Aftermarket HID headlights - 35W or 55W
Discussion
I fitted a 35W kit to my previous car (BMW E36) with very good results. I used them for about 6 years and in that time had to replace one ballast at a cost of about £30.
My colleague put a set on his
C4 Grande Picasso (2011) and wasn't impressed so maybe there isn't so much room for improvement on modern units, who knows.
Glad to head you're going for 4300k for maximum lumen output.
My colleague put a set on his
C4 Grande Picasso (2011) and wasn't impressed so maybe there isn't so much room for improvement on modern units, who knows.Glad to head you're going for 4300k for maximum lumen output.
Previous said:
4300K = Best for illumination
6-8000K = Best for McDonalds car park.
Indeed. The higher temps are achieved through filtering the light through a blue coating, so less light passes through in total. The high temps look awful on an older car in my opinion.6-8000K = Best for McDonalds car park.
Edited by jones325i on Thursday 30th January 08:32
I'm a convert to Osram Nightbreaker (plus) bulbs.
I've heard the hype for years but only recently took the plunge after seeing them come up on eBay at £12.95 delivered a pair.
Made a massive and noticeable difference to my car's light output.
Depending on the car, you may also benefit from fitting relays to the light loom. The difference with a relayed loom on my Corrado was night and day. Literally.
I've heard the hype for years but only recently took the plunge after seeing them come up on eBay at £12.95 delivered a pair.
Made a massive and noticeable difference to my car's light output.
Depending on the car, you may also benefit from fitting relays to the light loom. The difference with a relayed loom on my Corrado was night and day. Literally.
jones325i said:
Indeed. The higher temps are achieved through filtering the light through a blue coating, so less light passes through in total. The high temps look awful on an older car in my opinion.
Wrong - the colour temperature is achieved through using different blends of salt in the bulb capsule.As for HIDs that produce too much glare - this is usually because of two things,
1] For H4 'bi-xenon' bulbs, the bulb is usually missing a small reflector mounted close to the bulb itself. If you look at various kits, you will see some have this little reflector and some don't - the difference is either a sharp cutoff (good quality bulb), or a blurred 'messy' cutoff (cheap rubbish from eBay bulb).
2] For H7 fitments, there are two types of HID bulb on offer. H7 and H7R - again, similar to the H4 bulbs, the H7R bulb is for reflector (traditional) type housings (there is a reflector mounted on the bulb itself to guide the light), and the H7 is for projector type housings (no bulb reflector). Of course, most people don't realise this or bother to do their research, and end up with the wrong bulbs.
If you get a good quality HID kit, there is no reason why it'll be any 'worse' than a modern vehicle with OEM HID's. Some modern cars headlights are quite dazzling, i.e Range Rovers in particular. The trick is, don't look directly at the light!
Edited by OriginUnknown on Thursday 30th January 10:28
Mr2Mike said:
eldar said:
Worst is fecking motorbikes with HIDs. Lunatics.
Again it depends on whether it's a reflector or projector, and whether the headlamp is aligned properly.What I really need is some sort of gyro stabalised steerable headlight.
Captain Muppet said:
What I really need is some sort of gyro stabalised steerable headlight.
For mountain bike night riding I use a Cree LED mount with a helmet mount. The directional ability makes up for a lot. I've never used similar on a motorbike, but the brightest LED available in a spot lamp on the helmet, powered from the bike might be good on dark roadsThis bloke is referring to the situation in the USA but it is nice to have info from someone who knows what he is talking about.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/...
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/...
I suspect those who say I have never flashed probably don't realise the person they dazzled is probably concentrating madly on avoiding a head on crash rather than flashing their main beams. The people who fit HID's in reflector head lamps should be slung in the clink and made to eat the bulbs and ballasts they fitted.
eldar said:
Mr2Mike said:
Badly/incorrectly fitted HIDs (most always in reflector headlamps) are massively dazzling. I don't see how there can be any debate on that.
Worst is fecking motorbikes with HIDs. Lunatics.I have HID kits in both my main cars, the VXR8 and the Rover 75, both with projector lenses. I wouldn't contemplate fitting them to standard lenses.
My 4300K kit in the Rover used to be in the VXR8 but when I bought a new VXR8 I got a dedicated Holden Commodore kit which has the ballast built in to the cap. These came with 6000K bulbs and there is a very distinct difference in light output reduction over the 4300K ones, I have a pair of 5000K bulbs on the way for the VXR8 to give me a bit more light.
The VXR8 passed the MOT fine with no levelling or washers. The Rover 75 has washers and manual levelling but again I don't anticipate any issues come MOT time.
I've read that there's not much difference between 35W and 55W? Mine are both 35W and no complaints on either, a massive improvement in light, as mentioned above projectors and halogen don't produce a particularly bright output. Philips NightVision/Osram NightBreakers help but are no match for the output of properly adjusted HID.
Stef
Edited by StefanVXR8 on Thursday 30th January 20:02
Mr2Mike said:
okie592 said:
Don't listen to the people on here that say they burn your retinas, they say the same about DRLS and led breaklights they just like a good grump.
Badly/incorrectly fitted HIDs (most always in reflector headlamps) are massively dazzling. I don't see how there can be any debate on that.
Some chav in a BMW had some purple coloured ones fitted and I could barely see where I was going until I turned on our spotlights.
I think he might still be melted to his steering wheel in the Basingstoke area
julianm said:
This bloke is referring to the situation in the USA but it is nice to have info from someone who knows what he is talking about.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/...
That's just another opinion leaning towards the 'oooooh, don't do it' slant. I guess this pleases you more than someone saying, 'actually they're fine, if done properly and with the right, good quality bulbs' which is fine. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/...
As I said above, for H7 fitments in reflector housings, it's important to get the H7R kit. A lot of people don't know this. Fitting a normal H7 HID in a reflector housing will cause light scatter. Of course, this is simply wasted light that annoys on coming drivers.
Decent H4 bulbs also should have a reflector fitted, but a lot don't.
OriginUnknown said:
julianm said:
This bloke is referring to the situation in the USA but it is nice to have info from someone who knows what he is talking about.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/...
That's just another opinion leaning towards the 'oooooh, don't do it' slant. I guess this pleases you more than someone saying, 'actually they're fine, if done properly and with the right, good quality bulbs' which is fine. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/...
As I said above, for H7 fitments in reflector housings, it's important to get the H7R kit. A lot of people don't know this. Fitting a normal H7 HID in a reflector housing will cause light scatter. Of course, this is simply wasted light that annoys on coming drivers.
Decent H4 bulbs also should have a reflector fitted, but a lot don't.
Ignore the nay sayers and fit them if you want just be aware they aren't technically legal and depending on your MOT tester they may or may not pass.
You want a 4300k 35W kit, as another poster have said the 4300k provides the best illumination, I certainly wouldn't go over 5000k as they will start to look blue. the 55w kit are great if you want to use the car only off road at night but I wouldn't recommend them for road use as they will be far to bright.
http://www.vvme.com/
Make good kits, they are low cost and they mark the price of the contents down on the invoice so you don't end up paying import duty and VAT
(or they did when I ordered). These kits also come with everything you need and are plug and play with no cutting of the cars electronics.
If you have a standard headlight you can use HID bulbs, but I wouldn't recommend it if the light units lens is an older glass one with a diffuser pattern in it because that (other than them being badly adjusted) is what dazzles other road users.
You want a 4300k 35W kit, as another poster have said the 4300k provides the best illumination, I certainly wouldn't go over 5000k as they will start to look blue. the 55w kit are great if you want to use the car only off road at night but I wouldn't recommend them for road use as they will be far to bright.
http://www.vvme.com/
Make good kits, they are low cost and they mark the price of the contents down on the invoice so you don't end up paying import duty and VAT
(or they did when I ordered). These kits also come with everything you need and are plug and play with no cutting of the cars electronics.If you have a standard headlight you can use HID bulbs, but I wouldn't recommend it if the light units lens is an older glass one with a diffuser pattern in it because that (other than them being badly adjusted) is what dazzles other road users.
Edited by PanzerCommander on Friday 31st January 09:10
OriginUnknown said:
jones325i said:
Indeed. The higher temps are achieved through filtering the light through a blue coating, so less light passes through in total. The high temps look awful on an older car in my opinion.
Wrong - the colour temperature is achieved through using different blends of salt in the bulb capsule.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff