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Do I really need a relay for my hid kit?

7310 Views 10 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  Dale, 
C
Hello, I'm new, I got myself a 2008 scion xb, I got a hid kit from vvme. They were good in my previous car.

My question is, do you need a relay kit in order for the hids to function correctly?

I did a plug nd play and the hid turned on fine, what's the function of the relay?

I should add that my battery dies, their are some days that after operating the hids and parking the car then later on trying to turn on the car it won't start, could it be related to my hids or it could just be coincidence that my battery is old and dosent hold charge.

Any help well be appreciated.. Thanks
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T
Electronics are not something I'd not mess with other than how the factory or part maker suggests. Too many issues that aren't easy fixes. Last thing I want is to short out my ECU/ECM, kill my battery or set my vehicle on fire. All (and more) are possible results from not properly installing electronics in a vehicle.

I saw an FJ Cruiser burn to the ground because the owner cut corners installing a spare 12v socket so he could run a GPS and charge his phone.
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T
Is it likely to happen, probably not but not a risk I'm willing to take when its really not that hard to just do it the right way.
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phobic
you'll get people who say yes, you'll get people who say no. I ran a relay, twice the relay **** out on me, so I pulled the relay and have been running without one for about a year now. no issues.
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C
So u haven't had any problems?
I was going to install the relay but I would've have to modify the plugs in the end of the relay, to the ones that plug into the cars headlight harness.

I just connected each ballast with each of the headlight harness just plugging them in, that should be good enough?

Thanks for the help
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phobic
yeah, should be good enough. Its not great for the ballasts but whatever. Mine work fine
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A
there really isnt that much of a difference, esp on newer cars. the relay is there to provide more power to the ballasts, but newer cars have enough power in the wiring to power them. all your using the factory wires for is a trigger to turn on the ballasts. most ppl dont install them, you should be fine.
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T
chris2009c said:
Hello, I'm new, I got myself a 2008 scion xb, I got a hid kit from vvme. They were good in my previous car.

My question is, do you need a relay kit in order for the hids to function correctly?

I did a plug nd play and the hid turned on fine, what's the function of the relay?
Click to expand...
The purpose of the relay is to protect the OE headlight wiring from the additional power drawn by the HID ballasts. A ballast can require 75W continuous whereas the OE low beam Halogen draws 55W. Still, the same gauge wiring also powers the 60W Halogen high beams, so given the probable current overdraw is modest, plug and play probably isn't that risky.
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B
What Trevor said is right......if you go with the 35W ballast you'll get plenty of light and not put additional load on your low beam lighting circuit. I just installed the 35w VVME HID's on my 2008 and went directly to the low beam lamp plug for the power. No relay, and they are working just fine. I'd avoid the 55w version, its overkill, and more load on the wiring. If i went with the 55w for any reason, i'd consider adding the relay to carry the extra load.
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S
If you're buring out a relay, there's a reason..... Standard Bosch Relays will handle some 30,000 cycles or some such obnoxious number..... as long as they are not pulling too much current through them. Most are not rated at above 60 amps either. That's a LOT of juice for your headlights, but the right relay, wired correctly, with the correct wire gauge, should last for many years before any issues arise related to the Relay. Most newer cars run some sort of a relay from the factory, to allow less large gauge wire to be used in the vehicle construction. No sense running heavy gauge wire inside, when the battery and the headlights are right there in the same compartment. Just low current wiring to a relay (usually also installed in the fuse block, or its own fuse box), BAM... lower weight cars, lower amp switches in the interior and all.
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Dale
You're right,and also the cost of all those switches and their wiring.
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