DDM Slim Ballast HID Kit (pics)

[omeyhomey]

Hey guys,

Heres my H4 DDM Slim Ballast HID kit. It has a rare feature of having the high beam shield to prevent blinding on coming traffic in an H4 application. Here are the pics (hopefully you can see them).

(pics coming)

[omeyhomey]

Ok heres the general breakdown of the kit and I'll try as be as comprehensive as possible so anybody with even basic automotive knowledge can do this.

First heres the kit itself and how the wiring works, its a bit more confusing than most HID kits but the DDM kit makes it a piece of cake to install b/c of its quality construction and good design. Pardon the cheesy art but it helps explain how it works...

-The connectors circle in orange connect directly to the OEM plug inside the housing. the blue arrows indicate direction (going towards the actual bulb itself so you can follow the path).

- next is the green circled connectors which connect that portion to the ballast (again pretend you are electricity going towards the bulb).

- Next, the ballast and then soon after that the igniter (small black box).

- Next is the small black box (igniter) and then after that the slim ballast itself.

- after that are the connectors circled in yellow which actually connect the igniters to the actual bulb itself which then lights up the bulb.

so basically the wiring harness comes full circle back into the headlight housing and straight to the bulb.




step 1:

Cut a 1" hole in the housing in order for all the wires and everything to pass through. I chose the flat peice directly behind the lowbeam b/c it seemed like the most logical location to install it and also allowed for the most room. The quality of the grommet is car nicer than any other HID kit I have seen, I had an Xtec kit and it was a joke... ebay... forget about it. The grommet has 1.25" inner lip and 1.5" outer lip, the actual diameter being 1.0" so thats what I chose for my hole diameter and its perfect size for that square section of the housing cover

Here are the pics below





had to stop for today b/c of rain & outta daylight. Will finish the writeup in the next few days.

[OCKlasse]

Where did you get the DDM and how much did you pay for it? I have the same kit for my fogs (H1).

[omeyhomey]

well stealth auto sells it for $175 shipped on MBworld, but you can get it for $140 shipped from here:

http://www.xenonexpert.com/ddm_kit_sale.html

[sensoryx]

Cant wait to see some pics at night. I actually was just about to PM you about this kit cause I saw you post about it a while back.
Does the high beam shield dim the lighting?

[omeyhomey]

Originally posted by sensoryx
Cant wait to see some pics at night. I actually was just about to PM you about this kit cause I saw you post about it a while back.
Does the high beam shield dim the lighting?

Hello,

Actually It appears the sheild is actually a reflective parabolic mirror so it may actually increase output b/c it reflects all the bulbs light output directly only the low beam reflector surface thereby increasing light output. This may put out even more light than a normal H4 HID kit w/o this reflector/shield.

Obviously you sacrifice highs, but honestly the 202 highs in the H4 housing area joke to begin with anyways.

[Proven Guilty]

the only thing i would be concerned about is the reflector pattern in the stock glass. you could pick up some ebay crystal clears for like $175 shipped to put the HIDs in, and the beam pattern would not only be cleaner, but safer for oncoming traffic, all while giving the updated look.

ocklasse has pretty much that same setup now, but his HIDs were a bit more pricey iirc.

[anf6789]

Originally posted by omeyhomey
Obviously you sacrifice highs, but honestly the 202 highs in the H4 housing area joke to begin with anyways.

The Highs in my H4 housing are bright as hell, even being PIAA halogens. they light up the whole area infornt of me pretty well, better than most cars ive seen with halogens.

[OCKlasse]

Looks good!

[OCKlasse]

Originally posted by omeyhomey
thx, ya I am very happy with the results. I think I may just get fake xenon bulbs in my fogs just so they match, I don't think I need two sets of HIDs, seems like major overkill. Bulbs are only $10 where as another HID kit would be $140.

Yeah...I have both HID headlights and fogs and it is a little bit of overkill

What about some 3000K yellow fogs?

[Kropf]

Very nice writeup on upgrading the after-market headlamps! I know it takes a bunch of time.

Originally posted by omeyhomey
... I think I may just get fake xenon bulbs in my fogs just so they match, I don't think I need two sets of HIDs, seems like major overkill. Bulbs are only $10 where as another HID kit would be $140.

I like having my parking lights and bumper mounted fog lights on during the day (kind of like daytime running lights), and have ordered my 3rd VVME kit for the fogs. I like the idea of the cooler 35 watt Xenons during the day vs the 55 watt Halogens.

But I only paid about $70 for each VVME kit via eBay. Had I known I would have bought 3 sets, I could have probably saved quite a bit of shipping as they charge $35 for each 2nd business day shipping from the other side of the world.

It looks like VVME's H4 bulbs (and a few other bulb types) have a similar shield. Checking their web site reveals that they also have some options regarding the H4 (and 9004, 9007, H13) bulbs: a "H4-3 BI-Xenon HID Kit" aka "Telescopic Bixenon HID" that has a single Xenon bulb that moves for High Beam pattern, and a "H4-2" for a separate adjacently mounted Halogen bulb for the High Beam. For those with such bulbs, I think they would be the best solution over separate High Beams like mine. When I turn on my H1 High Beams, it's NOT instant brightness as the Xenons take a few seconds to really pump the light out. (Because of that, their increased light isn't immediately noticeable, but when I turn them off, it's amazing how much they lit up the horizon!!!)

While my VVME ballasts (with integral igniters) are not the so-called "slim" type, I have mounted 3 of the more typical sized ballasts on each side of my C43 on the frame rails (the same general location as the OEM ballasts). Full details are available on my W202 Headlights page.

One area that the DDM Ballasts MAY be the best option is for those trying to replace the OEM ballasts that also have separate igniters. I'll add such a comment over in that thread.

Again, very nice job omeyhomey!

[sensoryx]

The beam shield is supposed to be "on the bottom" correct?

[sensoryx]

Originally posted by omeyhomey
yes on normal low only sheild is supposed to be on bottom (remember lens reflect opposite)

Thanks omey.

So can you explain to me exactly how it works?

Also whats the best way to determine whether ur HIDs are pointing too high?
I read somewhere your supposed to park up infront of a wall a certain distance away and the light should be at ur waist level?

[BMW04E46]

they look awesome buddy!!

and thanks for the write up, I'm planing on doing this to my 97 w202.

Did you use the bulb out eliminators too? if you didn't, do you have the warning light on the dash? Also how are your original car cables look after using them? i hear sometimes that the cables aren't strong enough and can melt, or even cause flickering.

BTW for everyone else interested DDMTuning (the manufacturer's retailer) will be selling this same DDM slim line kit in practically any color WITH lifetime warranty on blubs and ballasts for $50 starting September 1st 2008!! I heard this through the e46fanatics web forum i use quite a lot. Here are the links, see for yourself..

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...441&highlight=
post #1

http://www.ddmtuning.com/hidkihidbuhi.html

thanks
Steven

[benzonline]

Those ballasts and wiring are IDENTICAL to my kit! Except my ballasts are silver chrome type looking and not black but are as slim and the connectors exactly same. I have the reflector thingy aswell (metal sheild)

Was gonna ask you do these have in-line capacitors? Whats that other little black box running in line?

[BMW04E46]

Originally posted by benzonline
Those ballasts and wiring are IDENTICAL to my kit! Except my ballasts are silver chrome type looking and not black but are as slim and the connectors exactly same. I have the reflector thingy aswell (metal sheild)

Was gonna ask you do these have in-line capacitors? Whats that other little black box running in line?

From what I hear, those are the ignitors, since they are slim, the ignitors cannot be placed inside the ballast case.

As a side note, I just realized my 97 c280 has the 9007 bulb, not the H4/9003. so we'll see how it works out with the regular headlights.

Steven

[sensoryx]

I have new pictures up on my car's thread.

You can see the DDM HID kit installed.
http://www.club202.com/forums/showth...threadid=12985

[MikeD]

Old thread, but does anyone still have the install guide for these?