Wondering if anyone has had success replacing the stock halogen bulbs with a HID conversion, as well if anyone has insight as to why this isn't advisable. In general, HID's are recommended over LED's for the projector type lens found in my Niro.
Besides whatever answers you get here, there are posts on several forums. If I remember correctly, not everyone was happy. This sounds like a lot of money to invest (if you get a quality setup). Greg
I have been using the Alla Lighting Mini FL-BH LEDs and they seem to be decent. However, my annoyance with them, as it is with most all LED conversion replacements, is the loud fans they all come with. I have tried several different brands of LEDs, from Auxito (cheapest) to SaberPro 50w and none of the fans are very quiet. Since our cars are silent when at a stop, believe it or not you will hear the fans from inside the vehicle. I am currently considering trying HID conversion and studying the options at BRI Source among others. HIDs have no fan and will run silently. What I'd like to know is whether US models have the wiring harness support for installing the factory LED headlights from Kia. Granted, this is a very expensive alternative, assuming it works at all. I'd like to see what others are doing. Truly shameful Kia overlooked this detail on this vehicle.
Thinking about the XenonPro option. For a hundred dollars it appears to have all of the needed hardware. Just don't want to jeopardize electronics in this Niro. If there are any electrical wizards out there please chime in. Dual Beam, Hi & Low Beams - 9005 - Full Xenon HID Headlights Kit - Free Shipping & Lifetime Warranty - XenonPro.com
On that site, read the reviews.... the 1 star reviews point out several problems.... the 5 star reviews are all one liners, and the SAME comment occurs often... i.e. bogus reviews... Run away... Greg
Yeah, I was suspicious of that site. While I cannot claim this site is perfect, I think it does give some information about the various kits out there. That being said, there are a lot of selling links to BRI Source. That all being said, I did recently purchase and attempt to install the Lumibright XT1 G2 LED lights without luck. I could not get the light to screw into the headlight socket. I also had to make a tweak to the electrical contacts (spread them out by about 1/16" each side) to get them to connect. BRI Source was great and very helpful, paid for a return of the lights and are crediting me back. I am now studying HID conversions instead of LED. The reason is that HIDs for retrofit applications where you're upgrading a projector-based halogen bulb are a better match to the projector geometry. The upside is you get a lot more color choices and the lumen output meets or exceeds even the best LED replacement. The downside is the warm-up time and the additional arc-striking hardware you need (ballast). One additional benefit is the lack of a cooling fan for HIDs. From my experience, all of the LEDs I tested had fans I could hear resonating inside the headlight assembly from both inside and outside the vehicle. With an ICE vehicle, you likely won't hear that fan inside the car due to the engine noise. Electric vehicle, not so much. Everyone's tolerance will be different, I know. Link to light information: https://bulbfacts.com/ Link to BRI Source's website: https://brisource.com/ I am currently considering the Morimoto XB 35w kit (https://brisource.com/collections/aftermarket-hid/products/morimoto-xb35-xb55-2-0-elite-hid-conversion-kit?variant=1983636674976). I would probably get it in 4000k or 5000k, but nothing higher. They do sell a 55w kit, however, BRI Source recommended I do not use it due to the higher UV output that could cause issues with damage to the projector or front lens of the vehicle.
Since I am still researching this as well, let us know what path you decide to take on your headlight upgrade.
