Q: Can I install halos myself?

A: Yes you can with a small amount of mechanical skill and patience. AAC provides instruction for installation with most of their kits. How ever the online car community thought online chat forums is a great source for information on how to install from people who have done it themselves. Google your make and model of car and find a good Forums for it. NMC can install your halos for you. Either locally or through mail order. Check our store for details and pricing.

Q: What colors are Legal or Illegal?

A: Check your local and state laws but "general" white and amber are legal and red and blue are not as they are reserved for emergency vehicles. again Check with your Local/State laws to confirm what is or is not ok where you are.

Q: Will I loose my factory warranty adding Halos?

A: In most cases the halos are wired to a switch and independent of the factory wiring. Thus the only factory warranty you would loose is the one on your headlights themselves since you have to open the seal of the headlight to install the Halos.

Q: which is better LED or CCFl rings?

A: That is a personal Choice. LED rings are brighter as the light is directional where as CCFL rings are more ambient lighting and a softer light. LED rings have the "dot" effect caused by the individual LEDs on the ring and CCFL are a solid glass tube the full length of the halo.

Q: How long does it take to install a set of Halos?

A: Typically it takes 5-6 hours depending on the car, skill of installer and tools at hand. NMC has done so many installs we have it down pat. We still thought get the car/truck we have not done before in the shop and its a learning curve for us as well as each light assembly has its own quirks and challenges. Nothing that cant be over come.

Q: How do I care for my Halos after they are installed?

A: NMC RECOMMENDS STRONGLY  to never pressure wash your car or use an automated car washer again on lights that have had halos installed. HAND WASHING in recommended. Besides the fact that pressure washing and auto washers can damage the finish of your car. Keep in mind that you have disturbed the factory seal of your headlights. The water Pressure from pressure washers and automatic washers can sneak their way into the new seal you have created, causing moisture in the headlight and causing the need to have the light resealed.

Q: What does HID Mean?

A: HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. It refers to lighting technology that relies on an electrical charge to ignite xenon gas contained in a sealed bulb. The technology of HID automotive lamps is similar to that of common vapor-filled street lamps. HID lighting doesn't have a filament but instead creates light by igniting an arc between two electrodes. HID lights get their name from the intense white light produced by the electrical discharge. HID lamps are also called xenon lamps, referring to a gas inside the lamps. HID general lighting has been used for years in sports arenas and stadiums around the country.

Like the name implies, high intensity discharge lighting creates a very bright light that is ideal for night time driving. Though the color of the light is often perceived as having a bluish tint when viewed at night, most of the light that is produced by HID headlamps is actually very close in color to natural noontime sunlight -- though some of the light produced is also in the blue and ultraviolet spectrum. Halogen headlamps, by comparison, are more yellowish in appearance but are brighter and whiter than older incandescent style headlamps.

The near-white light produced by HID headlamps improves visibility and makes it easier to see distant objects.

The color of light can be measured in "degrees Kelvin," which refers to the "temperature" (shade) of light. Natural sunlight at noon is 4870 degrees K. Light produced by a HID xenon bulb is 4100 degrees K. Light from a standard halogen bulb is 3200 degrees K, and that from an ordinary incandescent bulb is 2800 degrees K. The lower the temperature rating, the more yellowish the light appears.

Blue-white light is better for visual perception, but yellow light is actually somewhat better for reducing glare in fog, rain and snow (that's why fog lights are yellow).

The xenon bulbs that are used in HID lighting systems also produce three times the light output of standard halogen headlamps (3000 lumens versus 1000 lumens), and require less energy (35 watts versus 55 watts). This is possible because HID lighting systems work like a vapor-filled street light or metal halide lamp. HID bulbs typically produce 71 lumens of light per watt compared to 18 lumens of light per watt for standard halogen bulbs.

Q: How do HIDs work?

A: HID lighting systems use a special quartz bulb that contains no filament and is filled with xenon gas and a small amount of mercury and other metal salts. Inside the bulb are two electrodes separated by a small gap (about 4 mm or 3/16th inch). When high voltage current is applied to the electrodes, it excites the gases inside the bulb and forms an electrical arc between the electrodes. The hot ionized gas produces a "plasma discharge" that generates an extremely intense, bluish-white light.

Like street lamps and fluorescent bulbs, HID headlamps require a high voltage ignition source to start. It typically takes up to 25,000 volts to start a xenon bulb, but only about 80 to 90 volts to keep it operating once the initial arc has formed. The normal 12 volts DC from the vehicle's electrical system is stepped up and controlled by an igniter module and inverter (ballast), which also converts the voltage to AC (alternating current) which is necessary to operate the HID headlamps.

The Digital Ballast adjusts the voltage and current frequency to operating requirements. The AC ballast frequency is usually in the 250 to 450 Hz range.

When HID headlamps are first turned on, the light appears more bluish but quickly brightens as the bulbs warm up. Because there is no brittle filament inside a xenon HID bulb to break or burn out, the headlamps typically last up to ten times longer than halogen headlamps.

Q: What do the Color Ranges mean for the HIDs?

A: Color Temperature Explained:

Color Temperature: 3000K
3000K emits GOLDEN YELLOW color and offers superior penetration power during adverse weather epically in dense fog. The applications of the 3000K kit aim more towards secondary lighting apparatus such as high beam and fog lights. This is the color temperature that will catch all the attention on the road.

Color Temperature: 4300K
The light appears fairly white, and has light yellowish hue when reflected off the road identical to the OEM HID equipped vehicles. It is ideal for customers who does a lot of back road or canyon driving and need the optimal visibility.

Color Temperature: 6000K
6000K emits pure white light with very slight and barely noticeable tint of blue and purple. This color is for customers who is looking for pure performance white while improving the looks of their headlight.

Color Temperature: 8000K
ORACLE 8000K has an approximately 3000lm output, which is about 3x the light output of the traditional halogen light and slightly less light output compared to the 6000K. While it has a bit lesser light output, it emits bluer light than the 6000K.

Color Temperature: 10000K
ORACLE 10000K has an approximately 2800lm output, which is more than 2x the light output of the traditional halogen light. 10000K produces a deep blue light output approaching violet and the blue is noticeably deeper than the 8000K.

Color Temperature: 12000K
This color temperature puts out a deep bluish violet light and is deeper colored than the 10000K. It is for customer who is looking for the most extreme and most exotic looking light output.

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