So I'm going to start out by installing an amp and a sub in the back of my hatchback... then I'm going to have my windows tinted and finally invest in some sort of HID setup.

My questions are something like this...

How do subs sound in the hatchbacks? Who has a setup that they like, and if you know of any that don't sound good, tell me!! =) ...so I may avoid that mistake.

Does anyone know anything about those new Alpine Powered LAT Subwoofer systems? They look quite appealing but I haven't heard much of anything about them. I had an Alpine Type R 10" and a digital Alpine Amp (MRD-301) in my Jeep before and I liked it so I am definitely considering Alpine again.

Now a question on the window tinting... I know the legal limits here in Utah - I was just wondering about the different processes and which one is the best?!?

And finally... the hardest for me to understand is the HID lighting.

My friend drives a M6 and he just bought some 6000k HID bulbs but I'm not sure which H number they were or anything like that, and I am not at all familiar with all those codes and stuff so if anyone could direct me towards some FAQ or something on HID and XENON lighting I would definitely appreciate it. If I can get bulbs for a decent price that aren't cheap quality or anything I would rather do that than invest in a $350 kit that I would rather not install.

Anyways... that's all I can think of right now =)

Thanks again everyone! =)

 

Hey man, not an expert on the sound system questions so i will leave that for someone else....

But for the HID/xenon bulbs...

I used to drive a Honda Civic and wanted the nice crisp HID look so I go xenon bulbs for my car. They just plugged right in, used the same wiring and pulled less voltage actually, of course they are not the same as a real HID kit which I have on my M3 SP23 now. I actually got the bulbs off eBay, they were really cheap and worked great. All I did was type in the make model of the car such as Honda Civic 1994 xenon bulbs and it came up with the right bulbs and gave me the right number. The Eurodesignz bulbs are really nice and work great. eBay is a great place to use as a search for information and even purchases, but of course, you might not get a warranty, but nonetheless, by looking through a lot of auctions you can find the info you need!

 

Hey thanks!

So what does all the H1 H4 H7 stuff mean? ...and would I need different bulbs for high/low beams?

 

I think H3 has high and low beams used by the same bulb, others are uncontrollable. the H level is brightness, and the K or kelvin is the color temperature and tesll you the color.

 

Ive heard subs in a hatch before, they were in one of my friends civic hatchback but he used 12in. Kenwoods...and he had 5 of them in one box so yeah it was loud, and other person i dont know drives a CRX with two 12in MTX and they hit real hard, but the only time i heard an Alpine sub being played is with my friend Paul he had two 12in in his Tiburon and they were loud..i mean very loud but it was his first time with subs and he didnt know about the subs overheating, he was playing them for....4hrs at a car show none stop volume all the way up, and they were so loud that the DJ just let him play the music cuz there speakers werent loud enough, but just as soon as they were about to leave his subs started smoking and caught on fire.

 

HID FAQ


I won't say too much on the sound system beyond you can either have it sound bad or good depending on what you invest in it, and whether or not you do a half-assed job of it. I'll let people that do more audio installs comment more.

For HIDs there are a few options.

[ul]You can retrofit a HID projector/lens combo into your headlights, and buy bulbs and ballasts. I think s2000, and TSX projectors are the ones most people are using when they do that. That will take a good amount of fabrication work to get them to fit in the headlights and be aligned properly, so not something for the faint of heart. [/ul]

[ul]You can buy the OEM HID headlights, the bulbs, and the ballasts, and the leveling switch. This is the most expensive method as the headlights are $815 each (not including the bulbs or ballasts). [/ul]

[ul]The last method is to install an aftermarket HID kit. These range in price and quality, and regardless of how expensive the kit is it will never give the same performance as a true HID projector. The lens on the Mz3 halogen light is frosted as opposed to clear, so it screws with the color a bit, and the shield on the projector that provides the clean cutoff on HIDs is different in the halogen setup[/ul]

As far as I know the "H" in the lighting code is just a different kind of bulb (differnt base/connector). The low beams in the Mz3 are H7, the fogs are H11, and the highbeams are something else (9005?). OEM HIDs use DS2 bulbs (or something similar). If you're adding HIDs you'll be adding them to the low beam as that's the only one with a projector. Also it's not really recommended to use HIDs as highbeams as it's not good for the ballast or ignitor to be turned on/off quickly, which is how highbeams are often used. The Kelvin rating describes the color temperature of the bulb. OEM HIDs use 4100-4300k bulbs, which is the whitest light you can get. The higher the kelvin the bluer the light output. Also the higher (or lower) the kelvin from 4100-4300 the lower the actual light output is.

did you actually have HIDs, or did you just buy xenon filled bulbs? You can't just plug HID bulbs into factory wiring and have it work. HID bulbs require an ignitor and ballast (just light flourescent bulbs) to create the arc through the xenon gas. They don't have filaments either.