So I decided not to be lazy... I went ahead and did the HID install on my euros. Using Morimoto 4500k D2H bulbs with H7 adapters glued on, Morimoto 35w ballasts, and an H7 HD relay with a capacitor. Install was pretty straight forward, though I will say I did run into some bumps along the way installing all the stuff on the driver side. The passenger side is fine, but the driver side is a really tight fit, especially if you're putting the relay on that side. I used the + and - directly on the battery terminals for power and grounding. Also used double sided 3M velcro and zip ties to attach the ballasts and igniters in the engine bay. I'll have to keep an eye on all of the wiring and parts to make sure nothing suffers any heat damage. While I do appreciate that the HIDs are brighter than the halogens and have a nicer color temperature, I have to say that the excess glare kind of hinders the experience. Some comparison output shots:
Halogen:
HID:
Halogen:
HID:
This second shot is a bit erroneous. I went to the same place I did my previous aiming, however since it was earlier in the night, the parking lot lights were not out like my previous images, so don't be fooled into thinking that it's making the entire parking lot that much brighter. Either way, still gives an idea of the light output and the bulb temperature.
If you compare the halogen to HID images, you can see that the squirrel finders are much more pronounced, which is to be expected. Overall? I'm underwhelmed with the outcome. The good news is, everything is in place now, so besides swapping the wiring pin in the stock harnesses back, installing my retrofit headlights should be pretty straight forward to compare the difference.
-Matt