5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
As you guys may know, HID's don't like to be turned on and off many times within a short period of time, and while starting the engine, they often flicker from loss of power, which goes to the starter. This puts great strain on our car's power system.
I've found that when your DRL's are to be turned on, they are always delayed until after the engine starts before they do so. I've started to leave my light setting on DRL all the time, now. After I start my engine, I then turn on my HID's. No flicker, no extra strain.
This has one thing over simply leaving the lights in "off" position and then turning "auto" on after you start the car, and that is when you drive through a tunnel or a shaded area, the DRL's still remain on and your HID's don't flick on and off. Also, if you manage to leave the light in "auto" and turn the keys (before engine ignition), the HID's still come on when it's dark outside. Therefore, they flicker, and the life span is slowly shortened.
Leaving your lights in "DRL" mode is somewhat like leaving the lights in "Low Beam" mode, where as you lock/leave your car, and the lights turn off.
Just thought I'd share with newcomers with HID's, or people simply unaware. I've been kicking myself for not noticing this before.
Cheers.
__________________
Super White 2011 LE
|Debadged|-|4300k HID's|-|Tinted|-|Wheel Pkg|-|OEM Tip|-|Covered Squirrel Spotters|-|Yakima Rack System|-|Illuminated Cup Holders|
As you guys may know, HID's don't like to be turned on and off many times within a short period of time, and while starting the engine, they often flicker from loss of power, which goes to the starter. This puts great strain on our car's power system.
I've found that when your DRL's are to be turned on, they are always delayed until after the engine starts before they do so. I've started to leave my light setting on DRL all the time, now. After I start my engine, I then turn on my HID's. No flicker, no extra strain.
This has one thing over simply leaving the lights in "off" position and then turning "auto" on after you start the car, and that is when you drive through a tunnel or a shaded area, the DRL's still remain on and your HID's don't flick on and off. Also, if you manage to leave the light in "auto" and turn the keys (before engine ignition), the HID's still come on when it's dark outside. Therefore, they flicker, and the life span is slowly shortened.
Leaving your lights in "DRL" mode is somewhat like leaving the lights in "Low Beam" mode, where as you lock/leave your car, and the lights turn off.
Just thought I'd share with newcomers with HID's, or people simply unaware. I've been kicking myself for not noticing this before.
Cheers.
How certain are you that it shortens the life of the HIDs if the car starts off with the setting for your lights as ON or AUTO at nighttime? I can see the tunnel thing being a pain in the ass for the HID's because of such a short time but I mean aren't the stock halogens in vehicles drawing more power?
The dimming isn't great for the HID's, but it won't damage them if you do it once or twice. The HID's dimming/flickering on and off, etc, won't kill your HID kits if you do it once in a while.
It's times when you flash your high beams repeatedly and your HID's are not on at the time that you are being hard on your HID's. (They come on at the same time as the high beams, and turn on off on off on off.)
Upon startup, HID's draw up to double or triple the amount that a halogen would draw, and then the power consumption tapers down below what a halogen would consume after the bulb has been warmed up. I believe halogens draw a constant 55w throughout the use.
OEM HID's on say Mercedes-Benz or Audi do no dim or flicker one bit when the engine starts, probably because of quality HID ballasts and power supplies.
Hope that explains a lot.
__________________
Super White 2011 LE
|Debadged|-|4300k HID's|-|Tinted|-|Wheel Pkg|-|OEM Tip|-|Covered Squirrel Spotters|-|Yakima Rack System|-|Illuminated Cup Holders|
The dimming isn't great for the HID's, but it won't damage them if you do it once or twice. The HID's dimming/flickering on and off, etc, won't kill your HID kits if you do it once in a while.
It's times when you flash your high beams repeatedly and your HID's are not on at the time that you are being hard on your HID's. (They come on at the same time as the high beams, and turn on off on off on off.)
Upon startup, HID's draw up to double or triple the amount that a halogen would draw, and then the power consumption tapers down below what a halogen would consume after the bulb has been warmed up. I believe halogens draw a constant 55w throughout the use.
OEM HID's on say Mercedes-Benz or Audi do no dim or flicker one bit when the engine starts, probably because of quality HID ballasts and power supplies.
Hope that explains a lot.
+111111 for flashing. It's bad for not only HID bulbs but also halogen. Fog lights output 55W; I don't know how much they draw. For low beam, I'm not sure if it draws 55W.
Some HID equipped cars still have some dim when starting up at night when the lights come on at the same time. You may need to mention whether a relay harness is used because this may make a difference. I tried both OEM ballasts and aftermarket ballasts, and they didn't filcker when I use them with the relay harness. I didn't want to try without it. If the dimming is fine to HID equipped cars (some still last several years), it should be fine to ours.
I just leave the switch to auto since I like the DRL, but I'm always aware of going under tunnel/bridge (long enough for the lights to be on a few seconds).
PS: Btw, when the car is started, DRL doesn't come on, but when the gear is out of P, it comes on.
^ sometimes they are activated by the e-brake also (mainly MT cars)
Now a day's hids are a dime a dozen, so cheap to replace if they ever go out. But honestly, just keep it on off and do everything manually if your worried.
and maybe this is what your looking for? HID delay ..
What you'll are talking about is what some companies call "hot restrike" which is when they are turned off and on rapidly in a short period of time. There are also some HID kits that have hot restrike protection built into the ballasts so it doesn't effect the lifespan of the equipment. So whether this effects you or not depends on the kit that you purchased.
As you guys may know, HID's don't like to be turned on and off many times within a short period of time, and while starting the engine, they often flicker from loss of power, which goes to the starter. This puts great strain on our car's power system.
I've found that when your DRL's are to be turned on, they are always delayed until after the engine starts before they do so. I've started to leave my light setting on DRL all the time, now. After I start my engine, I then turn on my HID's. No flicker, no extra strain.
This has one thing over simply leaving the lights in "off" position and then turning "auto" on after you start the car, and that is when you drive through a tunnel or a shaded area, the DRL's still remain on and your HID's don't flick on and off. Also, if you manage to leave the light in "auto" and turn the keys (before engine ignition), the HID's still come on when it's dark outside. Therefore, they flicker, and the life span is slowly shortened.
Leaving your lights in "DRL" mode is somewhat like leaving the lights in "Low Beam" mode, where as you lock/leave your car, and the lights turn off.
Just thought I'd share with newcomers with HID's, or people simply unaware. I've been kicking myself for not noticing this before.
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