| Author | Message | ||
     H2opatrol |
I bought a slim ballast 55W kit from DDMtuning.com last year and have just blown my 3rd ballast. Has anyone had similar experiences? They replace them no questions asked, but it's kind of a pain having to change them out all the time and definitely worries me being stranded with no headlights. Has anyone had any better luck with any other reasonably priced brands? Also which side of the housing is the high beam and which side is low? I have had these apart so many times now I have forgotten. It's kind of hard to tell with the HIDs. Thanks! | ||
| Nillaice |
the left/right bulb projection profiles are different. you will see a distinct line that cuts the lo beam .... well, low | ||
| Ronmold |
Have not used their 55w but never had a fault with the 35w and have used them on several bikes. | ||
| Ratbuell |
How do you have it wired? Do you have a voltmeter on the bike? What does it read? Do you have a good ground? Is this a low-beam installation, or a high-beam that's getting turned on and off repeatedly? I've also been using their 35w setup with no issues, on either the Uly or the 1125. | ||
| Teeps |
Time to check the charging voltage and 77 connector. | ||
| H2opatrol |
Its an '09 so the 77 connector isn't an issue. I don't have a voltmeter on the bike but its showing 12 volts at both connectors. When a ballast blows I check both the harness and verify the ballast is bad by switching them to opposite relays/bulbs. The ground is verified good and each harness has a dedicated relay. I have them secured behind the flyscreen so they aren't bouncing around at idle. I usually run both during daylight and only lo after dark (don't want to accidentally blind someone) so constattly switching them on and off shouldn't be an issue. I can't think of a single reason for them to blow so often. DDM Verifies that they are bad when they receive them, otherwise they send them back and charge you return shipping. Maybe I have just been blessed with a coincidence? | ||
| Ronmold |
Are they getting enough cooling in the fly screen? I know that area is fairly open to air flow but if there's a lot of wires around them they may get too hot. | ||
| H2opatrol |
I was thinking that too but I don't know where else to put them | ||
| H2opatrol |
They're so stupid cheep I should just buy a couple spares. | ||
| Uly_man |
"DDM Verifies that they are bad when they receive them" so maybe they are faulty then? If you do not wish to be caught out without lights carry some spare Halogen lamps. They should just plug in if needed unless you have some sort of weird setup. A 35W HID uses 20w less power than a 55W Halogen and a 55W HID is close to half a 100W Halogen for the same light output. Not needed, or legal in some places and why run both in daylight anyway. Even a 2009 bike can do without the drain on the system. (Message edited by Uly_man on June 04, 2012) | ||
| Uly_man |
Looking at the front of the bike low is the left beam. | ||
| Ronmold |
Wait a minute, shouldn't a 35w HID use 35w? Isn't that how they name them? | ||
| Uly_man |
Correction. Yes you are quite right. A 35W HID has the same LIGHT output of a 55W Halogen but uses 20W less power. Sorry my fault. | ||
| H2opatrol |
Uly man, I run them both during the day for visibility, thanks for the info on the lo beam side | ||
| Mikef5000 |
HID ballasts do pull more power upon start-up, not a huge amount, but it's worth keeping in mind. A 55w HID should not be run on wiring made for a 55w Halogen. Also, a 35w HID is supposed to be about twice the light output than 55w Halogen. 55w HID is supposedly about double again. None of that matters for the OP though. As I've never heard anything bad about DDM before and the fact that you've had multiple failures, I'd go over your wiring very carefully. Perhaps a loose connection or bad relay is causing power to flicker, maybe over bumps or something? VVME.com is another cheap China HID company with a good reputation if you want to get away from DDM. I've had their 35w set in my car for several years, and a 55w in my Uly for a few years (and 28k miles) without issue. That being said, I heard about DDM a couple years ago and have been recommending/using them since without issue. | ||
| Timbobuell |
I have the same setup as you. Been running it for about 10000 miles no problems. I just changed the ballasts for more spacing. Was running both ballasts mounted back to back and stuffed in the fly screen. Now they stay cooler but had no problems before. No problems with the bike at all since it has been kept away from HD. |
