectors so idk if it will be great or crap.

These are 35watt 8000K in my 2009 Impreza.

classicaddict · 11-23-2009, 07:31 PM

...........................wow............those would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much brighter if you had 5k's. however that cut off looks almost slightly better than i had in the mazda3 and i had 0 issues with other drivers being upset by my light.

a TSX parked next to me was more annoying only because of the color the TXS's clear projectors produce (there is a thin line of very bright blue and purple at the top of the tsx cut off......looks freakin cool tho)

All4BeSpinnin · 11-23-2009, 08:16 PM

anyone know the size bulb we use?

jam007 · 11-23-2009, 08:37 PM

sylvania.com scope it out, it should have a little chart on there that will give you the bulb sizes.

DDM Tuning · 11-23-2009, 11:39 PM

Hi guys,

Shipping issues are really a thing of the past. When we came into the market in a big way a couple of years back, we were deluged with orders. Not being one to hire people who just have to be laid off when the rush is over, we worked through it. We generally ship same day now, orders over the weekend might take till Tuesday morning as we are closed on weekends and the orders build up, along with Monday being our busiest day of the week.

We have been in business continuously since 2001 and are both an internet and brick and mortar company in San Diego. We currently have 18 or 19 employees. I really can't remember without counting noses

Our lifetime warranty is deadly serious. We have systems installed on classic cars that people swear they will never get rid of and we occasionally replace ballasts from 5 or 6 years ago. We stand behind our product.

If any of you are located near us, please stop in and introduce yourselves. We are pending the start of our forum sponsorship on Dec 1. We're paid up, just waiting for the calendar to flip a page.

If you've got room for a mid sized ballast, the Raptor V2 is rock solid, lifetime warranty and only $29.95 too! It uses the same bulbs as our DDM kits. BTW, we replace BOTH bulbs under warranty if you have one go out so the color and lumen output remains matched.

Jim Powell
Apexcone/DDM Tuning

CRAZYHAWK · 11-24-2009, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by All4BeSpinnin

anyone know the size bulb we use?

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...lacementGuide/

All4BeSpinnin · 11-25-2009, 08:13 PM

Thanks man ^ I got the H7 lowbeams

I JUST ordered from DDM Tuning my HID's. I ordered the H7, 5000K, 35W kit. So from this point, we will see how their shipping and such does and Ill post some pics of the results when I get them on.

scooter4483 · 12-04-2009, 02:14 PM

i got the ddm kit and returned it the following day. my retaining clip that holds the bulb in could not get around the thick hid bulb base. i bent the clip so much that my stock bulb barely holds intact with the retaining clip. it was not plug and play for sure. with their supplied harness u also had to take out and disable the ground to the bulb. i returned the kit.

good luck. im sure i would have had the same problem with other kits as well.

tnhockey · 12-04-2009, 05:15 PM

i need some help from anyone that has these in their car with the harness. i just finished the install of my kit, or so i thought. only the drivers side headlight works. everything is plugged in. im very confused why just the one side is working. can anyone help please?

11-23-2009, 12:18 AM	#1
All4BeSpinnin Scooby Newbie Member#: 210456 Join Date: May 2009 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: AZ Vehicle: 2006 WRX OBP - How Low Can He Go??	DDM Tuning HID's - Ballast/Size Bulb - Is it Worth It? $50 shipped? SO Ive read a few reviews/threads about the DDM tuning HID's... so far I have heard good things about it. And I know someone will say "Just get the real ones and spend $500+ on some real ones" or "the STI's are the only ones that will work with it"... Not everyone has that kinda money to throw around, lol I mean, for the price $50 shipped, cant beat that right?!? I was going to ask if anyone maybe has put these on? And how bright they are? Also, if its worth spending the extra $10 getting the 55W over the 35W? I also have an 06 WRX, so is it just an easy plug and play? Thanks for any help given, I would appreciate it EDIT: READ POST #28 BELOW FOR MY REVIEW ON THE PRODUCT WHEN I ORDERED IT. I LOVE THE RESULTS OF THE KIT, WAS SIMPLE INSTALL, AND DEFINALLY THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK REGARDLESS OF WHAT OTHERS SAY. FOR $60 SHIPPED, WHY NOT! IT WAS DEFINALLY WORTH IT, I ORDERED THE 35W 4500K BALLAST/BULB KIT. GROUND SHIPPING WITH NO PROBLEMS AND RECIEVED IT IN THE TIME THEY SAID I SHOULD, WITHIN 5-6 DAYS VERY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS, I HOPE THIS THREAD HELPS!!! THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE THREAD! * Registered users of the site do not see these ads. Last edited by All4BeSpinnin; 12-05-2009 at 09:13 PM.

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11-23-2009, 12:28 AM	#2
classicaddict Scooby Newbie Member#: 220619 Join Date: Aug 2009 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: rosedale/whitemarsh Vehicle: 04 wrx wagon silver	i wouldnt get 55w. i had ddm 5k hid's in my mazda3 and loved them to death. actually wish i had gotten the 4.5k color........i detest blue lights. the cut off was actually pretty damn good in my mazda3's stock halogen projectors....dare i say razor sharp. but i have never seen an hid kit in oem subaru halogen projectors so idk if it will be great or crap.

11-23-2009, 01:10 AM	#5
classicaddict Scooby Newbie Member#: 220619 Join Date: Aug 2009 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: rosedale/whitemarsh Vehicle: 04 wrx wagon silver	a 55watt kit put in halogen projectors will amplify any slight light scatter issues 100x+. trust me when i tell you the 35watt 5k's in my mazda were more than enough. i loved how they lit up the road when wet unlike average halogen lights that seem to do very very little on wet roads. ill be useing some 55watt DDM slim kits installed in hella 500 lights i am going to mount to a removeable light bar. i love **** tons of light at night and 4 hella 500's (floods mounted on the sides of the bar, spots in the middle) would be insain. but i hate how it looks lol.

11-23-2009, 01:18 AM	#7
noTe Scooby Specialist Member#: 87332 Join Date: May 2005 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Cincinnati, OH Vehicle: 2001 Impreza L Coupe Aspen White	I have 3000k in my fogs. They stopped working after 6 months of being used. Enough said. I need to not be lazy and get them replaced using the warranty.

11-23-2009, 02:31 AM	#9
itskrees Scooby Specialist Member#: 122277 Join Date: Aug 2006 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Skokie, IL Vehicle: 2007 WRX OBP VF43 I turn cars into mirrors	I've had the DDM tuning HIDS for more than 6 months now and they are EXCELLENT. 4500k is the temperature that comes on most vehicles equipped with HID from the factory, but I chose to get 5000k to avoid the little yellow that I've seen on 4500k. I'd definitely recommend the kit. As far as wattage goes, stick with the 35w. 55w is so bright to the point where you don't even see the projector in your housing anymore.

11-23-2009, 03:23 AM	#10
NutBucket Scooby Specialist Member#: 90804 Join Date: Jul 2005 Chapter/Region: SCIC Location: Marina Del Rey Vehicle: 2005 SWP Legacy GT Cannondale M200/R700	I have some other cheapies that I paid $100 for...well maybe it was more back then. Anyway, been using them for at least 3 years with zero issues. Stock Subaru halogen projectors are definitely adequate for HIDs IMHO. There is a bit of glare as there is an opening in the cutoff shield to allow some light to illuminate road signs. Some people block off that opening as its really not necessary is urban areas.

11-23-2009, 03:23 AM	#11
wrx609 Scooby Newbie Member#: 216868 Join Date: Jul 2009 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Hamilton, NJ Vehicle: 2006 WRX black	i have a 06 wrx as well and hid kits look great with the projectors. as far as the install it is fairly simple. you do have to drive about a 1" whole in the cap of the back of the head light for the bulb to fit through. other then that its just pulling the wires from the bulb into the ballast and then mounting the ballast.

11-23-2009, 09:38 AM	#12
All4BeSpinnin Scooby Newbie Member#: 210456 Join Date: May 2009 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: AZ Vehicle: 2006 WRX OBP - How Low Can He Go??	nice, thanks to those who helped, if anyone has anything else to add please do thanks!

11-23-2009, 10:02 AM	#13
straytowel Scooby Newbie Member#: 213530 Join Date: Jun 2009 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: CT Vehicle: 2005 Saab 9-2x Aero	i've had DDM 6000k 55w HIDs on my motorcycle for about 1yr now with no problems so far. the ballasts are just as small as any other 35w kit. only problem i had with them is the shipping time (took ~3 weeks) and lack of customer service.

11-23-2009, 10:16 AM	#14
PleiadesSTi Scooby Newbie Member#: 194132 Join Date: Nov 2008 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Northwest Indiana Vehicle: 2009 Subaru WRX Spark silver	You folks do realize that stock halogen projectors and reflector headlamps have glare in of themselves right?

11-23-2009, 07:31 PM	#18
classicaddict Scooby Newbie Member#: 220619 Join Date: Aug 2009 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: rosedale/whitemarsh Vehicle: 04 wrx wagon silver	...........................wow............those would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much brighter if you had 5k's. however that cut off looks almost slightly better than i had in the mazda3 and i had 0 issues with other drivers being upset by my light. a TSX parked next to me was more annoying only because of the color the TXS's clear projectors produce (there is a thin line of very bright blue and purple at the top of the tsx cut off......looks freakin cool tho)

11-23-2009, 08:16 PM	#19
All4BeSpinnin Scooby Newbie Member#: 210456 Join Date: May 2009 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: AZ Vehicle: 2006 WRX OBP - How Low Can He Go??	anyone know the size bulb we use?

11-23-2009, 08:37 PM	#20
jam007 Scooby Newbie Member#: 174706 Join Date: Mar 2008 Chapter/Region: SCIC Location: socal Vehicle: 2004 WRX, 08 Spec B WRB	sylvania.com scope it out, it should have a little chart on there that will give you the bulb sizes.

11-23-2009, 11:39 PM	#21
DDM Tuning NASIOC Vendor Member#: 230127 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: sandy eggo, ca	Hi guys, Shipping issues are really a thing of the past. When we came into the market in a big way a couple of years back, we were deluged with orders. Not being one to hire people who just have to be laid off when the rush is over, we worked through it. We generally ship same day now, orders over the weekend might take till Tuesday morning as we are closed on weekends and the orders build up, along with Monday being our busiest day of the week. We have been in business continuously since 2001 and are both an internet and brick and mortar company in San Diego. We currently have 18 or 19 employees. I really can't remember without counting noses Our lifetime warranty is deadly serious. We have systems installed on classic cars that people swear they will never get rid of and we occasionally replace ballasts from 5 or 6 years ago. We stand behind our product. If any of you are located near us, please stop in and introduce yourselves. We are pending the start of our forum sponsorship on Dec 1. We're paid up, just waiting for the calendar to flip a page. If you've got room for a mid sized ballast, the Raptor V2 is rock solid, lifetime warranty and only $29.95 too! It uses the same bulbs as our DDM kits. BTW, we replace BOTH bulbs under warranty if you have one go out so the color and lumen output remains matched. Jim Powell Apexcone/DDM Tuning

11-25-2009, 08:13 PM	#23
All4BeSpinnin Scooby Newbie Member#: 210456 Join Date: May 2009 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: AZ Vehicle: 2006 WRX OBP - How Low Can He Go??	Thanks man ^ I got the H7 lowbeams I JUST ordered from DDM Tuning my HID's. I ordered the H7, 5000K, 35W kit. So from this point, we will see how their shipping and such does and Ill post some pics of the results when I get them on.

12-04-2009, 02:14 PM	#24
scooter4483 Scooby Newbie Member#: 71834 Join Date: Oct 2004 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: western chicago suburb Vehicle: 2005 WRX w/ premium WR Blue	i got the ddm kit and returned it the following day. my retaining clip that holds the bulb in could not get around the thick hid bulb base. i bent the clip so much that my stock bulb barely holds intact with the retaining clip. it was not plug and play for sure. with their supplied harness u also had to take out and disable the ground to the bulb. i returned the kit. good luck. im sure i would have had the same problem with other kits as well.

12-04-2009, 05:15 PM	#25
tnhockey Scooby Newbie Member#: 218013 Join Date: Jul 2009 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Arlington Heights, IL Vehicle: 2006 WRX OBP	i need some help from anyone that has these in their car with the harness. i just finished the install of my kit, or so i thought. only the drivers side headlight works. everything is plugged in. im very confused why just the one side is working. can anyone help please?