Hid's Illegal In Texas. - DODGE RAM FORUM

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Rmfw R I heard it a few months back that dps was handing out tickets and warnings for hid's but i never had a problem with them untill the other night was headed home and dps stopped me for them. What makes them illegal, is it the color? i have 8k in high low and fog. just wondering if i swap bulbs if i can get away with like a 6k or a 5k. i live in middle of knowwhere in south east texas and alot of my driving is at night and it is mostly un-lite areas that i drive in and thats why i put the light in to begen with. the officer asked me to pop my hood and im guessing he was thinking he knew what ballast look like and all. then he asked if i purchased the truck with them in it. i told him they have been in it for 2 years and he said he is suprised that i was never stoped. so is there any way to beat around the bush with them? #1 · Oct 10, 2012 I heard it a few months back that dps was handing out tickets and warnings for hid's but i never had a problem with them untill the other night was headed home and dps stopped me for them. What makes them illegal, is it the color? i have 8k in high low and fog. just wondering if i swap bulbs if i can get away with like a 6k or a 5k. i live in middle of knowwhere in south east texas and alot of my driving is at night and it is mostly un-lite areas that i drive in and thats why i put the light in to begen with. the officer asked me to pop my hood and im guessing he was thinking he knew what ballast look like and all. then he asked if i purchased the truck with them in it. i told him they have been in it for 2 years and he said he is suprised that i was never stoped. so is there any way to beat around the bush with them? Sort by Oldest first Oldest first Newest first Most reactions #2 · Oct 10, 2012 Ive lived in texas my whole life till a few months ago and even still always down there.im in tx right now.and ive had hids on every vehicle ive ever owned for the last 6 years and have never ever been stopped or questioned about them b4.maybe it was just that one guy who stopped you.seems like sometimes cops get bored and find any reason to meet quota.i have hids in my low beam high beam fogs and reverse lights.lol. #3 · Oct 10, 2012 1. You have HIDs in reflectors that are clearly not made for HIDs. It makes the cutoffs terrible and puts more light in other driver's eyes. 2. 8000K put out a lot more glare than 5000K or 6000K. Even though 8000K HIDS put out much fewer lumens than 5000-6000K HIDs. The blue spectrum light puts a lot of strain on the eyes of other drivers. Anything over 6000K and you loose functionality. I guarantee if you had 5000-6000K HIDs in projectors that you would never get pulled over. You'd also enjoy night time driving a lot more. So would other drivers. #4 · Oct 10, 2012 Your color is a good indication that they are aftermarket. All stock HID's are going to be 4300-5000k bulbs. #5 · Oct 10, 2012 I just hope lawmakers don't take the guys that do HIDs the wrong way and ban them across the board. HIDs in halogen housing should be illegal. They are just dangerous for other drivers. Over 6000K also should be illegal. It's like the teacher that punishes the whole class due to one bad kid. #6 · Oct 10, 2012 It is strange, BMW has used XENON lights since 1991 They also will be the first to have LAZER headlights The statistics show that despite the fact that there are 40% fewer drivers on the road at night, nearly 40% of the people involved in crashes during this time will be killed as a result. Dodge Ram HID xenon headlights are not just able to give your truck an amazing look, they are capable of giving you the necessary edge that may make the difference between whether or not you and those around you arrive home safely. http://2012dodgeram.net/2012/01/12/shedding-some-light-on-dodge-ram-hid-xenon-headlights/ The 2013 Ram has •Bi-halogen projector headlamps add LEDs to the main halogen beam for better light spread, pattern consistency, and distance http://www.allpar.com/model/ram/dodge/2013-styling-lighting-safety.html #7 · Oct 10, 2012 The BMWs and Ram HIDs you listed are all functional K levels and in housing designed for HIDs. 0 Reply #8 · Oct 11, 2012 The big thing with the Texas law is the focus on non-HID equipped vehicles or retrofits into non-HID housings. If you just stuff HIDs into a typical reflector housing then you'll be getting a ticket if the cop wants to, but if you have projectors, or the lenses are OEM HID equipped then you'll be fine. #9 · Oct 11, 2012 They have been messing wig people around here too. I think is crazy as well. #10 · Oct 11, 2012 We don't have a problem with people putting HID bulbs in standard housing here any more. If you do that, they will pull you over and have your vehicle towed to the compound and you get to deal with the hassles the next day.....or 2 or 3..... :str: If you install the HID's in proper reflectors there is not issue at all. If they are not aligned correctly you will likely get a ticket for it, but at least you won't be at the compound trying to get your vehicle back the next day.

#11 · Oct 20, 2012 I have never had any issues in the Houston area. Although I run 6000k Hid's. I know a few people with 10k's that were ticketed for the blue color. I have one set in projectors and the others on the stock housings, Just make sure you re aim the lights after install. Never had any issues. #12 · Oct 21, 2012 (Edited) Aftermarket HID's are absolutely illegal in all states. This is per Federal DOT regulations, which supersede any state law. If the vehicle did not come from the factory with them, they are illegal in any conceivable configuration you can think of. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html #13 · Oct 21, 2012 I wonder if they would be considered legal in a projector designed for them. It sucks that 2012 Rams have no HID options and now I may not be able to legally do my planned HID projector install. Show more replies 0 Reply #14 · Oct 23, 2012 Wow I haven't heard of many people getting pulled over for HID lights unless they were 10K or higher. Where I'm from someone even has pink headlights. And why exactly does the housing matter if you aim them correctly? Many people have HID's in cars that didn't come with them and they look fine. #17 · Nov 12, 2012 It is illegal in all 50 states to install after market hid bulbs into a vehicle. That was not specifically designed for it. I was suprized when I read this but on sema's website. They have the law in PDF format for any on to read. SEMA eNews Vol. 10, No. 18 - May 2, 2007 _______________________________________ GOVERNMENT CLAMPS DOWN ON HID CONVERSION KITS NHTSA Does Not Recognize “For Off-Road Use Only” Disclaimer As SEMA has reported in the past, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is targeting high intensity discharge (HID) conversion kits for enforcement actions. NHTSA has concluded that it is impossible to produce HID conversion kits (converting a halogen system to HID) that would be compliant with the federal lighting standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. The noncompliant kits frequently include an HID bulb, ballast, igniter, relay and wiring harness adapters. NHTSA believes this equipment presents a safety risk to the public since the kits can be expected to produce excessive glare to oncoming motorists. In one investigation, NHTSA found that an HID conversion headlamp exceeded the maximum allowable candlepower by over 800 percent. Halogen equipment uses an electrical current to heat a metal wire coil filament to incandescence, while the HID conversion kit’s light source incorporates a discharge arc to produce light. HIDs require a ballast for operation. Under FMVSS No. 108’s Section S7.7 (Replaceable light sources), each replaceable light source for headlamps must be designed to conform to the dimensions and electrical specifications for the headlamp source it is intended to replace. For example, if an HID kit is marketed as replacing an H1 light source, then it must match the H1’s wire coil filament size and location, the electrical connector size and location, and the ballast design for use with an H1 light source (which is impossible since there is no ballast). Consequently, companies that are manufacturing HID light sources (e.g., D1S, D1R, D2S, D2R, 9500, etc...) with incandescent light source bases (e.g., H1, H3, H7, H8, H9, H11, H13, HB1, HB2, HB3, HB4, HB5, etc...) should be aware that this light source design would not be a design that conforms to FMVSS No. 108, and could not be imported and sold in the United States without violating Federal law. (The importer is treated as the manufacturer and subject to the same fines and penalties that apply to a domestic manufacturer.) NHTSA has also determined that a commonly-used disclaimer “for off-road use only” has no legal meaning and is not recognized by the agency as the manufacturer, importer and retailer are not in a position to control use once a product has been sold. Any equipment offered for sale which is covered by FMVSS No. 108 (headlamps, taillamps, side markers, etc.) must comply with the standard. On a related topic, NHTSA has also stepped up enforcement against restyled combination lamps that are missing required functions existing on the original-equipment lamps. This would include replacement front or rear combination lighting equipment that do not have a required reflector, amber or red light, no “DOT” marking, or mismarked wattage. The issue is the same -- any equipment offered for sale which is covered by FMVSS No. 108 must comply with the standard. Insert Quotes Post Reply

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