Evo Soul

Preamble

Now before I begin this review, I should admit that I have never taken the dive into the HID world.  Over the years HID kits seem to me to be a very expensive mod, and in some cases being plagued with problems.  That said, I will admit that I have poured my fair share of cash into Halogen bulb upgrades, ranging from Expensive PIAA’s to my final halogen bulb the Yellow Nokya’s.   More recently I have been pretty curious about HID’s, there were just seem that looked perfect.  And I remember one kit that constantly turned my head and captured my attention and it was always on an RSX.  Being part of Club RSX, I started asking around and seeing where everyone was getting their kits.  And the answer was always the same, XenonDepot.  After hearing the same answer about 10 times, I decided to fire an email off to the owner of XenonDepot, Steve.    

First Contact

Right off the bat, it was clear to see that Steve knew his stuff, and of course, if you have been selling them since 2001, clearly you have been doing something right.  We spoke about the HID kits that have been his mainstay Xtreme product line from Japan, with various colors available.  The 6500k was the most common color I saw among the RSX club guys, and it was that one that I was most attracted to.

 We we talked about what his Kits offer vs. the competition he then told me that he had another line of products coming and he said it would be exactly what I was looking for.  Then I asked, whats it going to cost?  And I was blown away.  When I asked whats the catch?  why is it so low?  He said they are from Taiwan?  Ah ha! you might think?  But when he explained to me the level of quality with this production facility and the fact that he doesnt take manufacturer changes lightly.  HIDs has to be made to perfection, and his Japanese kits have been just that.  He told me he wouldnt make this change unless he was abolutely sure it would yield high quality product. The more we talked, the more I became interested in this new kit.  Steve did a good job at breaking down what you should look for and avoid when buying HID kits.   Proven track record?  How many times have you seen one of your friends driving with one HID bulb working, when you ask them why not get it replaced, you hear the company went out of business or bought it off some guy at a flee market, or my personal favorite, a friend of a friend sold it to me and cant find him.  Othere issues to look out for but you really wont know until you hook it up is if the HID kit causes Radio Interference when turned on. etc…. etc…. There is a chart that breaks down the basics about the two kits from Xenon and should answer these questions and more.  I grabed it right off their website but speaks volumes to those who want to know every single detail of what they are buying.

  besides price, and besides good quality from Taiwan, I should mention that this kit features a ultra slim small compact ballast.  When I pulled in the next day for an oil change at Mitsu with the kit installed, the shop guys were impressed to see such a small setup.  The phsyical specs on the size is as follows based on the website XenonDepot information. 

BALLAST SPECIFICATIONS

* These ballasts are equipped with next generation Digital+ Technology allowing the ballast to exert greater control over electrical flow to the bulb.  As a result, the voltage output to the bulb is more consistent and stable, resulting in constant lumen output, brightness stability, with no flickering.

* Automatic reverse polarity protection.

* Dual EMI Filter protection Circuit shielding.

* Ultra-slim design and light weight: The ballast measures 3″ x 2 5/8″ x 9/16″ (7.6cm x 6.6cm x 1.4cm), and weighs only 7 oz (200 g).

* Volt Digital+ ballasts are uniquely designed for aftermarket applications as they are rubber injected to  protect against harsh weather conditions

The Install

Bringing this all back to our Mitsubishi Lancer, My install was not a fun event.  But it wasnt because of the HID kit.  See, to make a long story short, my car has been involved in a few accidents at the hands of my wonderful lovely girlfriend.  The front end was rebuilt but when I went in there to swap out the bulbs, Me and fellow TLC club member Will, had a not so fun time with the 9006 Connector.  Apparently there was an  eletrical short that occured long before I got the HID’s.  Its likely that water during the last accident.

   When I got on the phone and told Steve that I hit a snag, he told me he had some connectors laying around and he would see what he could do.  Low and behold, a day or so later a package arrived via UPS, arriving as quickly as the HID kit did only a few days prior.  The new connector worked like a charm with the help of my bodyshop doing the splicing and dicing.   And we were able to get the HID’s up and running in no time.  The actual wiring / hooking up of the HID system was pretty easy.  Since we didnt want to drill, we were able to get everything secured using old fashioned plastic zip ties. What makes these HID kit a great deal is that we were able to get included the Anti Flicker Module needed to prevent problems with the Mitsubishi Lancers Day Time Running Lights aka DRL.  To top everything off the HID kit even comes with nylon dipped gloves which makes for easy and safe handling of the HID bulbs.  The only negative think I can say about this whole experience is, why didnt I do this earlier?    

Post Install Thoughts

To drive that last sentence home, I dont know why I didnt do this sooner.  The light given off is just impressive.  the field of view at night is so much more enhanced, forget just seeing in front of you, I can see honestly say, the entire road left to right up and down seems as it should, properly in sight.  On the outside, looking at the car the color hue is just right.  From time to time my girlfriend and eye swap cars, and sometimes I am forced to wait on her to get home.  So as I sit and wait in the car, I see alot of cars go by,  you have your BMW’s, you have your Audi’s maybe the odd ricer civic or two. But everytime I see my girlfriend round the corner, I can always tell its her, the hue of white blue light is unmistakable.  I will soon post images as soon as winter cuts us all a break.  but the kit is great.  Just the right kind of color hue, No radio interference, no problems at start up, and finally, great Customer Service that reinforces peace of mind.    

Conclusion

I was so impressed as well as others that I have spoken with Steve to organize a Toronto Lancer Club deal which will see everything mentioned above included for one great low price.     

At the very bottom of the check out page, its very very important that you follow these steps in order to receive your ANTI FLICKER kits with your HID kit.  Below is what you will see before you click the place order button.   PAYMENT method and order comments.  in the order Comments section, copy and paste the follow.

“EVOLUTIONM / EVOSOUL / TORONTO LANCER CLUB Deal for 9006 HIDs + ANTIFLICKER” 

http://www.kbcarstuff.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VDP-6k 

Failing to put that comment in the comments section means you will not get the AntiFlicker kits with your HIDs.  In other words, too bad :( 

 THE LAST STEP,  when purchasing this kit.  After you order, please EMAIL ME your ORDER NUMBER at EVOSOUL.COM@Gmail.com with the subject Xenondepot Order number!!!!  Failure to follow the directions above confirms there is something wrong with you and  you cant follow instructions!

Side note:   Xenon Depot is taking deliveries of more stock so expect shipping to start around the middle of the month.  They were so popular during the holidays the sold out

Cheers