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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 05:25 PM
  #1  
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From: plano
Post HID GROUP BUY

Here are the details on the Group Guy...These will be CATZ HID kits in either 4500K or 5500K. The site I have set this up with is as follows
<a href="http://www.liteswap.com" target="_blank">www.liteswap.com</a>
Here is the breakdown of the purchases
5-9 kits mixed
420.00-4500k
520.00-5500k

10+ kits mixed
400.00-4500k
500.00-5500k

10+kits all 4500k
380.00

This is a high quality kit and is completely "plug and play." There is quite a bit of info on the website and even a pic of a 993 with the lights installed. I have gotten emails from quite a few of you that are interested. Do your homework on them and if you want to get in on this drop me an email. If you have any questions email me and I will get them answered ASAP. I allready have a set on the way and will do a DIY as soon as they show. I have been assured this will go very smooth and the product is very high quality..If I missed anything let me know.

If you allready emailed me with interest take a look and email me again to let me know you are in. As soon as I start getting names I will post a list of all that are going to buy..Thanks
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 05:55 PM
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From: plano
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Here is the list of buyers that have sent me an email...

1) Chris B-4500K
2) Mike C-4500K
3) Kevin C-4500K
4) Bob L-4500K
5) Clint S-4500K
6) George P-4500K
7) Martin G-4500K
8) Brent S-4500K
9) Kary C-4500K
10)Skip B-4500K
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 06:04 PM
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If I read their site correctly (not being an engineer) the 4500 are fine, actually brighter if not blue like the 5500?

Normal price on our application is $499.99 on the 4500.

Have Rennlisters already used this product from this vendor?

I am in for a 4500 set, if someone has used this kit successfully.

Thanks for setting this up!
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 06:12 PM
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From: plano
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Chris I dont know if anyone has used this set but mine are allready on the way..I will install them hopefully the day they arrive..You can see a picture of them installed on their site.
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 06:58 PM
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Hello guys, I hope I am allowed to post here. I think I am good as long as I don't advertise anything right? So let me keep all my posts entirely informational. <img border="0" alt="[icon501]" title="" src="graemlins/icon501.gif" />

96P993, you should have a tracking number by now.

ChrisC, you are correct. A common misconception (or should I say DECEPTION) is that the higher the temperature the better. The color temperature is a rating of just that, color. As you go higher in the Kelvin range, what happens is the light becomes blue, then purple. Do a search for "kelvin color temperature" on a search engine (ie: yahoo.com) and you will see that it has nothing to do with brightness and all to do with color. If you should go much higher than 6000K, the amount of USEABLE light being put out now falls into premium halogen territory. I can't believe the kits I see out there in upwards of 10,000K. Did you know aquariums, YES aquariums, use that temperature? Why? so plants can absorb the light and the water turns blue.

Without writing a book on here, here is the basic picture. 4500K would give you the MOST output at roughly 3200 lumens. A lot of vendors trick people by saying their 7500K+ kits put out 3200 or higher lumen. This is not possible. The purpose of automotive lighting is to light objects on the road. This is usually a case where a lower than OEM quality bulb may have been used. No OEM bulb manufacturer makes anything more than ~6000K (Philips Ultinon = 2400Lumens). So either it is 6000K, or the bulb might have been painted. Painting bulbs decreases brightness and in most cases decreases life. There would be no way any vendor could claim higher lumens without upping the wattage output from the ballast. So be aware what you are buying.

Another big thing in the industry now is to claim thie kit is "Philips". Philips themselves do not make a kit. They make the components. Some vendors bundle a Philips ballast and a low quality generic bulb and call it a "Philips Kit". Granted there ARE companies out there that are reputable, but if your sole decision on buying a kit is that it MUST be German/Philips:

"Truth be told that the manufacturer of the HID bulb doesn't really matter as long as it comes from a OEM source. Philips, Osram, and GE all make OEM bulbs for different car manufacturers. The majority of the hid kits out there use Philips bulbs, but Philips is not the end all, be all of hid's.

Catz makes OEM grade hid kits, which are used in Hondas, Nissans, and more in Japan. Their kits come out of the same factory as Bellof hid kits. If you look around, Bellof was one of the first to have a hid retrofit and is still one of the standards in aftermarket hid lighting. Kits branded with bellof cost $900+.

Catz was devloped to bring Bellof hid kit prices down without "staining" the Bellof name. The kits are essentially the same, with Bellof offering more varieties of hid coloring and options. Many Bellof kits are used in Le mans cars.

The factories that make both kits use bulbs from GE, Osram, and Philips. All have a life span of 2000+ hours, so it doesn't really matter who makes the bulb, as long as it's being produced by a OEM quality manufacturer."

OK.. my fingers hurt from typing now <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" /> I will write more as questions arise. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings! <img border="0" alt="[blabla]" title="" src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" />
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 08:01 PM
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Some Questions:

1. When/If the bulbs go out, can replacements be purchased though anyone other than the kit manufacturer?
2. Can the kit installation be reversed, or are there modifications to the OEM light housing/wiring?
3. How difficult is the installation?
4. What are the options on the 993 High beams?
5. Are there any options with the 993 OEM fog lights?

Following up on Chris C's question, are there any Rennlisters that have used this kit?

Thanks in advance,

-Skip
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 08:32 PM
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Skip,

1) Replacements can be purchased from any Catz retailer or straight from the manufacturer. Although, liteswap.com offers them to their customers at cost. BUT, these bulbs should outlast the car. They are not generic bulbs and are OEM quality. They should last 3-4 years even with a lot of night use.
2) The kit is fully reverseable with no cutting of wires.
3) Installation is simple and 96P993 will have the kit installed most likely this weekend. He will provide all of us with a writeup. Usually with vehicles the hardest part is finding a place to mount the ballast/igniter. The Porsche has PLENTY of room up front so this should not be an issue.
4) Typically one would not want to change the high beams to HID. HID requires time to warm up. Although the kits offered by Liteswap have ballasts which feature the quickest warmup and restart times in the market, it would not be fast enough for typical high beam useage (flash to pass, on for short periods, etc).
5) There is a picture on the photos section of the liteswap.com site with a 993 that has HID in both the headlamp and driving light locations. The driving/fog is a H3 kit.
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 10:18 PM
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From: plano
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Hey everyone..my kit will be here Thurs or Fri so I will be able to do the install this weekend or possibly earlier..
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 10:38 PM
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96P993 - thanks for taking charge of this and I've got my fingers crossed.

Skip
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Old Feb 24, 2003 | 11:19 PM
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If its any good count me in for the 4500.
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Old Feb 25, 2003 | 08:58 AM
  #11  
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Hi Guys,

Stupid question but presumably there is some difference between the LHD and RHD bulb settings? In other words does this fit either or am I just being lazy not looking at the website!

Thanks,

David

PS I might be interested, depending upon product and shipping costs
<img border="0" alt="[cherrsagai]" title="" src="graemlins/drink.gif" />
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Old Feb 25, 2003 | 09:42 AM
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So...we may conclude that this is a new vendor and new HID kit--new to Rennlist, as no one here has successfully installed one. Right??

Further, it is represented here by a new "user" and a non-sponsor supplier.

Not to be a cynic, but 96p993 you have no financial or other relationship with Liteswap, right? In the interest of full disclosure, did you get your HIDs free or at a discount? How did you find/choose them?

These guys and their Catz kit may be legit, but other Rennlisters have used other suppliers' kits with success. It's only fair that the likely purchasers here know the full deal.

Looking forward to hearing about your install.
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Old Feb 25, 2003 | 10:39 AM
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Just a quick question pointed towards LITESWAP but, if anyone else with experience / knowledge please feel free to help.

What rating would you recommend 4500K or 6000K.. I am not interested in colour or asthetics purely functionality ie: maximum lighting of the road.

Many thanks in advance

Stuart
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Old Feb 25, 2003 | 10:50 AM
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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by Stuart Ross UK 1996 C4:
<strong>What rating would you recommend 4500K or 6000K.. I am not interested in colour or asthetics purely functionality ie: maximum lighting of the road.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">4500K
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Old Feb 25, 2003 | 11:15 AM
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ChrisC, he has no affiliation with us. He came to us initially looking to buy a kit for himself and then decided to try to help the rest of the Rennlisters out because of a failed GB from a different vendor.

The kit he purchased was at the group buy rate.

As far as performance Dan 96C2 is right on the money. 4500K.

The left/right side makes no difference. <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

Again, just to remain unbiased and subjective, there are many kits out there, but not all are created equal. You need to be sure the re-basing process of the bulb is of quality. There are only a couple places I know of that sell quality kits, another being <a href="http://www.xenondepot.com" target="_blank">http://www.xenondepot.com</a>
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